Any Cheval Liberte Trailer Owners With Dangerous Floor?

clait said:
just had a phone call from the nice man at horse and hound, they are thinking of running a bit next week-yipee!
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I spoke to my CL dealer today He told me of 5 trailers he knew about with problems one of which the horse went through the floor , also that he knew there was a batch of trailers with faulty ply wood floors but dont get cross with him ... SHAME HE DID<NT TELL ME ABOUT IT ... . He has one coming in on monday to have a new floor . He can give me a number in Wales to phone to see about a alli floor no way do I want another ply wood one .. And why should i phone he took my money its up to him . Been in touch with Trading Standards under sale of goods act 1979 we have rights .. I spoke to Horse and Hound today we need to make a lot of noise and get these unsafe trailers put right FREE OF CHARGE . I have hired a trailer tomorrow to go out every CL trailer I see I will be speaking to Owner to warn them before any thing happens .. Gill
 
Yes, Gill we should be aiming for the problem to be put right free of charge. CL have made a mistake with these floors and they need to fix it.

I agree also that we need to make lots of noise. The more calls, emails, internet posts (twitter, facebook etc) the better.
 
miscat said:
Yes, Gill we should be aiming for the problem to be put right free of charge. CL have made a mistake with these floors and they need to fix it.

I agree also that we need to make lots of noise. The more calls, emails, internet posts (twitter, facebook etc) the better.
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I have just been on face book and the equine pages i have told owners of CL to get them checked , Also been on ebay to dealers of CL trailers to make them aware that we are going to make a big noise about faulty floors
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I bought one of these trailers from Robinsons in 2007 and even paid to have it shipped to The Netherlands as it seemed to be perfect for what we needed. Got the letter from Robinsons to check the floor and OH and myself have checked it underneath, inside and out,have jumped up and down on every bit we could and it seems to be ok. We have always kept it immaculately clean inside. Totally cleaned out after every trip! but.... now I'm terrified about using it especially as the camera we installed to keep an eye on the horse whilst travelling has just given up the ghost. I now am paranoid and check it all the time! E-mailed Robinsons to say we had checked and it 'appeared' to be ok but wanted advice about what we could do to strengthen the floor. Still not had a reply! Having read some of the posts on here will investigate replacing the floor with an aluminium one , just have to find a dealer here who does it and I know it's gonna cost me a lot more than in the UK. Am expecting to pay upwards of 1000 euros or more but I won't scrimp when it comes to my horses' safety.
For reference, neither of the ramps close properly anymore they have to manoevured (or slammed!) to close. May also get these looked at.
 
I only mentioned the floor in my original post but other things have been amiss with my trailer. The front ramp jammed half open half closed with us within first few months due to a faulty gas hydraulic assister. CL Dealer did post out a replacement but we paid to have it fitted. V poor galvanisation of metal catches and tow section causing rust within the first winter (despite being well greased).
Apart from my horse almost falling through the floor when a section of the plywood gave way at the rear we have also had an ongoing problem with the brakes. When travelling an empty trailer they snatch on every time you brake (no matter how carefully) causing the wheels to skid and screech. Has done it once with daughter's pony in there (won't put my big girl back in there) so no longer use the trailer, it's parked down the drive. Two different CL Dealers have tried to remedy the problem (at our expense) but brakes still snatch on.
These probs have occurred with a lightly used, well maintained/serviced trailer (it was my pride and joy). Front ramp has to be twisted to shut as out of alinement.

