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Trailer essentials

I haven’t seen it mentioned but a first aid kit for both horse and human.

Water jugs are ok but a water tank with a pump is much better. It can be installed in the sapce in front of the stalls.

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Yes, center divider does go to the floor!

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The stick-on LED lights are genius. There is a small light in the nose but it’s very dim!

Rubber mallet is a good idea too - I actually bought one the other week for this exact reason. Coupler wants to stick to the ball every time. It’s easier to just put the vehicle in neutral and give one good jump on the bumper to pop it off LOL

I did insure the trailer for the purchase price, it’s about $5 bucks a month thru State Farm :smiley:

I like the idea of a stackable drawer system, just need to figure out how I would fix it in place

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That will make loading the passenger side with all your stuff so much easier and safer!

Several years ago I was a passenger in a trailering accident during a short haul. The trailer tipped during the accident. The horse in the trailer escaped with minor bruising and minor tendon injuries. The vet said it probably would have been much worse if we hadn’t done a bunch of things right in terms of protecting the horse. Even then, it was a terrifying experience. Since then I always pack a horse up as if an accident is a possibility. So I would never put loose objects in a trailer. If you want to put a trunk in the trailer, it should be bolted down so securely that it would not come loose if the trailer flipped (tie-downs aren’t enough). A flying trunk could break legs or heads.

Sorry to be the “worst case scenario” downer, but living that experience changes your perspective.

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That’s a good perspective that I hadn’t thought of, thank you!

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I would include a spare tire wrench. Lots of spare tire suggestions, but wrench to change a bad tire is not mentioned! Make SURE the wrench fits the lug nuts on the wheel!! I like the wrench with 4 arms, it is easier to get leverage to loosen or tighten the lug nuts. You might want to carry a couple extra lug nuts for “just in case” one gets dropped, never to be found. Also a couple lug bolts of the proper size, should one break off during a tire change. Together in a small container, they don’t take up much room. These things DO happen!

Another item is a couple LED lights with an end ring and big magnet. TSC carries them in a good size, abouts 4" x 4". Switch lets you change color from white to yellow, has a flashing mode. Extremely handy as a flashlight or marker light should trailer lights go out! You can put them on the trailer back end to warn followers of your presence!! Friend has used hers a couple times to get home after dark. Lights worked before stopping, not working when ready to leave. Flashing lights were VERY visible as she drove off. I would suggest storing batteries seperate from the light to prevent corrosion between uses, inside the tow vehicle.

One last item is reflectors or reflective strip on the trailer. Available at TSC, truck supply/service places. The red-white strips work passively, make trailer more visible in every situation. They should be applied about car headlight height, both sides and rear of trailer. You can get the long continuous, red white stripe or the short strips for a broken line on the sides and rear. Clean the trailer of road dirt for best stickability, mark a level line to get strips evenly placed. Get strip properly positioned before pressing it on. They do not reposition well, may tear.

Your State may not require reflective stripes on trailers, but they are an effective safety measure in being seen, work with no effort on your part! Make sure you start at the trailer front with white, always end at the back corners with red stripe. Cut strip if needed to get a red piece. Red means trailer has ended, according to “Rules of the road” used by truckers.

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By now OP is likely running out of space to carry all the road safety stuff we all have suggested.

If I may, OP, what is the vehicle you use for towing?

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Might want to make sure the spare fits the trailer, we carried a spare for I do not know how many years only to find out it would not fit the trailer, This was discovered when we were putting new tires on the trailer.

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I carry as little as possible. Nothing extra in the horse compartment, it’s just not safe to have loose objects in there.

Claw hammer to open and close my top vents, lubricating spray for stuck things, spare latches and cotter pins, ball grease, are all in the tack room door bin, along with sunscreen and spare socks…

Spare tire, water buckets, spare halter and bridle, folding saddle rack and step stool live in the tack room permanently. Tack and trunk of bits and pieces like grooming kit and first aid kit and clean washcloths go in when we are going somewhere. I dont like to leave things that will deteriorate at extreme temps, like meds, in there.

I do have up to date roadside assistance that has been useful on a number of occasions over the past 25 years. I’m rarely trailering off the beaten path.

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Depending on your trailer you may be able to add a tongue storage box. I had one put on my last trailer and kept the tools, road flares, etc in. Mine was mostly (completely?) waterproof IIRC. Anything not super weather sensitive could/ would go in there (no leather or nice tack and no temp sensitive drugs). It holds a good deal.

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I like the idea of a tongue box but don’t think I could make it work around the sway bar attachments :frowning:

Thank you everyone for the suggestions! Sounds like I have most of the essentials already but always good to hear input :slight_smile:

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I always keep a couple of sharp pocket knives or leatherman’s tools in the truck where I can grab one quickly if I need to cut a halter or something in a hurry.

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My knife lives just inside the trailer tack room door, ready to grab and go. I am not going to be fumbling trying to open a little pocket knife in an emergency.

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several of us have suggested an impact driver, which is much easier to use than a wrench to remove the lugs

I wear mine on my belt. Something might happen that’s enough that you might not be able to open the door to get whatever is in there.

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Impact driver is a good idea too. I missed that suggestion. I need to move up to modern thinking! Ha ha However it needs a charged battery, the socket to fit the lug nuts to work when you pack to leave each time. After seeing a few impact tools fail (portable, battery powered) on REALLY tight nuts, I am not sure I would get rid of my wrench. Also the person has to be able to hold FIRMLY to the driver to get the nuts off. Service places can really tighten lugnuts right down!

Guess any one carrying an impact tool needs to take it outside, try lugnut removal on truck or trailer before depending on it during a “situation.” Force of driver might be too hard to hold in place for some folks. You need to be able to use your tools when needed. My Mom had me changing trailer tires (with 4-way wrench) BEFORE I went showing my horse. Have used that skill a few times over the years. I taught my son how to change trailer tires !

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This’s what we carry, too.

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I keep
Mine charged all the time and when I go off o grab the battery and the charger and throw it in the truck. You can get a cigarette lighter plug that has a regular socket on it like in a house and can even charge in the truck.
I absolutely can use a 4 way lug wreck if I have to but I much prefer the impact driver which is why I’m think the second post I mentioned it and included the correct size sockets for the truck and trailer.

If you intend to use an impact wrench to tighten the lug nuts as well as loosening and removing them, then get a torque stick for your trailer’s recommended torque setting.

Torque sticks go between the impact wrench and the impact socket to reduce risk of over tightening.

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