Did anyone see the equitrek trailers at Land Rover 3 day event. They’re made in England and are meant to be pulled by smaller suv. Upon googling, I’ve found some bad reviews but nothing RECENT. Does anyone have any experience with the new equitrek trailers? They’re really handy trailers and decently priced!
They’ve been around for a bit now, I’m surprised that’s the first time you’ve seen them, I see their ads all over Facebook.
I am dying for a horsebox, but that’ll probably never be in my budget, so am hoping for at least a Space-Treka sometime in the next few years.
I live in Louisiana…there’s nothing new or cool here in regards to horses. Hard to get anything but sundowner or stock trailer and I think sundowners are too expensive for what they are
I saw them. My biggest complaint is there is little to no storage. Even in the model with the bunk beds. I didn’t see anywhere you could stick hay or shavings
I second the no storage concern, wouldn’t work for me, and I wouldn’t pay that much for a trailer. As for hauling with a smaller SUV, you can’t change the laws of physics, it’s still unsafe to trailer with a small wheelbase vehicle, the tail wagging the dog will really take your breath away. The concept of moving the weight towards the front of the trailer is a good one, but you still need a real tow vehicle.
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Just looked at their website, couldn’t get past the poor balance of the trailer vs the SUV on their banner photo. In addition, the lack of safety chains on the set up bugs me, and the brakes not being controlled from the vehicle (looks like a push coupler like for a boat trailer).
You better have some damn good horses, because that thing looks like it’s made of matchsticks and would fall apart if a horse had a melt down in there.
I used to pull a 2 horse slant Sundowner with a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee - the new ones have an even higher tow rating into the 8000lb range I think. People will balk at that idea, saying the truck is too short and light. But really, the rig did just fine - I used distribution bars and drove slow with the trailer brakes turned up a bit higher than normal. I pulled like that for 5 years without issue.
I’m not against pulling smaller trailers with SUVs, but this thing looks like a piece of crap. Sorry.
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Trailering with an SUV is all about the balance on the trailer. If anything, you want it a little heavier so it settles on the road and isn’t walking all over the place. In other words, you want the trailer itself to have some heft so the horse doesn’t have as much influence over it.
You’re talking a difference of a few hundred pounds between a heavy and light trailer, it ends up to be insignificant after adding a few horses, tack and misc. You have to size your tow vehicle to be safe in off-nominal conditions (wet road, windy day, going downhill on the freeway with a truck passing you). Towing capacity just gets the wheels moving, it doesn’t help with control. Better brakes are good but to prevent and control sway you need a longer wheelbase.
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Overall, correct. Tow rating has to do with suspension and tire rating more than engine.
With the trailer type the OP posted and a regular 2 horse slant, the difference is 1000lbs or more of more solid construction, which then spirals into higher rated axles etc. Towing with SUVs is commonplace in other countries because their roads can’t handle 21ft long vehicles (which is the longest truck made by US manufacturers, give or take).
The difference in wheelbase between an average SUV and a short bed single cab truck is only 6".
Realistically, not everyone can justify a pickup. If they’re just doing local trips and driving with some sense, I find it silly to say that it isn’t possible to tow a tagalong with one. It is, and it opens a whole new group of people to be able to take their horses for trail rides and out places, which I think is great.
At this point my rig is 51’ overall length so it’s a no brainer to have a pickup. Before, I had a hard time justifying a 21’ truck with a 14’ trailer. I’d actually say the short trailer towed better with the Jeep, minus the power the truck gave me the Jeep didn’t have. 300-400 lb tongue weight wasn’t enough to sufficiently weight down a 2500 truck’s suspension, and led to a lot of surging and tugging from the trailer.
Again. Is it a perfect situation to pull with an SUV? No. But it’s definitely possible, and it is not inherently unsafe if the driver has some sense. I like to see people out and about with their horses, and want them to do so as much as possible - even the ones who can’t justify a pickup just for tugging Ol’ Sparky around.
