Anyone towing horse trailers? Euro vs US style

[danate]

I'm in the market for a 2 horse BP trailer and I've noticed that you can get the euro-style light towing trailers here fairly easily. Our use case is mostly local towing within a 100 miles for shows and trail riding. Our horses are pretty good with loading, though I've never really used a straight load trailer before.

The one I'm looking at is a Sirius (https://siriustrailersnorthamerica.com/sirius-horse-trailers) and comes in under 2000 pounds in most cases. They tend to be narrow and tall and claim they are designed to "break the vacuum" created by most rectangular trailers to make them easier to pull. Their other big appeal is the hand brake and lighter weight should they need to be unhitched to get to a DC fast charger.

I'm wondering what effect these trailers would have on range compared to a standard 2h boxy slant load trailer (that weighs twice as much).

Sponsored

 

[Heliian]

I haven't towed any horses with my lightning but after decades of hauling horses I can tell you that the weight will be the most influential factor. The trailer you linked looks slightly more aero than a classic 2h bp so you might see a little better efficiency but at the end of the day that drag still increases exponentially with speed.

Just make sure your horses are going to fit in it as it seems to be on the smaller side.

Aluminium trailers are great for weight savings but also less durable. Featherlight made some real garbage that were actually dangerous for the animals if they got spooked or freaked out inside so buyer beware.

 

[21st Century Truck]

I'm in the market for a 2 horse BP trailer and I've noticed that you can get the euro-style light towing trailers here fairly easily. Our use case is mostly local towing within a 100 miles for shows and trail riding. Our horses are pretty good with loading, though I've never really used a straight load trailer before.

The one I'm looking at is a Sirius (https://siriustrailersnorthamerica.com/sirius-horse-trailers) and comes in under 2000 pounds in most cases. They tend to be narrow and tall and claim they are designed to "break the vacuum" created by most rectangular trailers to make them easier to pull. Their other big appeal is the hand brake and lighter weight should they need to be unhitched to get to a DC fast charger.

I'm wondering what effect these trailers would have on range compared to a standard 2h boxy slant load trailer (that weighs twice as much).

Please be aware that Great Britain switched about 2+ decades ago from the imperial (2 inch) tow ball to the EU metric 50mm tow ball on their tow ball & coupler systems. The difference between the two tow ball sizes is only 0.8 mm (the EU tow ball is the smaller one). They had a transition period for this switch and both tow systems were in use, until they weren't.

For a while, with my previous car I towed a US camper trailer with the EU tow ball as that was the only Ford-sold tow system available for that car. The US SAE-spec trailer coupler fit just fine with zero problems on that EU-spec tow ball for about 6,000 miles. That camper trailer's dry weight was only about 1,500 pounds. I now use the Max Coupler tow system with the Lightning.

A search of older British internet links for towing accident stories relating to their switch between the two tow ball systems back then shows a few, apocryphal (no real proof) stories that mix & matching may have contributed to several towing accidents... just be aware. From the older stories I found it was unclear which mix & match side (tow ball / coupler) was the EU-spec side and which was the older imperial-spec side... Anyway, .08mm is a tiny diameter difference.

Of course this British horse trailer, if marketed for sale in North America, might already be equipped with a North American SAE-spec coupler, and if so this would be a moot point. Hope this info is useful for your decisions.

 

[EliPNW]

I tow a standard 2H trailer. I get about 1.2 miles/kWh. I am using a WD hitch and I have the max tow package. With this setup, with the ER battery, I can get about 160 miles. Very easy to tow with, and with all the tech, I can hitch up by myself and for a novice trailer, I can easily backup too.

 

[danate]

I haven't towed any horses with my lightning but after decades of hauling horses I can tell you that the weight will be the most influential factor. The trailer you linked looks slightly more aero than a classic 2h bp so you might see a little better efficiency but at the end of the day that drag still increases exponentially with speed.

Just make sure your horses are going to fit in it as it seems to be on the smaller side.

Aluminium trailers are great for weight savings but also less durable. Featherlight made some real garbage that were actually dangerous for the animals if they got spooked or freaked out inside so buyer beware.

Thanks for the advice. I had been looking at Featherlight, but ran into some of the same stories you mention. I'm looking at the Sirius S80 warmblood version which looks like it has plenty of room. I know weight typically is a factor, but the few things I've towed with my Lightning seem to say the opposite. Really, wind resistance is the enemy. Even the difference between a flatbed with a fold up ramp (wind sail) vs one without was noticeable. Really, the only appreciable difference with this Euro-style trailer is the lack of a decent tack/dressing room. Looking at a Trails West 2H BP for a similar price, I could get it with an insulated roof and nice sealed tack room with water tank, saddle racks, and plenty of space to store/hang stuff. The appeal of the S80 is that if really in a pinch, with the handbrake and decent blocking you could unhitch to charge with the trailer loaded (would be for emergencies only if there was nowhere safe to unload).

Please be aware that Great Britain switched about 2+ decades ago from the imperial (2 inch) tow ball to the EU metric 50mm tow ball on their tow ball & coupler systems. The difference between the two tow ball sizes is only 0.8 mm (the EU tow ball is the smaller one). They had a transition period for this switch and both tow systems were in use, until they weren't.

For a while, with my previous car I towed a US camper trailer with the EU tow ball as that was the only Ford-sold tow system available for that car. The US SAE-spec trailer coupler fit just fine with zero problems on that EU-spec tow ball for about 6,000 miles. That camper trailer's dry weight was only about 1,500 pounds. I now use the Max Coupler tow system with the Lightning.

A search of older British internet links for towing accident stories relating to their switch between the two tow ball systems back then shows a few, apocryphal (no real proof) stories that mix & matching may have contributed to several towing accidents... just be aware. From the older stories I found it was unclear which mix & match side (tow ball / coupler) was the EU-spec side and which was the older imperial-spec side... Anyway, .08mm is a tiny diameter difference.

Of course this British horse trailer, if marketed for sale in North America, might already be equipped with a North American SAE-spec coupler, and if so this would be a moot point. Hope this info is useful for your decisions.

Thanks as well. I read about this as well and the Sirius trailers come with the appropriate size ball mount. I don't like that it lends the risk of coming detached if someone tries to tow it with the wrong ball.

I tow a standard 2H trailer. I get about 1.2 miles/kWh. I am using a WD hitch and I have the max tow package. With this setup, with the ER battery, I can get about 160 miles. Very easy to tow with, and with all the tech, I can hitch up by myself and for a novice trailer, I can easily backup too.

Good to hear. I'm looking at a standard 2H for a comparable price and I'm leaning that way as it would get me a better tack/dressing room. Plus one of my horses is a bit nervous and would probably need some training for a straight load. Thanks for sharing your efficiency numbers with it. Most of my travels would be on smaller two-lane roads, which have been much better efficiency wise than just hauling on the freeway.

Sponsored