Tack Rooms
Tack Rooms: Tack rooms in the recent years have been increasingly popular in every model of trailer. Some people strictly use them for dressing rooms and others use them to store the show day tack in so it stays out of contact with the livestock. One thing to remember if you are looking at length on a Bumper Pull that the tip of the nose back 3' is on a taper and really doesn't give you a full width across. Our typical Bumper Pull tack is 4'.
Size- The most standard options for tack rooms are 4' to 6'. However, we have made them larger than 6' and can easily adjust to fit a person's needs. It's really hard to go below 4' because the door to access the trailer becomes a problem.
Doors and ramps - Easy access to the tack area is very important in making it a useable space. Adjusting the positions of the doors and the way they hinge helps make the trailer and tack more functional area.
Primary access-These doors are from the outside into the tack area. They can range from 32" wide on up. It has been somewhat standard to put a window in the tack room door for light and ventilation. These doors can be on either side of the trailer depending on which arrangement works best for you.
Secondary access- These doors refer to the doors between the tack and the stock area. These doors are only necessary if you want them. They can be arranged as well to fit your needs but most of the time in the stock trailers we put these doors on the passenger's side of the trailer.
Side Ramps- Ramps into the tack have become increasingly popular on the Gooseneck trailers. It makes the tack a much more versatile area allowing you to roll items in, without the ramp would be hard to manage in that area.
Ramp into tack
Ramp into tack
Secondary interior Door
Flooring and wall covering- We can go from the basic aluminum look all the way up to a completely carpeted tack area. Most people choose a combination of both.
Rubber Mat- In the tack area rubber mat comes standard on the floor. However, some people choose to use rubber wall mat to line areas they think will have heavy abuse.
Carpet- We only use a good quality marine grade carpet in the tack area. Many people choose to line the floor of the gooseneck and the drop wall with carpet. We have some people that like to have the walls also lined with it. We can put carpet on the floors in the tack rooms but try to discourage it because livestock trailers and carpeted floors rarely mix well.
Line and insulated walls- We can use white sheeting and easily line all the walls of the tack room to either provide an insulating effect or give a clean appearance. The lining many times helps keep from denting the trailer from the inside out.
Lined and insulated walls
Carpeted drop wall and deck
Hardware and Accessories- When it comes to the tack rooms it is fairly limitless on what we can add to them to make life easier. We will however, only hit on a few of the more popular options.
Bridle Hooks- These hooks provide excellent place to hang extension cords, halters, coats or just about anything else that you are trying to keep up and off the floor.
Clothes Bars- We typically try to add this to every tack room. It gives a nice place to hang clothes and garment bags.
Pop up Vents- Adding a pop up vent in a tack is a nice way to get fresh air in especially when someone leaves wet feed or clothes in the area for extended periods of time.
Fold up Steps- The fold up steps are a must have in our book. It makes an easy way to access the tack room and it has a simple way it stays in place when not in use.
Combination Lock- These locks provide access to anyone with the right combination. Many of our customers with large families like it because everyone that knows the combination has the key.
Boot Boxes- This is a very popular option in the gooseneck trailers. We typically put them on the drop wall of the trailer and it gives you not only a place to store items but also gives you an easy step up into the nose area of the trailer. These come in various lengths and can be placed against any wall in the trailer.
Shelves- We can add storage shelves against any wall in the trailer and many times the shelves will have clothes bars under them. We can also build custom shelves to fit specific objects you want in your trailer.
Boot Box
Bridle hooks and Feeder Rods
Shelf with cloths bar
Combination door lock
Pop up vents
Fold up Step
Fold Up Step
Electrical and Accessories: With all the modern technology and comforts we are use to the more the electrical packages have become important in the livestock trailers as well. When we look at doing any electrical packages we must first have a breaker box and electrical service package on the trailer. The size of that package is determined by the equipment in the trailer.
12 Volt Power- If you do not require 110 V power but want to run maybe the lights and have the ability to add a 12 V fan to the tack this option is perfect for you. We simply add a Deep cycle Marine Battery under the nose of the trailer in a secure box and this will provide you with power to run 12 V accessories. For extended run time it's nice to add an inverter to the system so it can recharge off a 110 power source.
110 V outlets- These are the most popular items to add in the tack area. It gives you a place to plug in chargers or run that ever important radio and TV.
Air Conditioners- We can typically add an AC unit with a heat strip to the tack area and provide plenty of cooling and heating power to keep the area comfortable. The AC unit side is much more powerful than the heat side but on mild days the heat strip is a nice added convenience.
Max Air Fans- These are really nice 12 V alternatives to the air conditioner setups. They provide good air flow in tack rooms and can also be reversed and used to ventilate the area as well.
Battery Box under nose
Max Air fan exterior
110 V outlet in top rail
AC in Tack
Max Air Fan inside
Other Options- There really are unlimited options when doing a tack room and we welcome you to always call and ask questions about ideas you have to customize your tack to fit your needs. Here are a few pics of some custom tack room options.