2 horse trailer with side ramp?

[hey101]

@2ndyrgal;6167330

You do have to have enough truck to haul one though.

You can actually haul three horses in these if you need to. Even my horse fits in the front “box” stall.

I heart the 2+1 trailers. My next trailer will be this, with a nice diesel dually to pull it!

Three (maybe dumb) questions:
What truck is enough truck? a 2500 HD? 3500 HD? Bigger? I’ve had enough bad trailering experiences in the past few years that I want to be over-trucked, not under-trucked.

What about the hitch- is it a gooseneck or a 5th wheel? Does it matter?

And finally, if you want to haul three horses… would you tie the third horse diagonally in the +1 area with his head at one of the other horses’ heads? Or the other way with his butt facing the other horses’ heads (but then I’d worry about a kicking match ensuing while on the road)? I love the option of it being a 3-H trailer without going for a 3H slant load.

[SLR]

OP Where are you located? There are plenty of this type of trailer in KY where they are used for the broodmares and babies. We have a 4 Star 2+1 with dressing room and love it. 4 Star also makes a 2+1 without the dressing room. It has a calf gate I think they call it on the “loft” area, so you can store things.
I don’t know who asked, but the +1 area is large enough to trailer the third horse with head tied in the front and probably the horse would ride slanted. There is enough room in front of the 2 straight horses that they really can’t “get” to the front riding one. Think a regular straight load trailer with head dividers, a gate, then a small box stall in front.
An added benefit is that you can convert the trailer to 2 box stalls.

[fordtraktor]

I have a 2H straight load gooseneck Hawk with side ramp. Really like it – bought it specially for my difficult unloader (loads like a dream, does not come off backwards!) and have been very pleased.

I always load them through the back, unload off the front. I love the side ramp for unloading and it makes loading easier as well – I open everything up and it makes the space look inviting for green loaders, of which I have a couple.

I wanted the 2H instead of the 2+1 because I have a newish F150 – the 2H is well within its loading parameters but a 2+1 would have been pushing it a bit. 2H was significantly cheaper as well, even with the side ramp.

[Sparky_Boy]

[QUOTE=mg;6166879]
I have a 2011 Hawk 2H BP with side ramp and dressing room, set-up like this model: http://www.happytrailstrailers.com/product.php?pid=2

My 16hh appendix fits on it fine/is able to maneuver out the side ramp easily…he’s not as tall as your guy, but he’s got super wide shoulders and hips and wears an 84" blanket, so he’s not very small either!!

TBH, other than for nervous loaders or babies, I don’t use the side ramp. I suppose it’s nice to have just in case, but I wish I had more room in the dressing room. That being said, it’s still a SUPER nice trailer and it’s a dream to haul.[/QUOTE]

I also have the hawk 2h with side ramp. My 17 hand gelding had no issues. Just put the larger horse on the side opposite the ramp. I also added one foot to the area betwee the horses and the dressing room.

[Frost]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;6179749]
I have a 2H straight load gooseneck Hawk with side ramp. Really like it – bought it specially for my difficult unloader (loads like a dream, does not come off backwards!) and have been very pleased.

I always load them through the back, unload off the front. I love the side ramp for unloading and it makes loading easier as well – I open everything up and it makes the space look inviting for green loaders, of which I have a couple.

I wanted the 2H instead of the 2+1 because I have a newish F150 – the 2H is well within its loading parameters but a 2+1 would have been pushing it a bit. 2H was significantly cheaper as well, even with the side ramp.[/QUOTE]

This is my situation as well. I have a 2011 F150 and the 2 horse with side ramp will be fine but a 2+1 would be pushing it weight-wise. And I honestly don’t NEED the extra space.

I do have a local Adam dealer and Adam will make a custom 2horse GN with side ramp for my big guy. They recommended adding 2 ft to the space between the dressing room wall and the breast bar to give him enough room to make the turn. I also like the fact that the horse space is 7 ft wide standard on this trailer as compared to the 6 ft on my current trailer. I am still thinking about it, but I have heard a lot of good things about Adam.

[Holly_Jeanne]

Love it!

I have this trailer:

http://www.happytrailstrailers.com/product.php?pid=117

My two 16.2 handers haven’t had any trouble at all with it and I tend to keep a bale of hay in that section. I love it!

[Nipntuck]

[QUOTE=hey101;6179361]
I heart the 2+1 trailers. My next trailer will be this, with a nice diesel dually to pull it!

Three (maybe dumb) questions:
What truck is enough truck? a 2500 HD? 3500 HD? Bigger? I’ve had enough bad trailering experiences in the past few years that I want to be over-trucked, not under-trucked.

What about the hitch- is it a gooseneck or a 5th wheel? Does it matter?

