Turnbow
Well made trailers and harder to find one used…
[QUOTE=DMK;2218000]
Back to the topic of favorite trailers…
I’ve got a 1994 Trail-Et that is still going strong and I am perfectly happy with it. Given that the manufacturers of that old Trail-Et are now making Hawks, I plan to give both of them a look-see when it’s time for new trailer (add me to the 2/3 GN option!)[/QUOTE]
OK-- I’m so confused about the relationship between these two companies! Did everyone who used to work for Trail-et start making Hawks? When did this happen? Who makes Trail-ets now?
AAK! Tell me about the Trail-et? What years were they “good” and “bad”.
:no: I hate truck/trailer/horse/saddle/bathingsuit shopping…
I don’t know what the specific years were but Trail-et was sold and a new company picked it up and the quality declined. That might be when Hawk trailers came on the market by the previous/original mfg of Trail-et. Don’t quote me on this as I vaguely recall this information. I will stand to be corrected if someone else knows the correct answer. Our Trail-et trailer was a 1984 maybe? We bought it used 1 yr old. I considered it a good trailer and would not have sold it but my 3 yr old BIG WB was like a sardine in it and I knew he would not be the biggest horse I ever owned. On the other hand maybe thats why he trailered so well…
I am buying a Hawk b/c of all the wonderful things I have heard/seen with them.
If I could have afforded a 4-Star, that’s what I would have gotten…
That being said, I have a 2001 Sundowner four horse slant. We went with the Sundowner because the stalls were 2 inches wider than the other brands. It makes a difference!!
I have been very happy with mine.
Wasn’t there a post in this thread about a Trailer Dealership in SC?
Can’t seem to find it…
In my opinion Trail-et, 4-Star, and Brenderup are the best trailers I’ve seen or owned. I’m also a fan of Gores.
naters
That was probably about Risa at www.happytrailstrailer.com. I am buying/found my used trailer through her and I can only say great things about her. She comes highly recc from many on here. 
She was very helpful with all my questions.
I think there are several good trailer makers out there. Because I can’t buy right now I have been looking at trailers for along time! Here is what I look for in a trailer maker:
They only make horse trailers. I do not like companies that make all types of trailers and horse trailers are just one they happen to make. So visit their sites and see what they make.
They talk a lot about safety and offer many safety features.
They offer the options I am looking for.
The trailer makers that I found to be the best based on these points were Hawk, Equispirit and Turnbow.
http://www.happytrailstrailers.com/
Thanks!
[QUOTE=Bosspaige;2218039]
I did do my research on the trailer and I will hold true to what I found. Kiefer did have those 2 incidents (maybe there are more, that is all I could find) of those horses falling out of the trailer…
As a horse owner I would never rely on an aluminum door to hold a 1200 pound animal when they want out? Have you ever seen the force of a horse when they blow up? The bottom line is we are all taking a huge animal with a mind of its own and stuffing it in a moving box. Things are bound to happen? Ask a dealer if they have seen what a horse looks like after they rear up and smash through a fiberglass roof trailer and then come back down and impale themselves? Almost everyone I know has a fiberglass roof on their trailer and something might happen, then what?
I do agree that these manufacturers should be held responsible, but so might the owners. I am not defending Kiefer, or Featherlite, or Sundowner or any other trailer manufacturer. They should make the trailers as safe as they can, they should stand behind them and horse owners should do their part as well.
If everyone stayed away from every trailer that I heard had bad customer service and something went wrong with it, no one would own one b/c I cannot think of one single brand that someone didn’t have negative things to say about. I could not afford 4-Star of Jamco or Eby so I did the best I could with the money I had.
If buying a Kiefer trailer makes me an irresponsible horse owner in YOUR opinion, then that is what it is, YOUR opinion. This was supposed to be a post about which trailers people like so lets get back to the actual topic that was started.[/QUOTE]
Personally, I DO expect a trailer to hold in my horse if it leans against a door! I can’t imagine putting a horse in a trailer I didn’t trust to hold up to kicking, leaning and pawing. And, by the way, there are more than two “incidents” with Kiefer of horses falling out of their trailers due to defective doors – and being killed – and the company taking no responsibility. That is not the kind of company I would “reward” with my money. Why should ANY owner be responsible for their horse falling out of a defective trailer? Why is it their fault as well? I don’t understand that “logic” at all.
