My husband is no longer flinching when I mention horse trailer shopping (2 horse) so I’m looking in person now. :winkgrin: Here’s where I hope you come in, does anyone have experience with these or have thoughts on comparisons of these brands?
Trails West (Sierra II)
Classic (Cavalier/Monarch)
Silver Lite (Freedom)
Thanks in advance for your thoughts, knowledge, and advice! 
I own a '96 TW Classic, 2H slant. I find it easy to haul, with either my F350 or my older F250. I think the Sierra II is smaller than the classic (height?) and I find that my trailer is a bit snug for horses over 16.1 if they are long bodied (like my paint).
Down sides to my rig? It leaks. Like a sieve. I do not have covered parking, and it needs painting and repairs, but it is also 13 years old!! I don’t like the swing out saddle rack in the door way- it’s a bitch to load a trunk or other bulky items in the tack room with it in the way.
Upsides? I love the side latches on the flip down feed doors, as you can reach them if you’re not a tall man, and they don’t fall on your head, sending you to the hospital, like my trainer’s Logan did to him!! (although, I LOVE his trailer and would trade him in an instant…). It is a low trailer, so the step up is inviting to most horses. Nice wide rear door (my is one piece, I know newer ones have double doors) safe latches, the tack room is huge, too.
I am unfamiliar with the other brands, but is Silverlite a take off of Silverado trailers?? If so, my friend had a terrible time with theirs–the ramp fell off on the freeway :eek:.
I like a slant load for ease of loading when you are alone, and the options of the interior space (big, small, forward, backward, etc.), but the height and width are always a problem for larger horses. I am leaning toward a Keiffer or Trail-et straight load for my next rig–bigger, lighter, aluminum skin over steel frame for rust resistance.
I know two people with Trail West trailers, both are Sierra II’s. Both love their trailers, they are goosenecks, one has a 3 horse w/ LQ, the other a 4 horse. Trails West is a company that I have looked at, they seem well made, and both of my friends said that they are easy to pull. I know most of the trailer dealers around here carry the brands that you are looking for, often on one lot. They seem to be more west coast brands.
Thanks for your responses. 
I was told by the dealer that the Classic would likely last longer sitting outside because of the aluminum as compared to steel but Calvincrowe’s trailer leaking like a sieve doesn’t sound conducive to that. 
On the other hand, waxing the Trails West a couple of times a year should increase its longevity.
Classic went out of business so warranty work would be covered by the local trailer dealer who picked up these Classics from a Classic dealer who went out of business. That may make the price on the Classic more negotiable because they were likely picked up for less money per trailer than the Trails West.
I had a Sierra II back in the 90’s for about 4-5 years and loved it. It sat outside and I never saw leaking, rust, etc. I like the tack room better in the Sierra than the Classic, but the Classic’s was fine in general.
My friend has a Silver Lite and I really like it, but they are pricier and I have a budget and a husband to consider.
I get the impression that dealers want to move inventory so I think this is a good time to purchase a trailer for a very good price, but I find myself debating about how much do I really “need” a trailer balanced with costs. The debate in my head continues…:rolleyes:
I have a Trails West Classic (that is with windows on the head side and an open slat on the butt side, right?) and I love love love it. It is a 2003, sat on the lot for a year until I bought it in 2004. We use ours probably three or four times a month and it has been reliable. I have washed it twice and waxed it once in the years I have owned it, and the paint is still beautiful, I just had it washed for the second time about a month ago and it looked brand new. The paint is baked on, like the finish on a car, so the paint job will wear like a car does.
I looked at the Silverlite trailers at the Horse Expo here in June and was really impressed with the quality, compared to the other aluminum trailers in the same price range, Exiss comes to mind, I can’t think of the others at the moment. The welds were much cleaner looking and I liked that it had a douglas fir floor instead of an aluminum floor. If I ever bought a trailer that was so big that a steel trailer would be too heavy, like a living quarter trailer, I would buy a Silverlite. My friend has a small Silverlite LQ trailer and she loves it.
