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nadinbrzezinski

(154,021 posts)
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 02:52 PM Feb 2013

Recently we got to do some research on trailer hitches and horse trailers

tragically a cammel died in an accident on February 1st. Well, I could not find definite evidence one way or the other, that these trailer histches are safe, or not. But let me share a site that is tracking accidents nationwide, and proposing that we have no standards and all that.

http://www.dangeroustrailers.org/Home_Page.php

I cannot vouch for them, but at the very least, they have a couple free ebooks from Purdue. I am sure a few DU'ers are in rural areas and use trailers regularly... so just briniging this to your attention.

30 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Recently we got to do some research on trailer hitches and horse trailers (Original Post) nadinbrzezinski Feb 2013 OP
Thanks. MuseRider Feb 2013 #1
You welcome, I will need to learn how to attach and pull a trailer nadinbrzezinski Feb 2013 #3
Good for you. MuseRider Feb 2013 #8
ii will download those books nadinbrzezinski Feb 2013 #9
I found it unnerving at first MuseRider Feb 2013 #10
We have been pulling horses for years newfie11 Feb 2013 #5
Get the wind part, I am in NE Kansas. MuseRider Feb 2013 #7
One of our tires came off the stock trailer newfie11 Feb 2013 #14
Good god I would have passed out! MuseRider Feb 2013 #17
OMG!! I would have passed out if it was my trailer newfie11 Feb 2013 #24
Are you acquiring a horse? Leslie Valley Feb 2013 #2
it's been a long time since I pulled a horse trailer or did research into it magical thyme Feb 2013 #4
If your in a windy area beware a horse van nt newfie11 Feb 2013 #6
if it's windy out, I'm staying home. magical thyme Feb 2013 #11
Arabs are what we have newfie11 Feb 2013 #12
I love my little girl magical thyme Feb 2013 #21
Lol newfie11 Feb 2013 #25
my little princess is mostly Crabbet magical thyme Feb 2013 #28
Yes having horses does lead to a money pit newfie11 Feb 2013 #30
Not much to add to the already excellent contributions on this thread but vans are/were best because riderinthestorm Feb 2013 #16
have you seen the new european designed 2-horse vans? magical thyme Feb 2013 #19
No but now you've piqued my curiosity I'm going to have to go look at them riderinthestorm Feb 2013 #20
I'll save you the trouble of digging magical thyme Feb 2013 #22
Damn you!!! riderinthestorm Feb 2013 #27
misery loves company! magical thyme Feb 2013 #29
No real experience with 5th wheel here, HooptieWagon Feb 2013 #13
good stuff Mosby Feb 2013 #23
Triple check the doors are latched! polly7 Feb 2013 #15
Yes yes yes newfie11 Feb 2013 #18
Thank goodness you were able to stop them. polly7 Feb 2013 #26

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
1. Thanks.
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:01 PM
Feb 2013

For me the issue is that I so wish I had a duelly (I don't know how to spell that) because I have heard it is so much safer when pulling a 5th wheel. I pull fine but always worry. I was driving behind a large horse trailer many years ago on a mountain pass in Colorado. The drop off was pretty spectacular and they lost a tire off the trailer, it bounced over the side and down the drop off to who knows where. They said later that if they had not had those extra tires they feared they would have lost control.

Hitches have never been a problem for me but I guess I had better take a look at your info. Thanks. Always best to be informed.

 

nadinbrzezinski

(154,021 posts)
3. You welcome, I will need to learn how to attach and pull a trailer
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:22 PM
Feb 2013

The jeep can pull a SMALL one and we cover fires regularly. If the only way we can help somebody out, is by pulling.

Yeah, I know, it is technically NOT part of my job as a reporter, but I have been accused by local fire and police people of not being jaded, and not being "normal."

Of course I am jaded, but that does not mean I will not offer a bottle of water to somebody who needs it, a plush to a scared kid, or a pull to an owner in need.

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
8. Good for you.
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:49 PM
Feb 2013

A small bumper pull would not be a big problem. Should handle that pretty easily, even climbing. Good luck, don't forget the chain and always always do a triple check of the hitch and gear. Of course you know that but I have to always say it.

