It appears the 3 horse bumper pull trailer was overloaded with 4 horses in it. The end result was 2 horses dead, 2 with minor injuries, totalled SUV and trailer (the driver was not injured). Warning, the video is pretty disturbing.
Typical news bulletin below. They have a headline and say nothing about it. It is too bad when an accident such as this happens, but considering the amount of people that tow trailers and many of their experience levels with a trailer it is suprising that there aren't more of them!
I wonder if they are talking about charges from the Highway Patrol to the driver or from the horse owners to the driver. They don't say if the driver was the owner or anything. Just a headline to get you to read their article.
On Edit: Copyrighted material, which posting here is not permitted and so stated in the membership agreement, has been removed.
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2004 Sprinter Passenger Waldoch Conversion
1997 E450 Superduty Bus 4" ex, 4.56 gear, DP Tuned PCM +60, Race hauler [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
1997 K2500 6.5l diesel, K&N air filter, 4" exhaust glass pack
1978 Benz 300CD
1976 Benz 300D
Looks like a three horse slant load with tack/dressing room. I have seen others take the partitions out and use them like stock trailers. I wonder if the forward wall slanted resulted in an imbalance in the loading with 4 TB broodmares.
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It might have been tongue-light, but I'd be inclined to doubt it, just looking at where the axles are under the horse compartment. That size trailer should have been capable of carrying that amount of weight safely, if everything was balanced correctly - there's hundreds of 4 horse stock/combo BP's with slant walls out there. Not sure on the tow vehicle, other than it looks long, either an Ex or a Suburban? If it was a 3/4 ton, that should have been a perfectly roadworthy rig - I'm betting driver error.
<font color="green">Around here, we call a bumper-pull horse-trailer, of any size, a "death-wagon"
Especially so when behind an SUV.
Back when I was not quite so smart, I traded for a brand-new four-horse bumper-pull trailer.
After the first week, I spent a small fortune on a fancy stabilizer for the hitch.
After a couple of months, and several near-death experiences, I took a beating and traded for a gooseneck and would not even consider a bumper-pull again.
I couldn't imagine trying to drive that rig, with a load of horses. </font>
About 10 years ago on the 91 Fwy by Yorba Linda Ca 2 girls pulling a 4 horse trailer with a Full size bronco. The horses lived one girl died. I see them swaying all the time around here.
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Build Date 03-12-01 in KY. Towing a 34 foot Thor Tahoe toy hauler 5er.
2004 F250 CC SB XLT 6.0 Automatic Gauges Big Walker Truck Muffler towing a 23 foot American Freedom with a buggy inside
Years ago I had to borrow a trailer to haul 2 show heaifers. It was a bumper pull, and had no tie spots inside, so I had to leave them loose. On the way home they apparently got to fighting or something, as it made it feel like I was doing wheelies, not a happy feeling at all. If they had 4 horses in a 3 horse slant, I doubt they were all tied in, so probably got to moving around, and the driver didn't handle it right. I couldn't tell what the tow rig was, but it may have been inadequate for the load. I don't think the fact of 4 horses was the problem, but more the likelyhood they weren't tied. I haul with my sister 5 horse slant, and nothing ever goes bad, actually, the horses seem to fair better than the old style inlines.
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[ QUOTE ]
<font color="green">Around here, we call a bumper-pull horse-trailer, of any size, a "death-wagon"
Especially so when behind an SUV.
Back when I was not quite so smart, I traded for a brand-new four-horse bumper-pull trailer.
After the first week, I spent a small fortune on a fancy stabilizer for the hitch.
After a couple of months, and several near-death experiences, I took a beating and traded for a gooseneck and would not even consider a bumper-pull again.
I couldn't imagine trying to drive that rig, with a load of horses. </font>
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Interesting. I've been hauling a 3 horse slant bumper pull for the last 10 years with no problems (it's the trailer in my pictures) and an even older one 20 years before that. No sway, no near death experiences. The only white knuckle moments I've had is morons nearly merging into the trailer because they don't look at traffic or the idiots who haul horses at the same speed they drive empty...I'd like to have a gooseneck but haven't found a stock combo I like.
I'm guessing the tow vehicle was more to blame than the trailer. Too bad it happens. Just my 2 cents...
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I don't think the fact of 4 horses was the problem, but more the likelyhood they weren't tied.
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I don't see how that would enter into it. I've put 3 into my 3 horse slant load gooseneck untied many times and it made no difference. I never use dividers and don't know anyone who does. We've also crammed 5+ into bigger trailers untied also. I agree, like already posted, any pull type of a larger size is an accident waiting to happen. What few flipped over RV trailer wrecks I've come across traveling on trips have always been fairly big pull trailers and never gooseneck or 5th wheels.
That's the reason why my big trailers are GN or fifth wheel. I've pulled a lot of trailers in my time and I've gotten rid of all my larger bumper pull and replaced them with the goose necks.
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I haul untied on GN trailers and hardly even know when they move, but bumper pulls are different, you can definitely tell when they move. My use for bumper pull trailers is as cargo haulers... That is why I feel it may have had something to do with it.
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86 F250 4wd, 6.9, T-19 trans, 4.10 axles, opened up the intake, fabbed 3.25 exhaust to self made muffler, 3.5 out to 4" tip. GM prefilter/water separator, Holley Red fuel pump.
92 F350 2wd crew cab, 5.9 Cummins with A518 auto, 4.10 axle, gear vendors overdrive.
Tragic accident. I can't imagine the horror of rolling a trailer with horses on board; stories like these make me that much more conscious of equipment checks and safe driving when hauling.
Having pulled both "tag along" BPs and goosenecks, I wouldn't have a BP. A goose is so much more stable there is no comparison, though I understand some folks must have only an SUV and therefore must use a BP; if so, good trailer brakes, controller, CONSERVATIVE driving, and sway control hitch would be a necessity, not an option. Rookie, suggest you check out the CM/Cimarron [sp.] stock combo GN - the Winstar in my sig. Very well put together all alum trailer [much better build quality than Exiss, Featherlite & Sundowner, IMHO]. We first got a 2 horse, traded it a year later for the 4, slant load. Great, stable horse trailers; the insulated roof and open 'stock' panels along the side keep the horses cool as possible in even hot southeastern conditions.
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Even if they were tied, having four mares squeezed close together, without dividers, could cause a problem. If they got kicking or pushing on each other that alone would probably be enough to get the trailer moving around.
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Beth
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2000 3-Horse Exiss Gooseneck Slant Load
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