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The price range is $8000 to $18000… which is a good price generally. Not sure what you mean about “paying too much for a trailer”
And here we go. People who don’t understand what towing looks like in other countries start trying to apply conventional trailer knowledge where it doesn’t apply.
I have a Bockmann trailer, a German company (who has been making trailers for something like 100 years at this point). It uses the “boat coupler” which you’ve derided as being inadequate when in fact the overall design is required to comply with European regulations which PROHIBIT trailers from being dependent on the tow vehicle for brake actuation. The brakes are mechanically actuated, not hydraulic like a “boat trailer” and the actuation is controlled by a device on the tongue.
the trailers are engineered so the tongue weights are within European spec - a maximum of 211lbs on the tongue. This requires a different axle placement, tongue length, and width assembly than a conventional American trailer, which can put 500 or more pounds on the hitch for even a small 2h. This is what opens up more tow vehicles - the load on the tow vehicle between the lower tongue weight and the braking pattern is substantially reduced.
I have towed both my Bockmann and a conventional 2h Merhow with the same tow vehicle that was more than adequate for both trailers. The bockmann tows like it’s not even there and the horses love it because it is FULL of horse friendly design features - a front ramp so they can walk off, chest and butt bars that can be dropped from outside the trailer, great ventilation, super quiet inside, and comfortable to ride on because it rides on full suspension and not rubber axles. I chuck hay and shavings in my pickup bed if I need them, or they have recently introduced a larger model that has the additional forward space or even a small dressing room. My Merhow required a carefully configured weight distribution assembly and was much, much more work on my truck - even with the same two horses and equipment loaded. I really enjoy my trailer.
It was also about the same price as my fully loaded Merhow trailer was.
I looked into actual crash pictures of my model trailer in vehicle accidents and in all reports I could find, the horses were fine. That’s a lot more than I can say for some of the North American trailers I have seen. bigger isn’t necessarily better - better engineered and safer to tow is better.
I have looked into trading mine up to a Western treka, which has a GINORMOUS dressing room - bigger than my Merhow had. The one I looked at last year had plenty of room forward of the horses to put hay/shavings, same as any other 2h. Haven’t done it yet because no real need.
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You WANT more weight on the truck so if a horse starts acting like a fool the tail doesn’t wag the dog per-say. This is especially important when the trailer outweighs the truck. You don’t want it hiking the back of the tow vehicle up, ever.
For my education: What do you mean mechanically activated? That’s the way boat trailers are. Can you turn up the brakes? That’s the distinct advantage of electric - turning up the overall braking power, and adjusting the gain. You cant do that on a boat trailer, can you in your horse trailer? (Honest question, i dont know your particular set up).
the trailer in OPs post is poorly balanced, tipping towards the truck way too much for my comfort. It also looks flimsy. Ok for a good hauler, not so much for a wild or green one.
Ideally the trailer is level or slightly tipped back unloaded. Axle placed to put 10-20% of the trailer load on the tongue. It never took me longer than an additional 2 minutes to put my distribution bars on, so it never bothered me.
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How do European Braking Systems Work?
A mechanical braking system means
- No need to install a trailer brake switch on your dash board
- No special wiring required to operate this brake system
As the load in the trailer increases the chances that any loaded two-horse trailer will outweigh the towing vehicle also increases. For safety, the trailer needs to be braked earlier and for longer than the lighter towing vehicle.
Mechanical brake systems are designed to apply the brakes on the trailer before the tow vehicle begins to brake, such that the trailer never pushes on the tow vehicle Braking on the trailer initiates as the tow vehicle begins any deceleration. The mechanical brake begins to operate as the driver comes off the accelerator pedal and before getting to the brake pedal. As the tow vehicle begins to slow down, pressure is applied to the tongue of the trailer, enabling the braking system.
Under all circumstances, whenever the tow vehicle begins to push on the trailer, the trailer brakes are applied in direct proportion to the weight of the trailer at the time and at the rate of deceleration. European brake systems also provide an independent parking brake, emergency breakaway and anti-lock characteristics.
