Well, I'm finally done. It took me about 4 weeks or so.
I bought this trailer out of Virginia. It's a '93 Shoop 4 horse head-to-head. I brought it home, and went to work. The biggest issue was the rust. All the lower panels were rusted out from water being held by the plywood lining the lower walls.
On the good side, it has new tires and a new floor.
Wow, being my day job is a welder/fabricator I can really appreciate the work you put into that trailer. Was that POR 15 you used on all the seams. That's the way I would do it too. Don't see many steel gooseneck trailers let alone head to tail strait load 4 horse trailers.
Is the bottom skinned in aluminum or just silver painted? What did you end up going with for a floor?
The truck trailer combo definitely look sharp together!
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1994 7.3 I.D.I. Navistar 444 CI
ATS Factory TURBO E4OD Red On white Crew Cab DRW 4:10 w/ AUBURN LIMITED SLIP
3" ATS Exhaust and turbo housing, Banks Trans Command, calibrated pump, K&N filter, Gruss style coolant filter, 203K+MI not a lick of trouble with the motor. now on 16th trans. 10 under factory 100K mile warranty
Alpine CVA-7878 XM radio 6cd changer 3 8" phoenix gold subs 75x4 Sony mobile ES gold 4ch amp, Sony 500W 1ch amp MB quart components in Q forms kick panels. 1 farad cap.
Pro car parts jewel cut headlamps and turn signals
APC clear cab markers, suvlights.com harness silverstar bulbs and L.E.D.'s in the fenders. IT's paid for and its MINE!
Family Toys and tools,
00'F350 psd CC Drw 2wd Bright Amber Western Hauler
SOLD 01' Peterbilt 330 4Dr. Texas trucks conversion cAt 350hp
02' Psd Excursion Limited ultimate Estate Green helliwig swaybar 101K miles
1996 fetherlite 4 horse GN, 2003 sooner 6 horse GN with midtack
Seams are covered in POR15. I liked it except for the fact that it doesn't sand easily. Fine grit paper clogs, coarse makes the por15 peel.
The bottom is mill finish aluminum.
I'm not in to slant loads as most people have, so finding this 4 horse head to head was great. My horse is a 16.2 TB and fits in only a very few slants.
The floor was done before I bought it, but is oak planks on the underside, and treated 2x12s or 2x10s on top.
Part of me would like an aluminum floor, but after seeing the floor in my aunt's '94 6 horse sidekick which she has had since new and always kept clean, and the small holes it is starting to get from corrosion, I'm starting to think that double wood floors are a better answer.
As far as what I'll be hauling, my whole family rides Thoroughbreds, as I do. I am about to start riding for a western trainer so I may haul a few QHs too.
Good work, Phillip, you can be proud of that one for a long time. That had to be a lot of work, but it sure was worth it, turned out nice.
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Part of me would like an aluminum floor, but after seeing the floor in my aunt's '94 6 horse sidekick which she has had since new and always kept clean, and the small holes it is starting to get from corrosion, I'm starting to think that double wood floors are a better answer.
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Mine has wood floors with rubber mats on top, but what has worked best for me for years is stall shavings on top of the mats. Gives horses really good footing, comfortable cushion on their legs, and absorbs pee so it never hits the wood. I lift most of the crap out with a rake(not often enough), and change the shavings about twice a year (also not often enough).
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Good work, Phillip, you can be proud of that one for a long time. That had to be a lot of work, but it sure was worth it, turned out nice.
[/ QUOTE ] Thanks!
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Mine has wood floors with rubber mats on top, but what has worked best for me for years is stall shavings on top of the mats. Gives horses really good footing, comfortable cushion on their legs, and absorbs pee so it never hits the wood. I lift most of the crap out with a rake(not often enough), and change the shavings about twice a year (also not often enough).
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Yea, that's how mine is set up too, and I agree on the shavings.
The other little trick I used was to buy the rubber sheeting, which covers the walls, a little long so it continues on and covers the area where the wall meets the floor so it won't hold urine and manure.
Very impressive, and a lot of work, but you added a lot of value with your 'sweat equity.' Not surprised you had significant rust if the walls were plywood-lined. The aluminum panels, with rubber wall linings, ought to prevent that. We have an all aluminum trailer, and I'm very conscientious about cleaning the alum floor under the rubber floor mats, and leaving them rolled up when not in use; that uric acid will pit and corrode an aluminum floor in no time. I would have preferred a steel frame/wood floor/aluminum walls/roof, but that combo seems pretty rare. How much does that sucker weigh? With a steel frame/roof and double floor [one layer oak], I expect you are carrying a lot of weight [7500 lbs or more?] unloaded. Are the axles and trailer brakes original? Nice work, Phillip.
