I’ll be shipping horses later this summer to Florida in my stock trailer, I’m not concerned about the temperature while moving but I would like to install fans for anytime we have to stop. Since it’s a stock trailer I have no dressing room to rig up a car battery to run something off of.
Has anyone done it, any suggestions on brand, placement, how did you install it etc?
There are some suggestions in this current thread in Around The Farm: https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/around-the-farm/10421636-solar-powered-fans
Can’t you wire a fan to the same wires that run the trailer lights, then just leave your headlights on during the drive?
If it’s just for when you have to stop, I suggest getting fans that run off of power tool batteries, and bungee them wherever you can while stopped, and then just take them down while driving.
It’s not the cheapest solution, but they move more air than any of the wimpy 12v ones, and you can charge a few batteries before you go. I use a milwaukee one, and mine lasts 10+ hours on low and about 4 hours on high.
A stock trailer usually allows for plenty of air flow when you are stopped. Just park in a shady spot.
I picked up a little battery powered fan (O2cool 10") for a similar purpose (so my horse and I could be slightly more comfortable hanging in the trailer at a schooling show). It took 6 D batteries and … well I suppose if I held it 4" from my face it would be effective, I doubt it would have even moved my fjord’s fjordlock… FAIL
As others said, those jobsite fans are probably the only useful cord-free fan. If you have any power tools with compatible batteries for power tools you already own, that might be your only cost-effective option. But that said, I haul all around the south all times of the year. Unless you are planning on parking for a few hours, it’s not going to be that bad. And if you carry a regular fan and an extra long extension cord, you might find a power source. Probably not, but it never hurts. Horse people always have fans and extension cords somewhere!
There are 12V fns built to install in a tractor cab…maybe that?
I use a ryobi battery fan from Home Depot and really like it.
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi-18v-one-hybrid-portable-fan-tool-only-/1000796869
I have two 12" Geek Aire fans and a 9" Opolar fan. Both types use rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
The Opolar fan leaves a lot to be desired as compared to the Geek Aire fans, which are sleek, powerful, and well-constructed. But the Opolar fan is lightweight and moves (some) air. If I wanted to, I could probably hang it in my stock trailer easily. It has a high and low setting. On high, it only lasts maybe 3 hours max? On low, it will last about 7-8 hours… but low is very low speed. Like, you can’t feel any air if you are more than a foot away from the fan. The fact that it’s a USB fan may be a perk for traveling; while I haven’t tried this, you could probably charge it in the truck. It does take quite a few hours to charge.
The Geek Aire fans are just fabulous and superior in every way. But in my stock trailer, I couldn’t figure out a good way to hang them because they are heavy and pretty large. I have been bringing them with me on trips and just setting them on the floor when we are parked. Maybe one of their smaller models would work better in a stock trailer?
Texarcana could you bungee them to the “rails” on the sides?
Another idea…There are 12V fns built to install in a tractor cab…maybe that?
I was thinking zip ties to the windows should work to secure the fans in place, I have a few weeks still to make some trial runs and change things as needed. I was looking into having some wired in but since I use my trailer for more then just shipping horses I am concerned about them being damaged if they are not removable.
I didn’t know there where battery powered shop fans, I plan to get one today to start figuring out how to make it work, since it won’t be on when we are moving hopefully I don’t need to many batteries the brand of electric told we have doesn’t make a fan
Candyappy I generally agree with you on the airflow but I’m concerned about traffic accidents that shut down the highway without the option of shade. Due to night vision issues driving all night isn’t a good option, otherwise that would be my plan.
The 12" fans are way too heavy for me to trust a bungee cord while going down the road. Position is also an issue, since I wouldn’t want to put them where the horse could bump into them. The 12" fans are HEAVY and the idea of them crashing down to the floor is scary to me.
If I was really committed to the idea, I could probably secure them to the slats on the back door, which is far enough away from the horse that there wouldn’t be a risk of contact. But I’m still leary of them falling en route due to their weight.
The back door was exactly where I was planning to put it, near their heads would blow at the haynets and while my older mare would probably never touch it my young gelding would have it in his mouth right away.
I don’t trust bungee cords around horses at all, I don’t even use them to put a fan up on a stall at a show. I plan to use heavy duty zip ties which are rated at 120 lb + tensile strength so several of them should be able to hold a fan securely. Ive considered placement the weight of the fan and road vibrations making a fan tied on any other way. I also considered if it was worth bringing them in the truck and putting them up only if we are stuck in traffic.
When we trailered long distance( 14 hours) during one move in August, we came upon a flooded highway where we were re-routed. It took 2 hours of stop and go to get past it.
I was using my stock trailer and it was HOT out. My horses were not sweaty at all and seemed to be fine. I think the fact that they are not squashed between a divider, have plenty of room and ventilation makes a huge difference.
if you are going to use fans then I would suggest you mount them properly. Drill holes and use hardware. Zip ties and bouncing along a highway sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. My horses wouldn’t appreciated a couple of fans rattling and banging . Yours may be more saintly than mine.
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