 

nadinbrzezinski

(154,021 posts)
9. ii will download those books
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:50 PM
Feb 2013

as part of the research I went over the trailer specs for the state of california and the manual has a safety list as well.

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
10. I found it unnerving at first
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:55 PM
Feb 2013

but was trying to learn all by myself. I did it. I still have a hard time backing straight but I can get it done. If you wear glasses with progressive lenses you may have to take them off to match the hitch to the trailer. Watch the wind. I see newfie has been talking about that but it is very important. My first haul I had 3 of my horses headed to a show. I was pulling through the Flint Hills and was fine until I got to the bigger hills. Since it had been like pulling nothing before I was stunned and really freaked out when I passed my first big hill and was hit but a huge gust of wind. Always remember the wind and be ready for it. For me that is the hardest part of pulling.

newfie11

(8,159 posts)
5. We have been pulling horses for years
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:35 PM
Feb 2013

Yes we have a 5th wheel hitch. We have hauled from NC to MI to IL to SD to ND to NE. Whew! We move a lot.
Anyway our first 4 trucks were 1 ton fords but not dually. Pulled a 28 foot heavy Cherokee Stock trailor.
We now have a 2005 dodge diesel dually (bought new) and have been pulling another stock trailor.

I have found the dually handles much better in wind ( this is western Nebraska).
However with no weight on it the traction in snow or mud is not as good as the single tires.

Don't get a short box if your hauling a 5th wheel.

Hope this helps. Never pulled a bumper trailor so can't help you there.

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
7. Get the wind part, I am in NE Kansas.
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:47 PM
Feb 2013

I already have my gear, a Dodge 3/4 ton with 4 wheel drive and a heavy duty package but I do have a short bed. It pulls like a charm but worry about tire issues all the time (I just blew out a rear on my Smart Car mere feet from the entrance to the highway last week YIKES). I pull a 3 horse slant load aluminum trailer so the weight is no problem. Good to know about the the dually (thanks for the spelling) in snow that would not be good. The other problems I thought about were that it would not fit in our garage or probably even our barns and it would suck at drive up windows but I don't use those much anyway

Thanks. Much luck hauling to you!

newfie11

(8,159 posts)
14. One of our tires came off the stock trailer
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:20 PM
Feb 2013

I had 4 horses loades and going to a horse show in Pierre SD years ago.
Saw it come off in the mirror and go into the medium on I-90.

Drove on to Wall and the gas station put another tire on. We were on our way in less than 10 minutes.
Very odd feeling watching your tire racing you down the road lol. TG no one was near us at the time.

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
17. Good god I would have passed out!
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:29 PM
Feb 2013

That is kinda what happened to my small flatbed that a friend borrowed. She wanted her husband to learn how to hook up and drive the truck while pulling something so she used my trailer while returning it. They hit the first stop light and there went my trailer. It passed them and crossed the road and went on down a ways before they could catch up to it. It has been messed up ever since. They thought it was funny though.

 

Leslie Valley

(310 posts)
2. Are you acquiring a horse?
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:13 PM
Feb 2013

Definitely go 5th wheel for your trailer, more stability and much easier to back into tight parking spaces.

 

magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
4. it's been a long time since I pulled a horse trailer or did research into it
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 03:33 PM
Feb 2013

But I do know from experience that truck sales dealers will lie through their teeth to potential buyers about safety issues. They simply don't understand (or care) what is at stake. I do know that even way back when, much was published about things like the truck frame width and length...SUV's lack sufficient size to be safer from trailer rollovers. And gooseneck trailers are more stable and safer than bumper pulls. Vans are (or were way back when) considered the safest and most stable, along with being the easiest to back.

Thank you for the link, though, in case I ever come into some $$.

So sad that a camel lost its life.

 

magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
11. if it's windy out, I'm staying home.
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:00 PM
Feb 2013

I have an ay-rab. Windy days are psycho days. There be ghosts and goblins in them rustlin', swayin' treetops!

