I’m looking at the Kingston Classic Elite or the Exiss 724 (insulated). Bumper pull, 2h ST with DR, both are aluminum. They are the same price so need to figure out which would be better for safety and durability over years. I plan on keeping it a long time. I have one horse and don’t plan on having more than that. I board. I like the idea of insulation for a quieter ride for my mare. I’ve read good things about Kingston. I don’t know much about Exiss. I see both a lot in my area (So. NH).
I had always thought that Exiss was a lower end trailer and Kingston’s were solidly built. But that may no longer be true. I would look at the finish and welds of each trailer to compare them - not just the doo-dads they put on them.;)
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I don’t know much about the Kingston trailers, but I’ve owned 2 Exiss trailers and have loved them. We had a 40’ 4 horse head to head bought brand new in 2001 and had it converted to have a LQ (so it was pretty much a 2 + 1 and then LQ). It was an amazing trailer and we just traded it in 2 years ago to get a larger trailer. We never had any issues with it - and we would have kept it forever if it was bigger.
In 2015 I bought a 14’ BP with dressing room and its been an amazing trailer for me so far. No issues and it looks brand new! Just love my Exiss! We also own a Cimmeron as well and its been good for the past 2 years.
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I’ve never bought a brand new trailer, but just last spring bought a ~10 y/o Kingston after a lot of research on trailers, longevity, and safety. I ended up picking Kingston because of all the trailers I was looking at, they were consistently the best in terms of minimal wear while being ‘aged’ (10+).
My impression of Kingstons is they are solidly built as another poster said. This is my second Kingston - the first was at least 15 y/o Kingston (when we got it) in the early 2000s, was four-horse head-to-head. It was a great trailer. We ended up selling it because it was very difficult to get up and down our tricky driveway and we downsized to something more manageable. That was over 15 years ago, and it’s still being used by our local Pony Club to move and store jumps in. It’s at least 30 years old and is still running.
So, N=1 but my experience has been positive. I’ve always been impressed with the durability of Kingstons. My previous trailer was a Kieffer and it just did not age well. I actually was really disappointed, as it was not very old and was quite well maintained, but there was corrosion in several of the bars that made it unsafe for any sort of live hauling. Of course, the you-know-what that bought it from us had it listed for 3x what he paid for it the next day with zero repairs, advertising it as ‘horse safe’ despite the fact it was clearly outlined both in the advertisement and in person that the trailer was NOT safe for any sort of hauling and was being sold as a storage trailer. :rolleyes:
Shop around, and bring someone experienced with you who can vet the undercarriage of the trailer.
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I love, love, love my Exiss. I bought it new in 2000 and (knock on wood) have never had an issue with it- just performed regular maintenance. I thought about trading it in last year and took it to the dealership- they were willing to give me almost what I paid for it in trade in value:eek:
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My boss had a custom 6 horse slant load Exiss that they bought new in 2013 or 2014. It hauls great and looks pretty. However, it has some issues that were annoying enough to me that I would never get one. The tack room door is finicky- the key never worked reliably, so we would have to stand there and carefully wiggle it into position for five minutes until the thing decided that we had suffered enough. Also, we have never been able to drive it with the tack room door unlocked. It will fly open while we are driving down the road. We did eventually replace the lock on the door, so now it is easier to unlock, but we still have to lock it to drive anywhere. It required a whack with a 2x4 to get the hitch to lock. The latch on the back door for the horses needs to be whacked to open. For what it’s worth, the trailer was taken care of quite nicely. It was the favorite for a while since it was 20 years newer than the other two, so it got special treatment and was definitely not abused.
I also have a friend who has an Exiss and has the same problem with the tack room door opening.
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We’ve purchased 4 Kingston trailers over the last 35 years. All new. When it was time to sell (usually b/c we outgrew them), we never traded in to a dealer. We sold the trailer privately and was pleasantly surprised how well they retained their value. We had multiple interested parties and the trailer sold quickly. We’ve owned three BP with DR and a 2+1 GN. Great trailers. Couldn’t be more pleased.
