Equi trek vs Ifor Williams

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saskia295

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Hello HHOers! I wonder if you fantastic people can give me your views...

I am currently looking at buying a trailer so that I can get myself and my horse out and about a bit more
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So... from your experience, what is better (both to tow, maintain, ease of use and of course, travel the horse)...

Equi trek or Ifor Williams?

I would be grateful for anything you can tell me about these trailers, good and bad. Thanks
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I'd maybe be inclined towards an Equi-trek purely because of the living
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But, the new Ifor Williams are something else really for their price. They're so roomy and the attention to detail can't really be compared with the first IW's
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You really really want a 3 year old Ifor Williams 505 .....(so I can go and buy and equitrek tee hee!)
Big price difference between the two, I would say if you can afford the equitrek go for it as they have got to be so much more comfortable to use than the ifors.
Can't say what they are like to tow but they are heavier than the ifors. Never had any trouble towing IW and we have had 3 but contemplating a lorry or equitrek now as we want a bit more comfort while we're out LOL!
 
I have had both. The Ifor is a good trailer but my mare didnt travel in it too well although every other horse I have found it ok. I found them cheap to maintain and a good practical trailer.

I now have an Equitrek and I love it. My horse travels better in it (not perfect but that is her!) I love the living part of it and the fact that hubby can make a cuppa, sit down, read the paper you have somewhere comfy to sit inbetween classes.
I can leave tack onboard so dont need to load up the car for every trip out.
I have added an extra roof vent in the horse area as the ventilation wasnt sufficient IMO and she would get a bit sweaty.
We did also look at quite a few though before we found one that had good build quality, some we looked at were very shabby after a very short time. We have been lucky with ours and so far are delighted.
So the answer to your question is I would choose the Equitrek every time.
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i've had both and on balance i would say save your money and get an ifor.

Equitrek- positives are that nervy TB does travel better in this (he thinks its a horsebox rather than a trailer
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) and its nice to have the living. negatives are that i have found build quality crap - wheel axle snapped, saddle racks snapped, chain for partition snapped, leisure battery and horse shower don't work (worked for only 1 month of ownership), the horses sweat up badly in it when its hot (have extra roof vent and doesn't seem to make a difference) and the living gets very damp and stuff goes mouldy. haven't been able to get the majority of these things fixed because in my experience the after service is crap (and i bought brand new direct from equitrek)
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i feel that with ifor you know what you are getting and if you get an older shape one then you will save lots of money compared to the equitrek.
 
i wouldnt have a new ifor as a gift.

i DID have one, waited ages for it, ordered brand new last year, and when it arrived i was so disgusted with the quality of the construction and finish i got the dealer to take it back and i bought a 2nd hand 505 instead.

it was plasticy, flimsy, the roof was warped, yes warped (!!)and the dealer told me it would need refitting! the ramp bounced up and wouldnt stay flat when down, one of the rear lights was falling off.... and thats just the bits i can remember!
 
Always wanted an Equitrek but heard so much about the flimsy build quality. Was infact speaking to a horse transporter today who looked at buying the Equitrek 3.5t wagon and seen it and said no way, too flimsy. He bought something else. So supose would have to say Ifor. Wont you consider Bateson, Fautras, Rice. Bateson have a great reputation for great build and give a better ride.
 
I'm getting an equitrek in a couple of months! Can't wait
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I've looked into it quite thoroughly and I have made the decision to go for the equitrek because my horse is huge and i want to be able to travel safely on motorways and I can't afford a big enough, decent lorry. You need to go to some dealers and ask to have a weekends trial with several different types of trailer, which is what I've done, and I found the equitrek easier to handle and it feels so much safer and sturdier compared to towing my horse in the ifor. The only thing is that you do need a very substantial 4x4 to tow it, as they are heavier than the ifor's, and by not having a powerful enough vehicle could be dangerous. In my trial I found parking into tight spaces was difficult, but I'm hoping once i have it I'll get used to parking it better!
 
Thanks for all your views everybody. I hadn't heard about the build wuality of the equi treks so that is good to know, thank you
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My dad has a very beefy Ford (I think it's a ranger) so towing isn't a problem. I just thought with an equi trek it would make us very long.
 
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Thanks for all your views everybody. I hadn't heard about the build wuality of the equi treks so that is good to know, thank you
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My dad has a very beefy Ford (I think it's a ranger) so towing isn't a problem. I just thought with an equi trek it would make us very long.

