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Buying A Trailer In Trying Times
Buying in
Trying Times
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Story & Photos By Tom Scheve
Full Height Rear Doors With low Angle ramp 7’ 17’10”
3’ 5’
Optional Roof Vent Roof Vent
If you are heading out to a dealer lot to look at new horse trailers, you are in for a big surprise. You won’t find any. Covid upset the natural interconnectedness of business, shutting down many trailer manufacturers for various periods, which reduced the income stream to suppliers, who reduced production to reduce cost, which laid-off workers, and so on.
72” Optional Roof Vent Roof Vent Add Saddle Rack -3
* Inside Height 7’6” * Width 6’ * Full Running boards standard * 3 Sets of LED Brake/Signal Lights on rear of trailer; Brake/Signal light on each fender * 5 Interior LED Dome Lights * LED Clearance Lights exceed DOT Specifications * Remote switches for all interior lights * GVWR 7000lbs, Dry Weight 3200lbs
Horse trailer manufacturers are struggling to get materials and products from their suppliers. Steel, wood, aluminum, fiberglass, axles, tires, wheels, lug nut bolts, door locks, safety chains, chain latches, breakaway switches, batteries, lights, windows, couplers, roof vents, electric wire, weatherstripping, vinyl padding (well, you get my drift) all go into the building of a trailer. If any one of those items is not available, it halts the completion of the trailer. Limited availability of aftermarket products, shortage of skilled workers, and high demand have created a vacuum that is just now rearing its ugly head.
So how does this affect you, the trailer buyer? Unless you get lucky or find a good used trailer, you will need to order and then expect and accept that waiting anywhere from four months to a year is the current norm. But there is a bright side. Ordering a trailer versus buying off a lot lets you choose what you want rather than take what you can get. Considering most horse owners keep their trailers for years, it is still worth the wait.
Before contacting a company or dealer, it is wise to research the brand you want and investigate the authorized company/dealer who sells it. Cruising the web for comments and endorsements is your best bet. Once you decide on the brand and company, spend some time sizing up the salesperson. Is he/she operating in your interest and your horses’ well-being or just pushing for a sale? A good clue is the questions the salesman asks (or doesn’t ask.) What breed and size are your current horses? What might be the size of your future horses? What are your plans for a tow vehicle? What is your primary use for the trailer? The more knowledgeable the salesperson, the better chance you will get what you need and want. Also, bear in mind that those who mostly do custom orders are more apt to
PROS AND CONS OF ORDERING
Brio 2 Horse Bumper Pull w/Dressing Room
* Weight Distribution Brackets Only - Full system not included * Adjustable 2 5/16th coupler * Rubber coated coiled cables * Side wind jack with sand foot extension
zero in on what you need and will be more proficient in following the order from beginning to end than those used to selling you something from their lot. Once you’re comfortable with the brand, dealership/ company, and salesperson, divulge what options you are considering, then ask the salesperson what options he/she feel will benefit you in your general use of the trailer. Also, ask which options you might want to avoid. For instance, you might need an extra saddle rack, water tank, or additional bridle hooks, which are “no brainers.” However, something more complex such as air conditioning, may not be a sensible choice based on the model you are considering. Make sure you receive and review all the standard features and options you chose, along with the price and then question items on the specifications list that you don’t understand and ask for more information about those you do, such as tires and type of axels. When you have reviewed and are satisfied with the specs, options, and pricing, ask the salesperson to explain the order-through-delivery process. A company that involves you throughout the sales process ensures that you will get what you ordered. Discuss a realistic timeframe while letting the salesperson know you don’t want to hear it will be three months if it’s going to take eight to ten. If you are okay with the wait, say so. Depending on the model, it may only take seven to fourteen days to build a trailer. It’s the processing, engineering drawings, and getting in line that takes up the time. In non-Covid times, the wait might be sixty to ninety days. But the lack of materials, products, and labor has more than tripled the amount of time.
3500 lb. rubber tor Jane Doe - 5/5/2021 self adjusting brakes Upgraded ST225R751 are tire mounted over
TIP: If you are in dire need of a trailer, consider shopping for a used trailer to use until the new one arrives, then sell it or ask the dealer if you might trade against the new one.
� What is the brand of tire? � What is the speed rating of the tires? � What is the weight rating of the tires?
