Making the most of animal trailers should be a high priority if you own one. Hopefully, the farm trailer was in good shape when you purchased it. If you purchased a used farm trailer or horse trailer, make sure everything is in good shape. This might mean replacing any defective floorboards, as well as making sure the braking and hitching systems are operating properly.

No matter whether you purchased animal trailers new or used, you should take the proper care of them so that your investment can last a long time. There are some things you should do every time you return from an outing with animals in their trailers. These tasks include:

1. Removing loose debris from floors of the animal trailers. This includes any loose straw you may have used for bedding as well as animal droppings.

2. Washing the inside of the trailer.

3. Cleaning the exterior of the trailer.

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Check your animal trailers routinely

This includes the brakes, the trailer lights, the tires and the hitching system. You should perform a safety check each time you leave home with animals in tow as well as when you begin the return trip home.

I recommend: While its focus is on the safe use of a horse trailer, the article on trailer safety from Red Jeans Ink is applicable for all trailers for animals including pet trailers. You can monitor safety systems from the cab of your truck with sensors from Truck System Technologies. It carries sensors for animal trailers you pull with a pickup, as well as semi horse trailer sensors.

Learn how to load and unload animals on to your animal trailers

One well-placed kick by a rambunctious animal can do serious damage to a farm trailer, not to mention serious injury to you. Make sure you stay calm as you load the animals into the trailer. Use the gates built into the trailer to pen the animals for their safety, as well as yours. The gates can also keep the animals in one location in the trailer so their weight doesn't shift and cause the trailer to sway as you travel down the road.

I recommend: Colorado State University has an article on the safe handling of livestock that includes information on hauling animals on animal trailers. Rutgers Cooperative Extension offers tips on safe loading and unloading of horses on a horse trailer on its website. It also offer tips for safety inspection of the farm trailer.

Add comfort features to your animal trailers

Let your animals travel in a safer manner with accessories designed to protect their legs. You can also add accessories to your farm trailer so you can haul food for them as well.

I recommend: Discount-Mats.com has a selection of anti-shock mats you can customize for something as small as a dog trailer or as large as an aluminum horse trailer. Spirit Industries offers a product called HayRak that allows you to add its customized horse trailer parts to your new or used horse trailer to haul the horse’s hay.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Animal urine is probably the worst enemy of any trailers for animals. It's important that you remove all traces of it to prevent any wood in the flooring of the trailer from rotting through.

There are trailers for animals of every description. From a horse trailer to farm trailer or dog trailer, you can find just about any type to haul just about any kind of animal. There are even animal trailers for hauling exotic animals.

There is a good market for horse trailer dealers especially. Horse trailer parts and accessories are in demand with a demographic that typically has plenty of disposable income. Even for the horse enthusiast on a budget, a used horse trailer can be a good economic investment.

Animal trailers come with different types of hitches. The most common hitches connect to the vehicle on the bumper, as a gooseneck hitch or as a semi-trailer hitch.

Trailers for animals can be put into three categories:

1. Basic animal trailers that haul all types of livestock

2. Living quarter trailers that have space for people to live inside the horse trailer

3. Specialty trailers

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Check out plenty of trailers for animals to find the right design

Decide what kind of trailer and hitch you want. The most common types are bumper, gooseneck and semi. Next, price the variety of animal trailers for sale to find one that fits your budget.

I recommend: Featherlite, Inc. is an industry leader and can provide animal trailers in all shapes and configurations for all types of animals. EquiSpirit is leader in horse trailer sales.

Consider a horse trailer that lets you stay near your horse

Staying near the horse barn during shows can help you protect your investment. You can also have fancy living quarters in the process. If you attend a lot of horse shows, this might be a good thing because then you don't need to worry about the additional cost of hotel rooms.

I recommend: Look at different floor plan designs from Trailer Marketing, Inc. Also look at the floor plans at Forest River, Inc. If you thought staying with horses was camping at its lowest, you might reconsider after looking at their horse trailers.

Buy special animal trailers to haul exotic animals or your pets

Haul a beloved companion or special animal in a trailer designed to protect them. This type of trailer should have flooring designed to cushion the animal from rough roadways.

I recommend: Buy a motorcycle pet trailer to take your cat or dog on a ride with you. WAGS Unique Motorcycle Trailers offers a large selection. Haul your dogs behind your four-wheeled vehicle with Windsong's K-9 Koach.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Know what your vehicle's towing capacity is before you purchase a horse trailer or any other type animal trailer. The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) rates what your truck's individual axles can safely pull.