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it will! i tow mine with an L200 and i am very long. i manage ok though and i'm not the best driver in the world!
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I've just gone through this exact thing. I really wanted an Equi Trek because one of my horses does not like trailers and I thought the side loading thing would fool him into thinking it was a box. I went to the local trailer dealers to have a look at some Equi Treks - they stopped stocking the new ones last year because build quality is so bad and Equi Trek customer service is notoriously awful. Equi Treks are known for axels snapping, bits dropping off, stuff not working etc etc etc. He did have some second hand ones in for sale and on close inspection, yep the build quality is dreadful. For the money they cost they are pretty abysmal. Another disadvantage is the weight - they are v heavy especially the 3 axel models. My car is a Hyundai Santa Fe with a max towing weight of 2200kg (see this website for towing weights of all vehicles http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/kerbweights.htm). I could maybe just have got away with the smallest Equi Trek (the one without the living) but even then it'd be close with a load of gear on board. You're actually recommended only to tow a max of 85% of kerbweight, though legally you can actually tow up to the max towing weight. However the closer the weight of the trailer plus horse and contents gets to the max towing weight of the car the more chance you have of snaking, the wear and tear on your car increases and of course fuel economy.

So I scrubbed the idea of an Equi Trek and bought the lightest trailer I could - the IW 403. My car is only heavy enough to tow one horse safely at a time anyway so a single horse trailer made sense. I towed a round trip of 300 miles this weekend with it and it was brilliant. I've never been a fan of IW trailers just seeing them on the road (I've never actually used a trailer before myself) but you cannot fault the build quality. There's certainly no comparison between the IW and the Equi Treks in that respect. Plus price wise my brand new still in it's plastic wrapping IW was half the price of a second hand falling apart Equi Trek.

I do think the Equi Trek is a great idea - a side loading trailer with living. Brilliant. I wouldn't discount them altogether - personally I'd need a much bigger tow car to feel safe pulling one and I wouldn't buy new - an Equi Trek that has had all the bad bits fixed is much better value than brand new with all the problems still to surface. I just wish one of the other manufacturers would build something in competition to the Equi Trek - there's a huge market out there. If someone built one to a decent standard it'd sell like hot cakes. The trailer dealer told me IW were developing a side loading trailer but it wouldn't be on the market for at least a year.
 
thats interesting to hear GG. was actually thinking of trading my Equi trek (or 'death box' as its been nicknamed
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) and car in and getting a little marlborough 3.5 tonne but the resale value of my car is about 10p so had to put that idea to bed...but then can't go back to a normal ifor as stupid TB will not entertain the idea...but if IW brought out a similar product to the Equitrek id be straight in the queue for one. i loved my ifor and its reliableness!
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Thank you gedenskis_girl, very useful, although a bit worrying
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Unfortunately the link to the kerb weights wouldn't work but I'm sure I can find that easily enough.

I must say, I'm feeling a little wary about the equi treks now, although it seems that if someone has had a good one, they will swear by them.

I'm sure if equi trek had very good customer service, they would have a better reputation and sell more. They're doing themselves a disservice really. Fools!
 
exactly. i think everyone will accept that sometimes things break and need to be mended- i was even fine with the broken axle being faulty however i did not appreciate being told by Equitrek employees that it was my fault for driving recklessly! (needless to say the accident report that they took 6 months to produce concluded it was a fault and not my bad driving!
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i don't think i have ever experienced such bad customer service in my life...
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I have always fancied an Equitrek, knowing some people who bought an early model and loved it - the "square" fronted one. But there are so many tales of trouble with wheels, etc.

An alternative might be the Fautra range, they have some "herringbone" travelling trailers and some nice design details. They are also quite heavy though.

I have always thought the Bateson trailers good value and people I know have been pleased with them. They are made by agricultural trailer makers and a friend whose father is an engineer and motor expert bought the Bateson for his son's massive shire X and they have gone miles and miles in that and been very pleased with it.

The idea of hiring one of a particular make for a few days is a very good one.
 
i love our Ifor 510, it is so easy to hitch and load up with- no fiddly fastenings!

i have only ever heard bad reports on the Equi-Trek and i would also be questioning why there are so many for sale that are 2/3 months old...
 
Owning a Ifor and having access to a Equitrek as and when I want it, I generally go for my Ifor everytime (unless I have huge amounts of rubbish with me then chuck it in the front of the equitrek).

The build on them (as all mentioned above) is shocking, customer service horrendus etc etc. Really echo the heat they build up aswell even with extra vents, in the summer they can be dreadful traveling (especially on the boat like we do). The idea behind them is fantastic but they have a long long way to go.

If Ifor were to bring out a side loader that would be amazing!!

I personaly would go for the ifor, decent quality (now they've sorted out the issues with the news ones) but equally if you do have a problem you know they will deal with it for you in a decent manner!
 
Thats great news, I would definately want to try an Ifor side loader. Lets hope they use the Equitrek concept with the build quality of an Ifor.
 
I have a Cheval Liberte trailer and love it! Previously had a IW, the Cheval is lighter, taller and more inviting! It also has independent suspension so much more comfortable ride and you don't get the "bounce" that IW trailers have, I'd highly recommend them!
 
I have no interest in this as I have a Bateson but a friend upgraded from her Bateson to a Equitrek for the living and rear facing travel and thought the quality was far lower in the Equitrek than her old bateson
 
Most people are biased one way or another. They are both well known and as such reliable makes. Equitreks are more expensive and need a heavier towing vehicle, but do seem to offer greater creature comforts. You pays your money you make your choice.
 
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