 

magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
21. I love my little girl
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:43 PM
Feb 2013

who looks like barbie's dream pony. And I loved my old guy that I rescued as a 4 year old (I lost him last February, he was pushing 27). And have my eye on another little girl, if I ever manage to save a few dollars.( I'm struggling now...do I get my broken tooth a crown or a second arab )

She's doing pretty well alone....always was ruled more by her stomach than anything else. And is extra sweet to me now that I'm the head of the herd. But I want to go into preservation breeding, and I found a girl with Wadduda tail-female. Fairly rare and she's almost exactly what I was hoping for...

I started a friend's small herd under saddle about 30 years ago. None of hers bucked. Wish I could say the same about mine!

newfie11

(8,159 posts)
25. Lol
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 05:15 PM
Feb 2013

I have polish and crabbet(old lines)
witez 11, skowronik( sorry to lazy to find correct spelling),bask etc. Bred a few over the years and my kids got those lol.
We are now down to just 2 left with us and we're all getting old lol. These will be the last horses for us once their gone.

 

magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
28. my little princess is mostly Crabbet
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 05:49 PM
Feb 2013

and Davenport in her damline, but with one cross to Witez II and a little SO and Babson. She has 19 crosses to Wadduda and 11 crosses to #1 in the registry, the Hamidie import Negdme, who is her tail female. Her sire is CMK and Polish, including Skowronek, but with 2 crosses to Bask and 2 crosses to the SE, Hallany Mistanny.

She has 3 very high quality dressage/sport horse gaits, a classic head with moderate dish and big, beautiful eyes. Her crinkly forelock is well past her eyes, her mane past her neck and her tail is just starting to drag on the ground when she isn't flagging. As if that wasn't enough, she is a dark mahogany/black bay with extreme rabicano roaning, so in the summer especially she looks like she's sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, and from a distance a smokey blue roan body. Unfortunately, she didn't get her brother's calm, laid back temperament and she has a major, major bronc-busting buck. As long as I keep her diet under control, she stays fine. But if she even looks at food....aaaack!

The mare I'm drooling and fantasizing about is mostly CMK with what looks like a zillion crosses to Skorownek. Her tail female line is the only Davenport, with a couple crosses to Urfah and one to Wadduda. Her sire line comes from a famous CMK stallion, Lewisfield Sun God, who died young but spawned a small group of golden and liver flaxen chestnuts. She looks like a dark golden flaxen in her photos, but they can be deceiving and she could be more copper than gold.

I'm interested in preserving the mtDNA of the war mare, Wadduda, who performed 2 historic feats before she fell by chance into Davenport's hands. She crossed 100 miles of the Arabian Desert in approximately 11 hours. And she also had a famous 80 mile gallop across the desert with a bullet wound to her ankle! Supposedly she is still legendary among the Bedouins.

Also the mtDNA of Negdme, because she was made #1 in the registry as an honor; she was considered the best of the imports at the time.

But I probably won't end up able to. Getting too old and poorer by the minute, it seems

newfie11

(8,159 posts)
30. Yes having horses does lead to a money pit
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 08:59 PM
Feb 2013

But it is better than drinking or gambling. Of course having horses can drive you to drink.

Good luck with you future mare. Go for it, you only live once.

 

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)
16. Not much to add to the already excellent contributions on this thread but vans are/were best because
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:22 PM
Feb 2013

they had an "air ride" suspension and the horses landed at their destination with a lesser degree of stiffness than a regular trailer.

They are now producing bumper pull and gooseneck trailers that also come equipped with the enhanced suspensions so the horses arrive in better shape after a long haul. The vans are/have been quickly losing popularity because of this (and the fact that detaching your truck to get to the hotel is FAR more convenient than lugging the entire box around with you!)



 

magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
19. have you seen the new european designed 2-horse vans?
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:34 PM
Feb 2013

I was looking online for the old, cheap used international vans (fantasizing because I'm flat broke, lol) and a large van dealer in PA offers them.

They are essentially large, tall SUVs or pickups with the bed turned into the horse area, with the tilted engines and front end design that allow for better mileage, although you lose storage space. They get 20 mph (I'm guessing unloaded).

back at ya!