And finally, if you want to haul three horses… would you tie the third horse diagonally in the +1 area with his head at one of the other horses’ heads? Or the other way with his butt facing the other horses’ heads (but then I’d worry about a kicking match ensuing while on the road)? I love the option of it being a 3-H trailer without going for a 3H slant load.[/QUOTE]

I pull my Hawk 2+1 with a dressing room with a Chevy Duramax 2500 with weight tolerance to spare (and no pulling/stopping issues either). I just use a regular B & W Turnover ball hitch. I tie the front horse facing the other 2 horses, e.g. facing the rear, but I put a tie ring at the front to keep my options open. I LOVE this trailer and have hauled hay in the front when I only had two horses and the farm we were riding on had some nice hay for sale. I’m an opportunist!

[Jessicawelton]

It’s time for an update to this thread. Who has a two horse with side ramp they’ve bought in the last few years? Brand, likes, dislikes? I’m planning to buy one in March. I’ve looked at

Equispirit: nice but $27,000, dressing room and wood floor

Shadow: looks nice online, $17,000 has dressing room and wood floor which I like

Gore: looks bare bones, ie bare chain across side ramp door, $16,300 w/o dressing room, with saddle racks in horse area and wood floor. Steel frame with aluminum skin (stronger frame but where metals touch an issue?)

BalanceRide (sp): looks very nice for price, rear -facing (any comments on that?!) $21,000

Featherlite: gooseneck only?

4stsr: gooseneck only

Sundowner: looks nice, dressing room, aluminum floor? $22,000

Trailers USA: look very nice, aluminum frame, warm blood size, dressing room, wood floor, via Macon Custom

[flypony74]

I have a 2018 Hawk, 2H straight load GN with a side ramp (not 2+1) and a dressing room, so the exact trailer you are describing (model 113 if you look on the Hawk website). I was downsizing from a LQ so really didn’t want a massive trailer again (which is most 2+1s), and really wasn’t shopping for a side ramp, but did want a 2H with extra space in front of the horses and a larger DR. This is the Hawk model with the slant wall which inherently affords a good bit more space in both areas but doesn’t make for a massive trailer. I think mine is 18’ on the floor, which is like driving a sportscar after that big LQ. I was originally looking at 4-Star, as I had one previously and it was an incredible trailer, but the Hawk was substantially less and is a very well-built trailer with a ton of great features. I’ve already put a lot of miles on it and have zero complaints; this is coming from someone who never thought they’d be happy with anything other than a 4-Star! Mine is the Classic Elite version so it is extra wide and tall, and no problems utilizing the side ramp from either horse stall. Mine has the upgraded latches so I can run with the top ramp window open for extra ventilation in the summer, which is awesome living in the south. I would absolutely buy this trailer again.

[greysfordays]

I have a Boeckmann portax LK. My two horses are 17h and 18h and ride comfortably. They have a lot of space in front of the breast bar.

the side ramp isn’t straight to the side, it’s on a diagonal forward, so even unloading the horse on the passenger/ramp size is easy to manage. You can also push over the divider in front to let the drivers side horse exit easily.

if you need a lot of space for gear that you want to lock in a trailer, this is not the rig for you. But my big horses travel comfortably in it and the front unload ramp is fantastic. As a concept, regardless of the brand, I highly recommend this setup. And I’ve heard great things about Adam trailers.

[fourfillies]

FWIW my trainer bought a 4H Shadow last year. She’s been happy with the quality for the price point. It’s no 4 Star but seems to be a plenty sturdy trailer.

[FatCatFarm]

I went from a 3horse slant goose Merhow to a 2+1 goose 4Star and also initially questioned if I really needed that much trailer. It really is an awesome trailer and extremely versatile.

Pros:
I was eventing at the time and while I mostly just trailer one horse at the time, when going to a horse show, there is all this extra storage room for hay, feed, a scooter, muck bucket and feed buckets, additional tack trunk, wheel barrow, etc. and you don’t have to worry about it raining and getting wet. I got extra bridle and saddle hooks and just keep all the tack I use in there on a regular basis so I never have to worry about if I have something with me. Easy to take my daughter and her horse as well when she was still showing.

I’ve gone to a lesson with an indoor with it pouring down rain and tacked up my horse inside the trailer and then led him down the side ramp into our lesson. I ordered mine so the divider gates between the straight stalls and the +1 area butterfly either way, so to move a horse in the straight stall forward, all I do is fold back the gates, pull the center post and walk him forward and tack up.

It’s a great trailer to trailer into a show with without having to rent a stall. It opens up well with good ventilation and you can loaf in the +1 area or set up a picnic table, camp chairs whatever. I’ve even bought mosquito netting, a curtain rod and hangers where I could camp out of the +1 area if I wished. Some get marine batteries and fans installed so they have an independent power source to run fans.

We trailered our Polaris Ranger side-by-side home from TN in it.
Have also hauled llamas and minis and a Mustang horse that had not been tied in a trailer before, in the +1 area.
I helped a girlfriend move her 2 horses and a donkey all in one go instead of her having to make two trips with her 2 horse bumper pull.

