Our little Daihatsui HiJet MPV is great. It is not as big as most MPV's but can seat six comfortably. The back seats can go down to create space and even with them up there is room behind the back seats. Everyday this is fine, but when a family of six go on holiday for three weeks then a little more space is needed.
We toyed with the idea of buying a trailer but the cost and lack of storage space put us off. So we decided to investigate hiring.
A quick internet search came up with Trident Trailers and being a name we recognised, we decided to investigate further.
Trident Trailers have four branches in Kent. Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Sittingbourne and Canterbury. Trident Trailers stock all sorts of trailers including, platform, flatbed, tilt covered, garden machinery, covered van trailers, fully enclosed, dinghy, boat, horse, cattle and motorcycle trailers. As well as bicycle trailers and bike carriers. Whilst these are all available to buy they also hire out trailers if you only have occasional use of a trailer, or like us are stuck for storage.
The website gives details of contact for all the branches, along with details of how to get to them all.
So off we went to the Canterbury branch which is our nearest, to enquire about hiring. In hindsight we should have telephoned first but we didn't!
The Canterbury branch is tucked into a housing estate and could be difficult to without directions. But once there we parked up in the large car park and went inside.
The building is somewhat like a garage come shed. But still clean and easy to find what you are looking for. Trident also sell all types of equipment for camping, such as cooking, lighting and chairs and beds. They also have a large range of items for use in cars, heaters, fans, and all sorts of paraphernalia that can be plugged into your cigarette lighter.
Trident will also fit tow bars although we found a local garage to be much cheaper.
After a nosey round the trailers for sale, we were greeted by a member of staff. After explaining our predicament about storage, she then went on to explain one of their models of trailer that can be stored upright. The staff did seem very knowledgeable about the trailers and tried their best to answer all our questions which was a nice refreshing change.We were also given a demonstration of how easily it can be transferred from horizontal to vertical. A little above our budget we decided to stick to hiring for now.
At the desk we told the man what dates we would like to hire the trailer for. This is the point at which we had wished we had phoned in advance, as a quick check through his books revealed that no trailers were available for the time we required. He went on to tell us that they are very popular especially during the Summer holidays and get booked quite early. So going a week before we required it was pushing it a bit…….we said that, not him, though I am sure he was thinking it.
He suggested we tried one of the other branches, and this time we decided to phone rather than travel around to them all.
Maidstone were also fully booked, but Sittingbourne were able to help. The man on the other end of the phone was very helpful and worked the figures to give us the best deal. Although we were returning on the Saturday, it would be late. On Sunday they are closed so we would have to return the trailer on the Monday. However he said if we returned it early morning then we would not get charged. So for a 20 day hire it cost us £117 including VAT, much cheaper than buying.
The trailers for hire are Brenderup ones, which is a very good make. The have a variety of sizes available for all sorts of needs. We hired the smallest size available, which is approximately 5ft by 3ft, and 2ft deep. It comes with a hard lockable lid which is raised so allows you to put items deeper than 2ft in it. It also comes with a spare wheel and a wheel clamp.
The website gives clear details of charges, but to just run through a few;
5ft x 3ft Daily £14, weekend £22, weekly £45 6ft x 4ft Daily £22, weekend £33, weekly £110
Prices are also given for fortnightly and monthly hires. The table also shows the weight and how much the trailers can carry.
On the day of collection we arrived at the Sittingbourne branch. We had not had to pay a deposit which had surprised me, I guess they just assume if booked you will turn up. It was very easy to find, as it was just off the main road going to Sheerness. The building was the same garage come shed look, although slightly smaller. Inside it was filled with the same goods, although not as many trailers. There was however a large yard at the side so they may store them here.
As we had booked over the phone we needed to fill in a form. This was just things like name, address and length of hire. They required proof of ID and also proof that we were legal to drive and that the vehicle belonged to us.
Trident will make a number plate whilst you wait for £10 but we had one made previously that we had brought along. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or card. They also require a £200 deposit. Except for cash, when paying by cheque, it will not be cashed and by card, it will not be taken unless you do not return or there is damage to the vehicle.
Whilst all this was being sorted the trailer was fitted to our vehicle, so in all it took no more than ten to fifteen minutes. We were asked to confirm there was no damages to the trailer and was given a run through on how to attach and detach the trailer and also how to lock it securely as Trident have added extra locks to what the manufacturers supply as apparently the lids have a habit of flying open otherwise. Plus how to use the wheel clamp that is thrown in free on weekly (or more) hires.
We were then ready to go. And off we drove.
We found the addition of a trailer so much easier. As we were staying in a static carvan it meant that we had somewhere to store all the bats, balls etc that the children had brought along. It was very handy for the dirty washing too rather than having it lying around the caravan. It was small enough that we could leave it alongside the caravan and not be in the way.
On returning the process was even simpler. We simply handed the keys back and then got someone to check that all was Ok and that we had not damaged it. They do have an insurance that you can take out just in case. I think you might pay an excess but I am not sure how much.
As all was well, we were returned the slip that had my credit card details on it, held as a deposit, and we were able to go. When we came back outside the trailer had been unhooked and was already neatly stored away.
The whole process was very straightforward and we had no hassles at all. As we are only likely to need a trailer once or twice a year this was the best solution. We do not need to worry about storing it and if we remember to book in advance it will just be a case of going to our local branch and collecting it the day before. We shall certainly be using them again and I would highly recommend them.
For more information, check out the website. www.tridenttrailers.co.uk
More details
Type of car rented
Average
How many outlets do they have
Enough
Which outlet did you go to
Sittingbourne
Make and model of car rented
brenderup
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