Trailer Wishlist

[farmerjan]

If you are going to be hauling a 16 ft trailer, I know that brakes are a necessity. Too mush weight to "push" a towing vehicle... You cannot safely pull it without trailer brakes. If you should have to stop fairly quickly, the trailer brakes will keep it from jackknifing... it can kill you if it jack knife's ... or kill the animals...if it tries to flip or something like that... The trailer brakes also can be used to slow things without you having to overly "depend" on the vehicle brakes... there will be a "trailer brake box", inside the cab right uner the steering wheel or somewhere thereabouts... you can slide the brake lever over to use the trailer brakes separately, or even "harder" than the vehicle brakes... Another thing about trailer brakes... if the trailer should start to fish tail for any reason, using the trailer brakes will slow the forward momentum... which will get the trailer to stop whipping around...and if it is hilly, the trailer brakes can take the strain off the vehicle brakes so they don't get too hot on a down hill slope.
Any decent mechanic at a trailer place can get it wired for brakes... no need to trade it in... besides, right now you will suffocate under vehicle payments... new ones are RIDICULOUSLY expensive.

Go to the trailer place... talk to them... tell them you are looking... saw their ad.... this makes them feel that their advertising is WORTH IT.... Just talking is in no way making a commitment... Even if you do not buy anything, they will be a possible source for trouble shooting one that you may buy used... get a feel for if they are just out to sell, or would be a place to use for repair or anything like that...
Any good 2 horse trailer with the storage under the front of the nose... SHOULD have trailer brakes also...

 

[Baymule]

I’m sure a truck is in your future. Maybe you can find an older truck in decent shape for going to shoes and keep your Highlander. Buying a little trailer to fit the car just sounds wrong. At some point you will need the bigger trailer and you’ll be sorry that you don’t have one.

Old truck only needs to run good and pull a trailer. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Half ton would be plenty powerful to pull a trailer.

 

[Ridgetop]

Buying a little trailer to fit the car just sounds wrong. At some point you will need the bigger trailer and you’ll be sorry that you don’t have one.

Absolutely agree on this. Eventually you will need a trailer to take wethers to auction once all your ewes are producing twins.

If you are going to be hauling a 16 ft trailer, I know that brakes are a necessity. Too mush weight to "push" a towing vehicle... You cannot safely pull it without trailer brakes. If you should have to stop fairly quickly, the trailer brakes will keep it from jackknifing... it can kill you if it jack knife's ... or kill the animals...if it tries to flip or something like that... The trailer brakes also can be used to slow things without you having to overly "depend" on the vehicle brakes...

Absolutely you will need trailer brakes for hauling a trailer - particularly with live animals. Easily installed in vehicles. When your husband buys his van make sure it comes with a "trailer package" - the trailer brake wires will be in place ready for installation of brake box.

 

[Margali]

After much discussion, I think I'm going to upgrade my utility trailer (4x8 2000# axle) to a solid side 6x10 with 3500# single axle. I really liked the one I rented from Home Depot to haul hay. It will be useful for many things not just sheep showing.


I will keep using the animal crate I got or improve it. That should keep me going for the year or so until Dominic is showing pigs / goats. Then hubs WILL be coming since I'm NOT managing two species of show animals by myself.

 

[Baymule]

Perfect! You looked at every option and made the decision right for you.

 

[Ridgetop]

I think this trailer idea is the best for you until you decide to buy a truck (which you will eventually need). Once you have a larger tow vehicle then you can get a stock/horse trailer. I used to use a pen in the bed of the pickup to transport 1 or 2 animals before we got our stock trailer.

You can make an animal pen with 2" PVC pipe. I made a lot of panels out of PVC pipe and a roll of webbed plastic fencing. Each panel piece will take 3 pieces of 10' 2" diameter PVC pipe and will make a 10' x 5' panel. You can cut these own to whatever dimensions you want. Probably will depend on the plastic webbing. I had leftover plastic horse fencing, but you can use snow fencing for the webbing. The panels will be very light weight and I used them for portable fencing when our 4-H club did petting zoos, and livestock exhibitions. I also used them to make a large arena for showmanship lessons. They are not heavy enough to hold wild animals, but you can attach them together with zip ties for a temporary pen in your trailer. I would suggest that you attach tarps over the entire thing in the trailer to shelter the animals from wind, rain, and sun while traveling.

If the orange trailer is what you plan to get, attach the cage panels to the side bars to hold it steady while traveling. Then attach the tarp up and over the top of the cage. Make sure it is securely attached - if necessary you can put ropes over the top of the tarp to keep it in place. If you cut a piece of plywood for the bottom of the trailer, you can run eye bolts in it to provide places to tie down the bottom pipes of the panels. You can get a large toolbox to fit in the back or front of the trailer for your tack. Make sure the tarp covers it too.

 

[Margali]

So existing trailer is 5'x8' with 8' distance axle to hitch. Our utility trailer is tandem 7'×16'x7' with ~13' front axle to hitch. Which is more important for backing up: width or length in front of axle? The little trailer was a nightmare this morning.

 

[farmerjan]

The longer from the trailer hitch to the wheels on the trailer means it will not respond as fast... ie, will not "jack knife" as fast.
It is EVERYONE'S reaction to cut the wheels on a truck too much, and when it starts to respond, then it responds "right now"... the shorter the "bumper pull" trailer, the faster the response. You have to cut truck (pulling vehicle) wheels just a little... and as soon as it starts to respond.. straighten them out to follow it around.
Width has little to do with the response when backing... it has more to do with being able to see out mirrors around it... and how you judge your distance.
Bumper pull trailers respond twice as fast as gooseneck hitch... different turning point...

Just a little turn of the pulling vehicle's wheels... and follow around as soon as the trailer starts to turn will prevent the jack knife response.

 

[Ridgetop]

DH told me that when turning you turn the wheels opposite to where you want the tail of the trailer to go. While I was learning, I would put my hands on the bottom of the wheel and turn in the direction I wanted to back of the trailer to go. That worked since I was turning opposite.

Backing the gooseneck is much different. With that DH told me to jackknife the truck since the turning ratio was over the truck bed, not the trailer axle.

 

[emily7788]

When I was in the market for a livestock trailer, I had to consider the size and comfort of my animals. For transporting cows, especially a cow-calf pair, I found that a trailer length of at least 16 feet was necessary.

Ventilation was another big concern for me. I ended up choosing a trailer with several adjustable vents and windows. This has been crucial in maintaining a comfortable environment inside.

The biggest lesson for me was understanding the importance of durability. My first trailer wasn't up to the task for frequent use and started showing wear quite quickly. That's when I started looking into heavy-duty trailer sales. They offered the sturdiness and reliability I needed, mainly since I regularly transported different livestock types.