Looking for good ideas.....

[Sean]

sounds great matt! can't wait to see you rig it all out! 

[Txmason]

Matt,
Good things come to Good people.  Keep helping others and good things happen. 
Have Patiences.<a href="http://" target="_blank">http://</a>

To get what you want, you need to rebuild about three times.

[BRUTE]

You wouldn't want me to build another bed like mine, it would cost you too much.     If you really do decide that you would like for me to build you one pm me and let me borrow your mule for about a week and I will have you fixed up.  If you had a 610 I could build it off of mine but I don't have access to 3010 for measuring and fitting.  One thing that I will say is that I really like having my bed and I don't think my mule would be near as handy with out it.  We might be able to do some horse trading, let me know what you got....

IF it wasn't for the 3hr drive seperating us I would have already been there... 

[Bryant]

To get what you want, you need to rebuild about three times.

I can definately agree with that!!!  I've been tweaking my setup for about a year now.  Finally getting it about right.

[Circle C]

Paul,
    I was at a SHOT ( Stock Horse of Texas) show up in Stephenville a few years ago and ran into a gentleman with an Easley. I could not believe how it was made. I think the slide latch on the back gate is 1x3 solid stock.
   Since then a friend of mine that trains cuttings horses traded off her 24' aluminum for a 5x16 halftop Easley. Sounds strange to most people, but she knows enough to recognize quality.

   You mention hauling a 28' for years.  Help me out here. Am I going to regret a 28' triple axle after having a 24' tandem? Pulling with a 1 ton truck

[Russ]

No, it's not just you.  Do you have any idea what my wife would do to me if I came home with a rig like that?  Let's just say I'd better be able to live out of it, 'cause it ain't never gonna get parked in my.... errrr her driveway again. Shocked

Very nice rig, though.  Perhaps a fuzz out of my price range (my dog box was made out of scrap from dad's metal pile) but a very nice rig anyway.

The guy who owns that rig basically "lives" out of it like you said. He's booked all but Thanksgiving and Xmas for bird hunts from Corpus to laredo and freer to Raymondville, he saves money going that way just by the light weight of the aluminum.

I wouldn't want the bed he has on the truck, but the Trailer and a slightly simplified version of the boxes on the Ranger (in other words, no seat and boxes on top but the bottom 4 boxes on the 6x6) would suit the way I like to hunt. I could make the same rig he has on the trailer and ranger out of my scrap pile (Kubota shipping cages, thin walled steel in 1x1 and 1x2 tubing) with a mig welder and save ALOT of money.

[Silverton Boar Dogs]

Chris...You will pull the 28' just fine. The triple axle is a pain if you get off the pavement and have to snake around in the pasture. If I were you I would go with a 32', and have a 4' comp. up front then 8' 8' 12' comp. It will pull the same loaded(cattle) and give you a little more options. If you get bigger than the 24' better just go to the 32'.

Paul T

[matt_aggie04]

Don't make fun of this ole girl cause she is dirty but here she is.  I am going to buy some cheap bleach to put in my pump sprayer and see what that will do to the green hue but if you look past that I think you will see a pretty straight clean trailer.  .  There is a little blistering on the bars under the tarp but I have yet to find the first blister even as surface rust anywhere on the bottom, inside, or underneath.   For all of you stock trailer guys....what do you think she is worth?  I will tell you what I paid for it after I see what yall think it is worth.

[Mike]

She's purdy... now we need to fill her her with some swine!

[Circle C]

As it sits right now, you could probably get 2k for it. Maybe more than that. Put a few gallons of paint, and you will double that price.

I like that there is little to no rust at the bottoms, tells me they took the time to wash out the trailer after using it, and did not leave it sitting with manure piled up.

I had heck trying to clean mine with a canvas top.

Once you get the rust bubbles under control on the bows, you can take a pump sprayer with diesel a few times a year, and spray them from inside the trailer. It will help prevent future rust.

[matt_aggie04]

I heard that Mike!  Good idea on the diesel Chris, I have never heard that before.  And thanks Mr. Mason, I appreciate the kind words.  I frequent the horse auction by my house pretty often looking for "deals" and they sold a 16' Gooseneck brand stock trailer a few months ago that looked like cottage cheese for $1500 and I have looked at many other trailers that looked like they have been through a war for $3K and up.  I based this purchase on some of those trailers and picked it up for $2100.  This same trailer from Neckover new sells for $6500 so I figured I would try it out, clean it up and if it seems to be a little long or there is something I don't like about it I could sell it and come out all right.  I really want a 20' but the extra 4' may end up coming in handy, you never know.  A little brasso on the hub caps and knock the barnacles off the top she may look a little more approachable.  

Matt

[Silverton Boar Dogs]

Matt...That trailer would bring $3,500 up here, its perfect. I would replace all the tarp rope asap. You don't want to break that old rope and "fly the kite" as we say. That trailer is in good enough shape that I would sandblast and paint it. It will last forever, and you can get all your money out of it and then some any time  you want. I would also put a hitch on the back to pull your gitter trailer when you got it full up... Great rig.

Paul T

[BRUTE]

I agree with Silverton, if it just has some surface rust get it blasted and painted. It will look good and last you a long time if you take care of it.

Hopefully you paid around $2K... and that was a heck of a deal.

[matt_aggie04]

I spent about $7 on her at the car wash and it looks like a different trailer.  I washed all of the "plant life" off of the tarp and made it all bright white again and washed most of the green off of it.  I plan to hit it with bleach next and see what that does.  I am also going to take the tarp off and buff and prime and paint the small problem areas on the bars because the paint and or primer is still really good in 95% of the trailer.  If I can kill the rust in those few areas and put the tarp back on it should work good for a long time.  I gotta cut an escape door up front but that shouldn't be too hard, I have been studying on how they do it from the factory and I think I have it figured out.  I need to move the rear cut gate forward 2' but I am going to have to do some studying before I tackle that project. 
Matt

[Sean]

looks great matt! can't wait till we start filling it up with porkers!

[Bryant]

Looks like lots of potential right there.  Great find, Matt!

[mley1]

Nice trailer Matt!! You should have plenty of room with that!