Question about transport!

[Mini named T]

Hey guys! New here haha still getting used to the forum! So I have an suv that I’m hoping to add a mini stall in the back of to transport minis, goats, pigs, chickens pretty much most small farm animals! Do you guys think it will be big enough? It’s a murano. I didn’t know if it would work well or not! Please give me some ideas for the setup too as I’ve never done it before haha! Also currently don’t have any minis but just brainstorming for the future! Thanks!

 

[Abby P]

I don't have any experience with converting passenger vehicles to haul minis but what I have observed from researching it and looking at the cargo dimensions in various vehicles is that in order to get what I would consider enough head room to be safe for a larger mini, an SUV or even a smaller Ford Transit type van is not enough. You'd need a larger cargo van or something like that. My mini is 37" and I certainly wouldn't try to cram him anywhere without at least 48" of vertical space and even that would feel a little tight to me, if he flung his head up he'd hit it on the roof. It seems that most of the van conversions using minivans and such are done with the tiny therapy minis in mind. Maybe a really large SUV like a Ford Expedition or something would work.

Anyway in all my research and thinking I decided that I personally would rather get a vehicle that is capable of pulling a small trailer, and then just get a small trailer. That way you have the full use of your vehicle the rest of the time - I mean once a pig poops in your car, you're never driving anyone to the movies in it again! The additional plus is that the small trailer is useful for other farm tasks like picking up hay or other large items, that kind of thing. But that's just my opinion! There are certainly some folks on here who have done conversions and hopefully they'll chime in. I'm hoping, when the time comes, to be able to find a well-maintained or refurbish-able older 2h trailer, a lot of those only weigh 2000lbs or so and can easily be pulled by an SUV especially if you're only hauling minis or small livestock.

 

[Mini named T]

Thank you for the response! Got some great ideas! And yeah the smell would not be good if they used the bathroom haha!

 

[elizabeth.conder]

It can be done. But I agree it’s not ideal. Especially should you you need to use it often or need to haul multiple critters at once.

 

[Kelly]

I converted a small Ford Transit Cargo van to transport my minis in and I absolutely love it! It is perfect for us! It also fits in my low ceiling garage. Easy to park, GREAT gas mileage, don’t have to fool with a truck/trailer combo, all I do is load up and we are ready to go. Here is the thread on my conversion:

https://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/threads/pony-express-van-conversion.139605/
And a thread about the many adventures I, and other people, take our minis on… of course when I go out for an adventure I haul using my van….

Adventures!

Now an SUV conversion might be a little more interesting. Would you take out the seats? Or just use the “trunk” area? If you take out the seats, then I would think it would probably work depending on how big your future mini would be. It would have to be a smaller mini because of the height. As long as he fits in there, I wouldnt worry about him hitting its head. My big horse, Riffics, hit his head in my horse trailer ONCE, he never acted silly again and would always reach to see where the ceiling was located. I would also say goats and chickens would fit. You could probably put them in some sort of caged crate. If you plan to use the trunk only, I’m not exactly sure how you would get a pig or a mini in there or out for that matter. The trunk on my Jeep Compass SUV is pretty tall, my cargo van “trunk” door is much lower to the ground. Now if you take the seats out, then I would probably load up through the side doors and not the rear trunk. You just need to be careful about “flying” animals!! You would need to either tie them up or have some sort of safety jail bars installed so no one comes flying through the windshield or in your lap. You’ll need to put down mats, plastic, or tarps to protect all that carpet from poop or better yet, rip out the carpet I don’t know, maybe trading your SUV in for a cargo van might be easier for you? But if not, I’d say go for it, just remember safety first!!

How do you transport hay and feed for all those critters? My cargo van is surprisingly huge on the inside, with the luggage rack on the back, it can hold 13 square bales (50pounds each) of coastal hay (7 bales on the inside, 6 on the out).

Having had both, a small 1500 & a big 2500 truck along with a 2 horse slant load trailer, or my Ford Transit cargo van, hands down I would pick the cargo van any day of the week. It suits our purposes just perfectly, I am so glad I sold that big ole truck and trailer.