So come on Cheval Liberte what are you going to do to solve this mess?
 
micramadam said:
I bought one of these trailers from Robinsons in 2007 and even paid to have it shipped to The Netherlands as it seemed to be perfect for what we needed. Got the letter from Robinsons to check the floor and OH and myself have checked it underneath, inside and out,have jumped up and down on every bit we could and it seems to be ok. We have always kept it immaculately clean inside. Totally cleaned out after every trip! but.... now I'm terrified about using it especially as the camera we installed to keep an eye on the horse whilst travelling has just given up the ghost. I now am paranoid and check it all the time! E-mailed Robinsons to say we had checked and it 'appeared' to be ok but wanted advice about what we could do to strengthen the floor. Still not had a reply! Having read some of the posts on here will investigate replacing the floor with an aluminium one , just have to find a dealer here who does it and I know it's gonna cost me a lot more than in the UK. Am expecting to pay upwards of 1000 euros or more but I won't scrimp when it comes to my horses' safety.
For reference, neither of the ramps close properly anymore they have to manoevured (or slammed!) to close. May also get these looked at.
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you should not have to pay for a new floor it is a faulty batch of ply wood , Keep us updated .
 
The nice man at Horse and Hound told me Cheval are doing something to sort this mess out, so has anybody had a phone call,email,letter?
 
Can anyone actually find a dealer?! I have rung several listed on their website and apparently none of them sell CL trailers, some not for many years! The one I bought mine from has gone out of business, unsurprisingly, as I was mis-sold mine - I was told that it had a polyester floor, no wood involved, but Arwel has just told me that the polyester ones have ply floors under the polyester :mad: The dealer KNEW I wouldn't buy it if he'd told me the truth :mad:

Arwel has said that I have to take mine to a dealer to have my floor checked, and that if it is faulty it'll be replaced FOC, or I can have an aluminum one for £350+ VAT. All very well, if I could find a dealer!!!

Wish I'd just saved up a little longer and bought the Bateson I wanted :( Although having said that, my trailer has given me very good service so far.
 
Haven't read every single post, anyone else had problems with the gas struts? Had 2 sheer off, front ramp and one of the back ramp. Totally sheered off at one end, luckily the ramps aren't too heavy to operate without them but still had to replace them both. Oh, and the bloody grooms door has never fitted right!
 
Hi Lennyfan

Yes if you read all posts (may take you a while!) I've had probs with front ramp gas strut. My ramp jammed half open half closed not long after we bought it new. My local Dealer posted out a new one and we had that fitted. Our front ramp won't close easily. seems it's out of alinement and you have to pull it across and bang it shut which I find really difficult as I've had a spinal fusion so my back is weak. My brakes have also been faulty for past couple of years. Had it to 2 CL Dealers neither can solve the prob. Brakes lock on at r/h side when we brake (however carefully!) causing tyres to screech and skid. Just wonder is it's because the whole trailer is slightly wonky causing more pressure on one side. Needless to say my trailer is sitting down my driveway and is unuseable. This is besides the fact that my RID went through the plywood floor in last year. Feel like sticking the b****y thing on the nearest bonfire come 5th Nov! At least the gas struts would put on a bit of a show then.
 
I also haven't read all posts but having seen some of them asked hubby to double check ours. He told me it was fine as he had got farm mechanic to weld an extra strut on back end last year ( thanks for letting me know!!) and replaced floor at back.

On Sunday reyurned home from a comp to find my precious standing on a hole around his right foot supported only by the rubber matting. I almost feinted thinking of what could have happened if the rubber hadn't held or we'd been on s longer journey etc! :o :(

Please everyone check all parts of your floors!!!!!!
 
Hi I'm a little confused we bought a cheval liberte 2003 xl trailer back in 2005 we bought the version with the polyester floor, as we didnt want the worry of having a wooden floor. Am I right in now thinking that this was actualy a piece of ply wood coated in plastic, and is likely to rot and could pose a danger to my horse?
 
clippityclop175 said:
Hi I'm a little confused we bought a cheval liberte 2003 xl trailer back in 2005 we bought the version with the polyester floor, as we didnt want the worry of having a wooden floor. Am I right in now thinking that this was actualy a piece of ply wood coated in plastic, and is likely to rot and could pose a danger to my horse?
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The chap from CL told me yesterday that all the floors were wood then, so this polyester was a coating.

