Used Horse Trailers For Sale – 5 Things You Must Check to Avoid Disaster!

Buying a used horse trailer can be a great option if you don’t want to go to the expense of buying a new trailer. With the price of new trailers these days, they’re quite simply out of reach of many horse owners so looking at used horse trailers for sale can be a good alternative.

Then there’s the fact that even if you can afford a new one, trailers aren’t that much different from cars, in that the second you drive them out of the dealer’s yard, they lose thousands of dollars in value…so why waste that money. You can save yourself thousands of dollars by picking up an as new, second hand trailer instead.

When looking at used horse trailers for sale though, there are some things you must check to make sure you don’t end up with a lemon. The last thing you want to do, is put your horse in the trailer, then have them fall through the floor half way to an event – that would be devastating!

1. Check For Obvious Signs Of Rust– Rust is usually only found in older trailers, but it’s still a good idea to check any trailer for rust, in particular in the chassis. Some owners will try to cover up rust, while others won’t. A bit of surface rust – just on the surface of the metal, with no layers appearing – isn’t too much of a problem, but you need to make sure it doesn’t go any further.A good way to check for hidden, dodgy rust repairs in used horse trailers for sale, is to run a magnet over the areas of the horse trailer that are most commonly affected – usually around the bottom. If a rust patch has been repaired with fibreglass & not metal, the magnet won’t stick.

 

2. Check the Flooring– A horse is a very large & heavy animal and if the horse trailer doesn’t have a good, strong floor, it won’t be able to support the horse’s weight. When the flooring gives way, the outcome for the horse is usually not very good.Many horse trailers have rubber matting that you can lift up to check the floor, but if the used horse trailer you’re looking at doesn’t or they’ve been pinned down, then you might have to crawl underneath to get a good look at it.

 

3. Check the Walls – If you’re looking at a metal trailer & have checked for rust, then you can probably skip this step, but when looking at wooden trailers, this is very important. Check that the boards (in particular the bottom ones) aren’t rotted and weak as this can lead to further expense down the track.

 

4. Jump on the Tailgate – Not all used horse trailers have a fold down tailgate that the horse walks up to get in the trailer, but if it does, have a good jump on it & make sure it’s strong! Nothing is going to scare a horse more from going in the trailer, than putting a hoof through the ramp on the way up.

 

5. Check the Tyres – With the weight that they carry, a horse trailer needs good, properly inflated tyres. Though poor tyres probably wouldn’t stop most people from buying a used horse trailer, it’s an added expense that’s worth keeping in mind.

So when looking at used horse trailers for sale, don’t jump in and buy the first one you see, without giving it a good look over first. Make sure that it can safely carry your precious horse before you hand over the cash!

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