Are new trailers worth the price? All steel vs all aluminum? Trailer shopping thoughts

[KathyShack]

We’re looking at getting a ‘forever’ trailer, 2H bumper pull stock combo that can be used for the horses and occasional livestock.

I’ve started this search looking at all steel, hardy trailer, finding good options for under $15k (GR, Trails West, WW). I’m not interested in steel frame with aluminum skin because I don’t want to deal with a risk of mixed metal corrosion. We have a large enough truck for the weight plus we’re looking to stay at or under 14’ length. I’ve always had steel trailers and trust the integrity plus there’s plenty of 7’ tall options now.

I want to look at all aluminum to do my due diligence, but I have two thoughts against all aluminum. First, I’ve seen some aluminum trailers (Shadow, Exiss, Sundowner) that are pretty dented or well-loved inside from horses leaning or kicking, some less than 5 years old. I worry when we have to pick up a cow if it would dent it or if my older horse starts leaning some, will he dent it? My second thought is the price is MUCH more, $20k plus and based on thought one, is it really worth it? Is the manufacturing quality these days really worth it after I’ve seen awful quality in other sectors (cars, houses, etc)? The biggest plus of all aluminum is I’d get an aluminum floor and do spray in flooring which would be lovely because my horses pee almost every ride, but I’m not sure that plus is really worth $20k+. I live in a dry hot area and am already used to keeping thick shavings in the trailer and cleaning my wood floor almost every haul. I’m looking at Platinum or 4Star for aluminum because those are the dealers nearby.

The Trails West Adventure stock combo with stock sides (no drop down windows) is at the top of my list right now for about $13k. I’ve had a trails west before and it’s a competitive option against the all aluminum Platinum I’m going to look at for $24k.

All of this to say, what’s your experiences? Have you bought a new trailer (plus if you have experience with trails west or platinum) in the last 2 years and how did it come out? Do you have a steel vs aluminum preference?

[NaturallyHappy]

I’ve had 4-Stars for 30 years. Every time I’ve traded one, it’s been for something smaller. None have ever had a problem. I did find the spray in stuff a little slippery, even w shavings. The last (and smallest) one I purchased I put regular mats in w gorilla tape to seal the seams. It works.

[LCDR]

It sounds as if you have done your research, decided, and are looking for affirmation.

You did make positive mention of a metal floor. That I would avoid. Since this is your forever trailer, consider the future cost and difficulty of repairing a metal floor versus replacing wood (or a synthetic) floor boards.

[Critter]

I can share my perspective having just gone through the new trailer purchase.

Many years ago we had a Hawk and put a ton of miles on it (so steel and wood floor)…it did require regular maintenance (floor upkeep and some paint/rust issues). It had a ton of miles and held up well…though we did have the axle break (luckily backing into its parking spot just after unloading a horse!!) and a top door hinge shearing off (again, closing up after unloading).

We then went to a 4 star with werm floor…that trailer was a beast. It took a beating and had minimal maintenance needs. We did initially have issues with water inside and ultimately 4star gave us a replacement trailer that was fine. During Covid, I decided I wanted to downsize…so sold it (it held it’s value really well) and went back to a Hawk.

The Hawk felt flimsy in comparison. It was showing wear with minimal use. Was already rusting out where it shouldn’t have. Back to needing to maintain floor (and it was a bugger to pull the mats out to clean it). Had it 2 years and decided it was not going to last. Went to the dealer and traded in for a 4 star (smaller than my previous one). Luckily we got a really good trade in value, so we didn’t lose money on the Hawk.

New 4 star is lovely…they’ve made improvements with the quiet ride features (what I didn’t like about the old 4 star is it was noisy). I personally prefer the Werm floor and haven’t had issues with it. This trailer feels much more solid.

Fingers crossed…this one should last me unless I really want to downsize (as it is a 2+1).

[Annie10]

I have 2 all aluminum trailers. One is a 98 the other an 06. Both C&C. Just have mats on the floor, no coating no shavings etc.
I do clean my floor and hose out after each use, and pressure wash at least once a year. I don’t take the mats out each time, I just kind of slide them around, roll the sides etc. they come out for the pressure washing. Floors look brand new. If you take care of it you don’t need to spend the extra $$ on coatings

[KathyShack]

I feel comfortable with the build and price of the Trails West, I just live in an area where many people have recommended I look at aluminum, so I appreciate advice on here from people outside my area as well.

Thank you for the feedback on metal floors. My husband is our mechanic and can do a wood floor easily; the biggest positive of the metal floor is I can just hose it off versus moving mats every drive, which I might like more as I get older, but I’m not sure that’s worth such a higher price when I’m used to doing it.

This is the main reason I don’t want mixed metal construction either; I’ve heard of recalls where horses fell through trailer floors because the mixed metal wasn’t built correctly and corroded.

[KathyShack]

Are your floors aluminum?

