Used Horse trailers

[RobA]

I have the chance to buy a used horse trailer (2002 Sundowner Valuelite bumper pull, 2 horse, straight load, with ramp and dressing room). Aside from searching on line sales is there a source for "blue book" values for used trailers like there is for cars?

 

[QRTRHRS]

I cannot answer the blue book question for you but if you don't mind a little incite, I have a few thoughts.

First off, IMHO, blue book prices are just guidelines. For example, there is a big difference in vehicle values between the three "major" ones.

Not to long ago, I sold my horse trailer via Horse Trailer World. While reviewing that and various other sites, I followed prices all over the country. Like horses, there is a glut of trailers on the market with a lot fewer buyers. I saw comparable trailers to mine go for rock bottom even at dealers. I also observed trailers that had many hits but were not selling. More than likely due to the asking price. Like real estate, location is a big factor.

I would garner up some comps and make a low but somewhat reasonable offer. Be polite about it and briefly state that is what you can afford but don't be offensive or whine. Leave a callback number. That's how I got 2k off the asking price on another trailer awhile back.

 

[jayste]

Rob, as Q-horse stated I know of no blue book for trailers. What few times I've borrowed money for one the bank usually called a local trailer dealer and asked them what the value was. I think it has a lot to do with what your area will bear as far as price and supply and demand. I will say that Sundowner is a good brand and that, I believe, the Valuelite is their lower end model. Try your local Craigslist or some other listing others may use for selling their trailers. When I sold my last one I bit the bullet and used a local trailer dealer and consigned it to them. I paid a little for their service but I think it was worth it. I'm saying this because they usually are in touch with what trailer will bring what. You might hit one of them up to see what they think it's worth. Good luck.

Jay

 

[RobA]

Thanks. I've searched around but haven't found too many comparable trailers to see if the price is right. The owner wants $5,000. I looked it over and it looks very clean and I know it's taken care of.

Valuelite is Sundowner's lower end model but perfect for what we need it for. I saw some discussions online about Valuelite's frame having rust problems. That was for 1999 models and I'm not sure if that includes the 2002's as well.

 

[jayste]

Thanks. I've searched around but haven't found too many comparable trailers to see if the price is right. The owner wants $5,000. I looked it over and it looks very clean and I know it's taken care of.

Valuelite is Sundowner's lower end model but perfect for what we need it for. I saw some discussions online about Valuelite's frame having rust problems. That was for 1999 models and I'm not sure if that includes the 2002's as well.

Rob, I can't say anything about the rust issue. I will say that when I first read your thread I did have a 5,000 +/- in my head. They could be right on with that price.

 

[hitekcountry]

The one thing I found to be most common in all the used horse trailers that I looked at (this was more than ten years ago) was the amount of rusting on the under side of the trailers. The trailer may look great just walking around it, but take a look underneath to see what the condition of the floor support is in. One old trailer(the cheap one) was so badly rusted that I couldn't imagine it being able to support the weight of a horse. The other thing was that their prices weren't much less than new.

I finally decided to buy new and the first thing I did to that trailer was to thoroughly undercoat all the steel frame and floor supports and underside of the fenders.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Don't take this as brand bashing. The trailer that I sold was a 2004 Sundowner. Overall, the quality was very good. The frame, bulkhead and gooseneck deck was steel while the floor, walls and roof were aluminum. The interior divider welds were flawless (no sharp edges).

I was the second owner and the trailer showed very little use when I bought it. I bought it while selling and relocating so it was kind of a quick decision. I did look at the axles to see if I could see any damage but do not recall noticing anything wrong underneath.

Sometime later, I happened to notice that the undercoating was seperating from the steel frame. Mostly a cosmetic issue but over time who knows.

The next issue that I discovered over time was that the LED marker lights were junk. You pushed the encapsulated lense/light into a built in connector in the base that deflected or broke off.

Lastly, and I saw this when I bought the trailer but shrugged it off. The trailer had 7k axles with a GWR of about 12,200. No problem there. The tires however were only D rated. To my way of thinking, E range would be better.

The bottom line is to look carefully at what you buy no matter the brand.

Another point that I made in my first post and I want to reinterate is pricing. I was reading a thread written by a well known Texas aftermarket custom truck manufacturer. He stated that because his main business was down that he was selling used trucks to stay busy. He further stated that no matter how much you advertise something, the price is what will make the sale.