Viewed an Ifor Williams HB505 - springy back wall

[beerecco]

Hi,

We just viewed a 2006 Ifor William HB505 trailer which is in great condition except ...



When viewing from the back ramp, looking down the left hand side of the trailer, by the furthest back wheel, the panel is coming away from the frame as shown in the photo above.

The panel is not soft and does not feel rotten, but unlike the other side, where the panel is flush with the metal side, this side has a big gap along the side of it and when I pressed it, the panel pushed back quite a bit so I could get my fingers between the panel and them metal frame, and also a fair bit back along the right hand side of the panel above where that white line of sealant is.

Inside it feels pretty firm - the owner kicked the and it sounded a lot more firm further towards the front of the trailer, but back in the rear corner on the inside of where this photo was taken, it sounded more resonant, like there was more give in it. Again, it didn't sound rotten, but it wasn't as solid as further back on the wall.

Apart from that, the trailer is in great condition.

I'm new to trailers, so am not sure if this is a warning sign which should ring alarm bells and mean I should avoid this one, or if it's not such a big deal, and even if it was, would a panel replacement not be very expensive assuming the panel at some point starts to rot?

I looked under the trailer and it didn't look like it was rotting away, or was corroded / rusting away.

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Tiddlypom]

Full side panel on a 510 (bit bigger than a 505) is £250 plus VAT + fitting as quoted by an Ifor main dealer very recently. It’s a very common thing to need replacing.

Has the trailer been serviced regularly? If the trailer hasn’t been looked after well, it could cost a lot to get safe for the road.

 

[beerecco]

Thanks very much for your reply. It's been serviced regularly, most recently last year I think, and had all new tyres a few months ago, but has been standing for a few months now the owner has bought a lorry.

Apart from this issue, it was in great condition.

Thanks

 

[Tiddlypom]

With a service history and new tyres, (do make sure that they’re van tyres), it sounds like a good buy.

Our 510 is the same age, we’ve had it from new and looked after it, it’s in good condition. It will need one new side panel next year, the dealer told us, but is fine for another year. That’ll be the first expense other than routine servicing and new tyres that it’ll have chalked up.

 

[beerecco]

Thanks very much for getting back to me that's really helpful. Out of interest, how much does the servicing cost roughly?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Service was £95 + parts + vat.

Our total came in at £177 inc VAT, which included 4 new axle end stake nuts, 4 hub caps and 8 quick release eye bolts for the front breast bar fittings (the sort the newer Ifors have instead of the Allen key release).

Not bad for a 13 yo trailer, I thought.

 

[jonnyl]

Hi,

We just viewed a 2006 Ifor William HB505 trailer which is in great condition except ...

View attachment 33555

When viewing from the back ramp, looking down the left hand side of the trailer, by the furthest back wheel, the panel is coming away from the frame as shown in the photo above.

The panel is not soft and does not feel rotten, but unlike the other side, where the panel is flush with the metal side, this side has a big gap along the side of it and when I pressed it, the panel pushed back quite a bit so I could get my fingers between the panel and them metal frame, and also a fair bit back along the right hand side of the panel above where that white line of sealant is.

Inside it feels pretty firm - the owner kicked the and it sounded a lot more firm further towards the front of the trailer, but back in the rear corner on the inside of where this photo was taken, it sounded more resonant, like there was more give in it. Again, it didn't sound rotten, but it wasn't as solid as further back on the wall.

Apart from that, the trailer is in great condition.

I'm new to trailers, so am not sure if this is a warning sign which should ring alarm bells and mean I should avoid this one, or if it's not such a big deal, and even if it was, would a panel replacement not be very expensive assuming the panel at some point starts to rot?

I looked under the trailer and it didn't look like it was rotting away, or was corroded / rusting away.

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks!

Probably a bit late now but I have a 505 with rotten side panels. Even the slightest movement / spongy feel to the side panels indicates a serious rot problem. In my case the lower foot of the panels was trashed all the way along with only a slight indication from the outside just like yours.

I take issue that this is an easy fix. Firstly, Ifor Williams take MONTHS to supply the EXPENSIVE side panels at £200 each. Secondly, its a serious DIY job. All the rear rivets have to be punched and drilled out, the side retaining bolts are almost certainly rusted up and, in my case, required an angle grinder to remove. There are many other issues such as removing the mud guards, removing the remains of broken screws, drilling the new panels which are not pre marked etc. As a temporary fix I added a sheet of ply on the inside, behind the plastic covers while I was waiting for delivery.

The other extraordinary thing is that the new panels are NOT waterproof! Surely if IW know there is a rot issue they should take every step to prevent this? Mine were left out with slight rain over night, in the morning there was a clear indication that the water had penetrated the top edge of the supposedly sealed panel! When I refitted them, I applied large amounts of high quality exterior waterproof sealant to the bottom edge / channel and thoroughly sealed the panel from the outside. Incidentally, I couldn't find much evidence of them being properly sealed to the chassis in the first place.

Finally, a word of warning to owners, The so called safety release hex bolts to drop the bars from the outside were rusted up solid. In the case of an emergency, there was NO chance of undoing these with the allen key provided. It took a lot of oil, time and power tools to get them off. I suggest all owners check these bolts and make sure they are greased or better still replaced with stainless steel bolts which is what I have done.

If anyone needs advice or help with the panels you are welcome to email me.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Welcome to the forum jonnyl .

Your experience with your 505 reinforces why it is important to get trailers serviced annually, so that issues can be picked up and sorted early on.

The safety hex release bolts do work as intended if well maintained. We had a 15.2hh straddling the front breast bar in our 510 and we were able to drop the breast bar in a couple of minutes with an Allen key. I do recommend upgrading to the newer quick release eye bolts as fitted to the newer trailers, though. They are much easier to deal with in an emergency, and are a straight replacement for the hex release bolts. Seen here on my 510.