I want to buy a two horse straight load that is extra wide. Has anyone ever taken the center out in a two horse and hauled three? would there be a reason I should not do this?
I would like to haul three on rare occasions at distances of 30-100 miles…
An extra wide trailer doesn’t add very much room… I can’t even picture where you would put 3 horses in a 2 horse trailer with no dividers…
Never mind the fact that it’s just not safe. JMO.
Possibly overload the axles?
Check the trailer GVWR, empty weight of trailer, and weight of 3 horses + gear, feed, water, hay, etc.
NOT a good idea.
That said, I’ve put 3 equines in a 2h straight-load bumper pull for a 20 mi drive - no more. The two big horses went in the usual stalls with the divider, and the 9h pony went up front, more or less under their noses. It worked, but I had to tie the horses shorter than I like to keep them from harassing the pony.
Would I do it the way you describe? Only if I hauled minis.
Depends on what you are hauling. We took some minis to OK for a customer. They met us at our barn with a step van and 4 minis in the back lol.
I have a huge 2 horse GN. People think it is a three horse. But like saje, I don’t know how you would safely put three normal size horses in there.
[QUOTE=BarnField;7254886]
Possibly overload the axles?
Check the trailer GVWR, empty weight of trailer, and weight of 3 horses + gear, feed, water, hay, etc.[/QUOTE]
I bought this http://www.eclipsealuminumtrailers.com/en/straight-loads/st-sr-dr with the delux package and without the dressing room wall. I also have the Euro divider which saves weight. I figure I could haul 3 SMALLER ones or 2 mares and 1 or 2 foals in a pinch. The hauling capacity listed is 3110 lbs but I think it is slightly higher for the one without the wall. I also have 16 inch wheels.
I have a heavy duty diesel so the hay, etc would go in the truck.
I have thought, that in an emergency, I could cram three (16.1 slender TB, 15.1 stocky gelding, 13.2 narrow pony) in my warmblood-size two-horse, if I took out all the dividers and sorta put them in slantwise.
Would I do it for anything other than an absolute emergency? Absolutely not.
If you haven’t already bought a trailer, why wouldn’t you just go with a three horse slant? Or the 16" stock trailers that can be split into two stalls?
Years ago - before the age of modern, super horse trailers - 3 QH’s could fit in a 2 horse without dividers, side by side. Two of them had to straddle the wheel wells.
Then along came the slant loads and three could fit in that way without adding much extra length.
Polo ponies seem to cram into smaller than normal trailers.
You would have to have horses who seriously loved each other.
No. There isn’t enough room for 3 average sized horses, there’s no place to tie them safely, a lot of trailers will still have hardware sticking up from the floor or down from the ceiling when you take the divider out, without custom modifications you won’t have anything between the back door of the trailer or the front of the trailer and the horses because without the divider you won’t have butt or chest bars (you can’t do it with a manger, because the horse in the middle would have their head in the divider). This is aside from the fact that you don’t have anything to protect the horses from each other, and in an accident this would be a mess. Big rigs can do three across because the horses are above the tires; in a standard trailer the box is either inside the tires, or you have wheel wells protruding into the horse compartment to make the trailer wider.
To escape a fire, knock yourself out. To plan to do this to haul horses for 1-2 hours, no way.
Buy a three horse slant if you need to haul 3 horses.
[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;7254987]
I have thought, that in an emergency, I could cram three (16.1 slender TB, 15.1 stocky gelding, 13.2 narrow pony) in my warmblood-size two-horse, if I took out all the dividers and sorta put them in slantwise.
Would I do it for anything other than an absolute emergency? Absolutely not.[/QUOTE]
Exactly - like flash flood, or forest fire – sure, I’d do it. Anything else? No way. I would not feel comfortable with the horses being “loose” without dividers. Too much chance for accident/injury from the other horses.
[QUOTE=CrowneDragon;7255171]
No. There isn’t enough room for 3 average sized horses, there’s no place to tie them safely, a lot of trailers will still have hardware sticking up from the floor or down from the ceiling when you take the divider out, without custom modifications you won’t have anything between the back door of the trailer or the front of the trailer and the horses because without the divider you won’t have butt or chest bars (you can’t do it with a manger, because the horse in the middle would have their head in the divider). This is aside from the fact that you don’t have anything to protect the horses from each other, and in an accident this would be a mess. Big rigs can do three across because the horses are above the tires; in a standard trailer the box is either inside the tires, or you have wheel wells protruding into the horse compartment to make the trailer wider.
To escape a fire, knock yourself out. To plan to do this to haul horses for 1-2 hours, no way.
Buy a three horse slant if you need to haul 3 horses.[/QUOTE]
Not necessarily true. Look at the floorplan of the trailer I posted above.
