After afew years of having horses and paying for transport I decided to buy a trailer after careful consideration. I had never towed before and did not have a vehicle suitable for towing. It was not a decision taken lightly. I had considered buying a lorry but contemplated that the costs would be considerably higher to sustain another roadworhty vehicle in comparison with higher daily fuel costs to run a 4 x 4. (correct me if I am wrong). I bought a suitable towing vehicle and an Ifor Williams 505 which was about 5 years old. This cost me £2500 (I have had it nearly 2 years) from a reputable dealer and had full service history. It may cost more from dealers but at the time it was the best option for me as I didn`t really know what I needed to check from a safety angle. Also looking at the advertisments at the time, there were not any that were much cheaper, one thing that I have noticed and been told by others are that the Ifor Williams trailers hold there value and are easy to sell on. Ifor Williams sells several different trailers but my choice was between the 505 and the 510, the dealer had one of each. My horses are 15.2hh and 16.2hh (when I bought the trailer he was 16.1hh). The 505 takes 2 horses up to 16.2hh and the 510 takes two over 16.2hh. The dealer advised me that the 505 would be suitable. After taking 2 friends with me and agreeing a deal that delivery would be included in the price, I made the purchase.
For those who have passed their driving test after early1997, it is necessary to take a trailer test before being allowed to tow a trailer. Whilst I had passed my test before then I still thought that I had better have some tuition. I asked a friend with years and years of towing experience to come out with me for the first few times whilst the trailer was empty. This was invaluable and I would advise anyone who hasn`t towed before and who is not required by law to take the trailer test to do this. The first time I went out I was amazed how light the trailer felt (even though it does in fact weigh slightly over a tonne) and how easy it was to tow. It followed me around the corners easily though I was reminded to go much more slowly around corners with a horse in to enable them to keep their balance. You also need to stop much more slowly with a horse in so that they do not fall forwards on to the breast bar. I learned a lot from going out with an empty trailer and the essential advice that I was given. I was pleased with the Ifor Williams trailer and glad I had selected the 505 model. The 505 is narrower than the 510 which meant that if I could fit through a gap then the trailer could too. My confidence was increasing rapidly and after afew times out and practising manouvers, I was able to take out my horse.
I was lucky enough to be given supervision hitching up and unhitching for the first few times. It takes a bit of repetition to remember to do everything, hitch up, put safety cable over tow bar, plug in electrics, wind up jockey wheel. It is the same when unhitching, I have only managed to break the cable once when forgetting to remove it. My horse loaded really well which helped. I was able to drive carefully and safely for the horse and other road users. It feels different towing with a horse than when empty but the Ifor Williams it still really easy to tow. I noticed a difference when towing both my horses but soon got used to it and appreciated the importance of having a suitable towing vehicle. I did not encounter problems, in fact found it much easier than anticipated (I am not meaning to sound big headed here, I just got the hang of it quicker than I expected to). I was really pleased with my purchase, my only regret was that I had not done it years earlier. The Ifor Williams is so effortless to tow that when empty, you cannot really feel the weight at all.
All in all I have found the Ifor Williams 505 very easy to operate. It is easy to hitch up and unhitch after remembering to do everything, the jockey wheel is easy to use to lift the trailer up, the electrics plug in easily and the safety cable straightforward. . The ramp comes down easily and is nice and light when putting back up. The back bar goes accross easily. The interior is really nice, floor rubber matted, nice partitions. The jockey door is easy to open and close BUT if loading two horses you need to remember to open the outside first as you cannot open it from the inside. I like the front unload as it easier for the horse and effortless for the handler, the breast bar undoes and does up again easily. Most things are very user friendly. One thing that I did discover with the front unload, if you take 2 horses to a competion, you cannot unload the one on the left first. You need to move the partition over to get the one on the left out of the front. This is very easy to do but useful to remember if you want a paticular one out first. The only drawback for me is that when moving over the partition to load the horse, there is nothing to keep it in place. This has been modified though as the newer models do have a rubber ring attached to hook on to the side to keep the partition back. I can manage without it, not worth buying a newer one for, yet. The only other thing is that you cannot buy replacement spare wheel covers in your chosen colour. My horse bit a hole in my spare wheel cover. I was told that you can only buy them in black (mine is green) and they are the hard type that you can put your own picture on. I didn`t bother in the end and this was about a year ago so it may have changed now. Also my interior is not the same colour as the outside being a slightly older model, the newer ones are.
I would certainly recommend Ifor Williams trailers. I do not wish to sell mine yet but when I do I know that I will not have any problem selling it. The only reason I may sell eventually would be to replace it with a newer version of the Ifor Willilams. I would also get the 510 as it would be more spacious for my bigger horse though he is quite happy in the 505. Size was an important consideration for me in the begining and the 505 suited both me and the horses. It would be nice to upgrade to a bigger and newer version of the Ifor Williams when I can afford it. It the mean time I have achieved what I set out to do. I am able to go to shows on my own whenever I like and the Ifor Williams has made this reality.
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£2500
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