Painting a Horse Trailer

[Miranda_and_Oscar]

Hi everyone,

I entered the world of horse ownership 9 months ago when my heart-horse (who I had leased for a few years) was sold, but then a year later, was back on the market. I am 23 and had not planned on horse ownership for another 5-10 years but I could not let my quirky, favorite guy live out his golden years anywhere that wasn’t perfect, so here we are! And happy as can be!

I bought my first horse trailer last week. It is an '88 Cotner. 2 horse, bumper pull, straight load, no tack room but it is extra tall and extra wide. It is in great working order, passed inspection with flying colors, but speaking of colors, could use a paint job. Currently, it is teal/turquoise with a white roof. I really don’t want a white trailer, I don’t think it will look good with the style either.

The idea I have fallen in love with is Navy with lime accents (those are our eventing colors). I would like to leave the roof white to help with heat (it is in great shape, just need pressure washed). The inside is painted black which I am not a fan of but the old owners just re-did it recently so I will leave it alone for a while since it is new.

I am trying to stay on a budget (trailer paint is not a necessity so I don’t want to blow tons of money on it) so I would rather not take it somewhere to get it done. My boyfriend is very handy and more than capable of painting it but I wanted some advice from people with horse trailer experience (he is a boat guy, so a little bit of a different playing field here). What kind of paint do you recommend given the colors that I want? Is spraying the best method? I want it to look decent without breaking the bank.

Thanks!

[Inese]

@Miranda_and_Oscar

What kind of paint do you recommend given the colors that I want? Is spraying the best method? I want it to look decent without breaking the bank.

My experience with painting a trailer was a few years ago. First off, what is the trailer made of?

In my case, I had a steel stock trailer that had a little surface rust in spots. I paid for a local farm equipment guy to paint it with tractor paint, suitable for steel tractors that sit outdoors all year long. I stayed with the dark grey color of the original trailer. Loved the freshly painted look, and total cost was under $500.

I learned that oil-based paints take a loooong time to dry. The paint smell lingered for weeks, even though the paint was dry to the touch. Prep is very important too - I believe they power washed the steel, but did not scrape or prime any rust. As a result, the rust spots showed through a year or so later.

My other bit of advice is from a friend, who repainted her white trailer white… but the rust spots came through the white paint job, and caused rusty stains streaking down the sides. After that, she decided a lovely rust brown was the paint choice for the next trailer, as it hides (future) imperfections, scrapes, rock dings, naughty horse marks, etc.

I was advised to spend my budget mostly on really really good paint… like automobile quality stuff… to get the most bang for my buck.

Good luck!

[Guilherme]

Things I learned in 24 years in the Navy about painting ships and aircraft:

First, ensure the item is worth the cost of the paint.

Second, there is NO substitute for thorough and complete surface preparation. That means removing old paint, corrosion, dirt, grime, oil, and anything else on the surface.

Third, allow appropriate time for masking.

Fourth, priming is a Good Idea.

Fifth, use a paint appropriate to the task.

Sixth, apply the paint in a manner appropriate to that paint. There are multiple types of paint that can be used on a vehicle. Select the most appropriate type and follow the directions.

Seventh, pray to what ever god(s) you worship for weather that will not cause trouble in the painting process!!!

I’ve seen ads for newer paints that can be applied over metal that still has corrosion on the surface. I’d be wary of them. Maybe that’s a rational fear and maybe it’s because I fear the wrath of the shades of several Chief Boatswain’s Mates.

A good paint job is essential to protect the metal of the trailer, particularly if you’re dealing with steel. Age, alone, would not mean don’t spend the money. Just carefully evaluate the item to be painted and ensure that it’s worth the time and expense.

Good luck in the project!

G.

[Horseman15]

Too do it right you should strip it down all the way. A good impact screwdriver will be your best friend!!! I had a quote to take mine apart sandblast it and repaint it from a couple places (89 Glick steel with dressing room). They all were $6,500 - $7,000. After I picked myself up off the floor I decided I’m going to try to do it myself. There’s some said leveling paints I’ve heard of before but I don’t remember who made them. They were tractor paints if I remember right

[Kmacht]

I did this a few years ago as all we could afford at the time was a project trailer. Farm/implement paint is the way to go on a trailer. Auto paint is too expensive and rustoleum doesn’t hold up well if left outside in the sun for long periods. The stuff that tractor supply sells by the gallon is cheap, tough, durable, and easy to apply. It can also be touched up later if needed. If you have an air compressor already then spraying it is the easiest way to go. Harbor Freight (look for a local store or buy from them online) has a HVLP spray gun for about $20. It is one of the few cheap items that they sell that actually works. Its also cheap enough that you can just throw it out when done rather than trying to clean all the paint out of it. You will need to thin the implement paint a little bit with some acetone in order to get it to spray well. Drying time is the only downside. I made the mistake of not finishing up until late afternoon. When I went to bed that night it was still a little tacky. The trailer got covered in dew overnight so the paint dried but lost all of its gloss. Not a huge deal as we chose a tan color so it gave it more of an antique type of look. If you can park the trailer in a garage overnight to dry you won’t have to worry about that. For prep before painting you will need to use a degreaser. Something like a strong solution of Simple Green works well. You need to remove any and all wax that may have been applied to the old paint before doing any sanding or scraping. If any is left the new paint won’t stick to it. For the rust, you also need to remove it all before painting. Scrape what you can off and sand/wire brush the rest. Any remaining rust will eventually bubble back up through the paint in a few years. Rustoleum rusty metal primer is a good product to spot prime over those area before applying the implement paint. Any paint that is still on the trailer and not rusty you need to rough up with some sand paper to give the new paint something to stick to.

