trailer with dodgy floor.... Help!

floradora09

floradora09

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Been to view a trailer today, an ifor williams 505, looks in nice condition except from we're not too sure about the floor. It's wooden, newly fitted. The seller told us she'd had it replaced for £350, and that it's a 35mm marine ply. It looked a substantial job, if slightly home done? But she did tell us it had been done at a horsebox place? When we viewed it she had just used it for transporting some wet shavings bags, and although the middle of the floor looked nice and dry, the wood around the edges of the mats was quite wet. What would you say? A no-go or a maybe? Cookies for getting this far, and some cake if you help me! =D
 
If theres ANY doubt in your mind about the flooring its a no-go.
My boss was driving behind a horsetrailer a while ago & the floor just collapsed and you can imagine the outcome
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Well it didn't look too bad, just I've never bought a trailer or lorry before and am very cautious! Maybe we should look again, but take someone who knows a lot about trailers?
 
Hmmm, I'd be cautious as to why she replaced it with another wooden floor? I sold my trailer a few years back and the floor was just starting to look a bit elderly, adjusted price accordingly and sold honestly, people who bought it had an aluminium floor put in for about £450?
I'd keep looking if I were you. Where are you and whats budget? Nice one for sale on our yard with ally floor?
 
I wouldn't rule it out just yet. It should have been done with marine ply as that is better suited to coping with damp conditions. In a lot of the older 505s, the skylight leaks. This is easily fixed with some silicone, but could explain the dampness.

You should have taken a screwdriver with you to prod into the wood (from both inside and underneath) - if it's just damp, it will dry out, but sponginess would mean the floor needs replacing. My floor in my 505 is marine ply with 1mm sheet steel over the top to spread the load.

Check the bottom of the side panels under the mudguards too - mud gets splashed up here and rots the bottom of the side panels, and they may need replacing too.

I think you do need to take someone with you who knows more about trailers and their weak spots, or you could end up making an expensive mistake.

If you have the money, one with an aluminium floor would be safer. They came as standard on 2000 onwards models, and have been retro-fitted to many of the older ones too.

How old is it and how much are they asking?
 
Unless its a fantastic price and you can replace the floor again, Id leave well alone. I bought an IW a few yrs ago with an IW ply floor in it. It too was wet arround the sides and it was rotten on the floor and also arround the sides at the bottom. When I viewed it they told me they had jet washed it as it was all wet so believeable but as it dried all around the edges stayed wet. I took it for a service and IW told me it needed a new floor and new panels in the sides. It was quite expensive so I ended up part exing it for a new one. This trailer at the time was only 4 yrs old!! IW told me that particular year had been recalled and this trailer must have been missed.
 
Whether the floor is wooden or aluminium they will rot in time depending on the care and attention they have been given.

Aluminium floors rot because there is a galvanic action between the supporting steel structures and the aluminium. This causes the aluminium to rot and the floor to drop down.

Wooden floors rot where they have become wet and saturated.

Find out how much it costs to have the floor and ramp replaced and to have it serviced by your local Ifor Williams dealer and take it in to account when you make an offer on it.

Trailers need servicing like anything else especially as they stand out in the rain and damp conditions for long periods of time without being used. It is not only the floor and ramp that suffer but also the brakes, brake linkage, wheel bearings and towing ball joint. All these need to be serviced at least once a year.

Ask them for the the service receipts.
 
Would there be a huge hue and cry from the equestrian community if it was COMPULSORY to sell trailers with a valid Safety Certificate?

Trailers in Canada cannot be issued a registration plate upon change of ownership(they get their own plate) and therefore be road legal (and covered by insurance) unless they have a current Safety Certificate. Having learned the hard way, one trailer cost us $1000 to 'Safety' I won't even look at one without a certificate now.
 
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Would there be a huge hue and cry from the equestrian community if it was COMPULSORY to sell trailers with a valid Safety Certificate?


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Would be fine by me - genuine sellers of genuine trailers wouldn't really mind as it would be like selling a car with a full MOT. How would you sell something that does need work though? With cars you can sell with no MOT, can you do that with your trailers?
 
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A word of warning for those with aluminium floors - still lift the mats and check regularly. Just because it isn't wood doesn't mean it is safe!

Equally a well fitted and well maintained wooden floor is perfectly safe.

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My new trailer has a plastic floor. I was quite shocked to hear they make plastic floors but the local Richardson dealer said they are the only floors expected to last a lifetime...and therefore guaranteed to do so.

Aluminium floors can still rot over time, and with poor maintenance. People just assume that aluminium is safe and don't check them.
 
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Would there be a huge hue and cry from the equestrian community if it was COMPULSORY to sell trailers with a valid Safety Certificate?


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Would be fine by me - genuine sellers of genuine trailers wouldn't really mind as it would be like selling a car with a full MOT. How would you sell something that does need work though? With cars you can sell with no MOT, can you do that with your trailers?

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If a trailer needs work you just state that in the ad and they won't have a certificate, caveat emptor in those cases.

No annual MOT for cars here (although they do have to have an emission test) Cars also have to have a certificate ( of roadworthiness? I don't know, that is OH's department) to sell them. You can drive around in the biggest heap of rust until it falls apart as long as it passes its' emission test and you don't sell it!
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