Anyone REGRET getting a 2+1?

Mine too (trailers USA brand), and I love it. No tack room, but about 103" in front of the stud doors, and also 8’0 wide. But I don’t use the +1 area for horses, loading or unloading, so that area is effectively a huge tack room. Also, the center divider is on a movable track and I have butt/chest bars that split 50/50 and a set that is about 70/30 (or just slide it ask the way over) so there is plenty of room to stage out of there if I need to.

Not gonna lie y’all…was sorta hoping this would talk me out of spending all this money - because it’s too big or unnecessary or…something. But once again it seems like everyone just loves a good 2+1!

In a 2 years when I will upgrade my 2H BP, I plan to get a 2+1. I love the flexibility of having the front for tack trunks, golf cart, hay, or a third horse in there. I love my 2H but I sometimes want to move 3 horses. But while we have an 8H, it’s too big for me to drive–DH is the designated big trailer driver. A 2+1 will be perfect for a variety of scenarios, and the ones I’ve seen or worked out of that belonged to friends, totally sold me on the idea. I hate slant trailers, and a 2+1 will meet all my needs while still having plenty of room for the big WBs.

to all the people extolling the virtues of their beloved 2+1s, I’d love it if you’d share what brand you have!

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Mine is a 4-Star, custom built. I am 33.5’ tip to tail, 26’ on the deck - extra long slots, 1’ added to the +1, 2’ added to the dressing room (weekender/camping made me add the length there). Truck is a big girl, so I’m 51’ overall.

I’ll say the extra length is annoying sometimes - trail heads, gas stations, tight right turns and left turns where idiots pull way too far forward.

Overall I haven’t had problems. I just need to know where I’m going, and be prepared to stop and back up (had to do that at a rather large show grounds, they had planted a MASSIVE bush in a really terrible spot for long goosenecks). That said, I do dream back to the day I had my 2 horse slant for when I’m just going for a quick trail ride or what have you. I can’t afford two trailers, and this one was more than a down payment for a house so I’m stuck! :slight_smile:

My recommendation - don’t EVER go longer than 28’ on the deck. I’d say 26’ is the max you can drive on regular roads comfortably - and even then I’m cutting it close sometimes.

Things I’d add if I built it again: roof vents over haunch area in the back (that’s the only sweaty spot on hot summer days), jalousie windows in the gooseneck, and a second dome in the dressing room, not braced for AC.

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@endlessclimb that’s a beautiful trailer! really appreciate the specific recommendation on length, though truthfully I’m not sure I’d be comfortable with all the length. and i guess that’s ultimately my hangup with the whole idea…going from a regular 2 horse goose with just a dressing room puts me well under 20’ on the floor…upgrading to a 22’ box feels like a big jump. But its a good deal on a trailer and lots of flexibility so maybe hubby and I will just have to go take a look and try it out this weekend :smiley:

I have a C+C 2+1 that I leave as 2 box stalls.

I am 22’ on the deck and it’s as long as I’d want to go. Turning this thing can be a little tricky as it is.

@Jolie_ good point! We just moved north in the last year and the rules are different here. if i remember correctly i registered the truck in a lower weight class because the current trailer didn’t require the higher registrations…and it saved us some money. Pretty sure upgrading to the 2+1 would require changing that.

Do it! I just got one several months back because I got a much larger horse who wouldn’t fit in my old slant load. He’s 18.2 and LONG and he fits very comfortably on the 2+1. I don’t find that the increased length of the trailer has been cumbersome and I do a fair amount of hauling. You will get more comfortable with it over time if it seems intimidating at first.

[QUOTE=ElementFarm;n1038549
to all the people extolling the virtues of their beloved 2+1s, I’d love it if you’d share what brand you have![/QUOTE]

Mine is a custom Cimarron. Many (if not all?) of the top brands offer customization. Besides the extra height and width, I think the best feature I added is double insulation on the roof and side walls. It stays cool inside on hot summer days. Roof vents over the box stall and rear stalls are nice also.
Deck length is 23’.

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I have this trailer:
https://happytrailstrailers.com/2017/05/15/2017-hawk-2-horse-bp-dressing-room-2-2-5/
with 17’ on the floor.

My friend has a 4star 2+1 without a dressing room, and it’s also a nice trailer. It might be a foot shorter than mine.

I will… a bit because of the money.

I have a 2H BP with dressing room that’s old but safe and well designed… and PAID FOR. I have also maintained it since it was a baby, so I know it’s maintained.

