Horse Trailer Buying Tips

When purchasing a new trailer, there are various features to bear in mind. One important aspect is whether the horse trailer will be bumper pull or gooseneck. There are several reasons why you may benefit from either design. Let’s compare these two designs to see which will work best for your needs.

Bumper Pull Designs – Good and Bad Points
Bumper pull designs, also called tag-along designs, are horse trailers that attach to a hitch on the pulling vehicle. The trailer then “tags along” at the back of the hauling vehicle and therefore a part of the whole vehicle.

Advantages
There are many good aspects of bumper pull trailers. They generally cost far less than a gooseneck layout. It’s not essential to drive a pickup truck for pulling the trailer, because of this more people can haul this layout of horsebox with their current vehicle. Normal turns are often more easy because the tag-along design will keep to the line of the towing vehicle. The storage space required is less for the trailer as required for a gooseneck trailer. Finally the trailer doesn’t have to be labelled as a “commercial” vehicle when it comes to licences as the combined weight of both the trailer and pulling vehicle is typically below 10,001 pounds.

Bad Points
There are numerous disadvantages as well. These style of trailers do not present as much room for clothing and tack. Certain bumper pull designs may not be enough for transporting over two horses due to the style of hitch needed for the mass of the trailer. Also, these trailers tend to fishtail on wavy roads, which can be unsafe.

Gooseneck Horse Trailers – Plus and Minus Points
Gooseneck trailers are different from bumper pull trailers in their style of hitch. The gooseneck is attached from within the hauling pickup’s bed using a ball and coupler mating. This design provides several benefits. It doesn’t wobble or fishtail like a bumper trailer tends to do, and pulling is more stable. It provides more area for living space, which can be suitable for camping and overnight trips. The gooseneck is also more easy to back up to and align with the ball while joining it to your hauling vehicle, as you can observe it clearly from the rear window. The gooseneck style is more safe without the unease of the load coming detached while driving on the highway.

Bad Points
There are also some negative points. Gooseneck designs are more expensive and are as a rule bigger so they have to be pulled with a truck that is capable of pulling it. The hitching system is also more pricey for a gooseneck design. A further negative point is that while attaching the trailer, you must climb into the bed of the pickup to complete the process. Also, you will have to take off your camper top from the truck to tow a gooseneck trailer.

The Right Design For You
Whether looking for a bumper pull or gooseneck trailer, you can go online to research a number of styles of each. If you’re budget is limited, you can find many used horseboxes for sale and horse trailers for sale to find a bargain. Think about the plus points and disadvantages of each design before making a purchase. For more information and horses for sale, visit the Horse and Pony Directory