Does anyone know if any lawsuits have been filed? My BO has a Valuelite and the frame is completely rusted through in places. This trailer has been shed-kept and barely used.
I know it is out of warranty, but as a known issue I wonder if any class actions are brewing.
There are some out thereā¦
I chose not to go that route because it is going to take forever to settle, it they do ever. Good luck 
Regretfully, Sundowner has managed to drag the issues so far out that many folks are just simply getting rid of their trailers.
I would be happy to support a lawsuit as I have specimens taken from my 1999 Valulite trailer and have conducted a pretty thorough analysis of the powder coating (found major processing errors/failures) using SEM/EDS and standard ASTM test methods. I will donate my time and I am an expert witness in metal/materials failure. All that is needed is people willing to initiate a suit (I just donāt have the resources).
I took my trailer to a frame shop and the cost was beyond the trailer value and the fix would not hold up to road conditions such as rocks etc. In the end the frame buckled at the axle mounts (again documented).
Reed
Iām taking my 2001 to Sundowner Saturday to āevaluate it for the manufacturing defectā (my words to them). They did not sound surprised. Weāll see what they say. Based on what I have read, I donāt have much hope that theyāll repair or replace. But I am a glass half-full personā¦
Iām interested in hearing peoplesā experiences with trading or selling theirs. I have a four-horse with a mini-living quarters, and want to downsize to a straight load BP.
I, too, would be happy to support a lawsuit.
i am taking this one in next weekā¦and like you I am not hopeful for any good resolution
I took my 2006 Sundowner in at the end of Feb to have them inspect the frame/floor for rust issues, and sure enough, it had rusted. Im picking the trailer up tomorrow, after having them put in a whole new floor, etc. :eek: The work was covered under warranty, and they assured us that they are using different materials this time, but we are going to make sure we look at it carefully before we leave there. Initially I just wanted to trade it in, but hubby and a knowledgeable male horse friend said to let them do the work and then see.
I just have this āthingā about rebuilt/replaced things can never be as strong as the original, maybe thatās wrong but thatās how I feel. I dont know if Iāll be keeping it or not, but I will never buy another Sundowner. :no:
I sold my Sundowner years ago. . .
And bought a used 4Star!
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
mine was 4 months out of warrantyā¦
They refused to do anything about it. I HATE that company!! They made a bunch of CRAP and now are trying to weasel out of it when they can.
Sundowner = JUNK!!! Somehow, they have managed to CONVINCE the horseyset that they are quality trailersā¦LOL
Good luckā¦ :no: They would NOT stand behind my 1998 when I complained (again and again) that my frame had rusted out. My trainerās trailer was under-axled and they wouldnāt stand behind that either. I sold the Sundowner and bought a new Hart. I will NEVER buy another Sundowner. Shame on them for claiming to be the top of the line in safety and then building a substandard product that they wonāt even stand behind. Shame, shame, shame. I would guess they will go under before they settle. The guy who put in the living quarters on both of my trailers told me to steer clear of Sundowner - he says he canāt see any fundamental changes to the frame/powdercoat issuesā¦and he deals with the guts of the trailers for a living.
Well, the Sundowner dealer I was going to take it to went out of business, so I guess word of mouth is slowly working.
This is not my trailerā¦but I can tell you, when and if I buy another, it will not be a Sundowner.
thatās why I will never buy an aluminum skin trailer - steel against aluminum doesnāt work. All steel or all aluminum is a far better choice. All you Hawk, TRailet, and Equispirit trailer owners, please donāt flame me, its just reality.
[QUOTE=Heartās Journey;5555138]
thatās why I will never buy an aluminum skin trailer - steel against aluminum doesnāt work. All steel or all aluminum is a far better choice. All you Hawk and Equispirit trailer owners, please donāt flame me, its just reality.[/QUOTE]
Steel against aluminum in a horse trailer can work as well as a dissimilar metals in any industrial application. If you do it, though, you have to do it right and that means a barrier to prevent the consequences of the dissimilar metals contact.
I looked Sundowner in '03 (spending time with a flashlight looking in places āwhere the Sun doesnāt shineā). I was distinctly unimpressed with overall quality. I ended up buying a Featherlite (and I acknowledge that they have had, from time to time, their own problems).
