27 vs 29 ft Trailer - Will I Notice a Difference?

[EssexFells]

I’ll up the ante with my ATV+ spreader horror. We have this 6" extension that’s bolted into the existing drop pin hitch on the ATV. It gives the needed clearance for rear basket on the ATV and also it’s got a ball-joint thingy that makes for less stress on the trail cutter mower frame when we’re pulling that with the ATV. Well, that 6" extension will freely rotate on its bolt, up to 90deg left or right. So it’ll be straight / parallel with the trailer arm as you’re driving forward, but once you start backing up, it gets pushed 90deg one way or the other. So now you’re trying to back up the already-squirrely manure spreader with an unpredictable offset. It’s aMAZing how much that 6" offset completely screws up your angles.

Combine this with big ATV handlebars that are hard to turn unless you’re actually moving, and let me tell you new forms of profanity get invented here on the regular.

[Bluey]

@EssexFells

I’ll up the ante with my ATV+ spreader horror. We have this 6" extension that’s bolted into the existing drop pin hitch on the ATV. It gives the needed clearance for rear basket on the ATV and also it’s got a ball-joint thingy that makes for less stress on the trail cutter mower frame when we’re pulling that with the ATV. Well, that 6" extension will freely rotate on its bolt, up to 90deg left or right. So it’ll be straight / parallel with the trailer arm as you’re driving forward, but once you start backing up, it gets pushed 90deg one way or the other. So now you’re trying to back up the already-squirrely manure spreader with an unpredictable offset. It’s aMAZing how much that 6" offset completely screws up your angles.

Combine this with big ATV handlebars that are hard to turn unless you’re actually moving, and let me tell you new forms of profanity get invented here on the regular.

We used an old fertilizer wagon for diesel and it had that kind of goofy front axle setup.
It was practically impossible to back up straight.
I turned the back and front axle bolt on one side upside down and welded a big washer on each end of a pipe so it fit over both bolts when the wagon was straight.
When backing, now that front axle was tied to the back one and you could back it any place with ease.
See if you may do something similar, fix front and back straight on one side and then you can back it, then take the connector off to keep driving forward and around turns.

Hope that makes sense.

[DMK]

Oooh, I feel you on the handlebar thing, mine is a Polaris 500 with independent suspension. That rat bastard is designed to be tough, it’s also designed to be tough on your arms at any low speeds. But just f*** no on the hitch having it’s own movement.

[Sithly1]

Update! The trailer is awesome! Camped all summer in 2023, and working on another great summer this year.

The extra trailer length does not bother me at all. Like you guys said, I quickly got used to it. It’s pretty easy to maneuver and back. It has fit into every campsite I’ve tried so far, though I am diligent about checking the camp specs and satellite views before booking so I don’t end up in a tight spot.

I added two cameras (RanchCams brand - they’re excellent). One is a backup cam, and one looks into the horse area. The trailer is heavy enough that you can’t really feel the horses moving, so the cameras give nice peace of mind.

The trailer is also heavy enough that I upgraded my f350 SRW to an f450 dually. They extra payload was crucial due to high pin weight (higher than advertised, heads up), and the stability of the dually is great. The f450s also have a tighter turning radius, which is very noticeable and helpful with such a large trailer.

With no managers, I do miss the extra storage, but it was worth it for the roomy stalls and the comfortable hauling for the horses. We’re creative with storage in the tack room, hay pod, and LQ. So far not an issue. I plan on adding a PVC storage pipe under the trailer for sewer hose, which is the only thing that’s really inconvenient to store.

The LQ space is fantastic. Really glad I went with the larger floorplan. We each have a separate bed, so no climbing over each other to get to the bathroom. And the slide makes it really comfortable to hang out inside if it’s raining.

Overall really happy with this trailer. The buying experience was great through my local dealer, and they are super supportive. 10/10 so far, would buy another SMC.

[ThreeWishes]

Gorgeous !!!

[endlessclimb]

What a sharp rig!!