I recently bought a used horse trailer. The process of elimination that brought me to this particular trailer might be educational for others. Thought I’d post a few comments and photos about how I went about it and things I learned in the process.

As you all know by now, I am retired and looking to spend a good portion of my retired life in the saddle. I have identified about a thousand…wait….1,783, I think it was…places I want to go ride. Some of these places will require me to haul a pack horse. Sometimes I will want to take a friend or two…and maybe a pack horse as well.  Sometimes getting to the starting point may take two days to get there or sometimes I may get to the starting point after a full day of driving, so I would like a nice, comfortable place to spend the night. I have on occasion come back to the trailer after several days on the trail wishing I could shower and sleep in a nice, clean, warm, soft bed.  There have been times in which I have been caught in terrible thunder storms and almost had my camp washed away. It would have been nice to have been able to just go into the trailer’s living quarters and enjoy the sound of the rain and thunder while sipping hot chocolate. These and many more thoughts, born out of my experiences on the trail and my desires for future riding, went into my decision-making process about what kind of trailer I wanted.

I decided that I wanted a four-horse slant-load trailer. First and foremost, it had to be able to handle four horses. I know from experience that I will often need to haul at least three horses, sometimes four, but, in all likelihood, I will most often be hauling only my own horse for day rides in the mountains. A four-horse answers all these facts about my riding habits and desires.

I also decided that I wanted, but did not necessarily need a small living quarters. Not anything in the realm of recreational vehicle long-term-living quarters, but something very basic. I would like a space large enough for four people to sit at a table and enjoy hot soup and good conversation about the day’s ride. Therefore, I would need a sink, stovetop, and maybe a microwave, which would require a generator….eh now I’m getting extravagant. I would like a shower and toilet, RV style. That would be nice. I would probably want a refrigerator, propane/electric. How about an air-contidioner? That would be nice in the hot Arizona summer afternoons.

Ah, yes. Storage. If I’m going to have a LQ, then I can’t use it to store all my tack, so it’s going to have to at least have a rear tack and preferably also a mid-tack room. Also, a hay rack on top for extra storage would be nice for those long pack trips that require a little extra room for gear.

Still, I didn’t want a trailer that is 75′ long, but it had to be long enough for at least a little LQ and some tack storage. After spending some time hauling a 28′ RV trailer around, I decided that was the maximum length I would consider for a horse trailer. Any longer and I would never be able to get it into some of the places I want to take it…at least not without significant damage to the trailer.

So, with these criteria and thoughts in mind, I started shopping on the Internet. I quickly found that trailers, even used ones, even used ones more than 10 years old, were well above my budget range. The closest trailer I found, and it was perfect for me, was offered at the excellent price of $16,000 or best offer. It had everything I needed. I simply couldn’t afford it. Maybe after I get rich and famous from my Mexico-to-Canada pack trip….eh, probably not. So, I started watching the classified listings to find what I could that would come as close as possible to exactly what I want, but in the $4-8,000 range.

What I found was 1991 Logan Coach Competitor trailer, listed for $6,000. I had also looked at several other trailers that were under consideration. I made a list of them in a notepad and began contacting owners and scheduling appointments to look at the trailers. I scheduled the best prospects first. The Logan was third on my list. I looked at the other two trailers and decided against both. The fourth trailer sold the evening after I first looked at the Logan trailer, obviously taking it out of the running.

Upon inspecting the Logan trailer, I found some glaring issues right off. Both fenders had been bashed by cutting too close to some hard object and dragging the trailer across it. There were places where rust had started beneath the paint, but these appeared to be cosmetic. Several of the interior  rubber wall pads were missing, however, the trailer did have rubber floor and wall pads. There were several broken clearance lights and there were a few minor obvious wiring problems that would have to be dealt with. However, the trailer had a front tack room that had been partially converted to a living quarters. While there were no fixtures installed, there was room for me to create a rudimentary living quarters. In addition, there was a rear tack compartment with a saddle rack for four saddles, as well as saddle pad racks. Additionally, the horse compartments had a manger shelf running along the left wall, which  created a large storage compartment beneath it, accessible from two large doors on the exterior of the left side of the trailer. There was a hay rack on top as well. The former owner had Gerry-rigged a cable for a generator to be installed on the hay rack, which would power four flood lights affixed to the top edge of both sides of the trailer. There were four welded tie-points on the outside of the trailer, each with a bracket for holding a feed  bucket, something I had never seen before on a trailer. The trailer had four good trailer tires and a spare (truck or car tires on a trailer is a no-no, they will not last and can have catastrophic failures that can damage your trailer). For the most part the paint was decent, except for the few rusted areas and seams on the roof that had been sealed with roofing tar.

