Horse trailers: How long is too long?

[onetrickpony]

Just sold a 36’ trailer because it was too long to take on a lot of properties. We couldn’t even store it at the barn where I board. I still have a Hawk 2-horse bumper pull but am going to sell it and get a Hawk 2-horse GN with side ramp. Not the full 2+1, just straight load with side ramp.

However, after my experience with the monster trailer, I’m really concerned about getting another trailer that’s too long. My only experience pulling trailers has been 14’ and 36’ (total length, nose to tail), nothing in between. I don’t know what kind of maneuverability I’d be looking at with a 20’ trailer versus a 25’ trailer versus a 30’ trailer. The new Hawks are around 24-25’. That sounds like it would fall within my comfort level. I’m considering having a few extra feet added in the horse area. Those extra 3-4’ don’t sound like a lot, but “28.5’” does, if that makes sense. I think that’s too long to be able to get everywhere that I’d want to go–it’s only 7.5’ shorter than the monster trailer–but the additional space would be great for my hefty draft cross.

So, at what length does a trailer become a PITA to maneuver in potentially tight spots? And I’m not talking about taking it weird places. The fact is, a lot of smaller farms (like where we’d attend clinics and schooling shows) are located off two-lane roads, with driveways flanked by ditches, and tight turns around buildings, fencing, etc. I know that driver finesse is one factor. Just assume that I’m a somewhat competent rig operator.

[goodhors]

Nose to tail is just trailer length? Trailer is a gooseneck? So you need to add in truck length in front of the hitch point, in considering manueverability. Crew cab is longer than a club cab, etc.

I am asking because floor length is less than total trailer length on gooseneck, which can make it easier to take in smaller places. Our gooseneck stock trailer is 24ft long with 18ft of floor. We haul a couple of larger horses, though no draft crosses. They need long and wide stalls too, are quite comfortable in there, along with all needed equipment,feed, when we go out with them. Not sure what you need so much extra space for, but that is your decision about taking “needed” other items in the trailer.

We can get in and out of winding farm lanes, narrow roads, park in small areas pretty easily with this trailer and oversized truck. We also have a 35ft long, wide trailer we only take to places with bigger parking areas, solid surfaces to hold the weight. Just looking for trouble taking that to a small farm setting.

[Blume_Farm]

I have two trailers: a 2+1 Hawk and a 4-Star 2 hose straight load with midtack & LQs. Both are gooseneck and I drive a Dodge Megacab with shortbed. I have yet to go some place that I can’t maneuver the 2+1, but certainly have gotten into a pickle with the LQ trailer. I also have not had any issues with the GN and a shortbed in relation to turning radius and hitting the back window.

With the LQ trailer I have to pick my gas stations carefully and even getting through my driveway gate and making the driveway turn is very tight. I can only leave my property driveway to the east with that trailer as the mailbox and culvert prevent turning to the west. I find my 2+1 is super manageable on private farms, horse shows, schooling shows on private farms, gas stations, retail parking lots, etc.

[ladymcts]

I only ever owned a GN that was 20 foot on the floor with the goose being another 7-8 feet or so. For me, that trailer felt big but still manageable. I would have to select gas stations carefully, always looking for the pull-thru escape route.

I’m shopping now for a replacement. Since I have to get in to a boarding that is on a little one lane road with ditches on either side of the turn, I haven’t got much maneuver room. I asked the barn manager and he said I could probably go up to 24’ but not much longer than that. So that’s how I came to my decision on how long is too long …

Good luck!

[normandy_shores]

I haul a 2h GN with 15 feet on the floor (23 total length)… it’s plenty maneuverable. It’s a slant with a 3 foot short wall dressing room. I’d think going up to 18 feet on the floor would be very doable. Not sure too much beyond that, but I don’t have the experience.

[suz]

I just drove from Texas to Vermont hauling the 36ft fifth wheel in which I live.
It is a monster compared to my Hawk–I imagine when I hook up the h
Hawk I will think it’s a tiny little thing after the fifth wheel.

[cutter99]

In the end, the answer to your question is the length you are comfortable with is the “right” length.

I have a 16’ stock trailer and an LQ trailer with 28’ on the floor. Adding the necks to those they are 24’ and 36’. I am comfortable with both, but choose to think ahead about the situations I am going into when towing. For example, I use trucks stops for fuel and don’t go anywhere blindly.