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I love my St. Georges Imara 2 horse trailer. It is the economy version of the Fautras and similar in overall engineering/design of the Brenderups. Love it and after doing thorough research - not listening to friends or anyone who automatically says “bigger is better” - have enjoyed it for the last 6 years. When I test pulled it (empty), the salesperson had me slam on the brakes on a rural country road. The trailer never wagged my dog :). It also didn’t sway, skip or do anything else wacky or dangerous. When I hauled the salesperson’s 1/2 Draft, I could barely feel it and never felt it affecting the safety or stability of my vehicle. I don’t know anything about the EquiTreks, but do know a boarder at my barn has one on order. Europeans tend to have much higher safety standards in autos and trailers of any kind compared to the US. I’d recommend one to a rider in a heartbeat!
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I have deliberately tried to induce sway in my trailer and been unsuccessful. You are also absolutely incorrect that more tongue weight reduces sway. It does not. Sway, or lack thereof, is induced by the aerodynamics of the trailer and the distribution of weight within the trailer. Dumping more tongue weight on the truck and unweighting the trailer axles does not reduce sway, it causes it.
you have to turn up the brakes in your electric brake system precisely because your vehicle is incapable of stopping the trailer and you’re trying to unload it. However, you can’t do that, because by definition you must brake the truck first for the signal to happen and be sent to your trailer so your trailer is always putting additional force on your tow vehicle which you then have to stop by using additional force in your electric brakes. I don’t need to “turn up my brakes” because every time I slow down my trailer brakes itself proportionate to my decrease in speed EVEN WHEN GRAVITY IS INVOLVED. Going downhill, my trailer brakes itself before it pushes on my truck. I never have a need to “turn up my brakes.” My brakes don’t lock up and I can slam on my vehicle brakes and never have my trailer load my rear axle. I know because I tried it on the test drive and have had to do it with two horses up. It does not “wag the dog” and this is once again an example of trying to apply conventional trailer knowledge to a trailer that is not conventional.
Meanwhile, the aluminum skin on a standard horse trailer is the literal definition of “flimsy.” It’s a soda can.
you can admit “I don’t know any different and this is my opinion,” that’s okay. You can’t state “I looked at a picture and it looks flimsy so I’m declaring it unsafe” when there are literally millions of these on European roads being used daily.
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My 3/4 ton 6300lb Cummins diesel is more than capable of stopping the trailer, seeing as how it outweighs it even loaded (EDIT: and I don’t have to hit my brakes to slow my rig down - thanks to a hefty jake brake). The 4 layers of 16g metal, rubber, and insulation between my horses and the road are more than enough to prevent them from coming through.
weight behind the axles of a trailer absolutely do induce sway when compared to loading the tongue. It’s physics. There’s a video somewhere that demonstrates it perfectly. Just because you have never had problems doesn’t negate that. I never had sway with my SUV trailer combo, but that’s because it was balanced properly.
I have never hauled one of these super lightweight trailers, I’ll admit that. But claiming that all other trailers are pop cans is a little presumptuous on your part also, no? I think 4 star, jamco, and eby might have something to say about that.
Europe does things one way because their roads are set up for it, America another. You can’t drive an American style 18 wheeler over there either because the nose is too long. Doesn’t mean one is better than the other, though I bet truckers would disagree… haha.
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Thank you for the explanation as I also was concerned about what looked like the type of coupling on a boat trailer.
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Former Brenderup owner here. I seriously looked at these last year as a potential replacement for my 2002 trailer and wasn’t impressed. I saw them at Equine Affaire and they seemed flimsy compared to my Brenderup.
In fairness, I did not do a test drive, so they may haul better than they looked to me.
For several reasons, I ended up going to a pick up truck & aluminum gooseneck two horse trailer.
It is a coupling from a boat trailer. Both a mechanical and hydraulic system falls under the category of “surge braking”, relying on the tow vehicle’s momentum to actuate the brakes. There is no control inside the cab of the tow vehicle.
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I saw one at a derby recently. It was the Space Treka - the larger size. At first I thought it was a oversized Brenderup.
