Anyone see the equitrek trailers at LR3DE?

[Xanthoria]

I have an Equi-Trek Show-Treka L which I bought end of last year - imported into Southern CA, and I drove down there to pick it up (6 hrs each way - pretty good test)

I had a Brenderup Baron TC for 10 years. My youngster outgrew it, to my great dismay, being 6" longer in the body than the Brenderup. I tried everything to make it work, but he stopped going all the way in. Add to that, at 17.1 his ears were almost touching the roof and I regretfully sold it - for about 2/3 of the initial purchase price!

I saw Equi-Treks first at Horse Expo here in CA and after doing the measurements felt it would be a good fit. I was unsure my guy would get in though, and to my surprise the importing company, L&D trailers, brought a trailer to my barn on the way to an event and let me try. I was sold, and ordered the trailer with several add-ons such as an LED loading light, leisure battery to power lights, extra ventilation, padding, curtains for the LQ, and an extra tack locker.

My Brenderup weighed 2100#, the Show-Treka 3000# - my v8 4Runner is rated to tow 7000#. Tongue weight is similar, electrical same, inertia brakes same. All good. (Neighbor who tows lots of different things v impressed with the hitch design and strength)

It took several months to arrive, and I’ve used it several times after the initial drive to pick it up - so far so good! Pluses:

• It's HUGE inside. Taller - longer - wider. Loads of room for a big horse - or two!
• Horses travel facing backwards - allegedly easier for them
• Has a low, very wide side ramp - easy to get on and means horse can turn around inside to exit without backing - much easier for my shivers horse.
• Center divider can be removed without affecting structural integrity of trailer (unlike B'up) or can be attached at either end on a great number of attachment points, making all sorts of configurations of stall size
• Tiny LQ with 2 bunk beds, gas stove and sink! Squee! ;)
• Ground clearance better than Brenderup which used to bump hitch on every little thing
• Hauls great - just like my Brenderup did.

Minuses:

• Tack storage area smaller than Brenderup. But I put stuff in back of my 4Runner anyway
• I would agree that it doesn't FEEL as well built as a Brenderup, but time will tell.
• Ventilation I ordered wasn't enough - I added two pop up vents inside, and now we're good.

Equi-Trek has been around for 30 years in the UK and they’re super common there. They just moved to a bigger factory to keep up with demand. They’re inexpensive over there, but of course adding importation they’re not as cheap here.

For me it was the only option size-wise for my horse, and tow vehicle. He now jumps right on every time - a huge improvement - and is getting less and less anxious traveling. Add in the side ramp, rear facing travel, LQ and other unique features which you just don’t see on other lightweight trailers, and I was sold.

As others have experienced, I have towed a Featherlite of equivalent weight to the Brenderup before and it was an awful experience. A lot of design thinking goes into European trailers because gas is so much more expensive there: they’re better balanced, more efficient, more aerodynamic etc so they tow better and that saves $.

[enjoytheride]

@endlessclimb

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.

I don’t think ANY type of horse trailer is safe in an accident.

The European trailers DO have the weight of the horse over the axles. More so than many US trailers which is how they become better balanced. US makers are just now addressing tongue weight and our trailers still can have hundreds more pounds on your hitch, which causes sway.

[Jarpur]

I owned a Brenderup Baron for several years – it handled like a dream and those inertia brakes were fantastic; I’d previously owned two goosenecks and a bumper pull, with decades of towing experience, including cross-country and in the mountains, so I had a basis for comparison. Twice, during the years I owned it, we had to stand on the brakes due to another driver running a red light – with no locking up the trailer wheels, no skidding, no trailer pushing the tow vehicle. One time, my accompanying friend exclaimed that she couldn’t believe I’d been able to stop in time. On both occasions, we pulled over asap and checked on the horses, which were quietly munching their hay and completely un-fazed. So, I can personally attest to the braking efficiency of this system. Not to mention the convenience of not needing a brake controller!