I just sold a 29’ fifth wheel camper that I HATED to pull, mainly because it felt top heavy and bottomed out the springs on my truck. I could still maneuver it wherever I needed to put it- it was just a PIA to haul down the road.

The more towing you do, the more comfortable you get. Length to me is no big deal- you just have to put some thought into what you are doing.

[reubenT]

I pulled a 50 ft trailer steady for a month last year, it was a car hauler. That thing was almost as bad as getting a semi into places, specially gas stations since the truck was an old gas truck. Then I drove a semi for 3 months. Same problem with pickups and deliveries at random places, except fueling was easy at truck stops. After that the 20 ft stock trailer was a breeze at maneuvering. I kept being tempted to take the corners way too wide. 20’ is fairly easy to get into places, the longer beyond that the harder it gets. Unless I really need the extra space I’d stick with the 20" GN. (floor length)

[Jarpur]

I’ve had three GN trailers, with the longest one being an 18 ft. box plus 8 ft. nose. Never had any problem getting it into anywhere, but there were quite a few places where I was sure glad it wasn’t any longer (such as turning in the driveway at the vet clinic or showing up to some kind of event at a private farm). I also took turns behind the wheel hauling a friend’s 4H GN with an 8 ft. short wall dressing room/weekender package crosss-country, which would have been about a 25 ft. box (according to the manufacturer’s website) plus 8 ft. nose. It wasn’t too bad on the highway or pulling into gas stations, as I recollect, but was really only taken out for multi-overnight trail riding trips, as my friend also had a 2H BP for short, local trips, such as to the vet clinic. Plus, she had her own place with plenty of wide-open parking space available. For myself, as an only trailer, especially with possible parking issues, I wouldn’t want a GN any longer than my old one with the 18 ft. box, but I don’t have a draft, either.

[stoneymeadow]

I bought OneTrickPony’s monster 2+1 trailer w LQ and love it!!

Previous trailer is a Turnbow 2 horse straight load w extra head space for the turn to the side ramp. My 17.3 WB had no problem making the turn. Then mid tack and weekender dressing room. 29 ft nose to tail. No problems getting it anyplace. (This trailer is still for sale).

But I cut my teeth prior to that w a 4 horse head to head w oversized middle space…52’ when hooked up! Now that trailer took talent!!! And planning. But I loved it for long hauls.

So it all comes down to comfort level. What I wanted in 2005 is different than what I want now. And what I find comfortable at my different stages.

[CLB15]

My 2+1 has an 18’ floor, hooked up to my truck its 41’. Before this trailer I had a 12’ 2-horse bumper pull but the 2+1 though is way easier to maneuver than I expected after having a little trailer. there are times when I’ll take a long way around the block because I don’t think I can wiggle into a place, but if I was ever to get a new trailer I’d probably add 2’ to the floor length and still feel fine driving it around… Longer than that and I don’t think I could fit anywhere easily, though I know a few folks with 4/5 horse head to heads with dressing rooms who seem perfectly fine buzzing around!

[Jim_in_PA]

Too long is when you cannot safely get your combined tow vehicle and trailer into and out of the places you need to go. That’s over and above the physical and performance characteristics of the combination relative to driving them. If you can’t get in and out of your driveway and turn the rig around there and places you go…it’s too long.

[TheJenners]

I lost in the divorce the giant 33’ GN.

And by lost, I mean I didn’t want the damn thing because it was too big!

I’ve found that I can get a 16’’ GN anywhere I could with a smaller 2h BP, literally, but had to start choosing locations carefully from there on up. And I’m very happy with my BP, which is 15.5’ (I think) on the floors, so almost the same as the GN I was most comfortable with before.

[Equibrit]

You can make the floor area of a 2 horse gooseneck pretty short if you don’t have a dressing room. The gooseneck area provides the storage. In fact it would be a lot niftier than a bumper pull.
Like this; http://beetrailers.com/horse-trailers/2h-gn-thoroughbred.php

[Badger]

I went from a 3H GN slant Four Star (18’ or 19’ on the floor) to an Equispirit 2+1 (24’ on the floor) and I was totally fixated and super anxious about ordering that long of a trailer and fretted about what pulling it would be like. As soon as I got the new trailer and began pulling with it, I realized that all that anxiety was for naught, there was very little difference in pulling the two. A 36’ trailer would be a nightmare, but a 2+1 is very user friendly. I’ve been hauling with the current trailer for a decade and it goes where I need it to go.