What is the cost of running a trailer?

[ownedbyaconnie]

Initial outlay aside, how much do you reckon you spend a year on having a trailer? So annual service, what are common things that need repairing and how much do they cost, how often do tyres seem to last etc. And how much do you use yours? Break down service etc.

I'm thinking I will use mine (when I eventually get it) maybe once a week in summer and less in winter. Open to any trailer but will only be trailering my little 14.1 so most likely something like an Ifor 505.

Trying to see if I can make my maternity pay stretch to cover the running costs...

 

[Michen]

I think the service is around £150 . I had brake shoes done on mine and brake cables- £180 (don't expect to have to do these again). 4 new tyres £200 (again, should't have to do again for 5 plus years).

Breakdown does my car as well even if not towing through Equine Rescue, think it was 150- can't remember. Insurance 60 quid a year..

 

[Michen]

PS the tyres on mine all looked fine but were 10 years old and I just won't risk it, they technically should be replaced every 7 (I think or less) years as they perish.

 

[w1bbler]

2003 ifor 505. My husband services our trailer, so virtually zero annual cost?
However over the years we have replaced the side panels & rear ramp, can't remember the cost of bits, but its doable by a competent diy'er
When we first bought it, 10ish years ago the breaks needed a complete strip down & new bits as they were seized.
All the tyres were also replaced a few years ago.
Definitely get someone who knows what they are looking at to view any trailer - I would never have noticed our side panels were rotten.
Well maintained though annual costs are negligible,

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I have an Ifor 506 and pay about £12 a month for insurance and it has an annual service which I think is about £180 then at the end of the summer it has a pre winter health check at £45. I had hay rails installed and the off ramp hinges were replaced two years ago. I try to look after it properly and when it went off to have the hinges and ramp done the mechanic thanked me for giving him such a clean box to work on as some people never clean theirs out ?

 

[Northern Hare]

Also don't forget insurance for your trailer in case it's stolen.

Also, factor in enough security for your trailer - a Bulldog type hitch lock and wheel clamp (on a rear wheel to prevent thieves jacking the trailer up onto the rear wheels to remove it). It's all about making it as difficult as possible for them to steal it.

The IWT 505 trailers are excellent and hold their value really well if they're well looked after. I recently sold my 13 year old IWT 505 Classic for not much less than I bought it for new (although it had been serviced with new tyres to get it ready for sale) and it looked like new.

I don't know how true this is but I was told by an IWT dealership that the silver coloured 505's were more susceptible to damp on the panels.

 

[ihatework]

Not a lot,
Around £100 for an annual service
£12/month insurance

Then I suppose it depends on if you need parts for it. Tyres generally perish before they wear (maybe £200 for a set?). Brakes on newer well maintained trailers rarely an issue. Floors/ramps are the bigger cost, but if well stored you really prolong life (don’t park on grass/damp ground etc), don’t power wash the floor lots, mop up urine with bedding and air dry.

 

[mini_b]

Who do you all insure with?

is it on car/home/contents or separate policy?

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

PS the tyres on mine all looked fine but were 10 years old and I just won't risk it, they technically should be replaced every 7 (I think or less) years as they perish.

I'm same as you. I've set aside money for a service/health check for any trailer I buy no matter what age/how recent it's had a service etc. Pony's safety (and safety of others on the road) is priceless!


Thanks everyone, all coming back about what I expected. I've been looking at old Tiguans all morning and having to sit on my hands. There's so much stuff I want to take Mum and pony out to before we move up North and the price of transporters at the moment is really quite painful just for a local clear round and hiring a box for the day is like gold dust it seems. Someone tell me buying a trailer and sitting your test at 5 months pregnancy is silly!!!

 

[windand rain]

I would guess ours cost about 150 per year excluding parts, insurance and depreciation buying new increases your depreciation costs but older ones hold value which they dont really drop below if well cared for. It was insured through NFU with both our cars on the same policy

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Who do you all insure with?

is it on car/home/contents or separate policy?

Mine is with SEIB. I have a bulldog hitchlock on the front and it is Datatagged. We are in a very secure location but some undesirables turned up yesterday so I am considering the wheel clamps and when I can get a long enough ladder to clean the roof I want to paint the farm postcode on it as well.

 

[teddypops]

Mine doesn’t really cost anything. My husband is a mechanic so he looks after it for me. Not had to replace anything yet.

