My mother wants to buy me a trailer now but I have no reason to use it for a year or two since I have my horse hauled by commercial or trainers. I wouldn’t want a trailer just sitting so I was thinking of leasing it out to make some money until I needed it. Do people think there is a market for This? Any thoughts appreciated.
My only thought is - Insurance.
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I would have the person leasing it get insurance.
Trailers depreciate with age. Even with insurance they can get damaged. Is there some compelling REASON to buy one now when you don’t need one?
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Because my mother wants to…she is very determined and headstrong.
Maybe she’s hoping that once you have it that you will use it? Have you told her that you have no current use for one? Is it possible that recent natural disasters in the USA have prompted her to think that she would like you to have a way of moving your horse in an emergency?
I can’t tell what the ages are here but if you’re an adult and she’s an adult… can’t you tell her “no thank you?”
I can’t help you with her personality. But from a logical POV your plan is more risk than reward and I wouldn’t do it. Would you buy a car you didn’t need, for no good reason, and then lease it out to a stranger for 2 years? I think the answer is “of course not.” I don’t see the trailer as any different.
Maybe you can talk her into buying you a CD that matures in 2 years and that will be for you to use to buy a trailer at the end of the 2 years when you need it.
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I wouldn’t lease one, too many risks involved and in two years your trailer could be damaged and worn. Neither would I trust someone’s insurance, even if they did have it, as the owner of the trailer you could still be held liable. Nothing wrong with having a trailer that sits unused, it won’t care.
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That’s a good idea.
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Ladylexie, if at all possible, get the money from your wonderfully generous mom and put it into an account to buy the trailer when you need it. Horse trailers take a beating even when lovingly cared for. I guarantee you, no one will care for your trailer the way you, the owner, would care for it. Every trailer, used or unused, should have brakes and bearings checked yearly --that’s a day leaving the trailer at the repair shop, getting it there, and picking it up, and then you have to pay the bill. $400 is about my average for brakes and bearings annually. Next be aware that if you use it or don’t use it, or someone else uses it tires must be replaced every 3-4 years --trailer tires are different than car tires. That’s another $400-800 dollars depending on how many tires you have. So that’s the basics --but then you get into the details --people often tie horses to trailers --horses paw, chew, rub their heads, and move their buckets around that people tend to also tie to trailers. Now we’re talking scratches in the paint. A steel trailer will rust. An aluminum trailer will just have scratches in the paint. People mean well, but as items are taken into and out of the tack area, the walls are dinged and dented. The carpet in any tack area will become a muddy mess during a show. Windows and screens can be torn or cracked by horses or just driving down the road and a rock flies up. Horses kick at walls --pads can eventually tear and/or wear out. Grommets can be pulled off, hinges wear out. And all of this is “normal wear” for a horse trailer. I love my horse trailer and take excellent care of it. While I no longer loan it to ANYONE (except to one lovely teenager whose father is a genius mechanic who repairs anything/everything she damages and always returns the trailer washed, waxed, and vacuumed --I almost wish they would borrow it more!), I have had all of the above issues with my trailer and I take really good care of it! The only other thing you could do, is have mom buy the trailer, try to make enough on a lease (headache, I think) and then when you need it, sell the old one and buy a brand new one --but honestly, I doubt the money you make from leasing would come close to what repairs and maintenance will cost you. I guess I’d wonder if you leased it long term to ONE person, why he or she would prefer to lease yours than buy his or her own --and if you lease it to many people --when something’s broken --there will be a lot of finger pointing as to which of the last 5 people broke the light or whatever. Are you going to inspect after each lease (again, what a pain!) And argue with people who leased it if “that scratch” was there before or not. Again, talk to mum --see if she’ll let you earmark the funds for future purchase.
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Why wouldn’t you want to use it? Do you have a truck with tow capacity already? Can you drive a trailer? it is not difficult to learn, just takes some determination. I got a truck and trailer last year and it has increased my scope of what I can do amazingly. I would not go many places if I had to pay $100 minimum for a trip.
If your mother is buying you a trailer make sure it is the configuration you want. Also make sure it is new and in good shape and suitable for your horses. For instance there are lots older smaller trailers going cheap, which wouldn’t fit a big warmblood. And if you want a straight haul, then a slant load won’t do, and vice versa.
So is your mother buying you something new, reasonable quality, and configured the way you want it? In that case I would say yay, thank you, and learn to drive it or store it in a dry barn. I would be uneasy leasing something like this out because it would definitely deteriorate. I would however consider maybe doing a share with your trainer or other responsible advanced horse person in your life. Maybe they get the use of your trailer in exchange for letting you park it there, they teach you how to drive, they give you free hauling in exchange for the use of your trailer.
Or has your mother found some piece of rubbish on Craigslist that “just needs some tlc” or only fits ponies? And is determined that she has to buy this “bargain”? In that case, no one is really going to want to lease it and you are not going to want to use it, and it is going to be one more piece of gently rotting junk to slowly dissolve on the farm or wherever you stash it.
Basically, does you mother know about horses or trailers, or has she just gotten it into her head to buy something off CL because it’s cheap? That will probably determine alot of how this goes forward.
If someone knowledgeable about horses wanted to buy me a new trailer now (or two years ago!) in my preferred configuration, I would have been delighted.
But if this is a piece of rubbish being bought on a whim, your storage and disposal costs will be more than the thing is worth.
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I love Foxglove’s post! And if you don’t have a way to keep a trailer under cover, it’s worse! Tires actually dry rot from sun exposure and I’ve yet to hook a trailer that’s been sitting any length of time and have the electrical hook work correctly.
I would buy it and choose exactly the one I want she would simply pay for it. I don’t want to trailer my horse myself until I have him at my own barn in a couple years. The idea of a CD is a good one I think or something likebthat.
oh have her pay for it, buy it but put the order in for a Sep 2019 delivery date …easy enough then ever one is happy
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I leased my trailer out when I got rid of my towing vehicle but wasn’t ready to sell the trailer.
We have a contract and she covers the cost of insurance (on my policy), registration, and maintenance. I’m named as an additional insured on her insurance policy. I don’t make any money on the lease.
However, I think it’s really bad for trailers to just sit and if I still had it at my barn, I wouldn’t be using it and probably not even doing regular maintenance. The person who leases it uses it for <4 hour trips and only a few times a year.
What a wonderful dilemma to have! Your mother sounds like a very generous, supportive horse Mom. But I agree with the others who say don’t do it. All it takes is one fractious horse to kick a few dents in your trailer, and there goes the investment. And that’s before you even consider the possibilities of liability. In some states, if you accept any kind of remuneration, you’re on the hook for liability. It’s just not worth the head aches.
Put the $$ in a savings account and buy it when you’re ready. And hug your Mom because that’s one cool lady.
do you have a tow vehicle? Too much risk involved and no guarantee it would come back to you in same condition. Agree, put the money in CD until you think you want or need a trailer. Then buy one
Thats why they sell tire covers - to block the sun. Not expensive at all and they work. I bought my trailer new in 2004 - it’s never been stored anywhere but outside - never been an issue. It sits a lot and is rarely used (my mare hasn’t been on it in two years) - I take it in for it’s annual inspection but that’s about it…never had an issue with getting lights, brakes, etc. to work but I also keep all that covered to protect it. I do take it out for a spin a couple times a year but nothing more than that. It still looks new after all these years. I’d never sell it as I will not put myself in a situation where I would need to find someone to trailer my horse if an emergency came up. It’s also good for moving and storing stuff.
That being said there is NO way in hell I’d let anyone lease it or even use it just once. Nope. Not happening. Too risky and an insurance nightmare if something happens.
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