1998 Sundowner 3 Horse Slant Load Trailer with Dressing Room

Description

Budget-Friendly Three Horse Hauling in a Proven Layout

Not every rider needs a new trailer. Plenty of owners want a solid slant load with somewhere dry to keep tack, and they want it at a price that leaves money for feed and entries. That is the case this 1998 Sundowner makes. It combines a steel frame with an aluminum skin, a pairing that keeps structural strength where it matters while shedding some of the weight and corrosion that all-steel bodies carry.

Inside, the box runs 17 feet with a 7-foot inside height, tall enough for horses standing up to around 21 hands, and the outside width is 7 feet. Three horses stand at an angle in the slant configuration, which many owners find helps animals brace naturally against acceleration and braking over long distances rather than fighting to stay square.

Up front, the dressing room sits on a 2-foot short wall with a 7-foot long wall, giving you a dedicated space for saddles, blankets and grooming kit that stays separate from the horse area. A manual jack keeps hitching simple, and 5,200 lb axles under 15-inch tires give the trailer the capacity to run fully loaded.

Specifications

• 1998 Sundowner, slant load, 3 horse capacity
• Steel frame with aluminum skin
• Dressing room with 2-foot short wall and 7-foot long wall
• Manual jack
• 5,200 lb axles
• 15-inch tires
• Outside width 7 feet
• Inside height 7 feet, suited to horses up to 21 hands
• Box length 17 feet
• Empty weight 3,500 lb
• GVWR 12,500 lb
• Sold as-is, where-is; dimensions and weights are approximate

Buying an Older Steel-Frame Trailer Sensibly

The 12,500 lb GVWR is the ceiling for trailer, horses and everything else combined, so work backwards from it: subtract the 3,500 lb empty weight and you have 9,000 lb for animals, tack, water and hay. That is generous for three horses, which means your tow vehicle’s rating, not the trailer, will usually be the limiting number. Confirm it before you buy.

Because this one is sold as-is, where-is, treat the arrival walk-around as real work rather than a formality. Floorboards and mats first, since a steel-framed trailer of this age can hide corrosion under the matting; then tires by manufacture date, wheel bearings, brake function on every wheel, and all running and interior lights. Budget for consumables. A trailer at this price point leaves room to replace tires or a floor and still come out well ahead of a newer aluminum equivalent, and the slant layout with a dressing room is exactly what most three-horse buyers are hunting for.

Atlas can bring it to you: delivery is free anywhere in the Lower 48, Puerto Rico is a flat $550, and the typical window is four to ten days after your bank transfer clears. Other options are grouped under Three Horse Trailers, our shipping terms cover how the drop-off works, and the full range is in the Atlas catalog.