[KathyShack]

Thank you for the feedback. I’ve heard a lot of good about 4Star, mixed in with some real lemon stories, but overall I think they have a great reputation. I am trying to find feedback on how Trails West ages, because like the new Hawk you got, I worry Trails West quality may have gone down, but the older ones in this model don’t often come up for sale used.

Do you live in a more humid climate or somewhere they salt road?

[Critter]

Yes to humidity…NJ so we’ve had most of the summer with dew points in the 70s. Not so much with the road salt (some, but we tend not to really haul as much in winter anyway). The Hawk we bought was delivered to me in February and was coated in salt from the drive out. We did hose/clean it as best we could (in winter)…but I do wonder if that was part of why we were having such bad rust issues so soon.

There was definitely a lower quality with the new Hawk compared to the one we had 25 years ago.

[KathyShack]

What year is your most recent 4Star? I was reading from the local trailer dealer that does spray in floor that shavings can deteriorate the spray in so they don’t recommend it, which makes me think twice on spray in floor because I do like my horses to have shavings. I love the sounds of the advantages of the spray in floor, but real experiences are worth a lot.

A side note I forgot is for a wood floor is I think we can put rumber flooring in without having to deal with a metal floor, but I’d have to do more research.

[KathyShack]

I’d agree, salt may have made the issue worse; luckily they don’t salt roads where I live so I hope that is better odds at avoiding rust.

The decreased quality is what makes me hesitant to pay so much for a new trailer. The used market doesn’t seem to have a lot of options either; I’ve found maybe 2 or 3 2H stock combos used and none at dealerships.

Did you see a quality change with your 4Stars?

[Smiles]

I had three all aluminum trailers. Two featherlites and a 4 star. All nice trailers. I will say the 4 star was heavy, but a very solid built trailer. You will want a truck with a bigger engine to tow it. I sold mine for more than I bought it for. Both my featherlites are work horses. We down sized to our current featherlite. These trailers hold their value well and if you take care of them you’ll be able to put a lot of miles on them.

[Critter]

The new 4 star is as nice…actually nicer than the old one. I would say no decline in the quality and there are improved features on the new one.

[poltroon]

I loved my '99 era 4-Star. Ours did not originally have the spray in lining on the floor, and we did have some corrosion issues. They fixed it as a warranty repair and we paid for the spray lining at our expense after, so I’d recommend it.

I owned the trailer in a partnership with a friend and when we no longer lived in the same city, I had to sell my half to her. I needed to buy in a hurry, off a lot, so bought a Trail-et which has been fine but I miss that 4-star!

[Janet]

@KathyShack

I think we can put rumber flooring in without having to deal with a metal floor,

I can definitely endorse the Rumber floor (no metal floor involved). But it needs to be built that way. The supports need to be closer together for Rumber than for lumber

[Annie10]

@KathyShack

Are your floors aluminum?

Yes they are. As I said, they are all aluminum trailers.

[NaturallyHappy]

@KathyShack, my newest is a 2024. It is very, very, VERY nice and I love it. 4Star did a lot of creative custom things for me. It is a 2 horse gooseneck w a very small dressing room. People drive so poorly in my area I wanted the smallest footprint on the road I could get. It does not have WERM.
My previous trailer had WERM flooring. I felt my horse scrambled a bit in it. My driveway is a tight turn off the road onto a sloping driveway. He only scrambled on the WERM… anecdotal at best.

[Harriet1]

@Janet

I can definitely endorse the Rumber floor (no metal floor involved). But it needs to be built that way. The supports need to be closer together for Rumber than for lumber

I will second this. Love the rumber floor in my trailer.

[ClearDonkey]

I have a 1991 4-Star of my own, after hauling in my family’s early-2010’s 4-Star for years. Obviously the newer trailer had more features and creature comforts compared to my 1991 with a dressing room and mattress. LOL. After purchasing my 1991, I had a new floor laid on top of the old floor with mild stretching and pitting between the floor joists. It is SOLID, and the company that did the floor has no doubt that it will last me a very long time. The floor replacement was also very reasonable at $1.6k-ish for a 2H slant.

Despite being 34 years old, there is no significant damage or dents anywhere on my trailer. I’m sure in the next few years I’ll have to redo the wall mats inside the trailer, and there are a few small projects I’d like to do (rewiring, replacing window screens, etc.) but for the age the wear and tear is minimal.

I would not risk purchasing a steel or steel-framed trailer in my region. We have humid summers and salted roads in the winter.

[MapleFarm]

I have a 2002 all aluminum Eby. I bought it used in 2020 so it is 23 years old now. It looks brand new except for one dent from a rock on the road (I believe we did it driving to western Ohio). It hauls like a dream. I paid 12k cash, and would do it again in a heartbeat! Mine isn’t a stock combo however, just a typical 2h BP, with extra height (7’8").

No reason not to consider used if you are looking at all aluminum, if they are well made and treated well.