A trailer firm’s new “big beast” is proving to be an international hit.
Orders are flooding in from Ifor Williams Trailers’ worldwide distributor network for the livestock trailer which at 16 feet long is the biggest in the popular range.
The new triaxle trailer includes several innovative upgrades, including LED lights as standard, footplates on the front of the trailer, an integrated sump tank for slurry making it easier to empty and a new spring loaded release mechanism for the second deck.
Among those who’ve been road testing it is celebrity farmer Gareth Wyn Jones, who farms near Llanfairfechan in the foothills of the Carneddau Range.
Gareth, a regular face on television who has three million subscribers on his YouTube channel, says he’s a big fan of the iconic company’s trailers
He was taken on a tour of the company’s five sites in Denbighshire and Flintshire by production manager Jak Tyrer and saw the new model rolling off the production line.
According to Gareth, a partner in the family business which farms 2,000 acres, the visit was an “incredible eye-opener”.
He said: “This company has blown my mind. It’s still family owned, it’s still growing but hasn’t lost touch with its roots.
“What they create here is very special, something that we all need to support into the future because it’s an integral part of keeping the language, keeping the economy and keeping people in work.
“What I’ve seen is the amount of people they’ve employed locally, the amount of people who work there, who’ve been there for 50, 40, 30, 20 years and are still there and still smiling.
“They’ve also invested a huge amount of money in the very best equipment and their attention to detail is mind blowing.
“We’ve always used Ifor Williams. We’ve never had another trailer for livestock and they’ve been integral to keeping us farming.
“They don’t take their foot off the accelerator. They look and they ask and they want the input from the farmer or the contractor. They’re looking for new ideas and they build the trailer for the customer and I think that’s very important.
“I love the new 16ft livestock trailer. It tows even better – and that’s saying something.
“I’m seriously over the moon with the trailer and my father, who’s 88, always says when he returns from the sale that this is a good trailer.
“That’s a massive compliment because he’s the hardest man in the world to please.
“I’ve gone for a 16 foot flat-bed too and that’s been a godsend because we have land on Anglesey and we used to go with a tractor and trailer and put hay in the trailer.
“It was a bit of a faff but with this new one, we can put two or four bales of hay to go to Anglesey where we have a tractor, so it saves us a lot of time and like I say, time is money.
“What they’ve done is a credit to North Wales and to the whole of Wales and also to the UK.”
As well as livestock trailers, the firm makes horseboxes and a wide range of other trailers for every conceivable use.
Its product ranges include everything from flatbeds and tippers to car transporters and box vans, from catering units to mobile business trailers and medical clinics.
They are sold through a network of more than 100 distributors across the UK, most of Europe and as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.
Jak Tyrer said: “We were delighted to welcome Gareth today because it was a great opportunity to showcase what we do, how much we have invested in the most modern equipment and the pride our workforce takes in ensuring we produce trailers of the highest quality.
“The launch of the new 16ft livestock trailer has been even better than we could have hoped for.
“The response from across the globe has been universally positive and that’s been translated into orders from distributors from near and far – and as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.
“We were responding to the needs of the market. Thanks to feedback from our customers and our brilliant distributor network, we have incorporated a number of design innovations that will make life easier for the people using the trailers to transport their livestock.
“There’s a new sump tank that’s easier and quicker to clean out, there’s an easy load release on the rear ramps, footplates on the front of the trailer and a new lighting system.
“The other advantage is that it is priced very competitively which is something that’s clearly appreciated by our canny customers and it’s given even more oomph to our distributor network.”
