Title pretty much says it all …
Looking for personal experiences with these 2 brands of trailers.
Thanks for any/all input, perspectives, personal experiences, etc
I had a Shadow 2h gooseneck that I liked a lot for the price I paid. I bought it in 2008 for a good price (the dealer sold it to me as a used trailer because they had taken it to a couple shows as a demo, but it had never had a horse in it) and I sold it in 2017 for just a bit less than it originally cost me. I did take excellent care of it, but I was still somewhat surprised at how well it held its value.
The only thing I didn’t like was the way the chest and butt bars connected to the wall. I don’t know if they’re still using the same system, but mine was like a giant bolt with the screw part of the bolt screwed into the chest/butt bar and the head of the bolt slotted into a bracket on the wall. One of my horses sat on the butt bar and pulled the bolt out of the bar. I tried to have it welded but the welder couldn’t get it to hold. I ended up using JB Weld and that worked. I also switched the butt and chest bar so that the bar I fixed was up front where it was not as likely to have a lot of weight on it.
I do a lot of hauling so I upgraded to an Adam 2+1 in 2017, and I really really like the Adam. They built mine for me with a ton of changes I requested - extra length stalls, change the tack room door to the other side, full rear doors with ramp over, rubber line entire +1 area, insulate ceiling, add fans, auto jack, and on and on. Anything that was just a change (like moving the location of doors, windows, etc.) was at no extra charge. And the prices for all the “extras” I wanted were reasonable.
I went and picked it up at the factory because I wanted them to build a bike rack for the back of the trailer, so I brought my bike down and they made it for me right then. They also gave me a tour of the factory and it was pretty cool to see what they do.
I’ve contemplated getting a bigger 2+1 (extra foot or so in both the box and the tack room) or a 4 horse head to head and I’m pretty sure I’d go with Adam again.
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We have never owned either of these brands of trailers, but saw both of them (many of them!) at the Congress last year.
My impression with the Shadow trailers is that they look homemade and cheap. Did not like them at all.
The Adam trailers look well made and are a much better looking brand of trailer if you ask me. If they are both comparable in price, I for sure would go with an Adam trailer.
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Someone I know has a Shadow. It’s a piece of junk, looks cheap all over.
My impression is that Adam is the better-made trailer. In fact, just walking around in one, I think I’d buy one of those next if I could not afford a 4Star.
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People seem to like the Shadow 2H basic models. There’s a dealership a few mins away from me and a lot of people buy from them. The LQ’s seem to have a lot of issues though. Adams has a very good name and are well built trailers- somehow though I have the money pit of Adams trailers. My Adams weekender GN is structurally very sound but any thing else that can go wrong with it, does.
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I have a 2018 Adam 2+1 now and it’s our 2nd 2+1 Adam…Shadows always looked cheap in comparison…I also have had 3 Hawk and they were great trailers like Adam really held their value…
Of the two I would go with Adam. A friend has a Shadow 2H BP. It is a few years old. The ramp is very heavy and a bit steep. She will have to have a repair done on the floor in front of the chest bar repaired due to rust/corrosion. It just strikes me as a cheaply made trailer.
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I’ve owned a Trail-et, Sundowner, Hartman, and and Adam, and I’ve hauled just about everything else, over the years. I loved my Adam. It was very well designed and constructed. It had GREAT hardware, whereas, for example, the Sundowner hardware was junk. I would absolutely recommend an Adam. Amazing quality and value!
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My Shadow is almost 2 years old. I can lift the ramp with one finger. It’s not steep either. My floor is wood, so no corrosion. I don’t think it looks cheap, I don’t know if changes were made? Mine is from the year or 2 that a fiberglass roof was an option, and that was the reason I got a Shadow. Not easy to get a 3H slant with stock sides and a fiberglass roof.
I stopped by the manufacturer for Shadow… They showed me their trailers and I thought they were very nice, reasonably priced trailers. Because of my proximity to the dealership, i see Shadow trailers everywhere. They are very popular and none of my friends have had any complaints. One of my friends needs to replace a floorboard on hers- it cracked where there was a knot in the wood, or it rotted from being rained in on, not sure which. Such is the risk of wood floors on any trailer.
Another friend has a 4Star trailer. Her mare cut her leg open on the edge of the divider- mare was kicking in the trailer and the manufacturer left a sharp edge on the bottom of the divider. Not an obvious flaw, as i really had to look all over to figure out how on earth the mare cut her leg.
If i was going to buy an aluminum trailer, i would probably go with Shadow. I bought a stock trailer instead for an even better price, as that suited my needs just as well. I can’t comment on their gooseneck trailers. Shadow trailers are economical… I saw a 2012 one for $5500. Perhaps people think they are junk because they are affordable. I don’t need a fancy trailer. I need a functional and safe one. The smaller the better. I don’t want a wide trailer - 6ft wide is plenty wide enough. We have some very narrow roads. It’s like driving down a one way street with 2 lanes of traffic. My trailer wheels are on both lines. If I bought a wider trailer i would be forced to do some creative driving and rerouting…
I have a 2015 Shadow Stablemate 2H BP that I bought new. I LOVE my trailer. I have had zero issues with it and use it regularly. It’s 7’6" tall, 6’ wide, all of my horses fit in it nicely and it pulls well. It has the fiberglass roof. I don’t find it to be cheaply made. My only complaint about it is that it doesn’t have roof vents. Could probably have them put in, but like after-market sunroofs, it probably wouldn’t be the best. 
I have no experience with the Adam.
I’ve had a Shadow 1H for two years now and I’ve been happy with it. I haul 4 hours round trip monthly with several shorter hauls through the month. Yes, it’s no 4Star, but at around $8,500 new for exactly what I wanted, I was willing to deal with some ugly-but-serviceable welds, which are really the only place I can ding the quality.
Came with the ceiling insulated from the factory and some other nice things I didn’t expect for the price. It has a layout and some features that I couldn’t get from any other manufacturers unless I did a custom Double D.
Service experience: Mine was a step up at first and I worked with Shadow to add a ramp and a butt strap across the back. Their customer service was GREAT to deal with, sent a ramp up to my local dealer on a trailer that was already heading north so I could get free shipping, and the local dealer only charged me $100 to install it. The ramp is so light I can lift it with a couple fingers.
All in all, I’m super happy with it and with the company for the price.
