16.2 in an Ifor Williams 401 or 403?

MuddyTB

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Hi,

For the first time ever I've started looking at the possibility of buying a small horse trailer to take my boy out locally. I'd be interested in a single trailer, (if I can find one), and the 401/403 states it can take a 16.2hh horse.

But does anyone use a single ifor trailer for a horse this big and how tight is the headroom?
Is it a feasible option?

Thanks for any replies.
 
Thanks ROG

I'm an oldie so have a B+E licence which makes things easier.
I believe I could buy a 506 or 511 and still legally tow with my car although i'd be grateful if you could confirm this. The car has a towing capacity of 2000kg and my lad will be about 600kg.

I was thinking a single trailer would make sense as I would never be towing more than 1 horse and even with a bigger trailer I couldn't due to weight. I assumed a smaller single would be easier to tow and easier on the car with less weight and less wind resistance. Again I'm happy to be corrected on this.

I've just never seen a 16.2 in a trailer with a 16.2 height limit, no-one at my yard tows more than a 14.2 in a trailer. So opinions on how much headroom a 16.2 would have are very welcome. The horses comfort is obviously my main concern so if I have to I would look at a 510/511.
 
I have been forced to borrow a 401 to move my big 16.3 mare, she's long and is bum high. She is also an exceptionally good traveller but not very tolerant - she loathed the rear facing 3.5 tonner I brought her home in, she got really upset when I tried to travel her in a friend's lorry where she felt the partitions were too narrow. She travelled absolutely fine in the 401, I'd have no hesitation in putting her back in it:) as she'd have very much made it known if she wasn't happy.
 
Thanks ROG

I'm an oldie so have a B+E licence which makes things easier.
I believe I could buy a 506 or 511 and still legally tow with my car although i'd be grateful if you could confirm this. The car has a towing capacity of 2000kg and my lad will be about 600kg.
You are only limited by the towing capacity or actual weight of 2000 so with a 600 horse you could have a trailer up to 1400 unladen weight

most double horse trailers are usually around 1000 max unladen/empty

You can have a trailer with a plated MAM up to 3500 but will still be limited by the 2000 actual weight when loaded
 
From my experience of buying a second hand trailer I wouldn't get too hung up on a particular model - finding a good quality one is hard enough as it is!
 
We had our big lad (16.3hh) in a 401 for a couple of years - he travelled fine in it and wasn't bothered by the lowish headroom. The only issue we had was that he is sometimes a bit iffy to load and did seem to find it harder to figure out the narrower ramp - he's much more consistent with his loading now that we have a 510.
 
Thank you all, looks like he'd be fine if I can find a single. But I won't rule out something bigger if I see a good one.
 
It might be worth considering a long term hire - when I looked into this there were a couple of firms offering the 403 for whole winter or summer seasons.
Paula
 
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