Trailers- breakdown/ insurance/ anti theft advice please!

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sugarpuff

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I'm hopefully going to buy a trailer soon (if I ever manage to find the one I want!) but have a few questions which you may be able to help me with.

Regarding insurance and breakdown cover, I obviously have the towing vehicle insured and I also have AA breakdown cover for me (it covers whatever car I am in), but who does breakdown cover for vehicles and trailer? Obviously either the towing vehicle or trailer could breakdown, do I need separate breakdown for each or will the AA do both? Basically, how would I get me, the horse, the trailer and the 4x4 home!!!

Do I need separate trailer insurance or can I add it onto my 4x4 insurance? ie for theft/ fire/ etc.

If I get one which isn't data tagged, do you know how much this costs?

Any other advice about how to mark it to protect against theft?

If I buy private, where do I look for the serial number (it will hopefully be an ifor 510) and how do I check if its a stolen trailer?

How much does a trailer service cost?

Sorry, lots of questions!!!

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If I remember rightly the AA doesn't do trailer breakdown but the RAC does and there are several independent companies too who will get everything back in one piece! As for insurance try the NFU they will quote for everything. Trailer service about £70-£100 I think??
Mine is postcoded on the roof and has a reference/serial no. stamped through the chassis. There is a website to check stolen trailers I expect someone here will know it..
 
My trailer is insured seperatley from my car (trailer with NFU) Car insured with RAC.

I have RAC breakdown cover for the car. There is an option with RAC to add recovery for horses&trailer should the car breakdown. I haven't taken this out (yet) on the basis that if i was stuck the point my 4x4 needed towing home, i'd call one of my friends to come get trailer/horse.

My trailer (ifor 510) is data-tagged to the previous owners address. Fortunatly I know her quite well! Don't know how much it costs tho, sorry.

Anti-Theft? My is wheel-clamped. If you could store in locked barn or something then thats better as its out of sight etc. Otherwise get down to halfords for wheelclmap or hitchlock or both!
 
My trailer insurance is about £75, through Anthony Evans. I got a datatag trailer kit off ebay which was approx £50 I think, then you have to hide 2 tiny chips in the trailer with glue and dab the datadots on all panels, then put the larger chip holder thing on the drawbar using a drill and antitamper screws. My trailer also has 2 wheelclamps and a hitchlock. Since having a landrover stolen I am a bit paranoid.
 
Make sure your breakdown recovery covers the transport of the horses as well as the trailer. The AA covers our towing vehicle and then we have Equine Trailer Assist with Equine Rescue Services (http://www.equinerescue.co.uk/membership/equine-trailer-assist) which covers them sending out a replacement towing vehuicle or recovering the trailer and sending out a lorry or trailer (our choice) to pick up the horses. The AA don't want anything to do with the horses and have even insisted on unhitching the trailer with the horses in it so they could take the car - I can tell you that didn't happen! It only costs us £30 a year and has been a godsend. For years we didn't have it and relied on friends coming out to pick up the horses, madness
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. They are really helpful horsey people and even bring the lorry complete with full nets of hay or haylage.

In short when we break down (regular occurence
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) car and accompanying human - AA flatbed, trailer - Equine Rescue, horses and accompanying humans - replacement lorry, dogs - with whoever will take them
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.

RE security - we have a hitch lock as well as whell locks on diagonal wheels. Our trailer is a very unusual large white french contraption where the horses travel sideways. There are only a few in the country so it's not as desirable as a blue Ifor but we still try to make it as safe as possible. Thieves will go to any length to steal trailers so all you can do is make it more hassle for them to steal yours than the one parked next to it - sad but true.
 
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I haven't taken this out (yet) on the basis that if i was stuck the point my 4x4 needed towing home, i'd call one of my friends to come get trailer/horse.

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That's what we used to think until we ended up stuck on the M3 working out the logistics of unhitching and rehitching with the police unwilling to close the motorway. We ended up giving friend £40 diesel money anyway which is more than the £30 equine rescue policy.
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone! Great help as usual.....off to see a trailer tomorrow, bit more £ than I want to spend but sounds like it's almost brand new.....oh well!
 
QR - one tip I was given about trailer security was to put the wheel clamp on a back wheel not a front. Apparently, if it's on the front thieves can simply wind up the jockey wheel to raise the front tyres off the floor and wheel it away just on its back wheels! If it's on the back, they can't! This was a rule that was written into a contract I had when I hired a trailer last summer. Another rule in the contract was to always have been wheel lock on even if it was hitched up to the car ie at shows. Apparently, the only theft the hire company had was when one was taken away at a show!!
 
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