Buying a Trailer: New vs Used

[rideoff]

I’m new to trailer shopping so please pardon any dumb questions -

I’m currently on the market for a 2 horse bumper pull trailer, and trying to weigh the pros and cons of buying new vs used.

One of my horses is 16.3h and has a large, uphill build so he can only fit comfortably in a warmblood sized/extra tall trailer which narrows my options.

As far as I can tell, I can expect to pay around 15-20k Canadian for a brand new trailer, or considerably less for a used trailer that requires some minor work - I am wondering what the main advantages/drawbacks are of purchasing new vs used, and how for how many years a used trailer can be expected to be safely serviceable. Any advice on what to look for/stay away from?

Thanks!

[reignthealarm]

Buying a new trailer is just like buying a new car: you get all the bells and whistles, better financing options, and factory warranties. Do you need all of those bells and whistles, though? I like the peace of mind of new, but you definitely pay for it! You can also often customize a trailer to be built for your horse so you know he will be comfy in it!

As far as used, how long it will stay safe depends on how well it was serviced before you. Were brakes maintained? What about electrical, floors, and ramp (if applicable)? If it needs work, are you willing to put in the time/money to fix it?
I bought my extra tall 2 horse bumper pull as a consignment from a local dealership for 3500 USD and although it is a 20 year old trailer, it is still in excellent shape, practically everything in it is new, and it has a dealership warranty on it. If you do end up buying used, I highly recommend going through a dealer versus a private sale. The dealer often at least has a diagnostic report of what they’ve done to make it safe to sell and can give you recommendations based on what you need.

In either case, shop around! Compare prices and amenities of each brand.

[Abbie.S]

Do not shy away from used trailers. Used trailers, unlike used cars, tend to have a LOT less “miles” on them for their model year than vehicles do because they aren’t “driven” every day.

I own a 1994 Kingston TB Deluxe 2H BP. It does not look like an almost 25 year old trailer. When I bought it, I used it for two years before I had to do any major maintenance on it (and even then, all I did was purchase new tires and repack the bearings). I purchased it for $4,500 from the original owner who had all the maintenance records. I could sell it today for the same price no problem.

If you don’t have a used trailer dealer near you and end up going private sale, I’d highly recommend having a trusted mechanic look at it prior to purchase. A reasonable seller should not have a problem dropping the trailer off to a local mechanic to have them take a look.

You can do a look through of any used trailer and figure out pretty quickly whether it’s been taken care of. I always do the following:

• Overall impression of body: is their rust? Corrosion (on aluminum trailer skin)?
• Check the ball hitch: it is clean and free of rust? Are the electrical components still neatly encased for the e-brake? Chains/pins are lubed/oiled?
• Are the latches all in working condition and do all doors open and shut easily?
• Get under the trailer: are the boards all in good shape? Is their any rot? Does the frame have any significant rust?
• Pull up the floor mats in the corners at the back of trailer and check for rot there (usually the first place I’ve seen it). Are the mats in good shape?
• Are there are major dents, sharp exposure metal, splintered wood?

Honestly, I don’t find the price of new trailers to be worth it unless I need something custom that is difficult to find used.

[clanter]

bought used, very well taken care of, it was indistinguishable from new but less than half the cost as the owner was getting out of horses and wanted the cash

[rideoff]

Thanks everyone! I will really appreciate your helpful replies!

[AKB]

It all depends upon price. I found that people were asking more for their used trailers than a new trailer. That made the decision to buy a new trailer very easy. Also, if you buy used, stay away from known design problems. At one time, there were lots of aluminum on steel trailers made that had problems from the metal incompatibility. New floors and new frames were needed. Don’t buy a trailer with frame corrosion or a bad floor.

[cherham]

Rideoff I assume you live in Canada. If in Ontario remember that any trailer will need to be mechanically certified before you will be able to licence it on the road. Therefore you have some protection there that any used trailer upon inspection will pass the safety and be safe to haul your horses. I do agree that in most cases unless you absolutely HAVE to have the most current year and model of trailer you are far better off to buy a good used one. Also remember that most banks will not offer financing on a horse trailer over 5 years of age so if you can buy used from a reputable dealer and they can provide the financing direct to you that is often a great idea as well. And some trailer dealers will offer warranty even on a used trailer. Steel, vs steel and aluminum, vs all aluminum is really a personal choice. I have owned all 3 types and each one has their pro’s and con’s. As a sidenote I was fortunate to buy a really lovely all aluminum trailer with LQ when the US /Canada dollar was at par about 8 years ago and sold that trailer last year for MORE!!! then I originally purchased it for. So I actually made money on that trailer but that is not the norm I realize. If you want to PM privately I can give you some suggestions for good trailer dealers that I have purchased from. Happy shopping!

