Any Cheval Liberte Trailer Owners With Dangerous Floor?

Passtheshampoo

Passtheshampoo

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Just seen info on Robinson's Requisite trailers with dangerous floors.
Very interesting as we bought a brand new Cheval Liberte 1003XL in Sept 2007. We only use the trailer infrequently and it's been serviced regularly so hasn't been hammered and has been well cared for. We took my RID mare to a show last September and when we got back home opened the rear ramp and were shocked to see that a small rear left section of flooring had dropped out of the floor frame. Fortunately our youngster is very level headed and a good traveller so hadn't got upset or injured on the journey home, but it could have been so much worse.
We ended up taking the trailer to a CL Dealership to have the old plywood floor ripped out and a new polyester floor fitted by the Cheval Liberte fitter. The fitter also fitted another support bar under the trailer floor which was they obviously thought was needed. I did ask at the time if this was a recall problem etc but was told it wasn't.
Basically we've paid out for a new floor on a relatively new trailer and I'm just wondering if this cost should have been borne by the manufacturer. I was very miffed at the time but was just glad my horse hadn't been hurt.
If anyone else has been in a similar situation please PM me as I'd be interested to hear if you have taken the matter up with the Trailer Supplier/Manufacturer and any outcome.
Thanks Lynda
 
I have a Cheval Liberte which I have had no problems with, but I am just wondering

1. How long was the warranty?
2. Who told it was not a recall problem ie dealership or was fitter just commenting?
3. Did they give an opinion why/how it happened?
4. Maybe you can take this up with the person who last serviced it?
5. Had the floor actually rotted or had it shifted in the frame?
6. Why have you left it another year to act?

Those were just questions that occurred to me reading your post!
 
Hi
The trailer had a 12mth warranty.
The floor was damaged Sept 10 and after having trouble finding a trailer repairer who would renew the floor it was repaired at a reputable dealership in Dec 10.
The Dealers gave the impression that they knew plywood floors weren't up to the job but there was no recall and they didn't say if they'd come across the prob before (otherwise I'd have realised it wasn't a one off).
The floor had sunk where my horses near hind hoof was. It looked as though the back edge of the floor had sunk and therefore slipped off the framework rim.
A previous service had not mentioned the floor but then we check it before each outing and it wasn't showing any signs of rot etc which is worrying.
At the time I was pretty miffed at having to put a new floor in a well cared for/little used 3yr old trailer but was just glad my horse was ok. I do wonder whether the original plywood floors may not be "fit for purpose" and as such perhaps should have been replaced via a recall FOC.
 
I got mine in 09 and after hearing about the requisite we rung up the garage that do our servicing and said it should be fine but we're getting it checked anyway as a precaution.
 
FPErin said:
Hi
The trailer had a 12mth warranty.
The floor was damaged Sept 10 and after having trouble finding a trailer repairer who would renew the floor it was repaired at a reputable dealership in Dec 10.
The Dealers gave the impression that they knew plywood floors weren't up to the job but there was no recall and they didn't say if they'd come across the prob before (otherwise I'd have realised it wasn't a one off).
The floor had sunk where my horses near hind hoof was. It looked as though the back edge of the floor had sunk and therefore slipped off the framework rim.
A previous service had not mentioned the floor but then we check it before each outing and it wasn't showing any signs of rot etc which is worrying.
At the time I was pretty miffed at having to put a new floor in a well cared for/little used 3yr old trailer but was just glad my horse was ok. I do wonder whether the original plywood floors may not be "fit for purpose" and as such perhaps should have been replaced via a recall FOC.
Click to expand...

Yes I bet you were miffed. I would be too!

Only thing I can think is to contact the dealer you got it from. I bet the people who replaced the floor won't back you up though :(

Was your floor rubber covered?
 
Hi
Yes the floor was rubber matted and sealed along the edges.
I would like to advise all CL trailer owners with plywood floors to ask about having the frame reinforced with an extra strut at the back as my floor appeared "sound". It didn't appear to have the infastructure to hold it and the weight of a horse up.
 
Do they make them with Ali' floors nows ? Just wondering as I know 3 people who have bought these trailers within the last 18months. I'll mention it to them anyway. Very scary tho
 
FPErin said:
Hi
Yes the floor was rubber matted and sealed along the edges.
I would like to advise all CL trailer owners with plywood floors to ask about having the frame reinforced with an extra strut at the back as my floor appeared "sound". It didn't appear to have the infastructure to hold it and the weight of a horse up.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I am going to check mine again early!
 
Hi

Yes they come with ali floors now (well there's a surprise!!). I think the thinner plywood floors were standard around the time I bought mine so your friends should be ok. There is obviously a reason why the manufacturers have moved away from the original flooring............. I can't say whether the supporting framework has been altered since I bought mine but I'm happier now I have the extra support under my new floor. Thank goodness my horse is such a good traveller as I'd hate to think what a big strapping RID would have done to the original floor had she been a restless sort.
 
