Question for Brenderup trailer owners!

[Draftmare]

I am hopefully going to be the proud owner of a Brenderup Solo after this weekend, and I have a couple of questions for other Brenderup, or similar style trailer owners… First, has anybody ever converted the floor from the one piece plywood to 2x6 treated lumber? If so, how hard was it and what did the end product look like? My other question is regarding storage, has anybody added a storage box to the front tongue? How did you secure it, and what kind did you get?

I am super excited to go see this trailer Sunday! :yes::yes::yes:

[Manni01]

I know this is a german link, but that might be a possibility…
http://www.mit-pferden-reisen.de/artikel/85/298/de/alternative-fuer-die-fest-eingebaute-sattelkammer-mobile-sattelboxen-/

[Draftmare]

Darn, wish I could edit. I also wanted to ask if there is anything specific to these trailers that I should check when going to look at it?

[Raine]

We recently replaced the floor of our Brenderup Baron and my husband (mechanical engineer) felt that the single piece of marine plywood was the best way to go based on how the trailer is designed overall. I can probe on that if you want. We love our trailer. The only issue now is sourcing replacement parts. Ours is an early 2000s model, so we’ve needed to start replacing some of the things to keep it spiffy. Love our trailer overall, even with the storage limitations. We discussed using the front tongue for storage, but never have actually done it. Since we have a 2-horse, we just use the second stall for trunk and hay. I do have 2 horses, but one is a youngster so we haven’t needed to haul them together plus show stuff…then we’d have a trunk problem to solve!
Good luck…I hope you like the trailer.

[Draftmare]

How hard was the floor to do, and how much did it cost? This trailer is a 2004 with all original parts it sounds like (other than tires).

[Libby2563]

I used to have a Brenderup but sold it a few years ago when my horse stopped being comfortable in it (scrambling) and I wanted more storage space.

I considered tongue storage but also securing a toolbox (like you would put in the bed of a truck) above the fenders (over the wheels). Maybe that’s another idea to consider?

Enjoy!

[Draftmare]

I know this is a german link, but that might be a possibility…
http://www.mit-pferden-reisen.de/art…-sattelboxen-/

That is a pretty cool concept, but there is no way that would fit in the front of a one horse trailer. Plus, I hate to think what the cost of shipping something like that would be!

[Manni01]

[QUOTE=Draftmare;9043882]
That is a pretty cool concept, but there is no way that would fit in the front of a one horse trailer. Plus, I hate to think what the cost of shipping something like that would be![/QUOTE]
You can buy similar boxes over here… Will look for the link. And not sure about the 1 horse trailer but it fits well into the 2 horse…

http://www.doversaddlery.com/sportote%3F-saddle-trunk/p/X1-47118/

I had one of these boxes for the last 20 years. I brought it over with my horses and use it for shows. It fits well into my 2 horse Boeckmann

[Xanthoria]

You can get plastic hitch boxes that are lightweight enough not to contribute massively to your tongue weight

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dee-Zee-Inc.-DZ-91717P-Poly-Triangle-Trailer-Box/22296367?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1148&adid=22222222227016838868&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=51804730031&wl4=pla-83208056951&wl5=9031942&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112562587&wl11=online&wl12=22296367&wl13=&veh=sem

[Draftmare]

Because it is a one horse and space in the front will be tight is why I was thinking doing something on the tongue. I don’t need anything huge, it would just be nice to have a place to store some things like my trailer jack and chocks without taking up precious space in the tack compartment. I also will need to figure out what to do with my pitchfork. I don’t really want that in my car. :eek:

[Draftmare]

You can get plastic hitch boxes that are lightweight enough not to contribute massively to your tongue weight

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dee-Zee-I…&wl13=&veh=sem

Oh nice! That is what I was looking for, but when I googled all I could find were the square ones. Wonder how hard they are to secure to the tongue…

[soloudinhere]

Bring a flat screwdriver and lift the mats. Press the screwdriver into the edges and around the bolt holes. If it’s soft, the floor needs to be replaced.

lots of photos of floor replacements with tongue and groove done on the BrenderHelp blog.

[soloudinhere]

Also, I have a mini pitchfork and I just clip it in the front of my trailer. A clip for gardening equipment is easy to find.

[Jarpur]

I posted something on your other thread about a few things to possibly check.

Brenderup sold a very small, very expensive aluminum diamond-plate tongue box as an option, but I didn’t get one on mine. I had the Baron Horsebox trailer (so no separate tack room), which had a surprising amount of storage space, between the shelf under the front window, the blanket bar, the saddle racks, the bridle hooks, etc.

I kept a small manure fork tucked in behind one of the racks, and that rubbery waffled shelf liner on the window shelf, where I stored buckets, grooming equipment, emergency equipment (socket wrench set, drive on jack, triangles, etc.), so that stuff didn’t slide around.

[Draftmare]

I was wondering if the part at the front was a shelf. I couldn’t find any pictures of the actual storage area on any of the Solos that showed that shelf. Even with buckets, you didn’t have any problems with them rolling around? I would be worried about them tipping or coming off the shelf and then getting tangled up around my horse’s legs.

[Jarpur]

If the shelf is like that on the Baron (I’ve never seen a Solo in person), it has a front edge/lip. Between that and the non-slip shelf liner, I never had a problem with buckets sliding or tipping over. I usually had a few grooming items (brushes, curry, hoof pick) inside of a bucket, and placed the buckets upright, not on their sides (so they didn’t roll). Oh, I kept my dressage whip up there, too.

I was a bit concerned, too, when I first saw the shelf, wondering how stuff would stay, but lining it with the non-slip shelf liner (like that sold for RV kitchen shelves) worked fine for me. The Baron shelf was spacious, so I was glad to be able to use it for storage. I seem to recall reading that some placed a hay bale up there, too, but I never did that.

[yankeeclipper]

I owned a Solo. The tire rims rusted. I sold the Solo and bought a Baron One. For the new trailer, I coughed up the cash for stainless steel. I did not try the tongue box. I pull the mat and roll it every winter to prevent rot. So far so good.

Best of luck with it.

[yankeeclipper]

I owned a Solo. The tire rims rusted. I sold the it and bought a Baron One. For the new trailer, I coughed up the cash for stainless steel. I did not try the tongue box. I pull the mat and roll it every winter to prevent rot. So far so good.

Best of luck with it.

[csaper58]

Will you, or anyone with you, be able to scoot under the trailer to check for issues with the undercarriage?

If a trailer is parked on grass, the trapped humidity can do damage.

I would want to tie object on that shelf down, as they could go flying in an accident.

[Raine]

Replacing the floor cost around $1600…for a 2-horse. Marine plywood with a rubberized coating. We did have to take the trailer to CT from GA to have the work done. My husband is picky. I think that’s an engineer thing lol.