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?? about livestock trailers

Soapweed

Well-known member
wdcook said:
was curious as to why you like sliding gates on both interior doors?

Sometimes it is necessary to sort through the sliding doors. For instance, if certain bulls need to go out in a certain pasture, you can juggle things around by use of the sliding doors. We use these doors often enough that I wouldn't want to be without them.
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
Red Barn Angus said:
I have a 20' Titan with a wood floor. I like the trailer just fine but the floor is too slick and cows sometimes lose their footing. Does the rubber floor provide a lot better footing? I am seriously considering trading just for that reason but wondered if the idea is as good as it sounds to me.

The "rumber" floor is also quite slick. We always throw in sand to help with the footing of livestock. I think the ideal thing to do is to get a mix of hot asphalt and gravel to sprinkle over the top of the rumber floor. When it solidifies, it gives excellent footing.
 

the_jersey_lilly_2000

Well-known member
Rumber.........the railroad here redone a trussle bridge in front of our place last summer outta that stuff. One of the only one's they done, testing it I suppose, but they've already decided against using the rumber cross ties on any other bridges. The thing wasn't even complete, with the heat here, the ties were saggin.
 

WB

Well-known member
Chaparal makes a nice aluminum with a poured fiberglass floor with rock chips on top that has good traction. Quieter than any trailer I have seen. Our horses just love it because of the good footing and no noise.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
WB, I did a google search and found several outlets for those trailers, but not much about aluminum livestock trailers. Where did you get those and what is the website? They sound interesting and I had never heard of them. I'd like to check them out.

Thanks.
 

katrina

Well-known member
They say to put the stuff you feed to chickens to make there eggs hard on the rubber floors of the titans and they will roughen back up. My two cents worth is buy a titan and you will be dollars ahead everyway you look at it...
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
We had a Titan and it was a good trailer. The paint didn't stay on it worth beans and it had the bull package and pulled hard. One thing with a Titan, if you have a problem you can (or could) call them up and speak right with Dave, the founder of Titan trailers. We also have a Titan flatbed and had a little problem with the axles and he took care of it, no problem.

We wouldn't trade our aluminum for a steel trailer, however.

Our first gooseneck trailer we bought in 1973 and it was SWAN with brush fenders. Now that was some trailer!!! You all are talking about slick floors, that trailer had boards that ran from side to side, there was an inch or so between the boards for drainage. It never needed mats. Everything stood up in there really good. We kept that Swan til 1989, when we got the Titan. I've often wondered why other trailer companies don't run their boards across like Swan did. I don't think we ever had to replace a board in that trailer in 16 years.

FWIW.
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
FH, those boards run cross ways were bad fo dropping out if they weren't braces enough. It took just some rot on the end to make them fail.

Mortec fab in Williston ND will fiber glass trailer floors and put the rock in them. End wood floor troubles. We have the rumber floors and like to throw a couple shovel fulls of road gravel in for traction, works better then straw.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
That SWAN trailer was plenty stout, so maybe that is why we didn't have a problem, plenty of braces. I don't think I've ever seen a better trailer. They went out of business because they put too much material in their trailers.

What you said makes sense.
 

George

Well-known member
The WW trailer I have has the boards cross ways and I like it - - - On putting something on the floor - - - I use sand, be careful of anything larger as you can bruise a frog with material pea gravel size or larger as the stone does not have the option of sinking.

Sand is easy to clean up as well. I spread sand on the concrete as well when we are going to work cattle - - - an ounce of prevention might prevent injury.
 

wdcook

Well-known member
Thanks to all for the replies. Ended up purchasing a 24' Wilson Ranch Hand yesterday. Traded in my Travalong-local dealer wanted $1100 more to trade than one farther away so he lost out. Came home against a 30-35 mph wind and it seemed to pull much easier than the 20' steel.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
I think you made a good choice. That trailer should last you many moons.
You'll really like that door opening completely around to the side of the trailer. That's one thing my husband misses on the Featherlite.
 

lightninboy

Well-known member
Anybody ever have pebbles laminated with fiberglass over their trailer floor?
We had it done by a local fiberglass lamination shop so the floor would last longer, but I suppose it could be done for better footing too.

http://www.agweb.com/discussionboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7111

I am thinking of patching some bare spots with spray-on pickup bed liner.

http://www.vortexsprayoncoatings.com/applications.html
 

wdcook

Well-known member
Since this has been pulled up thought I would give an update. Have had the Wilson 24' since Jan '06 and have been very pleased. Especially like the folding second door as I can let anything out from in front of it while protected behind it. Much safer than a slider. The only thing I would change would be to have a slam latch on the rear door as you must have room to work the strap latch at the left rear of the trailer when you load or unload.
 

floyd

Well-known member
Weight difference steel featherlite 3700# empty 16x6
aluminum charmac 3200# empty 20x8

Part welded. Horses kicked out a few rivets in the sides. Weld broke on the floor. Tweaked the trailer on a bad dirt road in the canyons going in a long way for plow work with 4.

I have put 8 highlands, & their horns, & a calf in it. No problems. Floor is non slip.

Noise is an issue, just like steel .

Welds break when it is pulled around empty on dirt roads.

Charmac is made in Twin Falls ID
 

cure

Well-known member
Stay away from the eby trailer. I have one and they are real tinny I really like the Exiss if you go with a 24' they have an a three compartment style that is is pretty handy when you are hauling bulls or pairs
 

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