Rachel L - Thank you for taking time to put in your thoughts.
So what do you think about having the open windows on the butt side? I wonder if it would be good to have the air flow and/or the openness for the horse loading (my mare loaded so easily in the past in a stock trailer). I also worry about the weather getting in the windows when it’s just sitting out unused - how has it been for yours?
I have a Trails West two horse slant with two dressing rooms (bumper pull). I’m too lazy to walk out to the barn to look at the model, but it has drop-down windows on both sides. Trailer is 10 years old and hasn’t leaked except once when we found that caulking had disappeared around a seam in one dressing room - an easy fix.
Mine sits in the barn so it’s under cover. I rarely use it anymore…mostly to haul horses from my farm to the trainers when I feel like bringing one home for the weekend or for some R & R. My show horses are hauled commercially with my trainer’s barn. I keep it because it would be so expensive to replace and it’s PAID FOR!
I like it…it hauls great, but it’s heavy. I highly recommend that you have a powerful enough truck to pull it comfortably, fully loaded.
I don’t think 13 is especially old for a trailer, and there’s no excuse for one leaking. JMHO. A leaky trailer, especially in the dressing room is a huge big deal, because stuff can get moldy or ruined very quickly without you even noticing.
Just my .02
A client of mine bought a Silver Lite. She designed the floor plan, which I really like. It is basically a four horse gooseneck with a small dressing room. It is designed for a carriage driver. But…and the big but is several things.
She ordered 8’ wide and 8’ tall. It is not 8’ tall inside and the lip (for wont of a proper term) on the doors make the doorways about 6" shorter.
The latches that hold the door open broke right away, as in the first time they were used. A breeze against the door snapped the pot metal they are made from.
She ordered a reverse slant. Well, the horses are facing the passenger side but frontwards not backwards (which is what she wanted).
The mats are very thin. Less than a half inch.
The latches on the dividers did not work after she got it home. They would not catch. Had to be replaced.
She just got it this summer, so it hasn’t been through a rainy season, so I don’t know if it leaks.
So… it is a lovely trailer to look at and the design for a carriage driver is great but seems cheaply made. She did say with the downturn in the economy she got a screaming good deal on it. But they were down to a skeleton crew at the factory. Maybe that had something to do with it, I don’t know.
[QUOTE=Sanely Eccentric;4320008]
Rachel L - Thank you for taking time to put in your thoughts.
So what do you think about having the open windows on the butt side? I wonder if it would be good to have the air flow and/or the openness for the horse loading (my mare loaded so easily in the past in a stock trailer). I also worry about the weather getting in the windows when it’s just sitting out unused - how has it been for yours?[/QUOTE]
Right now I use a Thuro-bilt trailer that has the air gaps on both sides. It is nice for airflow, but I always keep a fly mask on my horse when trailering to make sure that no debris get in her eyes or ears. In the rainy season there can’t be any shavings left in the trailer or they will get wet because the rain does come in through the gaps. I know some trailers have plexi-glass inserts that enclose the trailer in wet weather.
I have a Trailswest as well. It is the 3 horse gooseneck with living quarters. Not sure which model it is as I bought it used and it is a 1998, the lady told me but I don’t recall. However, it has the open slat on both sides, mangers (which I love and my guy destroys hay bags), and TONS of storage other than the living quarters, I have gobs of doors and hooks and space on the drivers side under the mangers. One would think this would take away from interior space, but my 16.2hh OTTB and my 17HH rescue have lots of head room as well as not being smashed lengthwise. Also it has a swing out saddle rack in the back when you open the door (It pops in and out SO EASY with pins and I just leave it out as it makes the trailer REALLY inviting, no one has refused to load in it yet). Oh, the panels pop in and out really easily too. It is like a giant LEGO!