SPECIFICATIONS
2022 EquiSpirit Brio -- 2 Horse Bumper Pull with Dressing Room
Structural:
**17’ 10” overall trailer length – 15’ body length **7' stall with 3' head area, 5’ dressing room to wedge nose **7'6" interior height – 6' width **Galvanized steel frame **2’x 8’ pressure treated pine lifetime warranty floor **16" and 24”on center steel Galvanized cross brackets supporting floor **Seamless no leak molded one piece fiberglass roof **Rubber lined stall walls to absorb impact **Galvanized steel sheet wall & bulkhead wall W/bulkhead window **Carpeted tack/dressing room floor raised 4” to eliminate lip at door **Galvanized solid removable swinging horse/shoulder divider with no rear center post **Removable center post w/solid removable swinging head divider **Ditch side stall latch to hold center divider against wall **EquiSpirit quick release butt& breast bars **(2) dual opening aluminum roof vents – one over each horse head area **1” Styrofoam insulation throughout trailer – dual wall construction
Jack/Coupler:
**Adjustable 2 5/16” coupler **Side wind jack w/retractable extension for sand foot **Rubber coated coiled safety break cable
Axle and Tire Info:
**(2) 3,500 lbs. rubber torsion axles w/brakes on both axles **Self adjusting brakes **Upgraded ST225/75R15 Goodyear trailer tires with aluminum rims **Spare tire mounted over DS fender w/EquiSpirit mesh cover
Doors:
**Dress door with 20”x24” window **Full height rear doors, (2) point latch w/tie backs & 20”x24” windows **36" ramp over rear doors with special no rust rubber latches **Rear ramp safety latch **(2) 30” side escape doors w/exterior butterfly safety latches
**7'6" interior height – 6' width **Galvanized steel frame **2’x 8’ pressure treated pine lifetime warranty floor **16" and 24”on center steel Galvanized cross brackets supporting floor **Seamless no leak molded one piece fiberglass roof **Rubber lined stall walls to absorb impact **Galvanized steel sheet wall & bulkhead wall W/bulkhead window **Carpeted tack/dressing room floor raised 4” to eliminate lip at door **Galvanized solid removable swinging horse/shoulder divider with no rear center post **Removable center post w/solid removable swinging head divider **Ditch side stall latch to hold center divider against wall **EquiSpirit quick release butt& breast bars **(2) dual opening aluminum roof vents – one over each horse head area **1” Styrofoam insulation throughout trailer – dual wall construction Jack/Coupler: **Adjustable 2 5/16” coupler **Side wind jack w/retractable extension for sand foot **Rubber coated coiled safety break cable Axle and Tire Info: **(2) 3,500 lbs. rubber torsion axles w/brakes on both axles **Self adjusting brakes **Upgraded ST225/75R15 Goodyear trailer tires with aluminum rims **Spare tire mounted over DS fender w/EquiSpirit mesh cover Doors: **Dress door with 20”x24” window
Tinicum Park Polo Club 961 River Road, Erwinna, PA Under 60 minutes from Philadephia Visit Our Web Site For Season Dates And Special Events (Season Runs May Thru Early October) 908-996-3321 www.TinicumParkPoloClub.org
For your peace of mind, ask for a series of photos of the finished trailer before it leaves the manufacturing plant. If something is critically wrong, such as a door or ramp is not where it should be, the problem solving should happen at the factory. If minor things need correction or are missing, it’s easier to fix at the factory rather than the dealership.
Tip: If you plan to buy a trailer next year, you will probably need to place your order now.
We live in a day and age where it is common to buy something from another part of the country. If the company from which you are ordering is states away, be sure they have experienced, bonded, and insured drivers, so if something happens to your trailer while on the road, you’re covered. If the trailer is not going to the dealership first, it should be dealer prepped at the factory and have a knowledgeable driver spend time going over the trailer with you when it arrives.
Tom Scheve, with wife Neva have been advocating horse trailer safety since 1984. Both have given safety clinics at many hose expos around the country and have written numerous articles for articles for national magazines, bout horse trailer safety. Their nationally acclaimed textbook, The Complete Guide to Buying, Maintaining and Servicing a Horse Trailer and Equine Emergencies on the Road (with Jim Hamilton DVM have been adopted by most National Horse organizations. Tom is also owner of EquiSpirit Trailer Company with corporate offices in Southern Pines, NC. For more information on horse trailer safety, visit their website equispirit.com or email Tom at tome @equispirit.com. Toll Free number is 1-877-575-1771. EE