However, after the USA factory closed, and I replaced my personal vehicle with another pickup truck (I’d towed the Brenderup with either our Cummins with a topper, or my SUV), I told my husband that I might as well go back to a gooseneck trailer, which I did. Being in an area where the interstates and toll roads have high speed limits (that are frequently blown through by other drivers), I do feel that my horses are a little safer in a metal box, and even the Brenderup, IME, didn’t handle a double-bottom 80,0000 # semi blazing past quite as well as a gooseneck, IMO, although far and away superior to a standard bumper pull. But the braking and cornering were absolutely stellar.

By the way, I have seen European trailers being towed by SUVs and crossovers in Europe, on highways at speed (not the kind of speed around here, however), even in the rain, but never saw American-style 18-wheelers speeding past them, nor any having to make a rapid emergency stop.

[roseymare]

And another thing to think about as someone who has pulled lots of miles with a car (when they still made them big enough) and a bumper pull is that there is something about a non big pickup pulling a trailer that seems to make people blind to the trailer you are pulling. I can’t explain it but it was real. How can you not see a trailer one wonders but people did try to pull out directly into the trailer. Very strange phenomena.

[endlessclimb]

@enjoytheride

I don’t think ANY type of horse trailer is safe in an accident.

The European trailers DO have the weight of the horse over the axles. More so than many US trailers which is how they become better balanced. US makers are just now addressing tongue weight and our trailers still can have hundreds more pounds on your hitch, which causes sway.

Weight on the hitch does NOT cause sway! It’s the exact opposite. You and I will totally and completely have to “agree to disagree” which is hilarious because it’s physics and not able to be disagreed with. Here is the video I was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2fkOVHAC8Q

If you can find any documentation that says that trailers are supposed to be balanced with all the weight over or behind the axles trying to minimize tongue weight, I’ll eat my hat.

If minimizing tongue weight stabilized a trailer, they would separate the axles to make it like a hay wagon…

[endlessclimb]

@roseymare

And another thing to think about as someone who has pulled lots of miles with a car (when they still made them big enough) and a bumper pull is that there is something about a non big pickup pulling a trailer that seems to make people blind to the trailer you are pulling. I can’t explain it but it was real. How can you not see a trailer one wonders but people did try to pull out directly into the trailer. Very strange phenomena.

Totally and completely agree with this. I think they see the SUV and assume the trailer is light and easily stopped.

[roseymare]

@endlessclimb

Totally and completely agree with this. I think they see the SUV and assume the trailer is light and easily stopped.

You are probably right but still doesn’t explain the number of people who tried to pull out directly into the side of the trailer from a side road!

[roseymare]

@endlessclimb

Weight on the hitch does NOT cause sway! It’s the exact opposite. You and I will totally and completely have to “agree to disagree” which is hilarious because it’s physics and not able to be disagreed with. Here is the video I was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2fkOVHAC8Q

If you can find any documentation that says that trailers are supposed to be balanced with all the weight over or behind the axles trying to minimize tongue weight, I’ll eat my hat.

If minimizing tongue weight stabilized a trailer, they would separate the axles to make it like a hay wagon…

But on the other hand a trailer with tongue weight that squats the vehicle is not safe from instability either. So it is possible that you both are right as it is more about total distribution.

Have you ever driven a two horse inline? They pull like a dream with those two axles. So there is some truth to this.

Of course no one liked them because only a select few could back them up!

[DressageChic2]

dont do it, the build quality is crap and the after sales service is shocking!

i have heard SO many horror stories but only recently a friend was persuaded to buy one (needed a side ramp) and after only a few months the front warped and the wall moved away from the floor! she had to take them to court to get her money back!!!

we both now have Cheval Liberte trailers instead and are really pleased with them.

[enjoytheride]

@endlessclimb

Weight on the hitch does NOT cause sway! It’s the exact opposite. You and I will totally and completely have to “agree to disagree” which is hilarious because it’s physics and not able to be disagreed with. Here is the video I was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2fkOVHAC8Q

If you can find any documentation that says that trailers are supposed to be balanced with all the weight over or behind the axles trying to minimize tongue weight, I’ll eat my hat.

If minimizing tongue weight stabilized a trailer, they would separate the axles to make it like a hay wagon…

Your video is excellent but it doesn’t fully explain what happens when you squat the back of your truck by putting too much weight on your hitch. I am not sure why you feel the need to be so rude.

