Horse trailer questions?

[endlessclimb]

It’s not the ramp, the ramp is going to be A-ok. It’s the upper door that’s going to logistically be hard, especially if you’re short (like me!).

It will open like this:

1. find some way to reach the paddle latch. This will be either a stool or the running board. If the running board, you’re leaning way over and have no handle to grab onto.
2. Unlatch the paddle, swing it over, toss the door open a little
3. Jump and whack the door to get it open more.
4. Jump and whack it again to try and get it into the plunger hold back (the only kind that works for this door, really)
5. You didn’t whack it hard enough, so jump and whack it again lol

Closing will be a similar endeavor into curse words.

I strongly suggest the lower cam latch.

[NaturallyHappy]

I’ve done this. Your description is priceless and made me laugh. Thank you!

[eightpondfarm]

I’m loading up to go to lesson in a few mins. When i’m at the trailer, which is a stock with slat windows like this pic, i’ll see about reaching to the top of the bottom slat and how that height is gonna work for me and if i cannot reach i’ll tell them to make me something that works for my height.

One thing i’m VERRRRRRY happy about is the tackroom door. (as long as i leave the tackroom door-exterior, unlocked! Because i’ve l’ve closed the spring bolt back door with me in the trailer before, without my cell phone! My “escape” door, with that lever latch only works if you can reach it! Which i cannot through the slats!

[endlessclimb]

A prisoner in your own home! Err, trailer!

Yeah, have them put normal style handle latches on the dressing room door, and the walk through door. Just make sure to deadbolt the walk through door when you’re driving, as I’m sure your creative and smart horses will learn to open it lol.

It’s good practice to deadbolt that type of latch when in motion.

[theresak]

I have to say that I don’t love interior wheel wells. It may be because I’ve always had large horses but they can prevent the horse from spreading their legs out in front or behind as much as they’d prefer to. Even with smaller horses, I’ve seen them lift a foot to move, feel the wheel well, and scramble a bit trying to figure out where to put a foot down.

I also don’t love the split doors above a ramp, which is why it took me so long to find a used 2h BP…I feel like the ramp and top door rattle and wiggle a lot.

My last consideration for you is to think about a full length bar across the back and a “chest bar” across the front door/ramp. Again my perspective is having large horses, but I never want them sitting or leaning directly on a door or ramp, I always want something else keeping them in the trailer. I’m so paranoid I got a 2h BP straight load with butt bars, full rear doors, and a short ramp - three layers of security for my guy that likes to sit on the bar/door.

[SusanO]

Yep! I did that too. Got a bunch of stuff to fix due to tree branches while backing trailer down to its place in the barn.

But you need roof vents to stay cool.

[eightpondfarm]

@theresak

I also don’t love the split doors above a ramp, which is why it took me so long to find a used 2h BP…I feel like the ramp and top door rattle and wiggle a lot.

oh my, yes. you should SEE my trailer! it’s like a rolling sheep! Everything that moves, every door, ramp on it is stuffed with wads of fleece.

[skip99]

Your design is pretty close to what I got this year. I like your center divider idea! In your drawing do you have two exterior doors for the tack room in addition to the wall through? Or is that an escape door in the horse area? I personally prefer the side ramp to be curbside rather than road side.

[NaturallyHappy]

This is a beautiful trailer. How long is the box?

[skip99]

Thank you! It’s 19’ on the floor, the dressing room has a 4’ short wall. Knowing now that I can get it turned around in my tough driveway I probably would have gone 1 ft longer in the horse area to give a little more space to go out the side ramp if/when I have a trunk along the bulkhead wall. It’s a great size to pull so still very happy with it.

[eightpondfarm]

Oh how NICE! That a good looking thing It’s aluminum?
Ramp on passenger side makes sense. If you have to unload on the road that’s where you’d want to take them off isn’t it! hmmmmm.