Ray, if youāre really willing to do this Iād bet you can find an attorney to consider a class action. The number will not be as big as it might be against one of the Big Three or Big Pharma, but it should be big enough to temp a small to medium sized firm. The problem will be getting enough plaintiffs to sign on. Horse folk are notoriously āindependant mindedā and would mostly rather practice bleeding than deal with lawyers. Still, if I had several thousand dollars on the table and I could sign on with a few dozen others Iād probably do it.
Iām just glad I didnāt get seduced by the Sundowner sales pitch back on '03.
G.
Exactlyā¦ and thatās why Hawk and EquiSpirit have had none of the troubles that Sundowner has/had since they do it right.
ChocoMare ā¦ Your statement is too broad. The Sundowner frame problem is not associated with the aluminum skin. Read RAyerās detailed postings about the powder coating. :yes:
Iāve seen many of these threads and have had my Sundowner trailer checked - it is a 777 series that I think we bought in 2000 or 2001. Can anyone show me a picture of what is rusted? I donāt see anything on mineā¦
[QUOTE=witherbee;5556455]
Iāve seen many of these threads and have had my Sundowner trailer checked - it is a 777 series that I think we bought in 2000 or 2001. Can anyone show me a picture of what is rusted? I donāt see anything on mineā¦[/QUOTE]
Get down on your knees and look under the floor at the framing under the trailer. If you donāt see any rust you are okayā¦The rust also appears on the framing under the nose. Take the mats out of your trailer and look at the floor and the bolts that connect the aluminum skin to the steel frameā¦if they arenāt rusted then you should be okay. It seems to have predominantly affected the Valuelite and Sunlite versionsā¦The 777 is a ābetterā line of trailer so you may be okay.
WOW I didnt even know about these problemsā¦I had a major issue goshā¦5 (?) years ago with themā¦my ramp fell off because of defective weldingā¦it was a nightmare to get them to do anythingā¦I was concerned that the defective welding extended to the whole trailer and I was basically told noā¦deal with itā¦they fixed the rampā¦I sold the trailerā¦will never deal with Sundowner again. (oh, did I mention my horse was ON the ramp when it fell!?..she luckily leaped into the trailer but then there was straight edge metal everywhere and we couldnt get her offā¦was a big messā¦have a Hawk nowā¦Sundowner lost my businessā¦
I hadnāt heard a breath of this either, and I JUST bought a new trailer. I was seriously looking at a few Sundowners, one older used one and a few new ones.
I exercised my Google muscles looking, but I guess I didnāt think to specifically search the terms ālawsuitā and āmaterial failureā :mad:
Amusingly, I also ended up with a used 4-Star, and have been impressed with it in many ways.
I took my trailer to a frame shop and the cost was beyond the trailer value and the fix would not hold up to road conditions such as rocks etc. In the end the frame buckled at the axle mounts (again documented).
]
This is unreal to me! What directly caused the buckling? Mounting component failure from corrosion?
In shopping for horse trailers Iāve always had a few nagging concerns in my engineer-brain. It seems like the consumer needs to be particularly diligent (and knowledgeable) because the engineering behind a lot of these trailers is kind of haphazard/trial-error and itās not exactly clear what the mandatory standards are. The laws that govern private-use vehicles donāt actually have a whole bunch to say about trailers. You almost want to treat a new one the same way you would a very old used oneā¦bring in your hammer and welding chisel and start randomly testing weld quality and material integrity. With, umm, NON-ASTM methods. :lol:
Do you really want the full explanation? 
In short, the frame in contact with the axle mount (welded in these areas) corroded at the rate of about 6mm annual (excessive corrosion). This resulted in a thinned web that enabled the load to surpass the yield stress of the steel during typical operation.
The corrosion was due to oxygen depletion in the region between the frame and the mount so there it becomes an anode (e.g. similar to corrosion occurring under a layer of dirt) with a net migration of metal ions to the outer oxygen rich regions. The oxygen depletion was due to a design defect in the axle mount combined with the excessive powder coat porosity and poor adherence.
Reed
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