I came across this little horse trailer for sale on the side of the road for $150.00! How could I pass on it?!
Obviously, for $150, it was going to have issues, but I know a guy with a lot of skills, he can pretty much fix anything, and he’s my dad.
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Was he excited to see this hunk of junk pull into his driveway one early Sunday morning?
Probably not, or maybe he was?
He likes a good DIY, but this little trailer cost him a trip to the eye doctor for a small piece of metal in the eye (this is why we ALWAYS wear our safety goggles), and I ended up putting a screw through his hand, but in my defense, he should have yelled “OUCH!!” a lot sooner.
After giving the horse trailer a good wash with Clorox Outdoor Bleach, and an inspection, I realized that I was lucky the thing didn’t fall apart on the haul over to my parent’s house.
My dad took the entire thing apart and put it back together.
I’d like to say I was a ton of help, but I basically was there to help with the interior lumber, the paint job, and moral support.
THE TRAILER MAKEOVER
To start, the trailer frame had new steel attached and was re-welded. We also painted the trailer frame with Dupli-Color Rust Barrier Paint in flat black.
The brakes, axel, and wheel barrings needed repairs, and we ordered four new tires.
The wiring was all replaced, and LED lights were installed.
New plexiglass replaced broken front windows, safety chains were installed at the hitch, and a diamond plate was riveted along the front and near the tires.
The interior walls were replaced with new 3/4 thick plywood panels, and all the floorboards were replaced with AC2 ground contact pressure treated 2″ x 10″ boards.
A fresh coat of Rustoleum paint was applied in the turquoise color. We added mineral spirits to the paint and used a paint sprayer.
This little vintage cutie is basically all new.
My favorite thing about this little trailer, besides the color, is the escape door in the front. I also like that it was a project I did with my dad.
Even though he probably has nightmares about it, lol.
Would I want to do another trailer fixer-upper? No way, and my dad would not want to either.
Thankfully I had him to do all the labor for free, or else this diamond in the rough would have been a money pit.
Was it all worth it?
Well, I only have a total of around $1300 in materials, so it was worth it for me.
It’s a great little trailer in case of an emergency.
We live about 7 miles from our veterinary clinic, and in case of a big emergency, this little trailer can haul us the 50 miles to the big hospital with no issues.
There is also no denying that it’s the cutest little pony hauler in our area and matches our colorful hobby farm perfectly!
XOXO
Emily
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