All-in-all, it was a solid trailer that actually exceeded my minimum criteria, although I thought the $6,000 asking price for a 24 year-old trailer in that condition was a bit high. I compared it to three other trailers I had yet to look at. These three all had small front tack compartments that would be useless as a LQ, except to sleep in, however two of them also lacked a rear tack, which meant I would not even have a sleeping area without transferring all the tack into the horse compartment at night. The fourth trailer I was to look at, as previously mentioned, sold that evening, before I could see it. That trailer was in excellent condition and about the same age, but a bit smaller. It was offered for $4,800, but likely sold for several hundred less. The next trailer I was to look at was listed at $7,600, but was a newer Sundowner that was in almost new condition, having seen very little use and excellent care, but had a small front tack and no rear tack, and no extra storage or roof rack.

I contacted the owner of the Logan and offered him $5,000, explaining that I was comparing his trailer to other similar trailers in better condition, for which I would pay more, but have less work to do bringing them up to snuff for my needs. He asked if I would come to $5,500, but I responded that I was intending to offer him $4,500, but the trailer I was holding as the second option had sold the night before, such that my second option was now a more expensive trailer in excellent condition, hence my higher offer. My offer of $5,000 reflected my consideration of the labor and expense I would have to put out to bring his trailer up to good condition. Despite the fact that his was closer to the configuration I wanted than the other, the other trailer was in excellent condition with no work required. If he declined my offer, I was willing to pay the extra money for the second option, rather than pay more for his trailer.  At length he accepted the offer.

I was quite proud of my negotiating prowess and felt like we both received an equitable price for our efforts. I paid the man his money and made arrangements to pick up the trailer several days later.

After picking up the trailer and heading home I started discovering where the holes were in my inspection. On the way to the Department of Motor Vehicles to apply for a new title and get license plates, a right rear brakes started grabbing. By the time I got home it would lock up when I used the brakes. The next morning I took the trailer to a shop to have the bearings re-packed and the brakes checked and adjusted. (This should be done whenever you buy a used trailer of any kind. In all likelihood the bearings have not been greased since it was new. It is one of those things that get neglected on a trailer that is not used on a daily basis or has gone through several owners.) After getting the trailer back (and a bill of $243) I started to sort through the electrical problems I had noted. The previous owner had provided several replacement clearance lights that he had apparently purchased, but never installed. I replaced all that were broken. I found that two still will not work, apparently a wiring problem. None of the interior lights, in the tack room nor in the horse compartment, work. There was no license plate bracket or light (required by most states). As I was working on the license plate problem, I found that the bottom of the loading door was completely rusted out and crumbling. This could not be seen without pulling back the rubber pad installed on the inside of the door.

I also discovered that the right rear running board had been run over a rock or something, breaking the welds at the rear, rendering it rather loose. The steel diamond plate cover actually came off in my hand. I’m glad I discovered that at my home and not by watching it bouncing down the freeway in my rear-view mirror! As I checked the lights in the front tack, I also discovered that one of the sliding windows had been broken out. I never would have found that had I not attempted to close the window. The window screen sort of hid the fact that the window was missing. Happily, I discovered that the trailer tack compartment had been properly wired, including a breaker, lights and outlets, for an electrical plug-in, rendering the Gerry-rigged generator wiring unnecessary.

All these things showed with embarrassing clarity, that with all my efforts to study things out and get the best deal for my money, I still let my excitement and pride get to me. I did not conduct a very good inspection before buying. I should not have missed any of the things I mentioned that were discovered by surprise after the purchase. Not that I would have changed my mind on the trailer, but I might have offered the $4,500 I had originally intended to offer.

Now, for what I have learned upon using the trailer.

After getting the major problems of bearings, brakes, and lights squared away, I took the trailer on its shakedown cruise by driving from Salem, UT to Blackfoot, ID to pick up a horse I bought. That is 8 hours of driving at speeds up to 80 mph. I was absolutely pleased with how the trailer performed. It pulls better than any trailer I have ever pulled. I am impressed with the smoothness of the dual torsion spring axles, as opposed to leaf spring axles on other trailers.

