Bateson Trailers

[jackobear]

Hi, thanks to everyone who answered my last post. Much appreciated. Decided firmly against a requisite trailer. Bit wary of anyting made by Robinsons!

Next question is what do people think of Bateson trailers. Found out that this one is also quite lightweight- would be ok being towed by a freelander plus 2 horses.

Thanks

 

[toddthesod]

A friend of mine has a Bateson and she loves it! Horse travels really well in it and is very stable. Her one has the neat idea of a tack locker inside the trailer which is fab. Its light and airy and the ramps are really easy to pull up and down. They seem to be really well made.

 

[brightmount]

The trailers we hire are all Batesons, they are great. Horses apparently load better into Batesons because they are light inside. They tow well too, but we only tow one horse to keep to the maximum towing weight of a Honda CR-V.

 

[Louby]

I had loads of reccomendations for Bateson when I asked on here, they look really good. I'd be wary towing 2 horses with a Freelander though. Arent the Batesons about 900kg empty then plus your horses.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I used to borrow a friends Bateson Ascot, it was great & as a result I bought the Deauville model. I firmly believe they are better than the Ifors for several reasons. The exit ramp opens on the nearside so in emergency you walk your horse off onto pavement & not into the road as with Ifors. Ifors don't have any external tie rings, Bateson do. Ifors rattle along, Batesons travel quieter & I believe give a better smoother ride. Batesons are also lighter than most other trailers but are beautifully engineered. They will also cary up to 17h horses, & the Ascot has an integrated tack cupboard for 2 saddles etc at the front. The Deauville also has a twin saddle rack & cover. Full spec & prices on this site:-
http://www.batesontrailers.com/horse-trailers.asp

I don't work for them, I just believe them to be one of the best horse trailer manufacturers around

 

[jackobear]

Hi

Thanks for replies. Yeah they are 860kg unladen. Freelander can take 2000kg. Two horses combined about is about 1100kg. So just ok as 1960kg in total.

Or am I getting the wrong idea? Didn,t want an ifor williams as it is over 1000kg unladen.

More opinions?

 

[fizzer]

totally agree with toby z, we had an ifor 505 before the bateson and one of the ponies in paarticular was a git to load, its great now just pops straight in, we also have a lorry for longer distances which they all travel great in too.

 

[MagicMelon]

Excellent. We have a Bateson Ascot and its really very good. I think their far better than an Ifor.....! They're very bright and welcoming inside being white, not had a horse bad to load in one. Flooring is still in very good nic (matts can be pulled out to wash). Tack box in front is very useful, dont know how I lived without one before. They're lightweight but easy to tow as well.

The ONLY thing I had a problem with was on the front ramp - the little bits you do up to hold the door in place - those started to move up whilst in transit to the point the top door swung open suddenly! However I emailed Bateson about it and they very quickly sent me (for free) some simple clips which hook through the bottom - do the job perfectly. New Batesons *might* have these things now I dont know, as I saw a new one a few weeks ago and it did have a few improvements.

 

[TheBlackMoth]

Don't forget the tack and water and haynets. Personally I think you are very close to being overweight with a freelander. I have read that you shouldn't tow to the limit of your tow weight. Others more experienced will be able to advise you better.

 

[ebony123]

The bateson trailer is great we have one with the tack locker inside worth every penny. Im just a little concerned about you towing 2 horses with a freelander what model is it? When we were looking at changing from the lorry to a trailer we first found the trailer we wanted then matched the vehicle legaly we only had a few to choose from the discovery/rangerover/defender (not the freelander), the nissan trucks/large 4x4 (not even x-trail) kia sorrento and a few others even a honda wasnt legal, we went for the sorrento as is a great car to drive even when not towing, the other thing you have to think of is its not what you have in it whats legal or not you have to take into concideration the fully laden limit for e.g a mondeo could easily tow an unladen trailer but its laden weight would be totally ilegal and if you are stopped or have an accident its the laden weight that is taken into account. Id give it some research if I were you try this website http://www.ntta.co.uk/law/index.htm

 

[Theresa_F]

I have the baby of the range - the Derby. This is so light I can tow my 15 hand cob with my car.

I love this trailer - very well made, light and airy inside. Mine does not have a front ramp, but this does not cause me any problem.

They also seem to be less attractive to gentleman of the night.

 

[BeckyD]

Now I'm going through a similar dilemma (I'd like to tow a single horse with a Nissan X-Trail). This summarises what I have found out so far:

It is recommended that you tow not more than 85% of your car's kerbweight, i.e. if your Freelander had a kerbweight of say 1,770kgs, then your should tow not more than 1,505kgs (whatever the "towing limit" of the vehicle). Whilst the 85% is not a legal limit (I think!), the insurance companies do rely on it sometimes and you may find your insurance would be invalidated were you to have an accident and be towing much over the 85%, and almost certainly if you're towing more than the kerb weight of your vehicle.

The towing weight includes tack, rugs, hay, water and car passengers, so add that into your trailer weight (and the total horse weight of course!).

I'm liking the look of the Bateson trailers too, they look really nice. I'm thinking of the Bateson Derby which is big enough for one horse and light enough to tow with an X-Trail.

 

[JCWHITE]

I've had a new Deauville for a few months, after years with another make. My horse now loads and travels happily.The split partitions work well, as does the tack area.I'm very pleased although it did let me down last week, when after hitching up , one of the rear wheels wouldnt turn, I had applied the handbrake, after reversing into storage.Apparently it is a known problem, had to take the wheel off and all sorts to free it. Not the best way to start a journey to a show, in blistering hot weather, (sorry, I am in France), but overall.I am very pleased with the Bateson.