Here's a Böckmann Champion Esprit. We're very excited about the introduction of the Esprit models. The Esprits were developed to make a well-equipped aluminum Böckmann affordable for a wider audience.
The Champion Esprit features the things you expect in a Böckmann Champion, such as the anodized aluminum stacked-tube walls, corrosion-protected galvanized steel chassis, smooth-riding torsion axles (with shock absorbers!), quick & easy butt and chest bars, easy-lift ramp and much more, but with the Esprits, Böckmann has limited the options to increase production efficiency. They're also using some components (such as axles, windows and butt & chest bars) that are shared with other product lines. These "off the shelf" components are well-proven and reliable, but because they're produced in higher volumes than Böckmann's bespoke components, they cost less. With the Esprits, Böckmann is able to offer a well-equipped, high quality trailer at a lower price point than would otherwise be possible.
As with the other Champion models, the Esprit is sized for horses to 17 hands. Body length is over 10 feet and body height is a bit over 7'6". The Esprit's chest bars offer two height adjustments and the butt bars offer 3 stall length adjustments to accommodate horses of different sizes. Chest and butt bars are quick & easy to use, yet fit snugly so your horses can enjoy a quiet ride. To help in emergency situations, there's an external release for the chest bars. The stall divider may be moved aside for loading and it's easily removable. If your horse tends to enter a trailer head down, he or she will be able to see the full width of the trailer through the clear divider. Even though the Esprits are designed to be more affordable, they still offer the thoughtful design you expect from Böckmann.
We'll try not to go overboard with the "as with the other Champions" references, but as with the other Champions, the Esprit has an extruded aluminum floor. The rubber mat is bonded to the floor and the edges are sealed so animal wastes don't reach the floor surface. It makes for a long-lasting floor and clean-up is a snap. Just sweep, rinse or power wash. There's a kick panel on each wall for the added comfort and safety of your horses.
The Esprit has a groom door on the curb side and there's a nice-sized window near each horse's head. Each window opens 5 ways - open at the front edge, open at the back edge, open at the top, open at the bottom or open around all 4 sides of the base. The 5' tall ramp (compare to 4' on many trailers) offers a gentle slope for loading and unloading and lift assist is provided by a pair of gas springs. Unlike the torsion springs common on many trailers, which provide less assist as the ramp goes up, a gas spring provides effective assist throughout its travel. For added light and ventilation, there's a heavy duty self-furling curtain above the ramp. You can run with the curtain closed, but most folks run with it open.
Our Esprits were ordered with the optional tack compartment as shown in the pictures, which is accessed through a door on the road side (driver's side). The tack compartment comes with two telescoping saddle racks (for English), bridle hooks, telescoping shovel & broom, mirror and storage net. The Esprit's affordable, but it's not bare bones!
As mentioned earlier, the Champion Esprit comes with stacked-tube anodized aluminum walls. (Think of how they stack logs to make a log house.) Anodizing is common in the boating industry because of its ability to hold up in the harsh marine environment. Anodizing is not common in the trailer industry because most manufacturers don't want to spend the money for the higher quality material. Again, the Esprit's designed to be a more affordable Böckmann, but because it's a Böckmann, it's still a premium trailer. Those stacked tubes mean it's a double wall design, for a quieter and more comfortable interior. The roof is of durable fiberglass, offered in Black Metallic or Silver Metallic on the Esprit.
Böckmann trailers feature unitized construction, where walls, roof, floor and chassis reinforce each other to create a strong but light 3-dimensional structure. Unitized construction has been used in the construction of most automobiles for 30 years or more, so it's a well-proven design approach. While it's easy to just use less or thinner materials to achieve lighter weight, we highlight Böckmann's unitized construction to show that they take an intelligent approach to reducing weight while maintaining excellent strength.
The other Champion models have torsion axles by Knott, with shock absorbers and inertia-actuated mechanical brakes. The Esprit has similar features, but the suspension is by AL-KO, another well-established and well-regarded manufacturer. With the inertia-actuated brakes, you don't need a brake controller in the tow vehicle. And the brakes apply braking force automatically in proportion to the load in the trailer. There's no need to fool with a power setting on a brake controller, because, with the inertia-actuated brakes, you don't need a brake controller in the tow vehicle! Inertia-actuated trailer brakes have been in use all over the world for decades. The technology is simple (no electronics or hydraulics), safe and well proven.