Good luck and keep us updated!!

 

[Mini named T]

I converted a small Ford Transit Cargo van to transport my minis in and I absolutely love it! It is perfect for us! It also fits in my low ceiling garage. Easy to park, GREAT gas mileage, don’t have to fool with a truck/trailer combo, all I do is load up and we are ready to go. Here is the thread on my conversion:

https://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/threads/pony-express-van-conversion.139605/
And a thread about the many adventures I, and other people, take our minis on… of course when I go out for an adventure I haul using my van….

Adventures!

Now an SUV conversion might be a little more interesting. Would you take out the seats? Or just use the “trunk” area? If you take out the seats, then I would think it would probably work depending on how big your future mini would be. It would have to be a smaller mini because of the height. As long as he fits in there, I wouldnt worry about him hitting its head. My big horse, Riffics, hit his head in my horse trailer ONCE, he never acted silly again and would always reach to see where the ceiling was located. I would also say goats and chickens would fit. You could probably put them in some sort of caged crate. If you plan to use the trunk only, I’m not exactly sure how you would get a pig or a mini in there or out for that matter. The trunk on my Jeep Compass SUV is pretty tall, my cargo van “trunk” door is much lower to the ground. Now if you take the seats out, then I would probably load up through the side doors and not the rear trunk. You just need to be careful about “flying” animals!! You would need to either tie them up or have some sort of safety jail bars installed so no one comes flying through the windshield or in your lap. You’ll need to put down mats, plastic, or tarps to protect all that carpet from poop or better yet, rip out the carpet I don’t know, maybe trading your SUV in for a cargo van might be easier for you? But if not, I’d say go for it, just remember safety first!!

How do you transport hay and feed for all those critters? My cargo van is surprisingly huge on the inside, with the luggage rack on the back, it can hold 13 square bales (50pounds each) of coastal hay (7 bales on the inside, 6 on the out).

Having had both, a small 1500 & a big 2500 truck along with a 2 horse slant load trailer, or my Ford Transit cargo van, hands down I would pick the cargo van any day of the week. It suits our purposes just perfectly, I am so glad I sold that big ole truck and trailer.

Good luck and keep us updated!!

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View attachment 44576

Awww love your system it’s awesome! And yes I’d plan on taking the seats down and using the whole back of the car! These are great ideas thanks! and I’ll keep you updated!

 

[BSharpRanch]

I use a Dodge Ram Promaster City Van for hauling 2 minis. I have a cargo net fastened to the anchor points for safety to keep them in the back. I have a lightweight rubber mat for the floor. I add Sweet PDZ and shavings to soak up any urine and I carry a lot of plastic grocery bags to pick out poo when I stop. And the boys have a battery powered fan to help with airflow. I clean out the shavings and PDZ after each use so my van is always ready for anything I need it for.

As a bonus, it's rated to tow up to 2,000 pounds!

 

[Minimor]

The Murano cargo space is only 33.5" high? If that is the case, then it is much too low to haul most miles is. Even a 30" horse would have less than 4 inches of head room, and that is just too low. It should work great for the pigs and goats (as long as you don't plan to haul a few big boars at one time. The Murano is not rated for that much cargo weight.) It also has just under 1500 lbs towing capacity so it will be difficult to find a trailer light enough that is suitable for animals. I purposely bought an SUV that can tow up to 4500 lbs, so that I can use it to tow a trailer with a couple ponies on board.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

I agree with checking the headroom. One of the challenges I noticed about the SUV is the door clearance. For instance, you may have 41" inches available on the interior but only 31" of clearance from the top to the bottom of the rear door.

I'm researching this as well. Be sure to check out Kelly's thread! She's been most generous in sharing pictures and explanations.

Does anyone know if there's a company that manufatures/sells head bumpers for minis?

 

[diamond c]

Years ago ( way back in the late ‘70’s ) I met a man that hauled his mini in an LTD 2 door. He just removed the back seat and the lil guy gladly climbed in and out.