[Womble]

Currently we transport small bale hay using an 8'x5' flat bed trailer. It's a pain strapping it on and an even bigger pain at this time of year to find a time to collect when it isn't raining. We also don't have a lot of space to store hay on the farm.

To solve these issues, I'm seriously thinking of buying an old horse trailer such as this Ifor 505:





There are lot of them about at prices from £500 up, depending on age and condition.


What I'm hoping is that I'll be able to fetch a load and then tow the whole thing into the field, leaving the hay in there as it is used, before going to get another load.


What do you think folks? Great idea? Terrible idea? Please give your reasons for either opinion!!

Thanks! 

[Rosemary]

We have a IW TA510 that we used to collect two big round bales at a time. Never used it to feed hay though. You'd have to put a barrier between hay and sheep and I think they would make an awful mess, especially if they lie and therefore dung in the trailer. But I'm guessing, not having actually done it.

[chrismahon]

I thought about buying one for the move to France, simply because they are easy to sell on later, but eventually settled for an Ifor box trailer. Reason was the weight of horse boxes limited the weight of the contents they could be loaded with. Access wasn't very good either. I'd worry about it getting bogged down and being top heavy. Perhaps you could buy a smaller box trailer for the same price?

[Womble]

Oh, sorry Rosemary, I didn't mean to also use it as a hay rack - only as storage, then remove one bale at a time to put in a hay feeder.

Chris - actually box trailers seem to be more expensive. I think that's just because there are so many horse trailers around, and because people often trade up?

[SallyintNorth]

When I was "oop north", we had customers would come and buy hay off us.  Helping them load a horse trailer like this one wasn't my favourite, and because of the shape you couldn't get that many bales in.

But the loading faff is probably offset by the low cost of a having covered trailer.

If you have the money, though, personally I'd be looking at a pukka sheep trailer such as a CLH.  We get 12 small bales in our 8', lid on.  I can load it with the lid on (albeit I'm bent over!) - and it's convenient, legal and safe for taking sheep to the abattoir or market as well.

Don't underestimate the damage sheep will do to a trailer left in the field, though. Little bleeters damage lights, cables, number plates... 

Oh, and about using the trailer for storage...  Any trailer which transports animals will have lots of ventilation, and if you get stormy weather, horizontal rain etc like we do, hay would get wet if left in a trailer in the field, unless you cover all the ventilation gaps. (And tying tarps on creates more things for sheep to damage... lol)

[Fleecewife]

I'm with Sally on this - your sheep will destroy the trailer, making it unusable on the road.  How do I know?