Most people I know, including myself, don’t have fibreglass roofs. Eee gads, your post was a good statement of why I wouldn’t buy one!!
Also, I don’t think Hidden Pond Farm was calling you irresponsible, just in some ways, giving you fair warning about that company. Having a horrifying personal experience with the trailer manufacturer rather makes you want to protect other people and their horses!
Now, back to the original question: I own one of those aluminum trailers – a Featherlite – that some posters are warning about. But heck, if it’s a good enough material to use for airplanes to fly me around the world, I guess my horse has a good chance in it as well! I’ve owned Featherlites for 16 years and have been pleased. Not sure how the company’s quality will stand up now that it has been bought out, but that’s why one does research.
Merhow
we have always had Merhow trailers they are a good strong trailer and hold up to what we put then thru
Loaded Question
I won’t tell you what I think is the best because that really does not matter. I would say that I have looked at most mentioned above and I chose none of them. We bought an American Spirit trailer http://www.americanspiritmfg.com/ Because it fit our needs very well at the right price. When shopping I looked at things such as the ramp. I wanted a long ramp with plenty of tread for the horse and without a large lip the horse could trip on. And is the door heavy and go up and down with ease. Also if you want a step up look at how high that step is, some are up to my knee (I’m 6 feet tall) imagine backing up blind and having a 1 foot drop talk about scary.
When we were shopping we would not look at Sundowner for one reason. The latch in the middle of the ramp puts you directly in harms way if a horse kicks at the door with you behing it while latching/unlatching the door. My wifes trainer was seriously injured loading a horse and it kicked out before she had a chance to latch it and the door broke her nose, teeth and jaw.
My top pick budget trailers would be Collin Arndt and ADAM trailers both are real good well built trailers which hold up well.
Here are a few pics of our American Spirit which can be bought for around 11k
I had to ship horses a few times in the 4- star. I hated it worse each time. It just didn’t seem sturdy. The ramp felt like it was made out of tin foil. I definately could have seen a horse going threw that thing. It was a brand new trailer and every time the horse kicked I thought he was taking the ramp down. That was one of the scariest trailers I’ve ever hauled in. Maybe they are better for little tiny horses that don’t move.:no:
I have just finished my trailer search and I bought a 2H EquiSpirit GN. The company is excellent to deal with even if you change things on them like the destination for the shipper. :yes:
The things that were important to me were:
wood floor,
GN,
straight load,
good mats,
there were a couple more things but I can’t remember them now.
I ordered the trailer in late December, '06 and I accepted delivery the 2nd week of Feb., '07. The company did a great job of keeping in touch with me. When the trailer was delivered to me the driver called me first and then the company. The EquiSpirit is a composite trailer. They use aluminium, galvaneel and fiberglass. The fenders and the roof are fiberglass. Galvaneel is used for the frame, the coupler, the axles, the tall back doors and middle wall of the triple wall. Aluminium is used for the ramp, and the inner and outer walls of the trailer. There is probably more but that’s what I’m remembering at the moment.
The trailer drives like a dream and so far Essie is doing great in it. I had a 2 horse slant before. Essie has never been in a straight load before now. It’s easy to hitch and unhitch. It’s a very solid trailer. It also cost me $$$$ but that’s fine since this is my last trailer.
I looked at a lot of trailers. The one thing I found with aluminium trailers is that most of the time the floor is aluminium also. I had to have a wood floor.
I have pictures of the trailer. I’ll post them in a bit.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL16/731393/14041161/231307038.jpg
Another vote for an Equispirit trailer here. I’ve had mine just about a year now and absolutely love it. The customer service is outstanding.
EquiSpirit used Hawk as its manufacturer until recently, and the Hawk trailers are (permitted) knock-offs of EquiSpirits.
This is true. EquiSpirit is made by Trail-et. I’m going to make the assumption that since the trailers are basically the same that Trail-et makes the Hawk also. I’m sure someone will correct me if this is wrong. :lol: 
The designers of the EquiSpirit, Tom and Neva Scheve, have worked on Merhow, Trail-et, Hawk and I’m sure that there are others. I never got to see a Hawk, as it kept snowing :rolleyes: but I’m told that there are a lot of similiarities. Hawks are less $$ than EquiSpirit. One of the things that you buy with EquiSpirit is their outstanding customer service.
Other than buying an EquiSpirit I have no connection to the company.
Trail-et does not make Hawks. Hawks are made by Hawk.
