Trailet horse trailer review

[trailriderjean]

Trailet Horse Trailer

We bought a used 1997 Trailet 3-horse bumper pull with dressing room two years ago. The previous owners bought it new and used it in Mich. in the summer and Florida in the winter and we are doing the same. Our mistake was not checking the frame, and on our way to Florida we drove up over a curb in a parking lot by mistake and the rear axle came completely off the frame on the RH side. Thankfully, we had dropped the horses off at a boarding stable before it happened. The trailer is now at a trailer dealer in Tenn. and they said the frame is all rusted out and it will cost $6000 to $7000 to repair. We’re waiting to find out if the axle is ok. This trailer wasn’t used in Mich. winters, so we were surprised at its frame condition.

The other problem we found with this trailer is that the windows are too small for the horses’ heads when they stick their heads out and then try to bring them back in, so we only open the sliders and not the drop-down windows because of this.

[Huntin_Fool]

This is an old thread, but I wondered about the fiberglass roof? Does it have steel frames around the roof or is it just fiberglass? And wouldn’t that be really awful in a wreck or even if you hit a tree limb?

Regards,
Huntin’Fool

[SonnysMom]

I had a Trailet for 20. Now have an Equispirit for 1 year that was manufactured by Trailet. I have never had an accident with one. I don’t specifically know if they are reinforced with something but I can picture inside ribs. I know I have hit plenty of tree branches and never had an issue.
Pros- they don’t leak, IMO cooler than aluminum or steel roof.
The fiberglass roof is very common in some of the most popular brands in SE PA where I live (Trailet, Equspirit, Hawk, Cotner). I have never heard of an issue with the roof.
On the other hand 4Star is not a fiberglass roof and is notorious for leaks.

[atr]

Yes, in the simplest terms, the whole trailer is basically a steel cage with the fiberglass roof and aluminum siding attached to it.

I have one. I think its about as safe as any small metal framed box to transport large stupid animals can be. The fiberglass roof is great. Makes things feel light and airy and keeps the interior cool in summer.

If its older, check the welds on either end of the bar that the ramp attaches to. Mine has obviously been hit on one bottom back corner at some point (its over 20 years old at this point and spent many years going up and down terrible mountain potholed dirt roads to my old farm) and the weld had cracked and the ramp was out of square. It was an easy and relatively inexpensive fix and I did get them to check the rest of the frame while they were at it. The rest of the thing is immaculate.

[PaddockWood]

What year is the trailer? I have a 2001 and it’s been awesome. But, do highly suggest you have it hauled to someone who could do an inspection and confirm it’s in good working order. I did that and got a thumbs up but knew too the previous owner had been meticulous in her care and it was stored inside.

How old are the tires? (there’s a manufacture date on the sidewall) Will they need replaced?

Oh ok this is an old thread.