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The Horse |
Review - Apex Double Horse Float |
Virtually Horses |
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Reviews |
Derrys
Engineering - (Derrys Corbett, Manager) PO Box 3334 Niven St Onekawa Napier Phone 06 843 3860 Email Single or double horsefloats manufactured. Standard Features
Base Price* - Double Float (see review for basic features) $5950 *Prices current as at 2004 and include GST and WOF.
Registration is organised and paid for by the customer. Head Divider (Stallion grate) - $180
Features Coupling - NZ Safety Std Trojan coupling on the Apex allows for either of the two standard sizes of towball in NZ - 17/8ths and 50mm. There is a locking mechanism that ensures that it should not come off the towball once the correct size is chosen. In addition the coupling includes a safety chain and shackle. The jockeywheel makes hitching up the float painless and
there is a sturdy locking mechanism to make sure it stays in place in
either upright or horizontal position.
The internal measurements of each horse space in a standard double float is 78cm x 195 cm. Because the centrebar doesn't reach the floor, each horse has an effective space of approximately 85cm. The front storage area is also quite spacious. The storage area is floored with plywood and carefully sectioned off from the horse area to ensure that any items cannot slide or roll back under the horses feet. There are two internal tie points at the front of the float.
Things I'd Change, Things I like - The Apex Review OK so everyone will have different opinions on their ideal float and of course for those with infinite pockets you can build your own completely customised dream horse transporter. I'm very happy with the Apex. I don't do enormous amounts of travelling and my horse is a seasoned traveller who rides well in anything, so I was looking for a well made float that wouldn't cripple by bank account. Before purchasing I had looked at many of the options currently available and hired a couple of floats - both newish Thoroughbreds. My original plan had been to purchase a good quality second-hand float but the price of the Apex changed my mind. For about the same price you can buy your own brand new float (OK maybe a little more than a second-hander) What do I like? - almost everything! It's big! although from the outside it just doesn't look it. The horse's like it and wander on in, mine has even tried to pop on through the front door! It's light - some people don't like that, for good reasons, but I like having that extra power-to-weight ratio in my vehicle's favour and it makes hitching up a breeze. Very stable and tows wonderfully. Hills, around tight corners, any sort of ground and this float is right behind you. I have towed floats and trailers that tend to wander, bounce or wobble but this is a very nice towing experience. The wooden flooring is not tongue-and-groove joined, meaning that water can wash straight through. Not only does this make for quite easy cleanups but it means that the flooring is much less likely to rot out due to the excellent airflow. It's good, basic, strong engineering. Talking to the guys who actually design and build them gives you a lot of confidence. There's a lot of thought been put into each feature and if you did want to customise a little you can talk direct to the manufacturer. When buying new you can ask for the standard design to be altered! If you have large horses - get the entire float made larger and stronger if you want - or specify custom changes as you need them. What don't I like, what would I change? - very minor stuff I would like tie-down points for anything I put in the front compartment. I have a large storage box there which I would prefer to tie onto the frame to ensure it doesn't move under any circumstances. Having said that, stuff doesn't tend to move around and there is a lip on the horse compartment to ensure that it couldn't slide under the horses. The honeycomb rubber mats are a pain to clean there's no denying it. But the horses do seem to be less likely to slip on them than the full rubber mats (which tend to get slippery with moisture or poo on them). I now use sacks to catch poo and have 'stitched' the rubber tiles together with bailing twine so that you can lift them in one action when you need to clean under them. You could choose to have your float made without mats - either leaving the floors wooden or having full rubber mats fitted later. I intend to put a rubber strip on the outside edge of the ramp. Every float, not just the Apex, seems to have this problem where the outer edge of the ramp gets chipped and damaged by the ground allowing rust to start. The window is placed too high for me to be able to see the horses through the back of my vehicle. ** One year on from Purchase** The float is going strong and has been in use constantly (usually 3 days every week). The changes I've ended up making can be seen in the photo right. I have a permanent set of gear (buckets, first aid etc) in a carrier box in the front section. This still leaves plenty of room for a broom, water container, haynets and horses heads. I have mildly padded the centre rail with left over foam from the front\back rail pads and old feed sacks. I've padded the front and rear bars with camping mat foam and covered that with hospital grade plastic - this is a very cheap and effective alternative to commercial padding. I did start to stitch the mats together and this works well for a quick sweep under but have also found that for a thorough clean, taking the whole lot out isn't too bad as long as you keep the pieces in order and try to keep them together as much as possible (simply pull\slide out rather than lifting). If you really want to keep them together buy a pack of black cable ties - easy! I also got the handbrake cut and re-welded to allow for the spare wheel on the back of the vehicle. I glued a neoprene strip to the back ramp edge and this is brilliant! I also laid rubber matting on the ramp - it dampens noise and makes it less slippery and much easier to clean. The horses seem to prefer it. Things that have gone wrong in the first year. Almost nothing. A few rivets have popped but they're easily replaced, everything works and has stood up to the wear and tear really well. New Model Released 1 Dec 2005 !!! The Apex Mark II - Basic Price $11,025.00 GST inc.. (Options available on request) Derrys has designed a new look for the Mark II Apex |
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Mark II Apex
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| Related Pages | |||
Horse Float Manufacturers in New Zealand (Links)
Trailux
LTSA Guidelines
Rules and Guidelines
for Trailers
(including most horse floats) |
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Everything
can be custom built to your specifications if you want.
The
interior. The Apex is a deceptive float
in that it looks compact from the outside and yet is really quite large.
The length of the horse area is both wide and long, easily taking 16.3hh
hacks with tonnes of spare room. 
Ramp
and loading features The 3/4 height
ramp is easily lifted with the aid of the heavy duty ramp spring.
The ramp itself is dark stained (and treated) pine with ample treads.
All the horses loaded into the Apex easily and weren't in the least phased
by the ramp either on entry or exit. The pine used does tend to chip
quite easily but older Apex's viewed didn't seem to
suffer badly once the initial couple of 'dings' occur.
The
ramp closures are quite simple although they don't provide any leverage if
you have horses who insist on parking their rumps on the ramp instead of
using the chest bars. They do however allow you to use a padlock for
extra security but the front door cannot be locked.
Lights
- As standard the Apex includes all braking and indicator lights required.
As an optional extra you can order the float with an internal light.
