Any Cheval Liberte Trailer Owners With Dangerous Floor?

Another thumbs up for JSW as they were the ones who eventually sorted my refund out. The guy in Wales and has an appalling customer care attitude, wasn't the slightest bit concerned that mmy horse had gone through the floor of the trailer and I can't understand why CL France continue to employ him. He must have lost CL so much business already. I feel sorry for the Dealerships having to deal with him on a regular basis.
 
evj said:
I was going to but one of the XL single trailers but after reading this ill be going with the Bates!
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From 2009 those 1000 series trailers were made with an aluminium floor and not a wooden floor so it does depend on the year of the trailer
 
It's not just CL trailers that have issues. I had an Ifor Williams 510, ally floor. My 16hh TB gelding wrecked the partition when I braked suddenly for car driver. I didn't realise the mess he had made of the trailer (he travelled the rest of the way as good as gold) untill I pulled down the rear ramp at the hunt meet to find the front part of the partition resting on his head and the rear part on his backside. He was standing astride the breast bar which had ripped out of the front part of the partition and was resting at an angle with one end on the floor. As he had recoiled and hit the breech bar, that had ripped out as well. I had to dismantle the entire partition just to get him out. When I inspected the damage, it was obvious why the thing had disintegrated. The breast bar is attached to the front part of the partition frame. The frame is NOT welded at the corners, but only riveted to the internal structure of the front part of the partition, which is - a plate of metal about as thick as a tin can with POLYSTYRENE as the central core!!! I was shocked to think that any manufacturer could possible think that this is strong enough. When I contacted Ifor Williams, they said that they used polystyrene instead of plywood in order to make the partitions light enough for women to dismantle!!! What about the strength for the horse!!!
I had a special, strong partition made instead - welded corners and thick marine plywood core.
 
I bought a second hand CL and the floor appearedto be in good order. About 6 months later my horse became very difficult to load. We were coming home from a show one day when he started to get very upset just as we were leaving. When I checked him i found that to my absolute horror i could see daylight between the floor and the wall
It was an incredibly lucky escape, and lesson learned. I bought a new I W with Al floor and check it frequently!
 
MY horse fell through the floor of my cheval trailer, she is very luck to be alive.
Trading standards are useless even though the wood on the floor was the cheap compressed stuff meant for shed roofs. We had no way of telling because the floor is rubber sealed on top and fiberglass underneath.
We eventually got a new gold trailer as compensation.
The chap in Wales (Arwell) is a total ****! in my opinion all the 2003 model year 2007 should be recalled and the floors replaced.
I was told by the local dealer there is a batch of these trailers out there! they know it but its cheaper do deal with them as they come along than recall all of them.
 
clait said:
MY horse fell through the floor of my cheval trailer, she is very luck to be alive.
Trading standards are useless even though the wood on the floor was the cheap compressed stuff meant for shed roofs. We had no way of telling because the floor is rubber sealed on top and fiberglass underneath.
We eventually got a new gold trailer as compensation.
The chap in Wales (Arwell) is a total ****! in my opinion all the 2003 model year 2007 should be recalled and the floors replaced.
I was told by the local dealer there is a batch of these trailers out there! they know it but its cheaper do deal with them as they come along than recall all of them.
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Hi i have this trailer within the recall date. The person I bought it off doesn't remember where they got it from but the guy in Wales said it needs to go back to the original dealer. Is there a way around it as I really want it changed :(
 
Jen_Cots said:
Most trailer manufacturers have had problems

Our ifor severed the back legs of my fathers hunter, because they used composite ply floors and didn't bother sealing the edges; so a 2ft x 2ft section dropped out

They just paid us to keep quiet and offered very cheap ali floor refits for £300!
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Sorry - SEVERED the back legs? As in they were cut off? And you only got £300? Seriously?!!!
 
Hiya, Haven't read the entire thread- but yes my horse went through the floor of my 2003 CL- Bought new 2008. Had an aliminium floor put in last year. Should never have bought a trailer with a plywood floor but I figured it was new and sealed etc.. Big mistake!
 
not read the entire thread but i was looking at buying a CL GT2 - brand new as im aware about floors but didnt reaslie about this?!!

i need this type of trailer due to weight :/// bad idea??
 
noodle_ said:
not read the entire thread but i was looking at buying a CL GT2 - brand new as im aware about floors but didnt reaslie about this?!!

i need this type of trailer due to weight :/// bad idea??
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They are fine now I think, was just one batch of dodgy wood! I think they fit aluminium now :)
 
For the record and in the interests of balanced debate - of which there seems to have been a bit of a lack at times in this thread - I've had a CL Pulman 2003XL for 9 years - purchased new in 2006. It has always been reliable and never let us down - it has carried my kids ponies and horses to shows and events across the Midlands, and, over the last 4 years, my daughter's horse to and from University with her - she's a Veterinary Student (investing for the future :) ).

The people at CL in Wales have always been steady, considered and helpful, although perhaps a little slow at times, however, I have no complaints.

The FLOOR of our trailer is as solid today as when it was new and has never given cause for concern.

A week ago, the horse, Colin, decided he didn't want to come home from university. After taking hours to load, the Land Rover wouldn't start because the lights had been on and drained the battery. Colin was now on a trailer where he didn't want to be and decided to escape - he didn't, but did get himself tangled up in metalwork and fibreglass as he reared over the front bar and put both front feet down through the groom's box/tack box on the groom's door. He had hit the floor with the full force of his rear.

Whilst the fiberglass box was wrecked, and one of the steel bars sheared, the floor remained sound.

I read way back that a bad batch of material had (may have) been used. Having worked in the motor industry for many years I know how difficult quality control in manufacturing can be when balanced against the need for innovative design. For years (and still) horse owners have wanted lightweight (so they can be towed with smaller, cheaper, less thirsty vehicles), cheaper, prettier trailers and in an effort to meet that demand CL made some changes to materials and design which may have met one set of criteria, but may also have compromised a product line.

Thankfully, those problems were a long time ago, and whilst you should always check that a trailer meets your needs and is up to the job, it would be wrong to dismiss an entire range of superb trailers simply because of a few problems, a long time ago, with a small number of products.

My last question - in using the trailers, were the operators adhering to the manufacturer's guidelines regarding animal types and weight distribution, as well as vehicle towing capabilities?

Cheers....
 
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