We have a new 2 horse bumper pull and my guy sweats a lot! He also is one that hates to be hot and throws tantrums when he gets hot. Does anyone have fans in their trailer? Notice any difference? Best place to have them and battery installed? Any help would be great! We are located in the Winchester, VA area.
We have had fans installed by Trailer Care in Hamilton,VA, west of Leesburg. They do help. In my opinion, what works the best is drop down feed windows with screens.
I called them and they quoted an ungodly amount for it all…800.00!!! We have a homesteader and the back top Windows above the ramp can’t be left open because Blue Ridge Trailers put the plate holder and screws on the one. We have vents above the feeders, vent in the dressing room that vents into box area and all windows are left open. My guy still gets hot that way…
Check out R-V websites. I am sure they have a variety of 12 volt fans. Inexpensive to expensive. They should be an easy DIY project.
Assuming you have an inside light it is very simple and about $25… As long as you do not run a switch to the outside and do not mind turning on and off from the fan switch itself. Go to Auto Zone or similar and get a 12 volt plug in fan, you will cut the plug off, remove the lens cover from the inside light and you will see the black hot and white ground wire, you will tap into the hot wire ahead of the light and ground the fan to the light ground, install the fan small bracket with self tapping small screws into a frame rail, install the switch that way as well, any way, it is simple and the most difficult part is running the screws in ( note that the black with grey stripe on the fan is usually hot and the black o the fan is the ground, on the trailer is should be black hot with white ground, if you wire it backwards no biggie the fan will run backward and you will change it )
Risa
Happy Trails Trailers
Balanced Ride Trailers
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I just had 4 more installed in my trailer (I’m in NC) and the total cost including the cost of the fans was $250.
we have fans at the heads of all of our horses that are hard wired to a switch that is separate from the lights. we use them when stuck in traffic or extreme heat.
All fans are called fans. But you get what you pay for. I looked into the different types offered to install in our little 2 horse BH “run-around” trailer.
The “performance number” the CFM which means the amount of air it can move is hard to find. The small “$25” types seem to be around 100.CFM.
The average inexpensive 120v box fan has a CFM of around 1,200 on the high setting. Around 900 CFM on the low setting. To give a reference what to look for
100 CFM would give SOME relief if it was mounted a few inches from the horse’s head.
The best I have come up with so far is this one. It puts out an impressive 900+ CFM for a relatively small 12 volt fan. Reasonably small power demand so it can run for hours without draining the battery to the point of not being able to start car/truck.
A lot of good reviews and questions answered
It will take a little MacGyvering to install in such a way as easy out, easy in. But baling twine could make short work of it.
https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-01100WH-Endless-Breeze-Stand/dp/B0000AY2Z6#customerReviews
The wiring can be made simple by using one of these which has an inline fuse. Without and the fan is wired directly to the trailer lights and something goes wrong it can be a real PITA to find and change the fuse under the dash board.
Even more of a PITA if you don’t have an extra fuse on hand and have to run with no trailer lights.
https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GC018-Socket-Eyelet-Terminal/dp/B00G8WLW2Y/ref=pd_sim_263_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51snIl66zvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=AC_UL160_SR160%2C160&psc=1&refRID=51WHDJEYHE5S9WMNKXE5
I am still looking around so if someone comes up with something better please post the link. One of these fans should move enough air for 2 horses.
I purchased these (see link below) and had them installed in my trailer along with a separate battery so I don’t have to worry about draining the batteries in my truck. I’m in VA and show in the summer heat and my horse is never sweaty! I think the total cost ended up being around $300 to have them installed. (Guessing since I had some other work done at the same time)
http://www.horsetraileraccessorystore.com/12-Volt-Fan-Heavy-Duty-Electric-2-Speed_p_177.html
I am not at home and don’t have access to my records, but we had three stall fans installed last summer and they make a huge difference. I don’t know what it cost, but I can look it up when I get home later this week.
Some on the forum at horsetrailerworld.com are talking about having a Fantastic Fan installed – this is very popular in the RV world. It’s like an attic fan for trailers. It runs off a thermostat and will open and run when the inside temp hits a certain point. I am told they are amazing and do a great job of cooling. People in the RV world love them, and some of the horse trailer forum say they are much better than stall fans. You might look into that.
At any rate, check with someone other than your horse trailer dealer and get multiple quotes. $800 seem excessive – I know we spent about $2,000 total last summer and we had wheel bearings repacked, new brakes, an onboard battery installed, acid washing, shore power and outlets installed AND the three stall fans for that total.
