Horse trailers for moving machines

Bill D · Dec 20, 2019

I see used horse trailers for sale for reasonable prices. I would suppose they lack tie down points and the floor loading would not be that high. But then a horse only has four small point loads holding up a good weight so maybe??? Are they a stronger floor then a utility trailer or about the same?
Bill D.

johfoster · Dec 20, 2019

Not any stronger than any decent utility trailer in my experience, and usually in worse shape too. Plus covered in horse isht for whatever thats worth haha. I re-did doors and floor for a large stock trailer once and was surprised by the lack of extra reinforcement.

I am sure like any trailers there are better and beefier ones, but I wouldnt look for one as a way to get a cheap utility trailer.

cameraman · Dec 20, 2019

Bill D said:
I see used horse trailers for sale for reasonable prices. I would suppose they lack tie down points and the floor loading would not be that high. But then a horse only has four small point loads holding up a good weight so maybe??? Are they a stronger floor then a utility trailer or about the same?
Bill D.

There are many different specs and types of horse trailers, hard to generalize.

Problem with older horse trailers you can get substantial corrosion on the underside through floor members / angle iron / aluminum. That's something that horse owners (back in the day) had to check so a horse does not put a foot through a floor while travelling. [That can be pretty fatal to a horse.].

A larger warmblood weighs about 1200 lbs...

Two to three horse trailer I would not put anymore than about 4000 to 6000 lbs for a machine tool like a lathe and then you have to figure out how to spread the load.

The kind of flat bed trailers that you pull (goose neck or otherwise) that you can load an actual medium sized tractor with large wooden planks/ floor boards are much stronger.

A lot of horse trailers are designed to be as light as possible so they can be pulled by something like an F250 or F 350 or even F150. Even from 2 horse, to slant trailers where you can move 5 horses or more.

Also if you have to winch in a heavy piece of equipment of the order of 10,000 to 14,000 lbs + up a ramp I would not count on the structure of the horse trailer for that.

Older heavier steel horse trailer might be worth a look / re-hack / repurpose, most modern horse trailer use Aluminum.

cameraman · Dec 20, 2019

johfoster said:
Not any stronger than any decent utility trailer in my experience, and usually in worse shape too. Plus covered in horse isht for whatever thats worth haha. I re-did doors and floor for a large stock trailer once and was surprised by the lack of extra reinforcement.

I am sure like any trailers there are better and beefier ones, but I wouldnt look for one as a way to get a cheap utility trailer.

Didn't see you post,

Yeah a horse trailer is much more substantial than something like a airstream (of any vintage) but definitely not as sturdy as most flat bed/ goose neck professional (non -horse) trailers.

moonlight machine · Dec 21, 2019

Corrosion is something you need to inspect for, it may be hidden so look closely. Ever see a horse pee?, gallons!, that wood floor has soaked up a lot of piss over the years and where the wood floor is supported by the metal will be rusty.

gbent · Dec 21, 2019

Livestock trailers are built to a (low) price point. The structure is an integral part of the trailer, so no removing the top. If you check underneath you will find the stringers to support the floor are to far apart for machine tool loading. Then there is the whole thing about having to load from the rear, and then slide the machine forward to get the balance correct.

Used trailers are cheap because its still cheaper to get a new one and sell the old than to fix up the old.

Clive603 · Dec 21, 2019

gbent said:
Used trailers are cheap because its still cheaper to get a new one and sell the old than to fix up the old.

Yup. Only sensible way to do the conversion is to strip it completely, clean up properly, strengthen as needed then re-build to your requirements. When finished first job is to load up all the left-over bits and take them down to the dump.

With care you should end up with "the trailer you really want" in "will go on for years" condition for similar money to buying "one that will do" in "OK for now" condition.

No realistic chance of saving money on anything more serious than an 8x4 sheet hauler but if you are looking for 20 years or so of useful life you can end up ahead due to getting your moenys worth out of a full life re-furb.

Clive

m16ty · Dec 21, 2019

Another thing to keep in mind is that the roof and sides are part of the structural integrity. If you want to remove the sides and top, you will greatly weaken the trailer.

DDoug · Dec 21, 2019

moonlight machine said:
Corrosion is something you need to inspect for, it may be hidden so look closely. Ever see a horse pee?, gallons!, that wood floor has soaked up a lot of piss over the years and where the wood floor is supported by the metal will be rusty.

I have never seen one that is not covered with very bad rust.

DDoug · Dec 21, 2019

m16ty said:
Another thing to keep in mind is that the roof and sides are part of the structural integrity. If you want to remove the sides and top, you will greatly weaken the trailer.

