advice on buying a new trailer

J

jj4y

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I'm looking into buying a new trailer. Ideally I'd like one that will carry a 17.2 and a chunky 15.2. The only ones I know will take a 17.2 are the Ifor 510 and the Cheval Liberte 2003XL. Has anyone tried a Cheval before...how does it compare to the Ifor? Are there any other alternatives I could look into?

Also does anyone know who tends to offer the best deals on trailers in the north west of england, or maybe into north wales?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
 
I chose the Ifor Williams ove rthe cheval liberte when I bought a trailer a few months back.

Personal choice really, but I just felt the Ifors held their value more and I didn't like the material back of the cheval....I also thought the inside of the ifor 'looked nicer' and more inviting....

I bought mine in Nottingham, but do a search on the two websites and they will tell you the two dealers.
 
i bought the ifor classic 510 and it is brill you can add loads of extras. i printed of from a website in herts an all in price list inc vat of £4000. i took it to my local ifor dealer ( u can find that on the ifor website) and they matched the price. so i got all my extras inc tack pack for less then what i should of paid. i love it. i have the black one. rumour has it that the epona special edition which is a grey colour and they only make 500 is poss going to be pink but im not sure if that was a wind up
 
I recently bought the Cheval 2003 XL and am really pleased with it.

On the plus side
It has plenty of room (both head, length and width)
Split partitions
Padded drop partition which is weighted
Ramps can either be opened as a barn door or put down like a normal ramp. It makes it so easy to clean!
The large grooms door also opens which means you can also unload the horse out the right door
Fool proof to hitch up and un-hitch
Nice and low for stepping in and out
Nice to tow and so far seems really stable
Adjustable bars
Low tie hooks which can be unbolted from the outside in case of an accident and their positioning also means that if it tipped over they won't hang themselves
Non slip floor and ramp which has been great especially since we have had so much rain recently!
Great colour choices - I opted for grey as it doesn't show the dirt!
On the down side:
The 2003 XL comes with a storage box fixed to the grooms door which is a total pain as you need the door open to load or unload as you can't fit in! I actually think I am going to take it off
The handles have become a little stiff but I am going to WD40 them and they should be fine.
Excellent value for money - £ for £ I have a better spec trailer new than I could get from Ifor seconhand.
I really did my homework before I bought and was lucky enough to try other people's trailers before making my choice.
Hope this helps
 
IFOR 510
and you can get double doors on them if you want as well. Weve got the 505 with double doors that are also a ramp.
 
I would definately go for the Bateson over the Ifor. I have the Deauville model & it's well made, tows brilliantly & has a headroom of 7'03" which will certainly accomodate a 17h2" horse. It's very light & airy, has reversing mirror as standard & has 2 saddle racks as standard...Ifor doesn't.

The front ramp opens on the correct side of the trailer so you can offload onto pavement side....not into traffic like the Ifor. It had external tie rings....the Ifor has none. I believe the overall finish is much better aswell & the resale value is very good, they really hold their value. You can even have doublem doors on the back if you want.

I don't think Cheval have been around long enough to really know resale value.

I'm a big fan of Bateson as you can gather.
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I am in love with mine already LOL - bit glum about putting a horse in it and getting it dirty, but it will be soiled this weekend no doubt! I didn't even bother entertaining Ifors after seeing the Bateson at YHL, totally better in all ways, shapes and forms IMHO.
 
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The front ramp opens on the correct side of the trailer so you can offload onto pavement side....not into traffic like the Ifor.

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ah but on country lanes there isnt a pavement whch means that with the others to give yourself room to get the front ramp down you will need to sit on the wrong side of the road, putting you at a higher risk of being driven into or someone coming round a corner into you, also to get in and have a look you have to go out into the traffic. On anything bigger then a country lane you should have the police there and the traffic stopped before attempting to unload horses so it doesnt matter what side your ramp is on. If you break down on a motorway for example a ramp on the wrong side allows for safer acces to the trailer for the people as you have the trailer between you and the on coming traffic.
 
It might be worth your while to take a look at Fautras trailers? I had one in the UK and they were absolutely fabulous.
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