Why are Rice Trailers so cheap?

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PaulnasherryRocky

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New car being a 2005 landy Defender with tow bar I've now started browsing for a trailer.

My question is why are rice trailers so cheap? I'm not looking to cheap out on a trailer as my horses' safety is paramount, but some really nice condition Rice trailers are still about half the price of an Ifor Williams- Why is this? Should they be avoided??

Thanks in advance!
 
Because in my experience people seem to have weird prejudices against them :) I had one which was great, just had a new floor in it before I got it and was regularly serviced and maintained, it was fab :)
 
It might be because they are not made anymore so you can't get parts. I don't know just guessing. They are quite heavy too.
 
We used to have one, well we still do, but we just don't use anymore as it's too small for our lot, and we have a lorry.

Ours is a pony trailer, it was light to tow, and practical, just a bit small, even for a 12.3hh.
 
Some models are heavy, such as the big Beauforts and trebles which take huge horses. Europas and eventers are really light.

In my experience they tow great and are very much under-rated. People don't like them because they look 'old-fashioned'. They're less likely to be stolen, and whilst parts might be an issue if you want original fixings etc, they're good honest steel and wood, so can be fixed by a handy-man with a screwdriver and an stick welder. I made a full width breast bar for mine with a 2x4 and two gate hinges. :)

TBH they're quite hard to break anyway. Floors can be inspected/replaced. If it's a hardwood floor in good condition, it's good for 10-15 years if treated correctly. Watch out for rubber mats on top of wooden floors - it traps the wet. They were designed to have drain holes in the wood, and no mats.
 
Agree with above Iv got one of the big beauforts takes 2x 17.2 easily and I love it, I think it goes much nicer than the IW possibly as it is heavier it doesn't rattle like the IW do as it's not made of aluminium. It's big spacey but yes it's heavy unladen it weighs 900kg. My horse prefers it to a friends IW not sure why. Until we had it it has been stored inside and not used often but maintained very well. It is a lovely trailer but parts I imagine are the reason they go cheap although you can have them fixed with different parts and a good odd job man.
 
I've got a Beaufort too - use it for moving really heavy stuff, or get 3 ponies in it - currently it's full of parquet flooring! Also an eventer, which is rear-unload, payload of 800kg, so one chunky 15.2hh or a couple of decent sized ponies. I can pull that one around by hand on the flat - I think the trailer itself only weighs about 650kg.
 
Agree with both the above posters but parts can be found about and also your friendly blacksmith/welder is quite likely able to fix most problems. I had an old (22 yrs old!) 505 which was great but needed a new floor, I also needed to have a bigger trailer (ironic now I don't have the bigger horses!) so sold the 505 on Preloved to the first to see for £1000 and then put an extra £250 to but a super Rice Beaufort that was only ten years old! It tows fantastically, everything travels well in it, it's light and airy with much better ventilation. My only gripe with it is it is so heavy, I can't shift (push it around the yard) it on my own like I could the IWT. When new, my trailer was high end, nearly £6000 and the ride it gives the horses shows it would have been well worth the extra, the Rolls Royce of trailers for me and the fact you have a LR means you won't have a problem towing it..
Here's some bumph on them - http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/brands/1018
You can also try these for some Rice parts, they were very helpful when I spoke to them - http://www.wtltrailers.co.uk/
 
I think they're still worth looking in to for me, It would only ever be carrying one 14.3hh pony and with parts etc my dad is a welder/tool maker so I'm sure he could come in useful- plus the yard I'm moving to I believe there is someone who makes a living out of restoring old trailers and lorries so I can always get it checked regularly.
Thank you all for the advice, much appreciated
 
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