PROBLEM HORSE OR PROBLEM FLOAT?

by

John O'Leary
Horseman
© 2003

• The highest Float in Australia is 2170mm

• They all have dangerous fixings

• None of them have a window anywhere near where a Horse can actually see out.

• None have have worked out the one big secret.

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2003

When I put this site up in May 2003, I wrote a piece which talked about the relationship between horse float design and injuries to horses.

I get many enquiries as to which brand I recommend. At this time I do not recommend any but note that one South Australian Company is trying.

I am taking legal advice on using a complete list of photographs of every brand in order to point out the dangers to horses on most of them.

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CLICK ON THE PHOTO'S TO ENLARGE THEM

2003

Any float manufacturer who uses this fitting is in my opinion...incompetent. These latches can and do let the back ramp fall down during travel!	Here are two major potential horse killers. The spare wheel waiting to trap the lead rope and the highly dangerous back ramp latch	Here is a highly dangerous back ramp locking device. Ready to lacerate a horse and to trap the lead rope to hang the horse up short. This float has tie up points that are also dangerously low imho	Here is another top brand with highly dangerous ramp hitching. These severely injure horses.	Here is another disaster waiting to happen. Any float which has mudguards like this is dangerous
Note the personnel door handle sticking out. Imagine a horse hooked on that with a rope halter?	horsy, put yur hoof through here and have a pull back.	Would you believe that there are floats made like this all over Australia? You wouldn't want to know how many horses have died  in them. The hoof drops to the ground and the bone sticks out the bottom of the leg of the horse.	Another potential killer. Open tow bar ready to rip a hoof off a horse or break it's leg.	The centre division has a back leg ready to catch horses legs and to take away all confidence in loading.
Low tie up points like this are dangerous. Horses regularly get trapped with their lead ropes beneath the rear and pull back violently.	Low tie up point, spare wheel and dangerous back ramp fixing, all waiting to trap a horse wearing a rope halter.	Here we have the centre division to the floor. I have never seen one that does not look like this	28/10/04 A bad injury caused by the fact that Almost all Australian Horse Float Manufacturers insist upon using square tube instead of round for the inside roof support.	See the danger here?
Put your leg through here horsie!	or in this one	A Bum Bar as far as it will open if you are not quick enough. Ouch!!!
Low Centre division which causes climbers	Fixed head division	Rear doors handle ready to catch any horse	Two handles that worry me greatly.	Close up of them

• Any horse float that has a centre division that goes all the way to the floor will cause scramblers'
   

• The back ramp fixtures as shown on some of these floats are dangerous and do severely injure
   horses.
   

• Horses get killed in open tow bars. Horses have their hooves ripped off totally by open tow bars on horse floats.
   

• Horses hurt themselves and lose floating confidence by centre divisions that have back legs to the floor.
   

• Horse floats that have spare wheels bolted to the side do cause serious tying up dangers and injuries.
   

• Exposed sharp edges of mud guards cause injuries to horses.
   

• Low tie up points on floats cause horse accidents, injuries and other training problems.
   

• Chest bars, centre divisions, head divisions and bum bars should all be re-movable.
   

• Fixed centre head divisions are dangerous
   

• Chains as bum bars are dangerous. Narrow bum bars are dangerous.
   

• Square roof braces instead of round ones represent a high danger to horse. (See photo above)
   

• Cables of any description, used to hold up or let down the back ramp are highly dangerous
   

Many more to come and this will be updated regularly with a full list of brand names with dangerous design faults.

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4/10/05

I am happy to report that there does seem to be a slight change in attitude by some of Australia's Horse Float Manufacturers', some looking for better ways to do things for horses. They are still to wake up to the most important required changes, the ones that can and do influence the stress levels of horses the most. I know by extensive testing myself. After all, I see huge numbers of problem floaters and that is a wonderful opportunity to examine.

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Hi Mr HP,

I just wanted to say thanks for all the tips on your site about float safety. I have just ordered my first float and the company were only too happy to oblige with these alterations. It has the spare wheel on the front, filled in draw bar, no back leg on the centre divider, no nasty gaps where horses can stick a leg through, the handle of the door and the ramp latches don't stick out and the ramp itself is wider than the entrance to the float so when unloading it is harder for them to accidently step off the side.