 

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)
20. No but now you've piqued my curiosity I'm going to have to go look at them
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:40 PM
Feb 2013

We have the "big rig" gooseneck that we pull with the duelly (and no I don't know how you spell that either), and a small 2 horse Kingston bumper pull that I use with the suv to get to the clinic and local runs but I haven't bought anything new in more than a few years....

Now I've got to go spend an hour indulging in jealous fantasies about other people's new stuff!! LOL







 

magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
22. I'll save you the trouble of digging
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:49 PM
Feb 2013

www.frankdibella.com/

Seeing as I'm so stuck right now I spend my spare time indulging in jealous fantasies of other people's old stuff I'll take your used SUV and Kingston if I can get my little girl up the 45 miles of carriage roads at Arcadia!

 

HooptieWagon

(17,064 posts)
13. No real experience with 5th wheel here,
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:16 PM
Feb 2013

but I've done a hell of a lot of trailering with bumper hitches, towing boats, cars, and cargo. Here are some thoughts:
#1 cause of trailer accidents is over-loading or improper loading. Be mindful of the weight you are loading in the trailer, and its placement. The tongue weight of the trailer should be a minimum of 10% of the total weight of trailer and cargo...less than that results in swaying, which is dangerous, as it can result in loss of control or blown trailer tires from overheating.
Generally, vehicles today are smaller than the past. While a small trailer without brakes can be safely towed behind a full-sized truck or SUV, care must be taken to ensure braking capacity isn't exceeded. If no trailer brakes, then trailer and cargo weight should be added to the towing vehicle's weight...IOW, don't load a half-ton pickup with 1000lbs, then hook on a 1000 lb trailer without brakes, that will exceed the braking capacity of the tow vehicle.
I have found trailer surge brakes work better than electric brakes when travelling forward, especially on the highway. However, surge brakes are a real pain when backing up, especially uphill. Might want to try both types before deciding which to get. All trailer-braking systems have a safety brake in case the trailer comes loose, as far as I know. Some are also equipped with parking brakes.
Trailers tow better the closer the hitch is to the rear axle of the tow vehicle, which is the big advantage of 5th wheels. Extended-length vehicles usually add that extra length behind the axle, making how they handle when towing by a bumper hitch worse. A load-levelling hitch is a big help in those cases.
Trailers tend to be neglected until they're used. Tires go bad from UV exposure, lights stop working due to corrosion, etc. It is a good plan for regular maintenence, like an annual inspection, even if the trailer has low miles during the year. Replacing the tires every couple years is a good idea if you are loading the trailer near its maximum....they get flat-spotted from sitting, and
are weakened by UV .
Manuvering a double axle trailer around tight corners is harder than a single axle trailer. But don't overload a single axle trailer. Get the double axle if a single axle is marginal for the weight youre carrying.
I'll edit to add more if I think of extra tips.

Mosby

(16,168 posts)
23. good stuff
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:55 PM
Feb 2013

I would stress the loading issues, a properly loaded trailer will not sway.

At least 60 percent of the cargo weight in front of the trailer tires and 40 percent behind. The draw bar should be level with the trailer coupling.

Tow more than a couple thousand pounds often make sure your using an electric brake set up.

polly7

(20,582 posts)
15. Triple check the doors are latched!
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:22 PM
Feb 2013

I've only ever had a bumper pull trailer, but had one horse I never tied because he'd pull the whole time (was otherwise a perfect sweetie), and he never failed to lean on the doors and push with his butt. Each door had a front and side latch, which I never used ... but I'd lent it out and they hadn't closed the side latch right. Anyhoo .... I'd just turned the corner out of the lane and checked my rear view mirror - there he was standing in the middle of the road watching me drive away! I'm so lucky ... it could have been horrendous.

newfie11

(8,159 posts)
18. Yes yes yes
Wed Feb 13, 2013, 04:32 PM
Feb 2013

I have seen a trailer going down the road (60mph)with the back door open. Got them stopped with no problem. Always check my doors after stopping to eat etc. just in case someone messed with them.

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