Horse Trailer?

[TrainChaser]

A new-looking horse trailer passed me today, but no horses in it -- unless they were small.

I wonder if many people buy a horse trailer to camp in?  Roomy, tall enough.  Room for a couple of dogs. Seems do-able.

 

[wayne49]

A new-looking horse trailer passed me today, but no horses in it -- unless they were small.

I wonder if many people buy a horse trailer to camp in?  Roomy, tall enough.  Room for a couple of dogs. Seems do-able.

Horse trailers are designed to be mobile barn stalls. The flooring is different and not usually a flat surface. Able to withstand iron shod horse hooves on 1/2 ton+ animals.

I would think they would be a more expensive starting point with less human functionality, and therefore a more costly conversion.

Horse trailers are used and abused (parked out in the field when not hooked up) for a long time before replacement. They are like a shovel. A tool.

I have owned a horse trailer and looked at more than a few horse trailers before finding the gem that we bought. A mother bought the vee nosed trailer with the idea her special snowflake could change in the vee nose. SS would not lower herself to change in the mobile stall. Mother bought a horse trailer with proper changing quarters and we got a great deal. New Jersey.

-Wayne

 

[TrainChaser]

Okay, that sounds reasonable. They just look nice and roomy, and no need to install a high-top! Re: the floor -- just lay down some of those rubbery stall mats, maybe good insulation, too. But they probably are more expensive.

 

[highdesertranger]

actually the rubber mats aren't that expensive, but they are heavy. the problem with most horse/stock trailers is they are narrow on the inside. highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

The old ones tend to be narrow, (wheels on outside of cabin). I think they did this to give the horses support. The 3 horse slant trailers are wider, and the newer ones may be fully enclosed. Here we are getting past the cost of a cargo trailer. I would suggest checking the underside for corrosion from animal urine.

 

[highdesertranger]

good point Danny. especially if it's an aluminum trailer that was not maintained. urine corrodes aluminum. we would wash ours after every use. highdesertranger

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Having been around a few horse trailers in my day and often the one cleaning them out after the horses spent the day in them I can't imagine i'd ever want to convert a used one because i've seen what horses do to the insides of them! But I do agree, some of them sure do look nice when new. They are a bit more expensive I believe.

I had a hard enough time cleaning the bathroom on the 04 travel trailer I just bought, horse trailer to living standards....going to quote Guy's perfect response....Neigh!

 

[TrainChaser]

That thought did occur to me about "horse waste".

But I'm not really considering getting one -- unless I won a new one, which isn't likely. It was just an idea because I saw the trailer, and thought that I would toss it out there. I learn so much from you folks -- at least something new every day, sometimes more.

Thanks for the opinions!

 

[masterplumber]

Having used many many horse trailers over the years, I agree with all the above with one exception. If you can haul a gooseneck there are many with a larger changing/tack room in front. If you make your living quarters in that area then you can use the horse area as a garage/shop area and also locate the potty in there out of the out of the main living space. With a gooseneck you can have a permanent bed in the area over the hitch also which is nice. I have freinds that have this set up - theirs is a shorter 2 horse model which is a little rare, and it has a door from the living area to the horse area so they don't have to go outside to use the toilet, or the solar shower they mount in there. They use it for both horse trips and motorcycle trips.

 

[highdesertranger]

I love the way goosenecks tow. highdesertranger

 

[eDJ_]

Here is a rig that uses a Horse Trailer.   Taint nuttin purdy but the old fellow seems to be a King in his Mobile Castle!

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Here-s-a-nifty-rig-I-saw

It impressed me enough to consider it for a page in my Van Conversion Site.  I think he has an Iron Horse in
his horse trailer.   It gave me the idea to have the amenities of a Class A split between a Van and a Trailer so the
lite travel functions of the Van could be used when uncoupled from the Trailer.  Otherwise when paired with the
Trailer there would be a bathroom, laundry, generator, water heater, water barrel, batteries, work table (fold down) and storage.    The van only carries the bed, kitchenette and refrigeration. But in this modular form the Trailer could be left in a secure area and the Van to go touring in and even stealth camp overnight until returning to the Trailer.    The trailer could be parked at an Airport Parking Lot where it is secure and accessible 24/7 or in a
campsite in a State park that is secure.

 

[ZoNiE]

I've been contemplating a simliar idea. A comfortable Van that is not cluttered with everything, especially the bathroom, and then a nice cargo trailer that has the bathroom and a living/cargo area. With a front door on the trailer, and some sort of tent/boot between them (think bendy bus or subway car boot) and you could have nighttime access between them without going out one side door and into another. Drop the cargo at a campsite to go out exploring.

 

[SoulRaven]

The nice ones are expensive. I watched them do a conversion on the front of one into living quarters, that has become more common. We had 3 of them come through the RV park a couple of months ago. They did not pick up their horse poo.

 

[highdesertranger]

there are a couple of problems with horse/stock trailers. the usable space is usually very narrow, the floor usually sits inside the wheels. the rear of the trailer sits very low to the ground, this is so the animals can load and unload easily. so if you can live with a narrow floor and no ground clearance they would be a good choice. highdesertranger