[js]

New - buying new means you can finance it if you don’t have the cash to pay for a new or used one. You can customize it if you need something a bit bigger or with additional features. Comes with a warranty.

Used - Much cheaper cost. I don’t know that there are any other advantages. Depending, it could have a lot of use and abuse or not.

I lucked out on the last trailer I bought and found a brand new trailer that had sat on the dealer’s lot for a couple of years. Standard size trailer in WB country, so no one wanted it. Worked great for me and it had all the bells and whistles, got it at a discount price, financed and warranty as if it were right off the factory floor.

[TheJenners]

I took a personal loan to finance my used trailer. I bought a 2006 Trail-et in 2014, it is extra tall/wide (actually too big for my two current ones, but on purpose so I can throw donkeys in there too in an emergency and run) with a ramp… the same design new was $18-20k new but I got this for $8500. Happily drove seven hours one way for it too. It looked like it had never had a horse in it, the seller had purchased it in Cali when they drove to ID and had not used it since. I had the bearings packed and the breakaway brake battery needed to be replaced before I drove it back across the state, and since then I’ve replaced the tires. Shop around, use Canada’s version of Craigslist.

[cnvh]

A horse trailer is basically a box on wheels; there aren’t too many things that can go wrong with them and repairs are usually relatively inexpensive, at least when compared to a vehicle. I bought my first trailer for $600; the frame and floor were good, but it needed a bit of welding work on the ramp. With the help of my ex-DH, I DIY’ed pretty much everything on that trailer-- sanded/primed/painted inside and out, new tires, new brakes, new breakaway brake, new bumper pads in the stalls, rewired the whole thing, replaced a couple lights, added some tie hooks, and my out-of-pocket costs for all of that was under $2k, including the welding (which was the only thing I had professionally done). I ended up reselling it for $3500 and made a profit. :winkgrin:

If you can find the layout you want, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy used. In fact, I can’t imagine buying a new trailer unless a.) I had more money than I knew what to do with, and b.) I was planning to haul, A LOT, like if I was a professional with paying clients.

[NancyM]

I had this conversation last year with a local commercial hauler. She had quite a nice trailer that she had bought new not that long ago. Horses liked it, hauled well in it, but she was selling it. Because she found that it was just not that “well built”, things broke easily. She felt it was “flimsy”. I showed her my trailer, which is an OLD aluminum featherlite 6 horse, with modifications that I had done to it. She felt that my older trailer was more solidly built than hers. Kinda like some vehicles these days, with lots of plastic instead of metal, and not as reliable and strongly built as older vehicles. So she sold her trailer, and bought another, older trailer, bigger. She likes it better. I would guess that the price she paid was about half of the $80,000 cost of a new one.

Excellent advice here already about inspecting old trailers. Get a professional opinion. Things that need to be fixed or replaced, or modifications that you need made tend to be cheaper than buying new. And sometimes better than the new ones.

[rideoff]

Thanks everyone! Lots of great advice here that I will be putting to use.

[Scribbler]

I bought a second hand trailer last year after shopping awhile.

Second hand can range from rusted out piece of junk to well used/ well maintained to almost new and never used. It’s just like buying a car second hand. Get it inspected before you buy and serviced before you use it.

It’s true there are a lot fewer parts to a trailer than to a vehicle.

[Guilherme]

When trailer shopping (new or used) wear something you don’t mind getting dirty and carry a flashlight. Be prepared to look “where Sun doesn’t shine.” With new units you can see the quality of construction in hidden places. If it’s good there then it’s like good everywhere. With used units you can see some of the history of the trailer.

I’ve owned five trailers over the years, two new and three used. I did the grubby/flashlight thing early on and it saved me from a couple of mistakes.

Good luck in your search.

G.

[freyeann]

I shopped for a year before I ended up buying new. If my horse was smaller I would have bought used in a heartbeat and had many options but she is 16.3 and four and an Irish Draught and I really wanted something she would be comfortable in, even if she grew a bit more.

