Traveled Lane Trailers, Inc.
Traveled Lane Trailers, Inc.
A Big Champion model has been in the Böckmann lineup for many years. For 2023, Böckmann updated the Big Champion and made it into a series of 2 models. There's the Big Champion SKA, which is most like the old Big Champion in that it has a groom door on the curb side and a tack access door on the road side of the nose. The old Big Champion had an asymmetric tack compartment which gave less working space in front of the left stall; both of which are features of the new SKA. We're not knocking the old Big Champion or the new SKA. Both were/are practical and functional. However...
The model we're excited about is the new Big Champion E, the subject of this listing. It has a groom door on each side and more working space in front of the chest bars. And the doors are taller than before. By our tape, the doors are a touch over 5 feet tall and there's about 5' of space forward of the chest bars. The Big Champion E also has Böckmann's award-winning Saddle Carousel tack compartment. It's a curved tack compartment with a pair of doors, allowing you to reach through either groom door opening to get your tack. The "carousel" part comes from the fact that the saddle racks are on a pivoting post that may be rotated so the saddles may be accessed through either of the tack compartment doors. And of course the saddle racks extend to make it even easier to move saddles in and out.
With the Big Champion E, you get the greater working space forward, 2 taller groom doors and a tack compartment that offers access from either side. And you don't need a truck to pull it. We almost forgot to mention that the Big Champion update includes a new, smoother nose design and body height is increased by about 2". By our tape, it's about 7'8", up from the the already generous 7'6" and change. While we won't go full marketing hype and say, "with the Big Champion E, you can have it all," the Big Champion E comes pretty close! Customers are having the same reaction to the Big Champion E as we did. Many of them are getting spoken for before they arrive.
How does the Big Champion differ from the Champion? We're glad we asked. The Champion is for horses to 17 hands. The Big Champion is for horses to 18 hands. The Big Champion body is 4" wider and has several extra inches of space forward (as mentioned earlier, the Big Champion has about 5' forward of the chest bars). 7'6" is a popular body height for big-horse trailers, so the big Champion's 7'8" is yet another cut-above feature. And let's not forget that even though the Big Champion can accommodate larger horses, thanks to great balance and aerodynamic shape, it can still be pulled safely by smaller-than-typical vehicles.
The Big Champion E is roomy yet easy to handle, and has thoughtful features to accommodate a range of horse sizes.
We'll start with the Big Champion's Multi Safe System (MSS) stall bars. The MSS chest bars offer two height adjustments and the butt bars have 3 positions. The MSS butt bar wall mounts are angled so that as you lower the bar for a smaller horse, it also shortens the stall. Chest and butt bars are quick & easy to use, yet fit snugly so your horses can enjoy a quiet ride. In addition, the MSS chest & butt bars may be released externally in the event of an emergency. How? The exterior tie loops serve as the bolts for the chest & butt bar wall mounts. In the event of an emergency, slip the handle of the standard-equipment lug wrench through the appropriate front or rear tie loop, unscrew it and the wall mount drops down, freeing the horse without anyone having to get in the trailer with a panicking horse.
The stall divider may be swung aside and it's easily removable. If your horse tends to enter a trailer head down, the clear divider will allow him or her to see the full width of the trailer while loading. The walls and chest bars are padded and there's a kick panel on each wall for the added comfort and safety of your horses.
As with the other Böckmann models, the Big Champion E has a floor of interlocking extruded aluminum planks, reinforced in high-load areas. A 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 or hose it out. No need to lift mats!
Another thoughtful touch is interior lights that illuminate blue or white. Flip the switch one way and let the horses travel in calming blue light. Need brighter light for working with the horses? Flip the switch the other way and the light's white! There's a blue/white light in the horse area and another in the tack compartment.
As mentioned earlier, the Big Champion E has a tall groom door on each side. There's a nice-sized flip-out window near each horse's head and this Big Champion is equipped with the optional roof vent/skylight. With windows, roof vent and rear curtain open, the interior is bright and well-ventilated.