I’d love a 2+1 except for two things:

  1. The $30,000+ price tag.

  2. The length and wanting to park my $30K under cover.

I have a couple of other reasons not to buy one-- a short bed truck that I will keep, for various reasons; and the fact that my little trailer does the job 95% of the time.

If I found a cherry, used 2+1, I might grab it. But I don’t see these very often.

Oh, and I would not get 4-Star’s Runabout-- 2+1, but no separate tack room.

Hey @mvp - totally with you in terms of the price tag for a new trailer. I just cant swing that. Why, may I ask, would you suggest avoiding the runabout’s in particular?

All this really started because I believe I’ve found a pretty darn good deal on an all alum 2+1 with DR and 22’ box…though I have yet to inspect in person so who knows what I’m missing. But the length does worry me. I’d feel a lot better around 18ish feet…but I need a dressing room for all my crap. So, do I hunt for an even harder to find 2h with side unload used? or just buck up and figure i’ll adjust to the 22’ box?

The runabout is a great trailer. Affordable and has a ton of options. Very well made, I have a runabout and a deluxe, and the runabout is holding its own! Watch your weight in certain areas, the deluxe puts me GVWR over 10k so I need a class A non commercial. The Runabout comes in a 9,800GVWR and removes the need for the Class A. I know for some people it is no big deal, but here there is a lot of enforcement. For normal use the runabout is a great option in my opinion.

The runabouts for sale around here all have dressing rooms, I know 2 people that own them…

That extra length was why I did my unique trailer config. I need to account for 2 carriages at some point and that was going to be an awful lot of trailer to haul around, The way I have it set up now is the best of both worlds (for my sich), trailer has one carriage and horse(s) and another carriage goes in the bed of the truck.

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I would really want a dressing room-- a separated space for tack and trunks. If I were going to a show or event, I’d want the +1 to hold hay, shavings and a wheelbarrow. Never had the luxury of my own wheelbarrow at a show before. Made due with muck buckets, or had to borrow (or worse, ask to borrow) someone else’s wheelbarrow at a farm.

See what I mean? Can’t justify $31k so that I don’t have to ask to borrow someone’s wheelbarrow. Oh, but it would be oool to be able to tack up out of the weather, or have a shaded hang-out area for me and/or the horse at a show if we were working off the trailer.

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I bought my C+C used.

at least in this area, you have to be immediately ready to pull the trigger if you want a used high end brand like 4Star, C+C, Eby, or Kingston which sells fast cause it’s local. The sundowner and hawk 2+1s sit on the market for months.

I paid less than half the quoted figures for my C+C.

Have an Eby 2+1 and love it! I did downsize from my 6horse head to head that was 37’ on the deck, so this feels so easy to drive by comparison. And sold my BP with side ramp as well so just have this now.

I would definitely say that if your worried about two feet difference on the deck buy the 22’ as those extra couple of feet won’t feel any different really. Those extra couple feet won’t even be comparable to difference between a BP to a GN.

In my +1 I can load a 17.2h WB up side ramp comfortably. Largest I’ve hauled in the +1 is 16h WB

Best of luck!

I was thinking the same thing - took me 3 years of looking and having multiple searches set up to alert me - for me to get one as normally I was just an hour too late and someone else scooped up. When I did get mine was a third of the cost, in great shape but I saw the ad within an hour of it being posted so was first to jump on.

The good deals on good brands, you need to know what you are looking for and if you want it jump on it. If it has been there even for more than even a day I would wonder why all those that are looking haven’t jumped on it (likely not such a great deal $$ or not one of the top brands IMO).

I guess I might be an outlier, LOL. My last trailer was a 2+1 and it was lovely, a C&C model that was mostly overkill for the 1 horse I had at the time. On the plus side, I could easily pack to go anywhere for pretty much any length of time - that side ramp was fantastic for loading big heavy things like trunks, for example, or scooters and so on. And it provided a lot of space for a wheelbarrow or lots of hay.

However, when I bought my current trailer, I went back to a 2H GN with a nice separate dressing room. I occasionally miss the side ramp. But I never miss the length of my old trailer and love, love, love how much easier it is to maneuver my current rig. And even now that I am usually hauling 2 horses, I find I have plenty of room to pack what I need. To each her own, I guess.

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I regret not buying your C&C when I left CT (and needed a moving van anyway).

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