Keith

[cnvh]

I DIY’ed my first trailer from top to bottom, including paint. Invest in a decent sprayer system (I bought a Wagner HLVP sprayer, was about $100), as well as a good power tool to get rid of any loose/peeling/chipping paint. (I used a corded hammer drill with a cup brush attachment.) If your trailer is steel, once you finish rust/paint busting, spray all bare metal with Ospho to prevent further rust development. Then plan to spray on primer and two coats of paint, planning a separate day for each application.

I agree on the tractor and implement paint. I used the Majic tractor and Implement paint from TSC, I was really happy with how it turned out… Just be sure to use the catalyst hardener and reducer additives as directed.

[StormyDay]

I have a two horse Logan straight load from 88 or 89. It’s not pretty but it certainly is the strongest, sturdiest darn trailer I have ever met. We actually painted it with tractor paint and a paintbrush. I didn’t think it would work but there are absolutely no brush marks at all. My first choice would still be a paint sprayer but it did work and looks pretty darn good.

[enjoytheride]

It depends on your cost. Someone with a paint sprayer and high quality automotive or implement (tractor) paint will be the best quality and most expensive job. You will want to pay to have all the old paint sandblasted off and treat any rust spots with a rust converter.

A cheaper way is to treat any rust spots, hand sand down any loose paint or rough areas, and use a soft foam roller and implement (tractor) paint or Rustoleum paint which will help to prevent rust and keep any present rust from seeping through to paint it by hand.

[csaper58]

Keep in mind that trailer is most likely steel.

A white roof may reflect enough sun/heat to make it comfortable for your horse in the summer.

Here, the prison has a paint/body shop so inmates can learn skills.

[ljadwin]

I’ve spent the last couple of months rehabbing a 16-ft Monarch stock trailer for our three horses.

Used a grinder to remove rust and had my friend John weld some new pieces on to the structure to shore it up.

I used implement paint as a primer and then sprayed on rust-oleum for a nicer color. I padded the insides of the trailer with closed-foam padding and covered it with marine vinyl since it is not a slant loader with dividers. I painted the top white to make it cooler for our horses in the summer.

I ordered polycarbonate to replace the windows with something clearer and purchased a jalousie shed window with a crank for the front of the trailer, so we could get some air to the horses while traveling.

Cosmetic diamond plate was replaced - easy to apply and useful as a gravel guard. I also replaced the “chrome” trim and all the lights - surprisingly inexpensive to put in LEDs.

I plan to clear-coat with a sprayer when I get a day that promises above 55 or so. I’ll post some pics when I get a chance.

It was a fun project!

[Foxglove]

Consider joining this facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThisOldHorseTrailer/

[ladyrider2]

What everyone said for prepping is good. I have repainted my own steel trailer many times. The paint I used is the Rusoleum heavy duty metal paint used on playground equipment and such. If you do a good prep, it should work fine. And I always use a paintbrush and it looks fine.

I agree about the dark color, too. White stays looking cleaner and cooler.

[clanter]

I took my trailer back to the manufacturer during their slow time (it was between Thanksgiving and New Years)… they basically used the trailer as quality control test … ran it backwards through the plant… sand blasted to bare steel… checked every subcomponent, replace worn/defective parts, repainted, reassembled trailer to new paint style and standards… $1500

Could not tell our older trailer from a new production unit

[ljadwin]

@cnvh

I If your trailer is steel, once you finish rust/paint busting, spray all bare metal with Ospho to prevent further rust development. Then plan to spray on primer and two coats of paint, planning a separate day for each application.

This is a really important step. Rust-stopping paint isn’t enough; this stuff, which goes under different names like “Rust Mort,” will keep the rust from reappearing. I hear that is is also good for the underside of the trailer, but I don’t have a lift that lets me get under there

[StormyDay]

I’m going to assume your trailer is steel since it’s older. Congrats! You have purchased the equivalent of a rock. Those old steel trailers can go through almost anything and still be safe on the other side.
First off, if there is no rust showing on the trailer I would highly urge you to just live with the paint color. The second you remove it you will invite rust to move in and your trailer will never be the same. You will always just be controlling the rust, not eliminating it, because keeping rust off of an old horse trailer is almost impossible.
If you can see rust though, go ahead and paint. You have to remove every inch of paint to the metal. DONT PAINT OVER THE PAINT! I know it’s tempting but don’t. It will peel and look nasty. Once you have removed all the paint, treat the rust spots. Any holes can be filled with car bondo or fiberglass, smaller rust spots should be sanded away. Larger rust spots need to be professionally welded. treat the surface with the ospho stuff as mentioned above and then you can paint. We used rustolium on the inside and tractor paint on the outside. The tractor paint can be sprayed on or, what we did, we used a roller. I thought it would look terrible but it actually came out great and almost looks professional. There were no lines or streak marks.
Anyways, hope that helps.