Regarding that rear curtain, it's heavy-duty and self-furling. You may run with the curtain closed, but most folks run with it open. And to reiterate, that curtain is self-furling - just undo the straps and it rolls up. (In fact, the curtain is so raring to go that we suggest holding the center strap so it doesn't go up too fast!) If you decide to run with the curtain closed, there's a mesh section about 5" high that may be opened for added ventilation, but the vast majority of owners run with the curtain fully open for great natural light and ventilation. There's a pair of curved steps (one above and one below the tag holder) so you don't have to be 7' tall to reach the curtain straps.
The Big Champion E has as standard equipment Böckmann's 2-mode ramp/door that may be lowered as a ramp or swung aside for step-up loading (or loading of pallets or round bales, etc.). The 5' tall ramp (compare to 4' on many trailers) offers a gentle slope for loading and unloading. 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. The rotating ramp latches are quick & easy to use.
As mentioned earlier, the Big Champion E's tack compartment has two (lockable) doors, allowing access from either side. The tack has Böckmann's award-winning Saddle Carousel, which consists of two telescoping saddle racks (for English) on a rotating offset post. The clever aspect of the Saddle Carousel is that the rotating post plus each rack's ability to extend puts the saddles within easy reach through either groom door opening and then lets the racks retract to fit neatly into the compartment during travel. Other tack compartment features include bridle hooks, whip holders, telescoping shovel & broom, mirror and a storage net on each door. There's a couple of low-profile storage bins molded along the front wall of the compartment. The Big Champion E also comes with a pair of wheel chocks, a lug wrench, a hitch ball cover and a coupler insert for use with the integrated anti-theft coupler lock. (Pop the insert into the coupler, turn the lock on the side of the coupler and a ne'er-do-well can't just hook up and drive off with your trailer.) And there's a folding step/stool. The Big Champion E is loaded with thoughtful features.
The big Champion E features walls of interlocking anodized aluminum panels. The panels are stacked like the logs of a log house and it's a double-wall design, which is quieter and more comfortable than a single-skin design. And we can't move on without shining a spotlight on the anodized aluminum in these walls. Anodizing is common in the boating industry where components are exposed to 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. Anodized aluminum is just one example of the extra value Böckmann builds into their trailers.
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 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 Big Champion rides on Böckmann's fully-independent WCFPlus coil spring suspension. Good quality torsion axles can give a good ride, but the Big Champion's car-like coil spring suspension takes things to a new level. (And in case you're wondering, there are shock absorbers with those coil springs, as on an automobile.) Radial tires (including spare) are standard.
A feature on the Big Champion E that's common on European trailers and much appreciated by owners is inertia-actuated mechanical brakes. With the inertia-actuated brakes, you don't need a brake controller in the tow vehicle. 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!
Here's a simple description of how the mechanical brakes work: As you slow your tow vehicle, the trailer's coupler assembly compresses slightly, pulling a rod, which pulls a short cable to each brake drum. (The cables allow the wheels to move up and down without interfering with brake operation.) The empty trailer compresses the coupler assembly with a certain amount of force. Load one horse and there's now the weight of the trailer plus 1000 lbs. or so of horse to compress the coupler assembly with more force, producing more braking force. Load a second horse and now it's the weight of the trailer plus 2000 lbs. or so compressing the coupler assembly to produce proportionately more braking force. While electric brakes are common here in the States, in most countries, mechanical trailer braking systems as on a Böckmann have been the predominant design for decades, probably on millions of trailers by now. They're simple, safe and reliable. No electronics to fail, no wires to break, no brake fluid to change, no brake lines to rust out.
Ease of towing is one of the things that initially draws customers to Böckmann trailers. The Big Champion, 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 vehicles equipped with 6-cylinder engines or the turbocharged fours that are taking the place of sixes in many vehicles).