In short, I love my Trailswest. Hauls like a dream, takes a beating on some of these scarey desert “roads”, and it is very open and inviting to the horses. I really recomend them. As for leaking; well I don’t know as it never really rains here, next time it does I will check and let you know; but you will probably have your trailer by then! LOL
Let me explain about the leaking: I’ve never done a thing to this poor old rig. I am a BAD trailer owner. I wash it once a year, and do the essential mechanical maintenance like wheel bearings, checking the floor (solid as a rock!), chains, tires, brakes. It leaks around the windows (drop downs on head side), and the front edge of the tack room door.
Otherwise, this is a solid, well-built trailer that hauls beautifully. My SIL has a '94 Classic II and it is a super trailer (she had hers overhauled a few years back, but essentially nothing major done structurally). Her paint seems a bit better than mine, however. I do have some rust spots on the fender joints, one drop down and by that tack room door.
I like that it’s heavy, solid and low to the ground. Definitely measure the trailers you look at. If you have a long-bodied horse, slants can be a squeeze for them if you haul for any distances.
[QUOTE=CDE Driver;4320494]
Just my .02
A client of mine bought a Silver Lite. She designed the floor plan, which I really like. It is basically a four horse gooseneck with a small dressing room. It is designed for a carriage driver. But…and the big but is several things.
She ordered 8’ wide and 8’ tall. It is not 8’ tall inside and the lip (for wont of a proper term) on the doors make the doorways about 6" shorter.
The latches that hold the door open broke right away, as in the first time they were used. A breeze against the door snapped the pot metal they are made from.
She ordered a reverse slant. Well, the horses are facing the passenger side but frontwards not backwards (which is what she wanted).
The mats are very thin. Less than a half inch.
The latches on the dividers did not work after she got it home. They would not catch. Had to be replaced.
She just got it this summer, so it hasn’t been through a rainy season, so I don’t know if it leaks.
So… it is a lovely trailer to look at and the design for a carriage driver is great but seems cheaply made. She did say with the downturn in the economy she got a screaming good deal on it. But they were down to a skeleton crew at the factory. Maybe that had something to do with it, I don’t know.[/QUOTE]
:eek::eek::eek:
I was sharing this post with hubby and even he, who isn’t a horsey person except by marrying and putting up with me :winkgrin:, knew right away that a reverse slant isn’t that way. :lol: How could a company have mixed that up? And unfortunately it doesn’t sound as nicely made as my friend’s Silver Lite.
Good suggestion on the fly mask with open panels.
Sounds like Trails West owners are quite happy with their trailers.
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to offer your opinions and experiences!
Hubby is agreeable to buying a Trails West, but we’re debating about the timing. It’s a great time to get a good deal, but I don’t have all the cash saved up yet. Is it worth getting a short term loan to get such a good deal or wait until we have the cash saved specifically for the trailer? More ideas to bounce around in my head and with my hubby. Funny enough he pretty much figures we’re going to buy a trailer tomorrow but now I’m starting to hesitate because I am trying to live like Dave Ramsey. :lol:
We shopped on Saturday with hubby not even sighing once. I was impressed that he willingly shopped and considered the pros and cons of a number of trailers. 
We left the dealership thinking Classic because aluminum durability and lightweight. Lots of circling in our discussions and so I continued my research online and with friends. Finally today hubby said okay, so I did the final shopping and signed papers for…ta daaa…Classic Cavalier. I secured a very good yet fair deal, it’s lightweight, reviews overall are excellent, and it should last long term. I’m sure I would have been quite happy with the Trails West as well, but I’ve signed on the proverbial dotted line for the Cavalier, which actually wasn’t dotted.
Congrats! (On both the new trailer and the wonderful husband!)
[QUOTE=mypaintwattie;4329535]
Congrats! (On both the new trailer and the wonderful husband!)[/QUOTE]
Thank you Yes, he is quite wonderful.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