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2000 F250 4x2 Supercab XLT; Detroit Truetrac ltd slip diff. w/PML aluminum cover; FTVB; BTM; PF pads in the front. DP Tuner stock/60tow/80econ. 203 'stat, Cat ELC coolant, Gauges, Ford AIS, Bilsteins, Michelin LTX M/S, B&W gooseneck in a Line-X sprayed bed; UWS low profile tool box. Towing a 2004 CM Winstar 4 horse trailer loaded with quarterhorses, whenever possible ....
Wife's New Ride: 1999 Mercedes Benz E300 Turbo Diesel Sedan
<font color="green">As it looks like everyone has already figured out, shod horses and aluminum floors don't mix very well.
It doesn't take long to wear holes through the aluminum.
The all around best trailer flooring I have seen is available as an extra in Gooseneck brand trailers; it is sized similar to 2X8 planks, but made of recycled tires with steel-rod reinforcement.
One thing for sure, it won't rot and eliminates the need for seperate rubber mats.
Having my own mill, my trailers get new Oak floors every couple of years, simply because I get it for very little investment; but, a wet Oak floor can weigh as much, or more, as the rest of the trailer.
In my area, about ten years ago, a trailer and four race horses were stolen from the track; the back two horses fell through the floor and were drug until they bled to death; then, the trailer and horses were abandoned on a country road.
The two horses in the front were fine.
For years, you could track the trailer by the blood stains on the pavement.
My trailer floor is aluminum and it has rubber mats in it. I use shavings too. I try to pick the manure and wet shavings out after every use (Note the operative word is "try". I don't always get it done...)
The only thing I worry about with shavings is to make sure they're not too dusty. If the shavings are pretty dusty, I spritz them lightly with water to keep the dust down.
To the original poster, looks like you did a good job. You've got a nice looking rig.
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2005 Arizona Beige F350 XLT FX4 6.0 CC shortbed, 3.73 ls rear, 18" wheels, Tow Command. Additions: Vent Visors, bug guard, Fumoto Valve, Timbrens. Traded for...
Current Truck -- 2008 Black F350 XLT 4x4, 6.8 V10, CC Long Bed, 4.10 rear, 18" wheels, IBC. Additions: Chrome Step Bars, Chrome door handles, Silver barbed-wire pin stripe, B&W Turnover GN ball
I have decided that my next trailer will have line-x sprayed to cover the floor and up the walls 3'. Then just like my current trailers it will have equifoam foam padding, then rubber mats then up to 4"+ of pine shavings. Also couple that with the air ride and careful pot hole and rut avoidance. Usually the value of the horses in the trailer exceeds the value of truck and trailer combined.
We had a problem with our horses being to big for a "Standard" horse trailer. The new sooner is an extra wide. The girls AQHA Hunt Seat/Hunter Under Saddle horses are 17.1 and 16.3. We load the smaller horses in the number 4 & 5 slots in the trailer where the wheel wells protrude a bout 6"-8" into the horse compartment.
I have Also seen where a horse has fallen through a horse trailer. NOT pretty!!! This was at low speeds and the driver noticed right away. But even then there was severe but not fatal injuries to the horse. I hope the find the SOB's that are responsible for that! I HATE THIEVES! Especially horse thieves! To see a thieve do that to a horse he better hope the cops found him before I did.
__________________
1994 7.3 I.D.I. Navistar 444 CI
ATS Factory TURBO E4OD Red On white Crew Cab DRW 4:10 w/ AUBURN LIMITED SLIP
3" ATS Exhaust and turbo housing, Banks Trans Command, calibrated pump, K&N filter, Gruss style coolant filter, 203K+MI not a lick of trouble with the motor. now on 16th trans. 10 under factory 100K mile warranty
Alpine CVA-7878 XM radio 6cd changer 3 8" phoenix gold subs 75x4 Sony mobile ES gold 4ch amp, Sony 500W 1ch amp MB quart components in Q forms kick panels. 1 farad cap.
Pro car parts jewel cut headlamps and turn signals
APC clear cab markers, suvlights.com harness silverstar bulbs and L.E.D.'s in the fenders. IT's paid for and its MINE!
Family Toys and tools,
00'F350 psd CC Drw 2wd Bright Amber Western Hauler
SOLD 01' Peterbilt 330 4Dr. Texas trucks conversion cAt 350hp
02' Psd Excursion Limited ultimate Estate Green helliwig swaybar 101K miles
1996 fetherlite 4 horse GN, 2003 sooner 6 horse GN with midtack
I actually did put plywood back in. 3/4" pressure treated.
Next time I have them out, I think I will dump the plywood and make a steel tube frame for the walls. I was really unimpressed with how the plywood went in and fit.
I haven't weighed the trailer yet but it only has tandem 5200lb axles.
<font color="green">I just took time to look at your slide-show.
That looks like one heck of an undertaking.
I have built a few goosenecks from the ground up; and, it looks to me like you had a lot more work than I did; and, I did more work than I care to do again.
Do you ever partake of the Monday night Sheperdsville horse auction??
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