When I was a kid, my barn used to haul my 12.2 hand pony in the very front in the manner that Saje described. One time, on the highway, the driver glanced at the side view mirror to see Takoa getting to his feet on the grassy median.:eek::eek::eek:
[For you Ron White fans:
He fell out.
He fell out.
He fell the #^*& out.] :winkgrin:
Near as anybody could figure out, one of the horses had chomped him on the neck, he backed up in protest and hit the side door, which then opened, and he tumbled out arse over teakettle–luckily into the grass and not on the pavement. He didn’t have a mark on him and had no apparent injuries, but that was the last time they hauled a pony like that.
[QUOTE=carolprudm;7254983]
I bought this http://www.eclipsealuminumtrailers.com/en/straight-loads/st-sr-dr with the delux package and without the dressing room wall. I also have the Euro divider which saves weight. I figure I could haul 3 SMALLER ones or 2 mares and 1 or 2 foals in a pinch. The hauling capacity listed is 3110 lbs but I think it is slightly higher for the one without the wall. I also have 16 inch wheels.
I have a heavy duty diesel so the hay, etc would go in the truck.[/QUOTE]
THIS is exactly what I want, maybe minus the side ramp and plus a ramp in back. My gelding has outgrown my current old-style 2h (tiny tack compartment under fixed manger), I’ve outgrown it, and I want it so I can stick all three of my guys in the trailer, Odie occupying the front area :).
ETA: can I be uber nosy and ask what your final price was?? And if you would change anything??
We had three two year old colts in a 2+1ish modified straight load sundowner with all the dividers out. It actually worked really well.
[QUOTE=TheJenners;7255271]
THIS is exactly what I want, maybe minus the side ramp and plus a ramp in back. My gelding has outgrown my current old-style 2h (tiny tack compartment under fixed manger), I’ve outgrown it, and I want it so I can stick all three of my guys in the trailer, Odie occupying the front area :).
ETA: can I be uber nosy and ask what your final price was?? And if you would change anything??[/QUOTE]
It was around $15K including the delux package and beefed up wheels purchased at the Equine Extravaganza.
It does have a ramp in the back.
I wouldn’t change a thing 
dont be silly--------- the weight would exceed your towing vechile plus its more dangerous - 2 horse trialers are made for two horses only, in uk we have different types and sizes to cater for horses and ponies the largest being for 18hh horses and in these cases the the trailers are made longer and wider plus have different suspensions and axles , we also have a treble trailer or single, or mare and foal trailers each has to be pulled by a towing vechile that is a approved via dvla, as you have to think your unlaiden weight and your gross weight a small trailer is about 750k plus the larger ones are 1450 unlaiden and gross is 3500. so your towing vechile can not be lowerthan what your pulling
look at this web site for types with this well known company in uk
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwt.co.uk%2Fproducts%2Fhorsebox%2Fhb510xl%3Ftab%3Dfeatures&ei=hw2AUuDmF4mUhQf-14HoCg&usg=AFQjCNH7FhKyFRoK_XHGz5S8cMtsSQo0Eg
[QUOTE=goeslikestink;7255364]
dont be silly--------- the weight would exceed your towing vechile plus its more dangerous - 2 horse trialers are made for two horses only, in uk we have different types and sizes to cater for horses and ponies the largest being for 18hh horses and in these cases the the trailers are made longer and wider plus have different suspensions and axles , we also have a treble trailer or single, or mare and foal trailers each has to be pulled by a towing vechile that is a approved via dvla, as you have to think your unlaiden weight and your gross weight a small trailer is about 750k plus the larger ones are 1450 unlaiden and gross is 3500. so your towing vechile can not be lowerthan what your pulling
look at this web site for types with this well known company in uk
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwt.co.uk%2Fproducts%2Fhorsebox%2Fhb510xl%3Ftab%3Dfeatures&ei=hw2AUuDmF4mUhQf-14HoCg&usg=AFQjCNH7FhKyFRoK_XHGz5S8cMtsSQo0Eg[/QUOTE]
FWIW trucks and trailers are different in the US.
My trailer has a capacity of 3300 lbs and weighs about 3300 lbs. Truck, heavy duty 3/4 ton diesel Ram, will haul 17000 lbs.
No, I wouldn’t. It would probably exceed the maximum weight limit, unless your horses were ponies and not stocky. Possibly if it was a complete emergency, it could be done, but only if your horses got along well. The chance of injury would be so high because of the lack of dividers.
[QUOTE=carolprudm;7255384]
FWIW trucks and trailers are different in the US.
My trailer has a capacity of 3300 lbs and weighs about 3300 lbs. Truck, heavy duty 3/4 ton diesel Ram, will haul 17000 lbs.[/QUOTE]
i know i only put that up as comparison as not to do it
manfacturers make trialers for 2 are for 2 not for three unless stated it is
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