I’m in the midwest which is quarter horse country and there are lots of 6’6" trailers and a few 7" but anything over that is few and far between. The one used one I found that met all my needs (extra tall, extra wide, prefer straight load and ramp , bumper pull) was as much as the new Hawk I bought and had delivered.

Not sure if they deliver to Canada but they are built in Wisconsin so depending on where you are, I got everything I needed and delivered for under 15k.

I think if you can find a nice used on go for it! We have a great trailer shop here that I would have had go over a used one and make sure it was safe. I just couldn’t find one big enough that wasn’t more than the brand new one I picked out.

But I love my trailer…it was also my first trailer after 25 years of riding! And it has been so fun! Good luck, if you need any recommendations on where to go for big trailers I can help! I was trying to keep it around 12k. I think with shipping I paid 13,500 but got everything I wanted and then some. They also seem to hold their value well.

[NoSuchPerson]

@AKB

It all depends upon price. I found that people were asking more for their used trailers than a new trailer. That made the decision to buy a new trailer very easy.

I found this to be very true when I bought my trailer a year ago. The cost difference between used trailers in good condition and new was so small that I decided to buy new, which also gave me the chance to get exactly what I wanted.

It seemed to me that this was most likely to be true with the more basic 2 horse bumper pull models I was searching for. I have friends who bought a big, LQ trailer just before I bought mine and they saved quite a bit by buying used. Maybe because the market for LQ trailers is a lot smaller and the desire for customized products is greater, so there isn’t as much demand for used ones?

[Foxglove]

cnvh --box on wheels? Relatively little can go wrong? Inexpensive to repair? Not sure what you are comparing a horse trailer to --a car or motor home perhaps? But let’s take this from the bottom up: what can go wrong with a two horse bumper pull --LQ? Well, that’s another story: tires (can look brand new and still need to be replaced), hubs, brakes, axles, bearings, rims, fenders --all can be worn out, damaged, or not maintained --last trailer we bought (and we knew about this before we bought) had the brakes frozen to the hubs with rust, needed new everything --except, the axles were in good shape --that was $1500 --let’s keep going on the " few things that can go wrong and are inexpensive to fix" --wiring. Have you ever put in a new wiring harness? It is challenging and requires specialized tools and knowledge --it isn’t free to have a trailer rewired --yet sometimes that is the cheaper option than trying to find the broken wires or shorts that are keeping the system from working --and for our last trailer that had sat for 10 years in someone’s yard --that was $800 and that’s not counting the lights and fixtures that needed to be replaced with LEDs . . .and we continue --then there’s the floor, roof, windows, doors --latches and hinges, the grommets for tying and holding hay bags, the pads --and if you’ve ever tried to even find the specific window for a specific trailer make -or latch --or hinge, well, none of them are free and all require extensive research to find --or you can take out the old door/window/latch and replace with new --but often that means a little body work as you resize the hole . . .and finally, the cosmetic stuff --ever have a pad in the trailer become torn or need replacing --yep, they do wear out. Completely redoing the interior of a 2 horse bumper pull will set you back $500-800 for new pads on the walls and floor. Roof seals need to be resealed, as do window seals. I happen to be totally BLESSED to live in a community that makes its living on manufacturing and repairing trailers --there is a trailer repair shop, literally, on every corner of Elkhart County, IN --RV trailer Capital of the World and there are 3 manufacturers of horse trailers in 7 miles of my farm --Merhow, Bison, and Lakota. So when I need a part, I can just go pick one up --when I need something professionally done, it’s a no-brainer to find someone to do it. —Personally I prefer used trailers because I have the time/expertise to fix (most) what’s wrong --but it is very easy to equal the cost of a new trailer when you start repairing an old one --I know I could have purchased a NEW low end horse trailer for what I paid for my 15 year old Merhow --but I cannot afford the high quality NEW Merhow trailer --my older one is now repaired and restored --would it sell for what a NEW Merhow, no, but it works just as well –

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

Yep, check underneath for rust and damage.

[kcmel]

I have always bought used and have been able to find exactly what I wanted in really good shape for a fraction of the cost new. But I live in horse mecca so there are a lot of used trailers for sale.

[rideoff]

Thanks everyone! Freyeann - I’m in Manitoba which is sort of the midwest, so I will send you a PM!