Your tackroom door is on drivers side. That makes sense too! hmmmm

I have one exterior door to the tackroom, and one walk through door from the front stall. I think you’re looking at the top door above the ramp. Ramp and ramp-door above it are light blue lines. Tack room doors and wall are pink.

[skip99]

Thank you! It’s aluminum skin over a steel frame

I hate having to go to the other side of the trailer to enter the dressing room so that layout was a must have for me. And now I get it, so the purple lines are for the tack room your top door over the side ramp should open towards the back like endlessclimb said.

I’d also recommend having a side escape door into the horse area if you can. While you can go into the tack room then into the horse area, the door will probably open into the horse area which I probably wouldn’t want to do if there is a horse there lol. I have an escape door with a bar so that if I do use my trailer as a box the horse can’t lean on it. Bonus I can hang the hay bag from it to use while my horse is tied outside (instead of having a hay bag/net tied in the same place as a lead rope).

[NaturallyHappy]

Does anyone know what the smallest size box would be (with a 3 foot dressing room) and still accommodate a side ramp? I realize that may be manufacturer dependent. Those of you who have them are making me very envious. Does anyone know of a down side to a side load ramp??

[endlessclimb]

Here’s my new one. I don’t think anyone wants me to list all the custom features I got lol

Plan is to doll up the dressing room a bit (I kept the cabinets I custom built and such from my 4-star) and enjoy!!

[eightpondfarm]

@endlessclimb

Here’s my new one. I don’t think anyone wants me to list all the custom features I got lol

Oh don’t be so sure about that!!! List em please.

So you are repainting the tackroom? That looks big, like Living Quarters big! I was thinking about adding AC. Do you overnight in it much?

What length is that handsome beast?
and what do you pull with?

[eightpondfarm]

i think maybe 14’ with this manufacturer, Titan.

[endlessclimb]

It’s a 6’ tackroom, kind of quasi-living quarters. I do overnight in my trailer quite a bit!

The floor length is 17’. That truck is a 2500 cummins with some performance parts.

List of what I can remember right now:

-upgraded the axle size
-added extra floor supports
-added additional small saddle post to the horse area, in case I am camping somewhere rainy and want the full tack room (it’s flush to the wall, unless I move the saddle racks onto it)
-divider in the horse area slides over to the side on rails
-jailbars on the upper divider are horizontal, not vertical (so I can hang saddle pads/boots/whatever on it)
-extra height on the jack wall, so it will never hit my truck’s bed rails
-hi/low ties for the horses (one for the hay bag, one for the horse)
-custom AC (low profile) and AC cover (I wanted black)
-custom cover for the awning (again, I wanted black)
-crank out windows in the tack room, so they can be left open in the rain
-extra dome vent over the neck area (I was sad to lose the natural light to the AC, so added another)
-extra set of roof vents for the horses
-3 way switch for all lights
-the ramp is custom dimensions, will allow for the awning to be down and all doors to be open and have it flow smooth from one area to the other
-two rows of hooks on the tackroom wall
-extra insulation in horse and tack room walls
-two brush boxes on the door
-walk through door to horse area
-rubber mat hanging from bottom of divider, so my asshole Old Man can’t kick his trailering companion
-full back doors, with ramp over
-paddle latch on driver’s side escape door (do not want horsie opening that on the highway)

etc etc. I had built a fully custom trailer before, so I knew what worked and what didn’t. This trailer is perfect.

[NaturallyHappy]

Wow! How did you think of all those things??? Very impressive.

[endlessclimb]

By building a custom one that ended up being too big hence the sale. I learned what I liked and what I didn’t, what worked and what didn’t, and what could have been improved on.

I about cried when I pulled into a regular gas station with this thing. NO WAY would I have tried that with my last trailer.

[endlessclimb]

Here’s a picture of the horse area, in case anyone was wondering what horizontal jail bars look like. They initially said no on that ask, but we worked it out together once they understood why I wanted them that way instead of vertically.