Trailer without huge budget!

I posted a thread like this and ended up buying my Bateson Deauville from a lady on here for about £1500 if I remember correctly. It was in good shape and has been a super buy. It is now about 20 years old.

It has only needed things like brake pads and shoes when it has been serviced, and I have replaced the tyres due to age once since I bought it 7 years ago.
 
Sorry to rebump this thread up but someone local to me is selling a rice Richardson for £700. It's quite old and she no idea how many miles it's done but it has a new floor and ramp last year (wood). Its affordable for me now rather than a few months time when I get the equity but I worry about wooden floors and have only ever used an Ifor. Does that price sound about right?
 
Price sounds okay, we had a rice before our Ifor Williams the problem we encountered was the metal between the floor and side rotted out. It also made the trailer heavier
 
I paid £850 for my triple, but it was in a right state. Between 700 and 1200 is about right for a normal double. I'd budget for replacing the floor and new tyres. Get a decent service, and if it doesnt need it then great. When you see it make sure the brakes work and the chassis is sound, if thats ok then theres really not much else that can go wrong with them.

Mines ancient and had been sitting slowly rotting for quite a while, so I stripped it right back to the chassis and rebuilt it. I think it cost me about £300 for the parts to do it, and will cost me another £100 or so to repaint it when its warmer. And mine was a bit of a wreck. Thats all DIY so will cost more for someone else to do, but it gives you some indication of how basic trailers are.

You can replace the wood with aluminum if you want, I wouldnt but its personal preference.
 
I agree with the comments above. There is nothing wrong with a good, solid, wooden floor. You get more warning of impending failure with a wooden floor than an aluminium floor. Both types site on the horizontal lip around the inside, bottom of the trailer. If that has rusted neither floor would be safe so try to check that. Get underneath and tap and poke the floor with a big screwdriver, you will hear if the wood is rotten and feel if it has gone soft. Check the edges, front and rear particularly, where the urine tends to pool. Look for the date on the tyres, usually something like 3019 inside a ring of rubber, meaning thirtieth week of 2019 manufacture. Hook it up to the car, move forwards and put the brakes on and the trailer should not clunk to a stop. If it does it might need a new hitch/drawbar damper. Useful video:
 
Id stick to an older ifor although a rice does two very well, they tend to be heavier. My dad did a lot of work on trailers and cheval was one of the most prevalent in the shop for welding jobs needing done...he has never ever let me get one. My iFor was 2k and it was in a shed used about four times so in excellent condition..but it was a family members so probably a little cheaper than they could have gotten. I sold my older one for £1200 with a brand new alu floor put in a week before.

There are the cheap as chips ones you can get and do up, i have done a fair few of them but its not always easy to get parts and takes a good bit of man work.
 
equi said:
Id stick to an older ifor although a rice does two very well, they tend to be heavier.
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I dont get why people say this. My triple is the lightest one there is. Most of the doubles are mainly aluminum and very light. Some of the rear unload ones are so light you can tow them easily with an estate car. Which ones are the heavy ones? I've yet to see one and I'm genuinely curious
 
I believe a lot of it has to do with the wood people put down as floors. I have had to take out some floors that were three planks deep to be "safe" and walls lined with more solid wood so i am only going by my own experiences
 
Tiddlypom said:
A Beaufort Treble weighs 1300kg, that’s quite a heft.

Good trailers though, I remember them back from my Pony Club days.

http://www.horsetrailersales.co.uk/NewRiceBeaufortTreble.asp
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My treble is 1280kg and its the lightest one available that takes 3. Its 18 foot long so hardly surprising its heavy. The equivalent double is under 1000kgs which is less than the Ifors. That's what I mean. People say they are heavy but really they aren't.
 
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