Whether you're traveling with a dog trailer, a horse trailer or a farm trailer, you need to thoroughly understand animal trailers safety. The primary purpose of trailers for animals is to keep them safe, but many ranchers and pet owners are uncertain just what they need to do (beyond buying a good trailer) to keep their animals protected. Also, few people stop to consider their own safety when using animal trailers.

Fortunately, there's ample information available about animal trailers safety. One place to start is your veterinarian. Books and magazines about animals may also offer good tips. And the Internet is full of excellent advice on the subject. When studying safety for livestock and pet trailers, consider these questions:

1. Is your horse trailer or other animal trailer safe for you and your
human passengers?

2. Are your livestock or pet trailers properly maintained to protect your animals?

3. Are there products that can improve the safety of your aluminum horse trailer or other animal trailer?

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Keep yourself safe while driving animal trailers

Animal owners often spend a lot of time considering how their trailers are keeping their horses, cattle or other animals safe, but they don't stop to consider their own safety. Besides knowing how to drive while towing a semi horse trailer or a full livestock trailer, there are a number of important things you can do to prevent injury to yourself and your human passengers. These include keeping the trailer and hitch in good working order, replacing tires every three to five years and checking lug nuts.

I recommend: Doctors Tomas and Rebecca Gimenez are large-animal rescue experts who offer tips and guidance for keeping yourself safe while hauling animal trailers in "15 Horse Trailer Safety Tips" at MyHorse.com. For tips on trailer maintenance that could save your life, read "Trailer Check-Ups" at Young Rider.

Maintain livestock or pet safety in trailers for animals

Having a trailer in good condition is probably the first thing you think of when considering animal travel safety. Other important things to consider include: the weight of your animals compared to what the trailer can bear, keeping your trailer clean (animal urine can eat through trailer materials), proper placement of hay and proper loading and unloading of animals.

I recommend: For an excellent article on the safety of horses in trailers, read "Horse Trailer Safety Tips" at Horse Trailer Universe. For details on loading a horse into a trailer, don't miss "Horse Trailer Maintenance and Trailering Safety" at the National AG Safety Database. For a comprehensive "Trailer Safety Checklist" suitable for all livestock and horse trailer parts, visit Save Your Horse.

Consider products to increase the safety of your livestock or pet trailers

Even the most safe trailer may not be enough to keep your animals safe. Safety accessories can also be used with your new or used horse trailer or other animal trailer, including quick safety release harnesses, DOT-approved reflective materials, mirrors and cameras.

I recommend: For one of the most popular and safe quick release trailer ties, see Doctors Foster and Smith; they offer a tie that releases if animals fall and attaches quickly and easily to your trailer. HorseTrailerMonitor.com offers safety monitors designed just for traveling with horses and other large animals. For reflective materials, mirrors and similar products, visit Caution Horses Safety Products.

If you are shopping for a trailer to haul your farm animals, you should be familiar with animal trailers key terms. No matter what type of trailer you purchase, there are some animal trailers key terms that apply to all makes and models. Brake controllers, hitches, flooring and jacks are all common to every type of animal trailer. Read this guide to find out more about animal trailers key terms.

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Brake controller

The brake controller and braking system connect the animal trailer to the vehicle. When you apply the brakes in the truck pulling the animal trailer, the brake controller applies the right amount of braking to the trailer to prevent skids. The brake controller mounts inside the cab of the truck.

I recommend: Brake controller options and parts are available from Trailer Parts Superstore.

Gooseneck hitch

A gooseneck hitch, or fifth-wheel hitch, connects the trailer to the truck in the middle of the truck bed. Part of the trailer rides over the truck bed. A gooseneck hitch trailer can be longer than a bumper hitch and has more towing capacity.

I recommend: Tweety’s RV, Truck and SUV Accessories offer a number of gooseneck hitch options.

Trailer jack

A trailer jack holds the trailer level while it sits empty. Depending on the type and size of the trailer, there may be one or two trailer jacks. Trailer jacks usually come attached to the trailer, so you can disconnect the animal trailer at your destination and at home.

I recommend: You can find trailer jacks at Michigan Truck Spring.

Flooring

The type of flooring in an animal trailer can affect the cost. Treated wood is an inexpensive material found in many animal trailers, but this type of flooring often rots out quickly because it is exposed to animal wastes. Aluminum is another popular option. Different treads are available to give the animal stability while the trailer is in motion.

I recommend: See the different types of aluminum flooring for sale at TruckLine.

Mats

Floor mats are specialty items for animal trailers. If you are hauling horses, special anti-fatigue mats help protect them. Special floor mats are also good for absorbing shocks for smaller animals as well.

I recommend: You can see an example of floor mats at Discount-mats.com.