# Lightweight trailers?



## Jingleballs (14 October 2008)

I wonder if anyone could give me some suggestions of lightweight trailers?

I know the 505 is approximately 900kg so combined with my horse I'd be towing around 1500kg which the car I'm looking at can cope with however I am looking to find out if there are any lighter models available so that I have more options when I do eventually start trailer shopping!

Thanks

K


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## Baileyhoss (14 October 2008)

The 505 is 1170kg unladen.


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## Hippona (14 October 2008)

Not sure of actual weights, but I think Bahill ( Bayhill?) trailers are lightweight....


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## Eira (14 October 2008)

Cheval Liberte's are lightweight
With the unladen weight being either 765 kg or 830 kg


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## FigJam (14 October 2008)

I have an Ifor Williams HB401 (mare &amp; foal) trailer, unladen weight 770kg and tows like a dream.  Gives the horse extra space as they get 1.5 partition width compared to 505, my mare refused to load into a Bateson Ascot but drags me on the 401!

They are hard to come across 2nd hand, but definitely worth the wait if you're looking to minimise your weight for towing.


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## Vicki_Krystal (14 October 2008)

Pegasus Trailers are lightweight - i loved mine when i had it.


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## Kenzo (14 October 2008)

Bahill Sportsman, (not the old model) very light and hard wearing, although you cant buy them new, they stopped making them many years ago, but if your after a second hand trailer, then I'd certainly recommend one.  I sold mine beginning of this year...very regretfully might I add.


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## kit279 (14 October 2008)

Bateson are lighter than Ifors - I have a Deauville but I hear good things about the Derby too.


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## Nookster (14 October 2008)

I thought the weight to take into consideration is what the trailer can hold as a maximum? Not what its unladen weight and the horses weight calculates to when deciding on a car.

So unladen and horse = 1500kg and the car can tow that is what your looking at.

I was lead to believe its what the trailer max is in comparison to what the car can tow?

So a brand new ifor 505 unladen is 920kg. But its maximum is 2600kg so the car you need to match up to to be legal has to be able to tow is the 2600kg weight not the 920kg. There was a thread that Bluewicked did on this not sure if you have seen. The car has to be able to tow the trailers fully laden weight even if you have it fully laden or not. Another legal loop hole sadly


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## FigJam (14 October 2008)

This seems to be a bit of a grey area and no one on here who mentions this has shown an official website where this is stated.  From what I understand of it, it is an EU directive and not a UK law.  

Of course, I have no idea who stringently a traffic cop or VOSA would enforce it, but surely if it were enforced, we'd hear far more about it and at least someone on here would know of someone who had been fined for breaking it?

I doubt that more than 50% of the horse trailer/car combinations out on the roads mathc up with car's stated towing capacity &gt; trailer MAM, however most of these are very likely safe combinations as will only tow one horse at a time and the actual weight is well within the car's capability.  Those who tow two horses will have the beefier heavy 4x4s with higher capacity nearer to their trailer's MAM.


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## Madasmaz (14 October 2008)

I had a look at Cheval box that a lday came to our yard in. She loved it as her horse never loaded in an IFOR but just hops in the Cheval...its what I dream of, especially as the purchase price of towing vehicles is plummeting through the floor...damn the credit crunch


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## Theresa_F (14 October 2008)

If you want to tow only one horse - up to 16 hands then the Bateson Derby with the partition out is 580 k - I use this with my car and my cob so am under 1100 k.

Will take two 14.2s with the partition in, or maybe two 15 hand fine types but Chancer is a chunky type and now prefers the partition out as it was a bit tight with it in for him.

Nice trailer and so light you can easily move it round by hand.


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## Roasted Chestnuts (14 October 2008)

Weight of a 505 empty according to ifors website is 905kgs. Maximum weight is 2340kgs as is plated on MY 505.

You only have to take into consideration the max weight of the trailer when calculating what you can tow with and this is set against the MAX BRAKED weight that your car can tow.

Kerb weights are only a guideline and are generally 85% of the max braked towing weight of a car/4x4. And these are for caravans essentially.

So a car/4x4 with a 2000kg max braked towing weight could essentially pull a 905kg trailer plus 500kg horse and have tack etc in the trailer as well if the max weight of the trailer was plated at 2000kgs which your dealer/manufacturer can for a bout 100 quid.

My car pulls another 500kgs on top of that as a max braked towing weight so i could essentially have two 500kg horses plus my 505 and still be within the weight stated and be legal as the 2500kg is above the max weight of the trailer ie 2340kg  
	
	
		
		
	


	





Nikki xxxx


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## Chex (14 October 2008)

My Bateson Derby44 weighs 610kg, definitely one of the lightest double trailers out there. Its not huge though, and is rear unload.


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## Nookster (15 October 2008)

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/reposito...p;id=486b0ff012


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## Roasted Chestnuts (23 October 2008)

That link is usful and basically proves what I was saying.

My uncle has driven HGVs and articulated lorries for years and took me through this step by step.

If the gross towing/train weight is 2500kgs then this is the max towing weight of the vehicle providing it is braked. Horse trailers are braked (or should be) if you towing less than 2000kgs with a car with a max capacity of 2500kgs then you will be more than within the weight.

So pulling casper in a 505 with a car that can pull 2250/2500kgs then you will only be essentially towing 1405kgs which is well within the limits of that car. This would even be within the limits if a car that can tow 2000kgs. 

Nikki xxxxx


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