Is it possible???

FestiveFuzz

FestiveFuzz

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Following on from my post about transport, I got to thinking about other options and whether it would be cost effective to just purchase a trailer of our own as currently we usually end up paying about £50 to get to any shows that aren't within hacking distance.

So I am now wondering, is it at all possible to buy a safe trailer thats suitable for travelling a 15.3hh horse for £300 or under? This is only my current budget as i'm impatient and kinda want it before summer ends! lol!
 
I wouldn't be very confident about any trailer at that price, there will be a reason why it is so cheap. A minimum spend would be in the region of £700-800 to get one with a floor, brakes and tyres that you would trust to put your horses in.
 
not confident at all,i sold an old rice trailer for 275 and the floor was rotten told new owners this....best pay more to ensure your horses safety!i used nottingham horse transport yrs ago for my lad to go from grimsby to essex,then from essex to grimsby and they were very reasonably priced and great with my lad who was only a baby at the time
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Not what you want to hear but Wait and save some more, I bought an old rice years ago for £550 and it was a mess. Not safe for a horse to travel in as the floor was rotten..
 
I did wonder how safe/reliable it would be, and i would never want to compromise my girls safety for the sake of a few hundred pounds.

Are there any good websites that advertise trailers for sale?
 
Cheapest would be on ebay - but only look at those local to you that you can actually go and see before the auction ends.

Sometimes local ads in tack shops too. I did actually buy an old trailer for £250 quite a few years ago that was actually sound, I had noticed it sitting in somebody's garden not doing anything for a long time and made them an offer, once we cleaned off the brakes it was fine - but if you are going to look at one you really need to check that the tyres aren't wasting away, that it rolls smoothly when pushed, that you can still wind up the jockey wheel and that the floor is completely sound.
 
I would never say that you would compomise your girls safety
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cant help you with sites for selling trailers,i sold mine on here
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,would have loved to keep it but hubby would never have done work!!
We have a place round us that hires trailers for £30 a day so may be an option for you???
 
hey, wasn't implying that I thought you thought I would put my girly at risk, was meant to read "as I would never want to compromise on my girls safety" but hey its getting late! lol!

I'm watching a few on ebay that i wouldn't mind going to view, although they were quite cheap so i'm now worried they wouldn't be up to scratch!
 
I can tell you that those are both likely to go well beyond your budget. Try looking out for some of the slightly less popular makes, Bahill or similar - which tend to go for less money. Don't be put off by an older box or faded paintwork on the exterior, my trailer was positively ancient but annually serviced and the floor only had a couple of patches where the top layer was starting to go soft and sold for £650
 

The most important aspects of your new trailer are going to be the frame under the floor (a lot of people forget to looking under neath), the floor itself, the ramp and the condition of the towing attachment. If these are okay then it should be quite possible to fix up the rest of the trailer quite cheaply, so a shabby looking trailer might be the way to go providing the important bits are in good nick.

You could try keeping an eye out on eBay. That's what I did. Set the search option to within 25 miles of my post code and waited. Bingo. Got one within 3 miles of our home. Turned out we knew the people selling it! Was able to view it before we bid and I can highly recomment the experience.

Alternatively, have you thought of putting a Want Ad in local shop windows and local tack & feed shops? I've actually got 3 trailers in total (one which would probably suit you perfectly - pity you are in the West Country!). Found it advertised in a local supermarket for £250. Ended up paying £200 as the seller was desperate to have it moved. It is shabby externally but is sound enough to use as it is. My husband is an agric engineer so was going to fix it up to sell on but you know how it is..... this past year I've been using it for hay storage. The other was offered to us for £100 by someone who'd heard we were looking. Didn't need one by that time but was too good an offer to pass up. My husband is going take the top off the frame and use the chassis for towing cars. The frame underneath is dead sound. So, if you don't mind a bit of cosmetic DIY, they are out there. You just need to let as many people as you can that you're looking.



Best of luck.
 
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