Equi Trek problems

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purplestarfishpurple

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Hi all

I am looking for people who have had issues with the build quality of Equi Trek horse trailers. I have recently found out that my Equi Trek is made from materials that are not fit for purpose. By this, I mean that some of the components are made from a 2mm thin ply wood which is not substantial to transporting live animals.

My horse repositioned itself in the horse area and pushed back in to the wall (bulk head) and came in to the kitchen area where my 6 year old daughter was sat with gas bottles!!

VOSA are looking in to this problem and I have been advised by experts that even if the horse kicked through the components, materials used should have been substantial enough to hold the impact from a live animal to prevent any accidents or death of persons sat in living quarters. As they are not, they are deemed as not fit for purpose.

I am obviously very disappointed with Equi Trek, who were not bothered in the slightest about my daughter or horse. In fact, T** at Equi Trek didn’t even ask me if my daughter was ok...he just went in to a reel (obviously rehearsed) of how Equi Trek were not to blame (from my conversation with T**, I am aware that this is not the first case!). My anger is that I only wanted Equi Trek to learn from this incident and put my report in to a quality control measure to prevent any further occurrences. Equi Trek didn’t want to see my trailer nor were interested to hear my story or take into account my product feedback.

I am now interested to hear from other people who have had similar issues with the build quality of Equi Trek. Reports of other incidents should be made directly to VOSA at;

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/onlineservices/vehicledefects.htm

I do not want any other horse folk or young children to be at risk from this negligence and urge Equi Trek owners to check their products. My product was an early 2004 model and I think that these issues do stem from earlier products. Nevertheless, VOSA and I would like to hear from you, to prevent any further incidents. Please do not feel that just because your product is of a certain age that defects should not be reported, as they should be included in this investigation for a true reflection of the issues associated with product materials.

I am further concerned that the ramp is made from the same material as the bulk head. I have heard stories that ramps have not withheld horse’s weight. I need to hear from such people who have experienced this too!

You may send me personal messages if you are not willing to talk about this on line.

Many thanks
 
Thank you for your response Mary Doll and the PM of people so far-such good response on here!

Just to try and pin point if there is discrepancy with materials used...as one thing that I have learnt about is the 'dodgy batch', recalls and so forth...are you able to tell me what make and model you have..

I will post images of the interior of mine asap..just so people are able to see what lays between those white bulk head walls..I am really concerned that people are at risk from sitting on the benches that are on the other side of the 2mm ply wood walls and horses legs!!
 
I think thats the newer model from mine, which Equi Trek told me they had improved and changed component parts from sub standard parts in the earlier models. This does, however conclude that Equi Trek have made alterations which show that the earlier models were unfit for purpose.
Many thanks and enjoy getting around with your horse :):)
Emma
 
If you can prove its not been constructed as safe and fit for purpose,can you not get your money back through trading standards or take them to small claims court to get your money back
 
Mine doesn't have any wood in. Is yours a really old model?

I have the Space Equitrek (the biggest one) and I have to say it's excellent. My horses are big and rather opinionated and it's withstood alot of abuse from them. Mine's 3 years old now and I go out twice a week usually. I'd recommend the Space to anyone.
 
purplestarfishpurple said:
Hi all

I am looking for people who have had issues with the build quality of Equi Trek horse trailers. I have recently found out that my Equi Trek is made from materials that are not fit for purpose. By this, I mean that some of the components are made from a 2mm thin ply wood which is not substantial to transporting live animals.

My horse repositioned itself in the horse area and pushed back in to the wall (bulk head) and came in to the kitchen area where my 6 year old daughter was sat with gas bottles!!

VOSA are looking in to this problem and I have been advised by experts that even if the horse kicked through the components, materials used should have been substantial enough to hold the impact from a live animal to prevent any accidents or death of persons sat in living quarters. As they are not, they are deemed as not fit for purpose.

I am obviously very disappointed with Equi Trek, who were not bothered in the slightest about my daughter or horse. In fact, T** at Equi Trek didn’t even ask me if my daughter was ok...he just went in to a reel (obviously rehearsed) of how Equi Trek were not to blame (from my conversation with T**, I am aware that this is not the first case!). My anger is that I only wanted Equi Trek to learn from this incident and put my report in to a quality control measure to prevent any further occurrences. Equi Trek didn’t want to see my trailer nor were interested to hear my story or take into account my product feedback.

I am now interested to hear from other people who have had similar issues with the build quality of Equi Trek. Reports of other incidents should be made directly to VOSA at;

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/onlineservices/vehicledefects.htm

I do not want any other horse folk or young children to be at risk from this negligence and urge Equi Trek owners to check their products. My product was an early 2004 model and I think that these issues do stem from earlier products. Nevertheless, VOSA and I would like to hear from you, to prevent any further incidents. Please do not feel that just because your product is of a certain age that defects should not be reported, as they should be included in this investigation for a true reflection of the issues associated with product materials.

