old rice trailers

emmanash

emmanash

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Hello everyone
Has anyone on here got an old rice trailer?
Have been looking into getting a trailer and was wondering if these older ones tend to be reliable and what to look out for when buying one? I know that each trailer is different but as a general rule do they stand the test of time?!
 
When I had an old Rice Beaufort I loved it and it gave a good ride as heavy and stable and plenty of head room. Downside is their weight and that they need to be towed by something meaty.
 
They are brilliant little trailers! I had one a few years ago. Just make sure you check the floor thoroughly and regularly! We didn't notice til we got it home, but there was a very small spot that had deteriorated and was quite weak. You def need quite a big car to tow one. We had an Audi estate and that coped fine with it though.
 
I sold one to a member on here(purely because my lazy ass husband wouldnt do the floor
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was soo mad as he promised he would after i bought it from a friend)It would have been fab for my lad,it was huge and he would have probably towed with another in it as there was so much space,only downside as said above,they are heavy beasts and you need something pretty big to tow it!As long as chassis underneath is sound everything else is cosmetic,and can be welded sprayed etc
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wish i still had mine
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Not any more! We bought one fairly cheaply, then realised it needed a whole new floor, new tow hitch, new bearings & tyres...would never have re-couped the costs on it. Mechanic estimated it was probably 30 years old.

Also found it really heavy, even unladen (although it was the triple model), in terms of petrol costs.

My friend has one she's revamped & loves it. Ours is now used to store hay, it's waterproof at least
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Ive recently bought an old pony rice trailer off ebay. I paid £200 for it. OH has replaced the floor and is sheeting all the sides with new aluminium. We'r managing to do it gradually and cheaply and the estimated costs to do it all and spray it the same green as my landrover is approx £1000 including the buying of it. Bear in mind that this trailer will be totally new throughout and the chassis is sound. I think that is hell of a lot cheaper than buying a new one..........and more satisfying!
 
My first trailer was an old Rice rear unload with big Land Rover wheels!. I was so excited when I got it but after checking it over properly realised it needed a new floor, it was rotten near the ramp and at the sides. Never used it as we sold it to someone who could DIY. We are useless and it would have cost too much to get someone to do it. The rest of it appeared sound.
Just be careful of the floors as we did check it over and didnt think it was too bad at first.
 
There are loads around which is a testament to their longevity but they are heavy, much heavier than any of the modern day trailers. If you haven't got a 'real 4x4', Shogun, Discovery, Defender etc then forget it, you'll not have sufficient power to tow it.
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mine was built in 1971! the only issue ive had is finding parts to fit, mine desperatly needs a new top door, but finding one has been impossible.

weight wise mine isnt a problem it is 750kg, which is fairly light for a trailer, its massive in size, with a ton of space at the front.
 
I bought one this year it,s very very old rear unload half wooden sides and metal top half. Luckily it had a new floor and tyres and recent rewire, only problem was the colour (red and gold) it stuck out like a sore thumb. We have now took the wood down to the original and treated it then varnished over it. And painted the top and wheel arches dark green then the ribs and hitch black, old paint was a bugger to get off as there must of been 6 coats of differant colours. I really like it now i only bought it to fetch hay, i like it so much he as a name "Trevor the trailer". I dont know if it is heavier than any other trailer as this is my first one. But we have a shogan so weight is not to much of an issue.
 
I have recently bought an old Rice Beaufort and we are in the process of putting a new floor in....its in good general nick and the wiring etc was done a few years ago but whoever did it up put chip-board down and so the floor was no good.

I really love it...its big, sturdy and has a lovely wooden partition......when OH has put the new floor in its being re-painted and should last for a long while yet.

Just make sure the chassis is in good condition.....you can get replacement parts from specialist breakers- I found a new front top door with very little trouble- if you need the number for the guy I found PM me
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QR: I recently sold my old rice and i loved it. I sold it to get an IFOR with ali floor to lower the towing weight (little did i know i was buying an ifor with wooden rotten floor but thats another story)

I gave mine a respray and tarted it up and made £400 on the original price i paid for it. They are fab trailers but like everyone else has stated they are heavy! My Discovery coped ok but i think anything smaller would struggle.
 
i bought an old rice beaufort trailer last year. It had the old twist style hitch and manual reverse which suits me, as trailers are stolen quite alot around my neck of the woods, so i pressumed it would be a bit of a deterrent. I had loads of work done to it, new floor, paint job, new ramp but i love my little trailer! It is heavy, but we pull with a defender and have no problems, but its very roomy for my load hating horse! I have no intentions of upgrading it in the near future.
 
My old Rice (Rusty Rice Bucket) was ace and I only sold it because I wanted an Ifor Williams 510 to take 2 big horses. I used to travel my 16.3hh tb in Rusty Rice Bucket with no partition which he loved.

You can hit almost anything in them and it doesn't matter!!! Great trailers to learn to drive with.
 
I love mine
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I bought it cheap on eBay and had a new floor and welding done to it for less than the cost of a second hand one in working condition
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My only advice would to get it thoroughly checked out by a specialist trailer mechanic as it will be carrying a valuable cargo. Trailers spend most of their lives parked outside in the elements and therefore components deteriorate. This includes the tyres. Make sure that the tyres are to the correct specification. (Car tyres should not be used on trailers so take care). The tyres should be at a pressure of about 50 p.s.i. The tow bar and boil joint needs to be thoroughly checked for any wear. Also the wheel bearings, brake linkage and brakes as well as reversing cable system need to be checked out. Also thoroughly check out the floor, ramp and supporting metal structures.
 
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