Also took a friend and her horse along with mine up to SC to stay at a stables and go riding on the beach and we packed all the gear needed into my tack room and +1 area, again without the need to use the bed of the truck and therefore did not have to worry about inclement weather.

Cons:
You will need a 3/4 ton truck
It is a pain to get in and out of gas stations and you have to be selective where you put the thing

---

The 4Stars are very well made; Adam also makes a good one for less money; Shadows are nice for their price points.

I upgraded my axles; added extra lights; butterflied the interior gates; got WERM flooring; added extra saddle racks and bridle hooks with carpeting behind; a clothes bar, a step to the dressing room and sprung for the quiet ride. All very worth it.

Now that I am not actively showing, I honestly have contemplated if I might be better served getting a 2 horse bumper pull with side-ramp but I would lose a ton of storage space and they just don’t tow as well. Also contemplated maybe getting one with small living quarters since it’s just me, but most of those are slants and my big horses simply won’t fit on them, so the 2+1 is a good compromise, because, as I said, I can use the +1 area to set up a cot and table and my mosquito netting shears and quite comfortably primitive camp. That or just go to places which offer lodging for now. My younger horses are smaller so it may be that one day I do go that route.

[NoSuchPerson]

I’ve got a 2017 Equispirit Breeze, 2H bumper pull with side ramp and what they called a “tack closet” instead of full dressing room. Going with that configuration reduced the overall length compared to the model with full dressing room and the “closet” is perfectly adequate for me - two saddle racks, a row of bridle hooks, and enough floor space for a bucket and grooming box.

I love it. Open and airy, pulls well, good quality. And I have one very critical horse friend who inspected it after I bought it and actually couldn’t find anything to criticize. :lol:

That said, I’m planning to sell it this spring because my needs have changed completely since I bought it. Such is life. Anyway, they claim the Equispirits have good resale value. I’ll let you know if that’s true.

[DMK]

I have the trailers USA 2+1 bp, no tack room, but it’s 8’ wide and 21’ nose to tail, probably 23 ’ overall. I never had any intention of putting a +1 horse in there, it was always intended to be tack room, carriage storage, and notveryprimitive camping area (I even added a camper hookup and lights/outlets/breaker box).

I totally recommend trailers USA, they did a great job designing what I wanted and telling me the pros and cons of various ideas. The trailer is about 1 year old today and I’ve camped in it about 10 times so far and it has about 8k miles already.

[Mango20]

I have this 2018 Hawk 2+1 with no dressing room: http://happytrailstrailers.com/2017/05/15/2017-hawk-2-horse-bp-dressing-room-2-2-5/

It’s perfect for me because it meets all my needs and is still only a 16’ box, so I can still fit it in my tricky driveway. I don’t mind not having a dressing room. I never had one in my BP, and now I have all that gooseneck space. I don’t want my trailer to be a rolling storage bin, so try to keep what’s in there to only what’s needed and emergency extras.

My horses all love it and have learned to be loaded on the side ramp and backed into the stalls. I have only occasionally hauled a third horse. It’s been a pony each time, and I let them ride in the box untied, where they tend to choose to put their butts against the wall on the driver’s side front and stand on a backwards slant.

I’ve used the +1 space for bales of hay, an indoor tack up area, staging area or shady place to put chairs, and I’ve camped in the gooseneck. I pull it with a Chevy 2500HD (gas). I have a friend who has a very similar trailer from 4star, and pulls it with a diesel Ram.

[Xanthoria]

I have a 2 WB sized horse (rear facing) side ramp EquiTrek ShowTreka L with a 2 bunk LQ that weights about 3000#. Great option if you’re looking to save gas and have a smaller tow vehicle- I tow mine with a V8 4Runner.

[ThreeFigs]

I have a 2008 Hawk rear-facing trailer with a side ramp and a rear ramp. I believe it would be marketed as a “BalanceRide” trailer. I bought mine through Risa at Happy Trails and I still love the thing! Gooseneck, almost big enough for a 2+1, I use the extra space in the bulkhead area for haybales, feed and whatnot. Horses love it! It has the option to turn the dividers around so horses face forward, but it works so well this way I’ve never bothered…

[grinanride]

ThreeFigs! PM sent!

[greysfordays]

@Xanthoria

I have a 2 WB sized horse (rear facing) side ramp EquiTrek ShowTreka L with a 2 bunk LQ that weights about 3000#. Great option if you’re looking to save gas and have a smaller tow vehicle- I tow mine with a V8 4Runner.

How has that trailer been holding up? I was uncertain about the build quality especially on the dividers and ramp, but I like the design and there’s more tack room storage than a Boeckmann.

[SCF01]

I use to have one in a BP, a Hawk. You’ll need a bigger truck than a half ton to avoid the bounce. It was tongue heavy. Lots of room. I generally put hay up front. Rarely loaded or unloaded from the side ramp.