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!
 
Just looked on the one on my yard (which is the earliest bought of the 3) and it says date of manufacture 10 2008 and she bought it new. I'll get her to look on the website or check her owners manual, mattings sealed so can't check and can't tell by looking underneath
 
Mine was sold to me as having a polyester floor - I was told there was no wood in it but I'm worried that it might have wood between the polyester? I said I didn't want one with wooden floor, so this is what they sold me. How would we know? It is due for servicing so I'll obviously ask the garage, but I din't know whether anyone knows whether the polyester is good or bad?
 
I use to own one of these and was very shocked by the quality of these trailers. When new it look very well made, and the selling point to me was the low towing weight. It was lightly used and after owning it for a couple of years my boyfriend was driving behind me and said that it didn't look very stable, on closer inspection the roof was coming away from the sides, it couldn't handle the weight of a horse leaning against the sides, so this is somthing else to be wary off.
 
Thanks for posting this - I have a 2003 CL apparently with a ply floor - it was serviced recently but ive no idea whether they check the floor.
It is rubber covered - Can it be inspected from underneath?

It is about 5 or 6 yo
 
Here in France a series of Cheval Liberté trailers were recalled to have their plywood floors replaced due to a fault in the way the wood was treated before importation. I don't recall the precise dates and details (could probably hunt them out) but I think it was for certain models manufactured over a period of months during 2007.
The service we got frojm Cheval Liberté as excellent - we bought our van second-hand knowing about the problem and CL changed the floor (upgrade to aluminium at half price), then fixed a few other little problems and delivered it back to us at no extra cost. I was impressed!
 
My horse fell through the floor of a 2007 cheval trailer.
Cheval told me they had a bad batch of wood flooring in that year.
took me a year to get a new trailer from them i also told trading standards, Cheval told them i was a one of.
I asked why they didnt recall them and got no reply.
If you have one of these trailers i would take it back and ask for a new floor.
 
also your floor will look fine as it is sealed, when my horse went through the floor it was found to be unsuitable for purpose.
 
I emailed the main supplier in Wales last week and have yet have heard nothing. I will be taking the matter further as in my opinion there should have been/ should be a recall on the 2007 manufactured trailers before someone elses horse goes through the plywood floor.
 
I got my trailer in Dec 2006, and emailed the dealer to ask if it was affected. I recall it being some sort of plastic in the floor, but there must be wood in there somewhere too. The dealer advised me to get the floor checked, which I will be doing asap. If it is knackered then I will certainly not be paying for a new one!!
 
For those interested, the recall in France applied to vans with serial numbers between: WO 0007 and WO 2294 due to the wood for the floors being treated (resined) on one side only instead of both. I believe it was the wood supplier who had to cover the costs.

FPErin - PMing back now
 
I bought a new 2003 series trailer in 2008 it's checked on a regular basis. A few weeks ago we found the floor had gone soft in the area where the horses front feet stand. I got in touch with the people who sold us the trailer and they told me to start with it would cost me £300 to put a new wooden floor in and £500 to fit an aluminium floor. The present floor is sealed inside and underneath making it difficult to see exactly what the problem is.

After a couple of phone calls and emails the situation has changed slightly, the agent for CL who sold us the trailer has agreed the floor will be replaced with a new wooden floor I don't pay a penny or I can have an aluminium floor fitted for £300, the trailer hasn't yet been seen by the agent but they know there is problem with the floors. We are waiting to hear when the work is going to be done
 
I looked at these a good few years ago and spoke to a dealer who asked what sort of horse I had, he then suggested I bought the xl?? as he said the ramps werent sturdy enough on the others for a MW type horse. The xl had the additional strut to support it.
 
I brought a cheval liberte trailer 3 years ago the 21 mil less than an inch thick is bowing front and back where horses feet are on drivers side . We are having to wait untill a fitter from cheval comes to england to replace it with a 22mil floor ( THAT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME ) ... Now they make them with aluminum floors i wonder why ? I have done alot of miles and now can go no where .
 
The cheval liberte floor is sealed underneath with fibre glass, which goes up at the edges so the ply wood sits in a sort of bath which collects water. It is possible to replace the floor quite easily but there is a more serious problem that cannot be fixed and that is the walls. The walls are made of ply wood and the bottom of them are very close the the floor which means that all the gunk that collects in along the edges soaks up into the walls and rots them. So even if you replace the floor you'll having rotting walls. I am incommunication with CL in the uk about ours and am so far very unimpressed with the service. I have produced a pdf that documents the problems in great detail with lots of pictures. If anyone wants it they can have a copy.
 
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