If you put too much weight of a trailer in front of the axles, it puts the weight on the hitch and thus the truck. This can cause the rear end of the truck to sag down. We’ve all seen trucks where the bed is 2 inches above the wheels. This is UNSAFE.

First, this causes wear and tear on the rear end of your truck and all of the springs and such. Second, it puts the engine of the truck “in the air” which makes the engine work harder to do the same thing. Your vehicle isn’t able to steer as well because the front end alignment is out of balance. It also increases braking time because the front brakes aren’t able to do their job because the front tires don’t sit on the ground the same as the rear tires. Another issue is it causes uneven tire wear as the rear tires on your truck are holding more weight and can lead to blowouts. All of these things lead to trailer sway.

It’s why you can add a Weight Distribution bar or air bags to your towing set up, the advantage to a weight distribution system is that it levels the vehicle by distributing the tongue weight of the trailer up to the front axle of the vehicle as well. This will help greatly with handling and braking, especially in an emergency situation.

It’s also pretty common to find people changing the leaf springs on their trucks, or adding air bags.

[soloudinhere]

I never said to deliberately minimize tongue weight. I said that the trailer has to, in order to be legal in the EU, be balanced to put only 4% of the GWVR on the tow vehicle. This means, by definition, it will be different than a NA trailer that puts 10-15% of the tongue weight on the tow vehicle. They do this by moving the axles forward, the tongue and trailer closer to the ground, and by placing the horses differently over the axles, as well as reducing front weight by using fiberglass. The geometry of the whole assembly, including the height of the hitch off the ground, will be different to make this happen. Not understanding that does not make the trailer unsafe.

I don’t have an EquiTrek but my dealings with them when I looked at them last year were pleasant. Can’t speak to any customer service issues. I don’t have a good reason to trade up right now but I do envy that giant dressing room on the Western Treka.

[rew]

I have an Equi-Trek Trail Treka and love it. I highly recommend it.

[SonnysMom]

@h4carlton@earthlink.net

I have the Equi-Trek Western. I love it! I can easily maneuver with 2 large horses (WB & TB). I had a blow-out on the highway at 55mph. NEVER felt out of control… I have enough storage to sleep in the tack area and store my necessaries. I had a Brenderup for a few years and needed more room. My boys love the backward facing ride. Everything is mechanical, so no electronics to worry about. I haul with a Toyota Land Cruiser.

No way would I want to put a horse in that. Not enough windows so limited light and ventilation.

[Xanthoria]

@SonnysMom have you actually been inside one? I’ve test ridden in the back and the light and ventilation was great. And obvs I own one now too.

[SonnysMom]

@Xanthoria

@SonnysMom have you actually been inside one? I’ve test ridden in the back and the light and ventilation was great. And obvs I own one now too.

No I haven’t. I personally prefer larger windows. I find horses load into them better.

[LEL]

@h4carlton@earthlink.net

I have the Equi-Trek Western. I love it! I can easily maneuver with 2 large horses (WB & TB). I had a blow-out on the highway at 55mph. NEVER felt out of control… I have enough storage to sleep in the tack area and store my necessaries. I had a Brenderup for a few years and needed more room. My boys love the backward facing ride. Everything is mechanical, so no electronics to worry about. I haul with a Toyota Land Cruiser.

May I ask the tow rating on the Land Cruiser? Do you like it as a tow vehicle? I just upgraded to a 4Runner (5000# rating) from my Lexus RX350 (3500# rating) and I’m wondering if I can upgrade the trailer to a two horse. I towed the Brenderup Solo with the RX350 for years and absolutely loved it.

[waldoannie]

How long to you haul with it? So big LQ, and looking to move into something lightweight and buy a toy hauler for staying in.

[Moneypitt]

I had a friend that towed two Warmbloods in a Warmblood size Sundowner or Featherlite with a Land Cruiser. They are expensive and think the tow rating is over 7,000+#.

I would not own a Forerunner after driving one for an hour; getting blown around on a highway. Let alone, pull a horse trailer with it. That little SUV scared me.