If you are in NH and buying new, do consider calling dealers in surrounding states. We purchased our last two Kingstons from Briggs in Mass and although they are out of state, we saved consider $$ even after we paid to have the trailer delivered to our barn by a third party.
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are both gooseneck trailer? often those the frames will get twisted by people backing and jackknifing the trailer into a tight spot …when they are back the trailer they twist the frames
I still have a '97 Kingston that I love. Such an awesome trailer. I was going to upgrade and buy a new one but after speaking with the dealer, there was really no compelling reason to replace mine, it’s still in that good of shape!
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Thanks. I went to Topsfield yesterday and I may head to Yered this weekend, both are Kingston dealers in MA. The only one in NH is almost 2 hours away. Yered is a haul, too, about an 1-1/2 hours away. I don’t have a truck yet so I’d have to have it delivered. Truck shopping is next on the list!
Kingston. I wouldn’t even consider an Exiss. I bought my Kingston new in 2004 and it still looks new. I have it inspected/serviced every year. They are solid, well-built trailers that last forever. Can be both hard to find a used one as people tend to hold onto them. My father swore by Kingston trailers when we were kids - it’s all he bought and he was very, very picky about quality.
Kingston’s are built in MA so you tend to see a decent amount of them in New England. You really can’t go wrong with one. I bought mine at Orchard Trailers in MA - definitely a drive to get there but worth it.
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I have owned multiple gooseneck trailers for over 20 years, and have never experienced a problem like this, nor has anyone else I know.
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I followed my clients horse in a Exiss from Oregon to UC Davis.
The back of that trailer shifted obviously out of square all the time. The side doors had to be bungied shut because the hinges and latches were deformed from the frame being unstable.
the owner of trailer had it refurbished, and the guy found multiple spots on the frame that required major repair.
I have a friend who has who has one and he hates it: says it’s “flimsy”.
I would never ever buy one.
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Yes, both are 6 horse gooseneck trailers. I don’t know about the friend’s trailer, but ours had door issues right from the start.
I’ll vote for Exiss, but I’m a fan of plain stock trailers. I ordered a stock-combo recently and had them put the 2-horse setup inside instead of the single swing gate it comes with normally.
Something I did not realize… the Exiss, Featherlight and Sooner brands are under new ownership this year.
> … have been acquired from Universal Trailer Corporation (UTC) by a newly formed corporation, owned by Tim Masud and Howard Palmer.
https://www.fthr.com/about-featherli…rands-acquired
Featherlite was a stellar brand until Universal acquired them in the early 2000s. Maybe they will go back to the “stellar” status again with new owners!
I’m on my second Exiss and have never had any of the problems mentioned here. We haul all over the Midwest and go to Texas 3-4 times a year. I sold my old Exiss to someone who uses it pretty hard and she hasn’t had any problems either.
I don’t know anything about Kingstons.
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Kingstons were built in Kingston, Massachusetts, and I assume they still are. Heavy, well-built, and expensive. People drooled over them. If you could afford to buy one it probably lasted almost forever.
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Another vote for Kingston. I have an early 2000’s 2 horse BP that I purchased used a few years ago. I have to say for an almost 20 year old trailer it is in great shape. I’ve done a couple of DIY “repairs” (replaced the plywood divider and interior pads) and the usual maintenance, including new tires after I purchased it. All in all I’ve been very happy with my purchase. All horses I’ve trailered seem to arrive happy at our destination (even on an 8hr trip) and don’t hesitate to reload to go home. I’ve had my eye on the new models and love that they’ve gone to all-aluminum construction.
I’ve had Orchard Trailers in Western Mass service my trailer in the past and was happy with the experience. They are a Kingston dealer. Sounds like you are in New England, may be worth taking a trip out.
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Thank you for the feedback! I ended up buying the Kingston. I’m still doing practice runs and haven’t taken out my mare just yet. I want to make sure I feel really good before adding her.
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