I am further concerned that the ramp is made from the same material as the bulk head. I have heard stories that ramps have not withheld horse’s weight. I need to hear from such people who have experienced this too!

You may send me personal messages if you are not willing to talk about this on line.

Many thanks
Click to expand...
You say its a 2004 that makes it 8 years old!!!! realy if you had a 8 year old car or lorry would you expect it to be like new and problem free??? , maybe you need to get a horse box repair place to give it a good once over refurb and then hopefully you're good to go for another 8 years.....
 
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You might expect to maintain a trailer, but surely you should also be able to expect that it was made fit for the purpose when it was new. It's pretty obvious from Op's original thread that there is very real doubt about whether this was the case with her trailer. Surely the purpose of her thread is just to ask that anyone who HAS had problems get in touch with VOSA on the link given, rather than get into an argument about the pros and cons of the trailers and what Op should be expecting of it? It seems quite clear that she's already done her homework, has spoken to the appropriate authorities, and has had independant confirmation that there is a problem in the case of her particular trailer?
I agree that trailers need to be maintained and refurbed from time to time, but I don't think it's fair to imply that she should, in the course of that maintenance, be re-fitting it because the original build was sub-standard and unsafe.
 
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Thanks for replies.
I don't want to get in to a debate. The simplicity of this is that Equi Trek have told me that they changed the internal components from a 2mm ply wood to more functional materials around 5 years ago..meaning that the models before were sub standard.
2mm ply wood is simply not a safe material to transport live animals in and the trailers post change of materials are to my experience unsafe. I just don't want any further incidents like mine. The majority of people would buy a 'used trailer' (statistics of sales) and people should be made aware of what they are buying. Vosa are also looking into this and I can confirm there is more than just my case they are aware of.
 
hi,

I know its been a few years since this last posting about Equitrek trailers but we are having a nightmare with ours....faulty matting on the ramp that bubbled after a few months of use (trailer brand new when we bought it in 2011). Equitrek refused to repair/replace. Now, with the same 4.5 year old trailer we have had a severe ramp issue. As I unloaded my 16.2hh v calm horse, as he placed his foot at the top of the trailer to unload, there was a very loud cracking and the wood underneath the matting gave way. Thankfully the matting held in one place but we were left with a huge dip in it. The ramp floor has given way. Equitrek are saying that it will cost £450 to replace the ramp, that it must somehow by my fault and that it is no longer covered by its warranty (that is only one year). For those of us who own Equitrek trailers, we know that they are a huge investment to buy and I am shocked by their reaction to this potentially very dangerous situation. they seem so keen to blame the owner. Now their one and only repair guy has left the company and I have a trailer sitting in the yard, totally unusable and at the busiest time with the eventing season now underway. please can anyone share their problems and how they resolved them??? I'd be so grateful.
 
I bought a Super Sonic 4 months ago it's already been in garage twice for a faulty warning light and a problem with the ignition system both faults have been fixed however my biggest gripe is the walls are paper thin, my horse leant on the breast bar pulling the bolt through the wall which is only made with a few mills of plywood and the bolt has a tiny head so offered no resistance to a horse, Equi-Trek say its not a warranty issue and offered to fix it by supply some body colour plates I've done less than a 1,000 miles paid £33,000 for this vehicle and wish I hadn't bothered the Equi-Trek after sales is shocking, I won't be buying another. Would be interested to hear how you get on as I'm considering Trading Standards as this horse box is not fit for purpose.
 
I had an Equitrek trailer Space Trekker L and had to replace the ramp as it rotted. I was advised by the trailer repair company this was a common known fault as water seeps in at the top of the ramp unless the trailer is stored under cover and needs replacing every 3 years. I see that roof covers are now available for sale to protect this area. I now have a Super Sonic lorry and as yet no major issues apart from a gripe about the poor wheel arch design in the box.
 
A couple I know have just had a shock today with their side loading rear traveling Equitrek trailer. They are not sure of the year but estimate about 10 to 12 years old. It was purchased about 5 to 6 years ago to replace a similar model that was completely written off by a horse attempting to jump the breast bar.
Their current trailer has a sound aluminium floor although the tack part with laminated floor had to be replaced. The ramp became soft and dangerous 2 years ago to replaced with alloy floor. Today the trailer mechanic pointed out that the sides had gone the same way as the ramp. It would seem all the side material has delamination problems and is unsafe. To many this might be considered an old trailer but it still looks tidy and relatively smart from the outside.
Perhaps all trailers constructed with thin laminated material can go this way? My point is to warn people to check very thoroughly when buying a secondhand trailer. This trailer seems to have suddenly deterioted very quickly.
 
I’m afraid I would never buy one again - after my horse’s front hoof went through the ramp when unloading - no warning and a year old trailer. They are not made to last. Swear by my Ifor Williams which might rattle abit but I know it’s built properly.
 
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