Without all the advice on your site I would not have realised there were so many possible dangers. So thanks from me and my horses who will hopefully be happier and safer travelling now.

Merry
 

20/5/07

Some things have changed a little but most has not. So a re-visit to some of the Float Companies.

Surfcoast Floats

Just a brief look but I notice that there are other archaic features including the bum bar set up which sticks straight out the back whilst loading the horse and does not fold around the side out of dangers way.

and Mustang Floats, WA on a refurbishment. Before and after shot.

Ranger.

Rowville

FROM A MANUFACTURER

Hi John,

We don't use ... & I DON'T recommend using box section for the chassis. We use 65x65x5 Duragal angle with the cross members spaced @300mm. Draw bar needs to be minimum 100x50x3 RHS Duragal. Have repaired MANY floats that have either angle (like wooden Taylor floats) or only 75x50 RHS draw bars ... and without exception they ALL bend & flex at the front of the float. Did a refurbishment of an old float after Christmas .... and this had 75x50 draw bar ... and it was bent up 25mm higher at the front ???
Rusted Metal: All of our float chassis' are constructed from "Duragal" angle (65x65x5mm) and not from square or rectangular box section. The reason we use angle and not square box section is that angle cannot hold any liquid inside and cause rust to form. It is common practice amongst a lot of other manufacturers to use box section for the chassis, then simply lay plywood on top (for the flooring) and attach with "Tek" screws through into the box section, then lay rubber mats over the top. The inherent problem that this system produces is that over time moisture, liquid (especially corrosive urine) works its way under the mats, down the "Tek" screws and end up inside the sealed box section causing it to rust from the inside out. Unfortunately you cant see the box sections from the inside, so you don't know to what extent the damage is, usually until it is too late and the floor has given way.

We do how ever use "Duragal" box section for the upper framing of the float, and where the uprights meet the angle chassis, drain holes are drilled through to allow any moisture to escape, preventing rusting.

The sheet metal we use is all 1.5mm Galvanised finish, which compared to some other manufacturers products is almost double the thickness and protected from corrosion with the galvanised coating. Compare pushing the front of our floats and the sheet metal will not deform like some others. The floats strength is achieved by using decent thickness sheet metal that is welded onto the frame, and not riveted like so many others. Prior to fitting the sheet metal to the frame, a bead of polyurethane sealer is applied to the frame, which provides an insulating bed between the two, helping to prevent rust from forming in between.

After all the sheet metal is fitted and the floats metal fabrication is completed, all the seams are sealed and coved with polyurethane sealer, including bonding the fibre glass roof onto the roof frames. This completely prevents water etc. from getting between the frame and the sheet metal and causing rust.

Have been enjoying the video's on you site .... you don't realise how important it is for all us "amateurs" to see how it's done properly !!! The amount of people I come across HERE that use your site as a reference ... is truly staggering !!!

HORSE FLOAT DESIGN

Injury of the week

Removable Chest Rails, pull my leg why don't you? There are none in Australians Horse Floats, yet. They think they have them but they do no. Read my lips. Oh but I hear the Manufacturers say, "But we have them. Here is a photo."

Haha I say. That is not a removable chest bar. Well, it may be when there is no horse hung over the top of it but when one is, IT IS NOT A REMOVABLE CHEST BAR!!!!!!!!!!! Read my lips Boys. If anyone tried they would likely get killed and when a horse is on top of it, you cannot move a thing. I have tried, several times. So, here is the

INJURY OF THE WEEK (FLOAT)

and another poor horse pays the price for bad design in Horse Floats. They just don't get it and they just don't think. Caused by being hung by the flanks, over a chest bar.

10/4/07

These photos show are self explanatory.

2008

Congratulations to those Manufacturers who have made some important changes to Horse Floats in Australia. Flush Door handles, filled in tow bars and especially those who have accepted that every Float in the Country prior to this Website was too Low. Some have lifted their roof height to 2200mm and even 2250mm. Running boards were copied off my test float and other things. Great. Now match this:

HORSE FLOAT DESIGN REVOLUTION

HORSE SAFETY UPGRADE CENTRE

STATE CUSTOM UPGRADE CENTRES

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Mail: horseproblems@horseproblems.com.au