I’m on my second Merhow (a 3H slant Verylite) as we speak - had it for 10 years and it’s been a fantastic trailer (the first was used as a trade in for the current - nothing wrong with that one either!)
Do a search on COTH, there was someone last year that had a heck of a time with her custom ordered trailer - she never did get one that matched all the specifications on the order but she was never going to get her money back & was presented with a take this trailer or nothing ultimatum: the odd part was that they did keep trying to present her with a custom trailer but how they managed to mess up each order was truly bizarre (made me suspect that they were just modifying an existing trailer & hoping she wouldn’t notice). I believe the final trailer she took met all criteria BUT the door was not wide enough to get her custom made tack trunk through & this had been listed on her order: the seller then measured the outside of the door frame & stated that the dimensions were correct so the trailer was therefore built to all her specifications & that was that.
So be very very specific when placing your order & be very sure that you bold INSIDE dimensions etc if that is what you mean.
My SIL ordered a custom 3 horse LQ last year and is very pleased with it. However, the delivery went horribly wrong–the awning came loose and beat the trailer roof something awful. The company and the dealer made it right (very superficial damage upon inspection, but alarming to a new trailer owner). It is a lovely rig, hauls well, has all the things she wanted/ordered.
Every Merhow I’ve seen is just excellent - would be my preferred brand if money were no question!
I have a 97 Merhow Equistar GN that I love. It has held up very well, good construction, high quality materials. Thumbs up! :yes:
I think the steel ones are known for being unusually heavy.
i have a 97 Merhow Turfman, it looks brand new. i wax it each year and give the insides a good cleaning every year. Its 5 years older than a Kieffer sitting next to it and the keiffer is rusting away and looks older than mine.
I had a Merhow. Nice trailer. My gelding backed off for the first time and caught the edge of the ramp and bent it. I was surprised at the amount of damage from one misstep. Also, the door used to pop open on one side. That was quite annoying. Even though it was a nice light, airy, large trailer I was never in love with it.
[QUOTE=Gloria;5474736]
We are considering a 4 horse trailer. This will be a custom built to our spec as far as layout is concerned.
I would like to hear what folks have to say about Merhow trailers, especially details you can’t easily see when they are parked on the lot (how they tow, how everything fit together, how quiet, etc).
Thanks.[/QUOTE]
We have a 2009 Merhow with living quarters we bought new. Pulls good, little noisy when the wind hits the aluminum at times, but so far pleased with it. OTHER THEN… The caulking is already coming off around the windows. Because it has a 8 year warranty I contacted Merhow to see where we should take it for re-doing the caulk. I talked with the President of the company and found him to be very arrogant and unconcerned. I was told, "it’s not that hard of a thing to do it yourself. I asked about the 8 year warranty, and he said the caulking was not covered. We’ve had other brands of horse trailers and never had a problem with caulking around the windows. Minor as it may seem, when you spend $50,000 for a horse trailer you expect the caulking to hold up longer then 2 years!
I have always thought Merhow to be very nice high end trailers. I have never owned one though.
I am pretty sure they were in chapter 11 a few years ago. So maybe things have changed.
Wow, glad to hear they have changed! I had a 1973 Merhow as my first trailer. It was 18 years old when I got it and everything was still in great shape considering the age. Based on that, I bought a 93 Merhow a couple of years later. The quality was horrible! It leaked from day one, everything (latches, hinges, handles, etc) was made out of cheap plastic and broke on a regular basis. Eventually enough water got into the sides and destroyed the plywood that was between the fiberglass that made up the walls. It couldn’t be repaired; I had to buy a new trailer. I heard of several others that did the same thing. I think they changed the manufacturing process on the newer models, so this isn’t something that you would need to worry about.
However, I would make sure their customer service is better than it used to be. When I contacted them about the trouble I was having back in 96, they were very, very unconcerned and weren’t willing to do anything to help me out. The trailer was only 3 years old at that point and should have been in better shape. On principal alone, I would never buy another Merhow!