 

[Northern Hare]

On the subject of trailer security, a friend had a IWT510, and had her horse was tied up to it at a show who decided to sharpen his teeth on the side panels, so there were large curved scrapes down one side.

She had booked to take it to the IWT dealership to get the panels replaced, but in the meantime a gang of thieves turned up at the livery yards and stole three of the four IWT trailers, leaving hers behind!

I guess the moral of the story is that it’s really worth personalising your trailer with decals / extra stripes with reflective tape etc etc - anything to make it easily identifiable and less tempting to thieves. ?

 

[mini_b]

Mine is with SEIB. I have a bulldog hitchlock on the front and it is Datatagged. We are in a very secure location but some undesirables turned up yesterday so I am considering the wheel clamps and when I can get a long enough ladder to clean the roof I want to paint the farm postcode on it as well.

mines datatagged and has a bulldog hitch lock. Also looking into a wheel clamp for when I’m parked but hitched up!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Someone tell me buying a trailer and sitting your test at 5 months pregnancy is silly!!!

Probably less silly than me doing the test, buying the trailer and still keeping my 3.5t box .

Though I've said I will sell the box once we're allowed out and we've confirmed the horses are agreeable to the trailer , love my box but the cost's of keeping the trailer are tiny compared to the running costs of the box...

 

[Northern Hare]

mines datatagged and has a bulldog hitch lock. Also looking into a wheel clamp for when I’m parked but hitched up!

Just a thought, but the Bulldog Hitchcock I had for my IWT505, could be used to secure the trailer to the car when it was hitched up to the car. I only used it once in this way, when I was parked up with the trailer (empty) at a motorway services. I removed it before driving off.

 

[McFluff]

I have a showtrekka.
worth the same now as when I got it 6 years ago (it’s 13 now!).
insurance is £180
Breakdown is £50
Service is £100, and it averages about £50 in stuff each time (replacing cables, brakes etc)
I’ve replaced the tyres costing £200 and these should give another 3-4 years
I also got a lot of work done on mine when I got her - floor checked (it was good), ramp replaced (it had a soft patch) and side replaced - that all cost £2k, but that is why I’ve had no depreciation.
i (in normal times!) use it between 4&8 times a month.
assuming you can drive comfortably I don’t think being pregnant should hinder you doing the test. Maybe easier while baby is at the ultimate portable stage!

 

[AandK]

I have a 2004 Bateson Ascot. Insurance is around £110 a year, breakdown with ERS £55 a year (car covered elsewhere) and service around £140 with no extras. Mine is datatagged and I have a bulldog wheelclamp and hitchlock.

 

[Sealine]

Insurance £112 and £57 a year for Equine Assist alongside my RAC membership. I use a Bulldog hitch lock and wheel clamp at home. I use the built in hitch lock on my 511 when I'm out and about e.g. parked at a cross country course or fun ride. If I'm leaving the trailer somewhere very public e.g. at public car park at the forest/beach, I take a wheel clamp with me as a more visible theft deterrent.

ETA annual service usually around £120.

 

[phizz4]

We insure with NFU, as an add on to the horse's insurance. Add's about £100 to the annaul policy. An annual service is about £120. New tyres every 7 years even though they aren't worn out as they perish, as stated above. A good lock will cost at least £100. Put your mobile phone number in large white letters on the roof. Breakdown cover is about £55 with PRP Rescue Services. Our last two trailers have been Bockmann's so have never had to replace anything. We sold the first one when it was 12 years old as we needed a larger one and, at it's last service they asked me if the brake shoes had been changed because they were unworn. I brake so carefully the trailer shoes never come on, but it's also a testament to their build quality.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

Nothing to add to the trailer running costs as ours are similarly small - however, if you’re just going to be towing one pony, have you looked at the single trailers? We have a 403 which is lovely to tow (very confidence -boosting to know that if the car’s gone through a gap, the trailer definitely will too! It also gives our horse much more space as the width is 1.5 times the width of one stall in a double. Ours is worth the same now as when we bought it secondhand two and a bit years ago, so apart from the running costs it’s been virtually free transport!

 

[mini_b]

Just a thought, but the Bulldog Hitchcock I had for my IWT505, could be used to secure the trailer to the car when it was hitched up to the car. I only used it once in this way, when I was parked up with the trailer (empty) at a motorway services. I removed it before driving off.

ahhh. I’ll have a look at see if I can use it that way thanks! The less stuff I have to faff with the better