In our Böckmann listings, ease of towing is usually one of the first things we emphasize. We had so much to say about the Esprit's value for money that it's taken us a little longer to get to the ease of towing, but here it is: The Champion Esprit, as with other Böckmann models, is designed to be towed safely by many of today's smaller and more fuel-efficient SUVs, crossovers and trucks. In Europe, a fair number of owners pull their Böckmanns with cars!
Here are Böckmann's easy-to-meet vehicle requirements:
1. Must have at least 125 horsepower. To put this in perspective, this level of power is achieved even by many of today's small 4-cylinder engines (although most Böckmann owners pull with 6 cylinder vehicles or the turbocharged fours that are taking the place of sixes in some vehicles).
2. If SUV or truck, must have a wheelbase of at least 100 inches. (We're not recommending that you pull with a subcompact sedan, but for illustration purposes, many subcompacts have a wheelbase of 100", plus or minus an inch. The vehicle doesn't have to be huge to tow a Böckmann!)
3. Must be able to accommodate a loaded tongue weight of 211 lbs. for most Böckmann models. (For comparison, most domestic horse trailers have a loaded tongue weight in the 500 to 800 lb. range. On many vehicles, that heavy tongue weight makes itself felt in an up and down oscillation over uneven road surfaces. Thanks to a Böckmann's light tongue weight, many owners report that there's little sensation of a trailer behind them.
For those of you not familiar with the Böckmann brand, here's a bit of background:
In the view of many, Böckmann is Europe's premier horse trailer brand, with a long-standing reputation for high quality, high feature content, robust construction and ease of towing. The company was started by the Böckmann family in 1956 and they've been producing premium quality horse trailers since the early 1960s. The trailers have been imported to North America for many years, so there's a well-established support infrastructure. Traveled Lane Trailers has been selling Böckmann since 2011. We sold another European brand for about 15 years before that, so we're probably North America's most experienced dealer when it comes to European trailers.
For those of you who prefer your information in summary form, here are some key Champion Esprit features:
* Well-proven, balanced, aerodynamic design
* Light tongue weight & low drag for safe towing, even by smaller vehicles
* Bright, inviting, well-ventilated interior
* 2-Position adjustable-height chest bars with external emergency release
* 3-Position butt bars, easily adjustable for 3 stall lengths
* Butt bars and chest bars are easy to use and fit snugly - quick & quiet!
* Window near each horse's head opens 5 ways for ventilation and natural light
* Extra tall (5 feet) anodized aluminum rear ramp with dual assist struts - very easy to lift
* Ramp mat ribbed & contoured for traction
* Self-furling curtain above ramp - Run with it open for great natural light & ventilation
* Step on rear ramp to aid curtain access
* Kick panels on lower walls
* Easy-to-clean floor - Rubber mat is bonded to the floor and edges are sealed - No need to lift a mat to clean and a great design for long floor life!
* Subject trailer equipped with English tack compartment with telescoping saddle racks for English, bridle hooks, storage net, mirror, broom/scraper and shovel
* Standard tie loops inside & out
* Smooth-riding torsion axles with shock absorbers
* Smooth-stopping 4-wheel inertia-actuated mechanical brakes - you don't need a brake controller in the tow vehicle!
* Sealed wheel bearings - simplified maintenance - no yearly packing of bearings!
* Radial tires, including spare
* Bright, reliable LED marker lights
* Subject trailer has standard Silver-Gray anodized aluminum walls and Black Metallic roof.
* And how about these thoughtful touches? A parking brake and a locking coupler!
We invite you to stop by to see why Böckmann has long been one of Europe's premier brands and a favorite worldwide!
Want to see some Böckmann features in use and Böckmann trailers on the road? Visit the recently updated Böckmann section of our website, which includes links to some short Böckmann-produced videos of the trailers in action.
Prices include freight to our dealership, but exclude tax, tag and registration fees. (And we don't charge a dealer-prep fee!)
Financing is available with approved credit and test drives are available (if you have a suitable vehicle and a good driving record)!
Traveled Lane Trailers - Quality products and helpful advice in a no pressure-to-buy atmosphere.
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