Remove dividers from trailer? And tack room wall?

[4horses]

This is my new trailer except the walls are matted all the way around:
http://beetrailers.com/horse-trailers/kk-durango.php

I would like to be able to haul the horses loose. I’m thinking of removing both the divider and the tack room wall. That would be nice for camping and sleeping in the trailer. The horses would have plenty of room without getting claustrophobic.

The only issue is the spare tire attachment. It’s not removable. So I would need to cover it somehow. Perhaps build a wood box around it with a lid? Put a mat over it? Or I could have a homemade tack box with a lid put in the front. The horses would need to be tied if I did that, but they could still enjoy having an open trailer without dividers in their face.

The escape door at the front seems pretty secure with a bolt type latch on the inside. It is easy to open from the outside but does require more strength to open on the inside.

Anything else I haven’t thought of? As for tack, I usually keep my saddles in the truck.

Another option is to just leave it as it is. The horses fit, but it seems tight to me. I realize plenty of people use slants and my horses would probably be fine. I just think from a comfort stand point that they might prefer more space. They are used to a straight load with butt bars. This will be new to them.

Instead of butt bars, they have a butt chain. Do I need to use it? I have a feeling they will back under it, or slip under it, trying to get out when I open the back doors. It might be better to omit the chain.

I think I need to experiment and see if they prefer riding backgrounds? Or on a slant?

Both horses are well behaved in the trailer.

[AKB]

The trailer does look small. How big are the horses and what are the measurements of each horse stall in the slant load configuration? I would be reluctant to haul 2 horses loose together. I would look into whether it could be reconfigured into a straight load without a dressing room, if the slant load stalls are too small.

[clanter]

move the spare tire mount to the outside above the passenger side rear wheels

I think I need to experiment and see if they prefer riding backgrounds? Or on a slant?

hope the horses are small as the size of the trailer is only six feet wide (per the link)… I do not believe that the second horse loaded could have room to turn around to face backwards or for two to stand at a slant

[soloudinhere]

The swing wall dressing rooms are designed so the trailer can be used for hauling things other than horses, like furniture or atvs.

exterior doors on any horse area should have external cam latches. A little metal door clip will not hold a horse leaning on it. The door must be immovable by being secured from the outside with a cam latch.

If youre worried about them going under a butt chain, I’m not sure why you think shipping loose would be safer. If a horse does stuoid things like fly off backwards, being loose is a risk to the human handler.

[Bogie]

That looks like a very small space to haul two horses loose. Of course, I’ve seen a bunch of polo ponies in a stock trailer, so maybe I’m over reacting.

[Mango20]

You’ll want to find out what the dressing room floor is made of before opening it up to the horses. Some have the same floor as the horse area, but some just have plywood.

[4horses]

The trailer is actually 3.5 ft longer than my prior trailer. Yes the horses can turn around in there. Both horses fit in the slant the way it is but it is a tight fit. As for the chain, they don’t fly out backwards, but might think they can back into the chain, as they aren’t used to a chain back there.

The dressing room floor is the same wood as the horse area.

[soloudinhere]

@4horses

The trailer is actually 3.5 ft longer than my prior trailer. Yes the horses can turn around in there. Both horses fit in the slant the way it is but it is a tight fit. As for the chain, they don’t fly out backwards, but might think they can back into the chain, as they aren’t used to a chain back there.

The dressing room floor is the same wood as the horse area.

I still would not put any horse in a place where they can put their weight on a door that is not secured with a cam latch. That’s a recipe for a horse to fall out of the trailer and the reason that escape doors accessible to horses (like on slants) are secured this way.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I think contacting the trailer manufacturer would be my fist step. They could easily tell you in one phone call if turning your slant into straight load is doable structure-wise. Some slants/straight-loads are designed for the horses weight to be in a particular part of the trailer, and shifting that weight could cause instability or other issues.

If the manufacturer gives the thumbs up, then take your trailer to a trailer repair/customization place to get an estimate on what you need done. I assure you they can move that spare tire outside, add the right type of latch on the inside of the door and whatever other adjustments you want to make (like a removable breast bar, so the horses don’t get up in the nose of the trailer for instance).

[moving_to_dc]

@4horses

The escape door at the front seems pretty secure with a bolt type latch on the inside. It is easy to open from the outside but does require more strength to open on the inside.

The escape door has a simple “camper door” type latch. It is NOT meant to bear any weight or pressure. It will give if a horse leans on it. Our barn owner borrowed my trailer about 20 years ago, and against my advice, hauled loose in it. I told her the escape doors would not hold. She blew me off. Her horse fell out the door, at 65 mph on the interstate.

You CAN have a butterfly latch added to the door, either above or below the camper door latch, or even a cam latch if the framing will support it. Then you could safely expect the door to bear weight.

[4horses]

I’m pretty sure my old trailer has a “camper door” type latch and I hauled that thing everywhere and never had the door open. But the new latches do look flimsy compared to what is on my old trailer. I will ask the trailer place tomorrow if they recommend a different latch on there.

[4horses]

Would this be the correct type of latch to install over the door? I think I could do that myself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJXPkiM3QKg

[4horses]

One more question: If I decide to leave the trailer dividers in, I don’t like the fact that I can’t open the divider if the horse is leaning on it. Is there a different type of latch I could put on the divider?

I’m not a fan of the latch on the dressing room wall either. It looks like a spring pin, like this one:
https://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trailer-Parts/Redline/SL716SS.html?feed=npn&gclid=CjwKCAiAiarfBRASEiwAw1tYvxeENvmPqtr5OlADrK1Ba-13FKlo0csCd3nlGUfpVLBYEXDa2_8DoBoCd6IQAvD_BwE

If i decide to leave everything the way it is, I would like to switch out those latches, with something a little more secure. I’ve noticed already (without even hauling the horses in it) that the dressing room wall opens by itself. That would not be good if there is a horse in the front stall!

I planned on making some upgrades when I bought this trailer. Those latches definitely are top of the list.

[moving_to_dc]

@4horses

Would this be the correct type of latch to install over the door? I think I could do that myself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJXPkiM3QKg

Yes, that latch would be better than what you currently have. Not sure I would place it right over the camper latch, though. I would rather go above or below.

You can install it yourself, IF you make sure you have the right framing to support it…

IME, latches are one of the biggest places that trailer manufacturers “skimp” on quality. There are lots of options out there, just make sure they will work with your framing. And I would not be afraid to use a GOOD welding shop vs. the trailer place. Sometimes you get better “fabrication” ideas from a welder vs. a shop that is stuck thinking “inside the box” due to liability with the trailer manufacturer.

[clanter]

I’ve noticed already (without even hauling the horses in it) that the dressing room wall opens by itself.

if this occurring the trailer frame may be flexing …something surely is moving

[soloudinhere]

Can I ask why you bought a new trailer if it has so many changes you want to make/things you don’t like?

[4horses]

Moving to DC- I would probably follow the directions on the youtube video exactly. I checked the framing and it looks like the supports are in the correct spot. I may move the latch one or two inches over to the right, instead of directly next to the current latch, as long as the latch is long enough to reach.

Clanter- the trailer frame isn’t flexing. I think the pin is not going all the way into the hole. I might need to try slamming the door a little harder. The trailer has a support on the floor next to the wall to keep the door from sagging down, this catches the bottom of the door and makes it difficult to close well enough to latch all the way.

soloudinhere- The trailer is not new. It is a “new” used and was within my price range. Sorry I should have stated that earlier.

[soloudinhere]

Cam locks are typically welded on, FYI. I’ve never seen one on a horse trailer that was bolted on.