By one thing I was greatly surprised. I had believed the manger shelf in the trailer would be a useful and desirable amenity, especially for the additional storage space created beneath it. What I discovered, though, was that the manger shelf makes a very difficult and somewhat dangerous operation of the simple matter of loading and tying-in a horse. As I loaded my horse into the trailer, I felt somewhat trapped, being inside the trailer with a horse I was unfamiliar with.

The fact is, that is a very dangerous position to be in. The trailer has no escape door. You have to go into the horse compartment with the horse in order to close the dividers and lock each horse into its respective stall. In addition to all this, you are somewhat limited in your escape route through the loading door, because of the rear tack that takes up the left half of the rear of the trailer. I found myself unable to reach the tie ring as I lead the horse into its stall. As I turned to unlock the divider from its open position, being untied, the horse took this opportunity to try to turn around. I could not then close the divider, because his head was turned the wrong way. All I could do was lead him back out and try again. I was unsuccessful in getting him to load and stay in the first stall and had to close that divider and load him into the second stall, into which I successfully enclosed him without tying him.  I had to go outside the trailer, open the window, and reach in to tie him. That would have been even more frustrating had it been raining.

This same process without the manger shelf is a simple matter of leading the horse into the trailer, tying him to the appropriate tie ring, closing the divider, and on to the next horse, in just about the amount of time it took to type this paragraph. My next trailer will likely not have a manger shelf, despite the extra storage area. I’d much prefer a mid-tack anyway.

An additional unanticipated issue appeared as I was tying my horse into place. The trailer has pre-installed tie ropes with safety buckles on the horse end and loops braided into place on the tie-ring end, such that they are not removable except they be cut off. I hooked the tie rope onto the horse’s halter, and just about that fast, he had turned his head and put it over the divider. As he did so, the safety buckle dragged across the top rail of the divider and unsnapped. Easy as pie. He was loose again. I decided to tie him with my lead rope, close enough that he could not get his head over the divider again. I was afraid he might get stuck while in transit and panic, causing injury to himself and/or damage to the trailer. As it turned out, the trip home was uneventful, but I stopped a couple times just to check.

In taking a good, long look at the front tack/living quarters, I have decided that with some good planning and design, I can make an adequate rudimentary living quarters there, which will include a propane stove, heater, and possibly a refrigerator, as well as a sink and port-o-potty. I think I can make a fold-down table that will seat at least two persons comfortably for an evening or morning meal. The bed, of course will be in the over-bed portion of the front. I am not in a hurry for this, so I’ll take my time and study things out so I can make it as efficient and comfortable as possible.

Overall, I am quite impressed with this trailer. Logan Coach obviously makes quality trailers. There are a number of things on this trailer that bespeak durability, strength, and smart engineering. I am impressed with how well this trailer, which has been poorly maintained and ill-used, has survived and retained it’s structural integrity and value.

So, while I still feel like I bought a quality trailer that suits my needs at a price I could afford, and overall I’m pleased with it, I think I might have done a little better had I performed a closer inspection before making my offer. I don’t think I did badly, I just think I might have done a little better.

Water under the bridge. This is about the last time I’ll think on that aspect of this purchase and I’ll go on with my plans and enjoy this trailer to the fullest.

Checklist for the future:

– Quick once-over for first impression
– Slow methodical second go-over for details
– Hook the trailer up and check. Note all electrical deficiencies
– Tow the trailer for a test drive to check the brakes and bearings (feel the hubs for heat after towing a couple miles)
– check each window for functionality
– check floor boards – lift the floor mats and look, also look from underneath the trailer
– check for frame rust and cracks. Look under the trailer from front to rear on both sides
– Check roof for rust, recently sealed seams, dents and cracks in metal, etc
– Check the bottoms of all doors for rust.
– Check tires. Ensure that all are actual trailer tires and they are in good condition. Also check the spare, to make sure it is the same size as the rest and in good condition
– Check all moving parts for function. Note any deficiencies
– Using your notes from your inspection, conduct research to find out what repairs may cost before deciding on an offer amount.
– Never get in a hurry. Urgency will cost you money, while patience will earn it.