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They are all built to order. I bought a new 2H GN Equistar last year with a few added “bells and whistles” (larger tack room, poured in floor, etc.) and I LOVE IT with all my heart. I had one little latch that was screwed in crooked, and they sent me the new parts to fix that, which took 5 minutes. Otherwise fit and finish were excellent, and I’ve been using it like crazy all summer and it’s wonderful.
Dave McAdoo (tobruk here on COTH) is probably the only person I will ever buy a trailer from. Not that I will need a new one for a while! :lol: I got a personal introduction to my trailer, a factory tour when I went to pick it up, and lunch with the company owner! 
Couldn’t recommend them more highly.
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We’ve had two Merhows and both were awesome trailers. I would recommend them to anyone.
I would also recommend Trobuk Trailers in TN, they carry Merhow (as well as other brands) and are VERY knowledgeable and helpful.
Good luck!
We have a 2H with a dressing room that we bought really used and it is still a great trailer. Pulls so easily. Holding up fantastically.
I bought a 2 horse 99 verylite and I LOVE it! IT shows some age due to lack of care with a previous owner, but it is by far the roomiest (for the horse and my stuff) trailer I could ever pull!
I would def. look into replacing with a new one when if my herd ever expands!
Merhow is a great trailer, but know that if you buy one used, that the warranty goes away. I have a 3H LQ that is in great shape and bought a 2H BP to have for quick jaunts around town. Well the seam on the front started to separate and I was told sorry, warranties don’t transfer. This trailer was only 3 years old! Ridiculous. I raised enough cain that they sent me bolts or something to have a body shop fix, but was totally not happy with the lack of product backing considering there were 5 more years to go. Great trailers, but buy new.
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I just traded my 2012 Merhow Verylite 3horse slant for a 4Star 2+1, in June. I custom ordered the Merhow new for bigger horses - which my big draft crosses still outgrew, which was the only reason I traded. I was mostly happy with the Merhow. Small things about it bugged me and it came from the factory that way:
Middle drop down window was contrary to shut and required frequent lubrication;
The factory forgot to include the chest bar to the escape door and despite having the specs on the trailer, couldn’t figure out how to send us the right size. My husband and I measured it and finally told them to send it to us x-inches long, for which they made us sign a release not holding them responsible, and it fit. That was the third try.
Also, the lights along the back wall over the slant stalls flickered on and off at will and often required slapping the wall to make them turn on.
The slam latch for the first stall was not seated correctly and would pop out at will during travel until I took it to a shop and had it modified so that it would stop doing that.
The rear loading light swiveled down and blocked the right top dutch door and could not be tightened to stay put, requiring that it be lifted out of the way with a broom handle or the like in order to close the dutch doors.
Otherwise it was a great trailer and pulled well also. I do think the attention to detail is much better on my 4Star though, and that it hauls even better. But I do think the Merhows are quality trailers. I have heard that Merhow changed hands since 2012 and that their customer service left something to be desired. The dealer I use no longer carries them.
I love our 2014, 2 horse straight load, BP with dressing room. The only complaint is very minor. One of the interior lights was loose. I allowed our friend to make a few dollars by “fixing” the light. He removed the light, and when he got around to drilling and replacing the screw, he had misplaced the light. We never did find it, I think it was tossed into the garbage bin. Obtaining a matching replacement proved ridiculously expensive. The light was reasonably priced, however import fees and shipping escalated the cost to around $100. I now have a mismatched replacement that cost around $15.
Otherwise, big, bright, horse friendly trailer. Pulls well and looks new. I would not hesitate to purchase again.
For the slant loads, how long are the stalls? Long enough for a warmblood.? TIA!
Depends on if it was custom ordered or not for longer wider stalls catering to warmbloods; and the size of the warmblood. Up to 16hds and not an overly long-bodied horse and you’re probably okay. Any bigger and you really need a straight stall or to take out a divider in the slant to give the horse a bigger stall. As mentioned above, I custom ordered a Merhow and had the stalls angled to be longer and wider for bigger horses, but my 16.3+ draft crosses still outgrew it resulting in butt rubs and not being able to drop their heads down sufficiently. So now I have a 2+1 with straight stalls.