I figured the OP wants to retain those, and maybe even stick a fake horse tail on the back door, to "fake out" the DOT crackdowns.

m16ty · Dec 21, 2019

digger doug said:
I figured the OP wants to retain those, and maybe even stick a fake horse tail on the back door, to "fake out" the DOT crackdowns.

Good point.

DDoug · Dec 21, 2019

m16ty said:
Good point.

Don't forget a few hay bales on the roof rack.....

john.k · Dec 21, 2019

The 2 horse ones have got a divider with posts down the middle.,too...

Chip Chester · Dec 23, 2019

Grave vault delivery trailers have always caught my eye as a possible machine-mover. Overhead arches supporting an I-beam (& chain fall) that extends out over the back end, with a possible outboard support leg. Designed to tote around concrete boxes, so likely pretty stout.

Never, ever seen a used one for sale, though.

Bill D · Dec 26, 2019

Chip Chester said:
Grave vault delivery trailers have always caught my eye as a possible machine-mover. Overhead arches supporting an I-beam (& chain fall) that extends out over the back end, with a possible outboard support leg. Designed to tote around concrete boxes, so likely pretty stout.

Never, ever seen a used one for sale, though.

I have seen trucks like that used by the county weights and measures department. They have big concrete blocks of accurate weights. They load them onto truck scales and check for accuracy I think?
Also similar used to deliver safes.
Bil lD.

Link to cast concrete tornade shelters delivered to your house.

Delivering Your Storm Shelter - Safe Sheds, Inc.

As used in the parks.
Precast Concrete Restroom Buildings by Easi-Set

Milland · Dec 26, 2019

digger doug said:
I figured the OP wants to retain those, and maybe even stick a fake horse tail on the back door, to "fake out" the DOT crackdowns.

YouTube

Start at 10 seconds in...

Ohio Mike · Dec 26, 2019

Chip Chester said:
Grave vault delivery trailers have always caught my eye as a possible machine-mover. Overhead arches supporting an I-beam (& chain fall) that extends out over the back end, with a possible outboard support leg. Designed to tote around concrete boxes, so likely pretty stout.

Never, ever seen a used one for sale, though.

Also seen the same thing used for propane tank delivery.

I got so fed up trying to find a good used trailer I finally bit the bullet and purchased a new PJ quick tilt trailer. It was painful pulling the trigger on that one but now that I haven't I'm so glad I did it. Shopping around saved me a bunch of money and I drove to southern Ohio to get it.

m16ty · Jan 1, 2020

Ohio Mike said:
Also seen the same thing used for propane tank delivery.

I got so fed up trying to find a good used trailer I finally bit the bullet and purchased a new PJ quick tilt trailer. It was painful pulling the trigger on that one but now that I haven't I'm so glad I did it. Shopping around saved me a bunch of money and I drove to southern Ohio to get it.

The local propane company around here uses a trailer without a floor. It has a arch connected to the axles and tongue, with a hoist on the arch. They straddle the tank, hoist it up, and away they go. I do think they have some tubing or something that they slide under the tank, after it is lifted, to support the tank going down the road. I could see something like this working for long things like lathes, but don't know how well it would work with something like a mill with small footprint.

michiganbuck · Jan 2, 2020

Our aluminum welder working out of a home small pole barn shop is rebuilding horse trailers and making a good living of it. With our deer blind work making Slayer wall and floor frames, the horse trailer re-building and walk in work it looks like he makes a very good living.
Yes his wife and young man son are helpers when needed.
I agree with the floor rotting out.. there was an incident years back whee a floor fell through and a bunch of horses fell through on the highway in or near Detroit.
From the net:[ Sometimes the more narrow trailers or trailers with center dividers can cause the horse to lose balance because it squishes them and they can't spread their legs enough to keep balance. Slant load]
We just got into horses with my 13 year old grand daughter riding..No trailer yet but likely down the pike.

michiganbuck · Jan 2, 2020

I have devised a system for unloading deer blinds when we are out in the bush and the buyer does not have a tractor to lift it off. They weigh 500 pounds and the pallet perhaps another 100.
We crib the trailer tires and unhitch the trailer. Jack up the trailer font so the trailer is at a good angle slanting down/back, but with jack stands at the rear to control the angle. Then we pinch bar with 2x4s to move the blind back to near the ramp. hitch a hand crank and line so it can only travel at the given amount of slack and not tip over/down. Takes about 10 minuets and seems safe enough.
The slanting angle makes travel easier and makes the turn angle to the ramp less drastic.
Yes I am planing to get two small caster trucks/dollies to go under and make the slid go faster.

Horse trailers for moving machines

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