[QUOTE=PassingLane;8773977]
I purchased these (see link below) and had them installed in my trailer along with a separate battery so I don’t have to worry about draining the batteries in my truck. I’m in VA and show in the summer heat and my horse is never sweaty! I think the total cost ended up being around $300 to have them installed. (Guessing since I had some other work done at the same time)
http://www.horsetraileraccessorystore.com/12-Volt-Fan-Heavy-Duty-Electric-2-Speed_p_177.html[/QUOTE]
I have these as well. I have one in the tack room and one on each side of the back of the stall so it blows over the horses’ backs. They definitely help, although, if it is hot, it is still going to be hot. I think they help best to keep air moving when I am sitting still. I definitely noticed that my horses sweat less than they did before I had the fans. They also help me to air out the trailer a little bit before putting the horses in.
I had them wired into my lights and my trailer already had an extra switch on the back so I can turn them on separate from the lights. I also had an external battery and battery box installed so I can run them without draining the truck battery. I think all the work together, along with several other improvements (fixing a broken butt bar, taking out a dent, mounting some hooks and racks in the tackroom, etc.) was about $400, but I bought the fans and battery myself and then had it done by an independant guy rather than a shop. If you can find someone who’ll work with you like that, you’ll likely get a much better deal.
[QUOTE=PassingLane;8773977]
I purchased these (see link below) and had them installed in my trailer along with a separate battery so I don’t have to worry about draining the batteries in my truck. I’m in VA and show in the summer heat and my horse is never sweaty! I think the total cost ended up being around $300 to have them installed. (Guessing since I had some other work done at the same time)
http://www.horsetraileraccessorystore.com/12-Volt-Fan-Heavy-Duty-Electric-2-Speed_p_177.html[/QUOTE]
Those are the exact same one Blue Ridge Trailers offers, but at 135 each plus battery at 295. Where in Va did you have yours installed?
What Risa said!! I think I paid $25-30 each for fans and my trailer place installed for about 25.00 each. This was the trailer before my awesome Hawk that Risa ordered for me.
I recently had 4 fans installed for $250 in Kentucky. I think they make a big difference.
This is a great thread — thank you for starting it.
Q: Where are the fans installed (height/location) and where is the air directed?
Some of my horses like to stand in their stalls with their heads in front of the fans, and some with the butts to the fans, and some on the other side of the stall altogether. What is a good compromise angle?
Also: What about the problem of stirring up the shavings/sawdust? Wouldn’t fans make the inside air dusty?
Thanks for the help — I foresee trailer fans in my immediate future.
egrubbs, sent you a PM
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8775564]
This is a great thread — thank you for starting it.
Q: Where are the fans installed (height/location) and where is the air directed?
Some of my horses like to stand in their stalls with their heads in front of the fans, and some with the butts to the fans, and some on the other side of the stall altogether. What is a good compromise angle?
Also: What about the problem of stirring up the shavings/sawdust? Wouldn’t fans make the inside air dusty?
Thanks for the help — I foresee trailer fans in my immediate future.[/QUOTE]
You’re welcome! I always wet my shavings/sawdust down in the trailer and allow it to settle before I ship anywhere. It make a world of difference! I’m going to contact a few local place to see if they can do the wiring for us if we buy the heavy duty fans in the links above. I plan on having them in the front…that’s all I’ve ever seen. My horse doesn’t have a fan because he lives out 24/7 with a stall prn. He’s a high/low maintenance OTTB! I’ll report back after consulting the local trailer place and the local camping world we have here in Winchester!
DH just installed one of these fans:
http://www.hawktrailers.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=19&bc=no
He installed the first of two on the drivers side up in the outside corner near their head. It moves quite a bit of air.
My trailer set up needs one for each side as I always trailer with a solid head stud divider.
DH just put it in 3 weeks ago. The first time I was using it I had it on low. When I went to open the back ramp I could feel how much cooler the inside of the trailer was. On the trip home Finnegan stood with his head up to catch a better breeze. I have since directed it down a little more.
Thanks everyone for all the different suggestions! Extremely helpful and the majority says go for it!
[QUOTE=egrubbs;8773658]
I called them and they quoted an ungodly amount for it all…800.00!!! We have a homesteader and the back top Windows above the ramp can’t be left open because Blue Ridge Trailers put the plate holder and screws on the one. We have vents above the feeders, vent in the dressing room that vents into box area and all windows are left open. My guy still gets hot that way…[/QUOTE]
My Trail-Et had the license plate on the back top doors. I trailered with the doors open and the license plate out of sight for the first 13 years I had the trailer. DH finally moved the license plate to the ramp about 2 years ago.
My trailer is designed to be used with the top doors open. They do have nice big windows in them but fully open does help with the air flow.
I think DH used self tapping metal screws with rubber washers so water won’t get in the holes.
If your top doors are designed to be used open or can be removed for the summer I would start by having the plate moved to the ramp/lower doors depending on your set up.
DH did not bother to move the license plate light. Headlights will light it just fine where it is and the light was always poorly aimed and really lit the top of the door not the plate itself.