Gutted. Wouldn't have bought it if I'd known.
 
Took mine to Anglia Trailers in Bury St Edmunds yesterday.
I bought my CL from them new in October 2008.
They were very nice and sympathetic BUT said the floor looked fine so they wouldn't be doing any more about it because they hadn't heard anything from the CL manufacturers in France so they are not prepared to replace any floors that look ok as they will end up out of pocket.


How do I know my floor won't fall in after a further 6 months ???

I'm not happy, I just want a safe floor to travel my horse on. I paid good money for this trailer from brand new and have looked after it well, but it means nothing now.

I intend to take it further.

Do we not have enough evidence for 'Watchdog' ???
 
So there's a news article on the floors...

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/tradenews/7544/309772.html

Questions:
1. It says '2 years ago'. Well ours was in 2007 and that's 4 years ago.
2. Surely CL know which batches were affected and they should know where those trailers went.
3. An 'exceptionally low number developed rotten floors'. How do they know if they are not able to say which batches they were and have so far not asked people to check. There could be lots out there.
 
Wonky Donkey - I'm in exactly the same position as you, and not happy! I have kept my trailer immaculate and it's not had heavy use so I'm not surprised it seems ok when the distributors had a superficial look at it.

However, now that this issue has come to light I won't ever be able to trust the floor again! Just in case!
 
Lennyfan said:
Haven't read every single post, anyone else had problems with the gas struts? Had 2 sheer off, front ramp and one of the back ramp. Totally sheered off at one end, luckily the ramps aren't too heavy to operate without them but still had to replace them both. Oh, and the bloody grooms door has never fitted right!
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Gas struts, yes. The way the top of the strut attaches is rubbish and makes the whole thing twist and eventually either the gas strut will break or more likely the bolt at the top will bend like ours did. CL sent me 2 kits to put it right and it's been ok since. The kit makes it less horrible but it is an improvement.

Be sure to keep your gas springs greased otherwise they seize up so tight that they will break something.
 
wonkey_donkey said:
Took mine to Anglia Trailers in Bury St Edmunds yesterday.
I bought my CL from them new in October 2008.
They were very nice and sympathetic BUT said the floor looked fine so they wouldn't be doing any more about it because they hadn't heard anything from the CL manufacturers in France so they are not prepared to replace any floors that look ok as they will end up out of pocket.


How do I know my floor won't fall in after a further 6 months ???

I'm not happy, I just want a safe floor to travel my horse on. I paid good money for this trailer from brand new and have looked after it well, but it means nothing now.

I intend to take it further.

Do we not have enough evidence for 'Watchdog' ???
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Yes, get in touch with Dogwatch. There's no harm in it.
 
My floor wasnt rotten the wood they used was just to thin, and the floor will look fine because it it sealed both sides.
There is no whey of telling just by looking at it or jumping up and down on it.
Come on cheval this isnt good enough, someones horse will die.
 
My plywood floor gave way right at the back. It sagged under the weight of my RIDs hind hoof and there was only the rubber matting holding things up. Had she stamped on the same place or been an unsettled traveller I've no doubt we'd have ended up with a seriously injured horse and possibly an RTA in the process. I still have the floor and I'm not surprised it didn't hold her weight it's just not up to the job in my opinion. When I had my floor renewed last year I was told I had to pay for it as there was no recall. It appears CL knew very well at that point and months before that there was a problem with the floors. Only reason they have admitted it now is due to the number of replies to my thread and of course because H&H have approached them. I still wish to know why French customers had a recall yet we didn't.

I'm still awaiting to hear from my Dealership regarding my trailer which is totally unsafe to use because of a longstanding seemingly unrepairable brake problem, along with all the other faults it's had from new. Perhaps CL may surprise us all and start to show that they are concerned about H&S and Customer Care. I for one would happily contact Watchdog with my story should CL fail to put the wrongs right. I will not be letting the matter drop as I'm so very annoyed about this situation.
 
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