Help me find a very lightweight single trailer?

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Laura2408

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Hi everyone.

I am looking to find a very lightweight but safe and sturdy trailer to tow my one horse safely and legally.

My possible tow car is 2250kg and I want to tow on a B licence so this does not leave much room for a heavy trailer.

I was annoyed to find out my preferred option (ifor williams 401) is pretty much impossible due to it being 770kg unlaiden so am now looking for alternatives.

Has anyone any experience of either the cheval single or bateson?
How much am I looking at for one of these?

Or alternatively if anyone can recommend a nice quality SUV/4x4 that has a weight of less than 2200kg I would be grateful!!
 
Laura2408 said:
Hi everyone.

I am looking to find a very lightweight but safe and sturdy trailer to tow my one horse safely and legally.

My possible tow car is 2250kg and I want to tow on a B licence so this does not leave much room for a heavy trailer.

I was annoyed to find out my preferred option (ifor williams 401) is pretty much impossible due to it being 770kg unlaiden so am now looking for alternatives.

Has anyone any experience of either the cheval single or bateson?
How much am I looking at for one of these?

Or alternatively if anyone can recommend a nice quality SUV/4x4 that has a weight of less than 2200kg I would be grateful!!
Click to expand...

Personaly id pass you test and get a double trailer - singles can be dangerous to tow and do tip over.
 
Thanks everyone!
I'm getting quite frustrated with it as I can't find anything I like that comes in weight wise!

We have looked at the sportage but it was very expensive for what it is and the drive wasn't nice :(

The only two that Oh will consider selling our car for are the kuga or the Tiguan but both are heavy at 2250kg so require the lightest trailer possible. Not sure if it's possible to even get around this as the legislation is just too complicated!
The trailer would have to be super light with a car at this weight and even then I'm not sure how it would work with 2500kg car, trailer, tack etc.

I don't want to sell my car for a one I don't like hence wanting something big and 4x4. I've always wanted a kuga or Tiguan and don't really want to settle for anything else as everything else I've driven is disappointing! I've always had big solid German cars :)

I don't want to do the trailer test. I have issues being observed in a practical setting so it's a waste of money as it would take me many attempts to pass due to nerves. I probably would never pass it. It also costs a fortune for lessons- £600 for 3 days which is shocking!

I'm starting to think a 3.5 wagon will be easier at this rate rather than paying over the odds for a trailer just because it's lighter than an ifor.
 
Oh really that's light!
What do they look like inside? I can't find any interior pics and does the horse travel well?
How does it tow?

Oh and can I be very cheeky and ask what price range it was in?

Thanks!
 
It's not a single, but the Bateson do the derby which is 675 unladen. We used to take the partition out (which lightened the load further) and travelled one horse in it. More stable and more room to tack up inside. New it is £3,400
 
Tack goes in car so does not affect weight in trailer

trailer down plated to 1250 weighing 675 empty leaves 575 for the load so a 500 kg horse will be be ok with 75 in trailer to spare
 
Ah that's great!

So to clarify a car weighing 2250 plus bateson at 675 would be legal on a B lisence :)

With regards to downplating, can a trailer be replated back to maximum if I was to sell it in the future or did want to do the test to tow two ponies?
 
Laura2408 said:
Ah that's great!

So to clarify a car weighing 2250 plus bateson at 675 would be legal on a B lisence :)

With regards to downplating, can a trailer be replated back to maximum if I was to sell it in the future or did want to do the test to tow two ponies?
Click to expand...
Yes it can be UP plated back to its original - any plating changes must be done by contact with the trailer manufacturer

You need to add the GVW 2250 to the trailer plated 1250 to see if exceeds the 3500 for B towing

The difference between the 675 and the plated 1250 gives the payload for the trailer (what weight can go into trailer)
 
How much towing do you do?

If your towing more than 4k miles a year I'd go for 3.5tonne lorry over a Kuga. Our Kuga just couldn't cope with the work (30k miles a year none towing as well). Was a money pit from after two years and died in three. Mechanic said there was nothing wrong per say, just wearing quickly because it was working hard. It's mpg while towing was not great either.

We've done 12k in our lorry this year and can't think of a car I'd happily do those miles with plus afford to use everyday to commute as well
 
Thanks again everyone.

We would be towing about 3x month for short trips and a few times a year on longer ones.

I originally did look at 3.5t wagons but I'm not sure we could manage the cost of three lots of tax/insurance/MOT compared to two.
I also would have to find the 7-10k for a decent lorry as opposed to 3k for a trailer.

Shame to hear that about the kuga though...maybe the tiguan is the way to go?!
 
I have a Rice double lightweight Eventer - its unladen weight is 610kg and weighs 1423kg. I am going to get it down plated as I am in the same position as you. I came across it whilst looking for a lightweight trailer as was considering a bateson derby.
 
It could of been ours was a dud

Because of the relatively high mileage we were servicing the car three times a year at least one of which was a major service, just wear and tear of standard things like brake pads, injectors, hoses, valves etc soon means each service is hundreds once out of warranty. I've spent far less maintaining the lorry than I did on that dam car!

If your buying a new kuga then what you'll loose in depreciation would pay for a lorry if your happy with current car.
 
My plan was to buy a car about 5 years old so not new and have a budget of about 10k.
I liked the look of the kuga and tiguan and also read they both had good mpg/extras . I will have to look into both in much more detail. Thanks for the heads up!

I think a wagon would be a waste as I would only be using it 3x max a month in summer and maybe once a month in winter, at least a trailer would be easier to just store?

I have emailed bateson but will look at all other suggestions- thanks everyone!

Just hope the horse loads on his own...
 
IME said:
I have a Rice double lightweight Eventer - its unladen weight is 610kg and weighs 1423kg. I am going to get it down plated as I am in the same position as you. I came across it whilst looking for a lightweight trailer as was considering a bateson derby.
Click to expand...

Rice trailers cannot be down plated as the manufacturer is no longer trading
 
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