2. If SUV or truck, must have a wheelbase of at least 100 inches. (Most of you have seen compact sedans on the road. Many of those have a wheelbase of 100 inches or more. We're not suggesting you use a compact sedan as a tow vehicle, as most are rated to handle little or no hitch weight, but a compact sedan is a great visualization aid in understanding that the vehicle doesn't have to be huge to meet the wheelbase minimum requirement.)
3. Must be able to accommodate a loaded tongue weight of about 198 lbs. for most Böckmann models. (For comparison, domestically-produced horse trailers typically carry at least 10% of their load on the hitch, resulting in a loaded tongue weight in the 600 to 800 lb. range. On many vehicles, that heavy tongue weight makes itself felt in an up and down oscillation when traveling over the undulating surfaces not uncommon on rural and secondary roads. Thanks to a Böckmann's light tongue weight, many owners report that there's little sensation of a trailer behind them. And while we're at it, please note that the aerodynamic shape reduces the power requirement. These are just two reasons why a Böckmann can be towed safely by smaller-than-typical vehicles.)
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. They've developed many award-winning features. The company was started by the Böckmann family in 1956 and they've been producing premium quality horse trailers ever since. 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 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 Big Champion E features:
-Big Champion E is a new model in the Big Champion series.
-Noteworthy Big Champion E features include taller doors, groom doors on both sides, body height of approximately 7'8" and 2-door Saddle Carousel tack compartment.
-Well-proven, balanced, aerodynamic design
-Light tongue weight & low drag for safe towing, even by smaller vehicles
-Bright, inviting, well-ventilated interior
-Walls of interlocking ANODIZED aluminum double-wall panels. (Panels are stacked as in a log house.) Durable fiberglass roof and nose.
-Rugged corrosion-protected galvanized steel chassis.
-Floor of interlocking aluminum panels, reinforced in high load areas.
-Multi Safe System (MSS) padded chest bars to accommodate horses of various sizes; chest bars have 2 height positions and external emergency release
-Multi Safe System 3-Position butt bars with angled mounts - as you lower the bar, it shortens the stall for the smaller horse and there's an external emergency release
-MSS Butt bars and chest bars are easy to use and fit snugly - quiet & get you out of the kick zone quickly!
-Flip-out window near each horse's head
-Subject trailer equipped with optional roof vent/skylight for added natural light and ventilation
-2-mode Ramp/Door - Standard on Big Champion; lower as a ramp or swing aside for step-up loading or for loading pallets, round bales, etc.
-Extra tall (5 feet) anodized aluminum rear ramp (2-mode ramp/door on this model) with dual assist struts - easy to lift
-Ramp mat ribbed & contoured for traction
-Self-furling curtain above ramp - Run with it open for great natural light & ventilation
-Steps on ramp to aid curtain access
-Wall pads at stalls
-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. Great design for long floor life!
-Removable flat-backed feeder buckets with low-profile brackets on the groom doors
-Rotating Saddle Carousel with offset post & extending racks for English makes saddles easily accessible through either groom door opening
-Other tack features include bridle hooks, storage nets, mirror, telescoping broom/scraper and shovel and low-profile bins molded into the front of the compartment.
-Standard tie loops inside & out
-Subject trailer equipped with optional exterior tie bar; great for hanging miscellaneous items
-Smooth-riding WCPlus fully independent coil spring suspension 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
-And how about these thoughtful touches? A parking brake and coupler with integrated lock!
-Subject trailer has standard Silver-Gray anodized aluminum walls; fiberglass roof and nose are Black Metallic in color.
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,
www.traveledlanetrailers.com , 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 (which you pay to your state of titling and registration).
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.
(A note about the photos: The first 4 side views are of the subject trailer shortly after delivery, prior to being cleaned and prepped. They're included here so you can see at least a few pictures of the subject trailer. Since other details are identical to those of other Big Champion Es, we're using detail photos of other Big Champion Es until we take a full set of pictures of the subject trailer. The blue & white interior lights are shown in their position in a Portax L K, because we forgot to take "illuminated" pictures of them in a Big Champion!)
