2 Horse Lorries - A few questions!

3Beasties

3Beasties

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I am toying with the idea of swapping my trailer for a small lorry so I can get out and about more.

I think my trailer would still be worth close to £4000 as it is only 18 months old, has had little use and has lot's of extras, it still looks like new.

So my questions are -

1 - Would I be able to find a small, safe lorry with a budget of £4000. Doesn't need living but must be big enough to fit two large horses (although only one would go in it at once).

2 - I'm 23 so was thinking of getting a 3.5t as I wouldn't have to do any extra tests, how much bigger would I be able to go without having to do a test?

3 - Are there any good web sites I can browse for lorries? Have tried Horsemart, Horse quest and horse hunters so far.

Thank you in advance :)
 
That is the only size you can drive without extra tests unless you have been driving for many years! I think it would be very difficult to find a reliable one for your budget. Another potential problem is that although in theory they can be driven by anyone aged 17+ in reality a lot of insurers do not like to insure people under 25 to drive them. If I were you I would check with insurers to find one who will insure you and approx cost before buying.
 
Yep - 3.5t is the biggest that you will be able to drive on your current licence - so obvs need to be aware of weight and what you want to put in your lil lorry.

I did my HGV test a few years ago - and yes it is money that would need to be spent - but I am 100% glad that I did it. I have a 7.5t lil lorry - so I can't help you on the budget side of buying a 3.5t - but I'm sure its not impossible. I would take along a known and knowledgable mechanic to take a look at whatever you are interested in.

Re insurance from Divasmum - I was under 25 when I got my 7.5t lorry, and the insurance cost the same whether we put it in my name or in dad's name - they had said when we enquired that it might cost more - but it didn't in the end. We are insured with Anthony Evans - and we have their recovery option on the insurance as well.
 
The problem with 3.5t can be the payload---to carry two full-size horses you would need a completely no-frills conversion with no extras to take up any weight.

TBH, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a decent 3.5t for as little as 4000, because they're very popular right now. If you did a test for a 7.5t, you might find something for that price, though.

I hope you get lucky and find something, though! :)
 
Thanks for your thoughts.

Divasmum - I would definitely get insurance quotes before buying anything :)

Flo_bell - That's a good idea about getting the insurance in one of my parents name, it's worth getting a quote for just to see if it is cheaper.

Spookypony - I would very rarely, if ever, carry two full size horses in it, most of the time it would just be my TB, occasionally with a pony in with him as well.
 
3Beasties said:
Thanks for your thoughts.

Divasmum - I would definitely get insurance quotes before buying anything :)

Flo_bell - That's a good idea about getting the insurance in one of my parents name, it's worth getting a quote for just to see if it is cheaper.

Spookypony - I would very rarely, if ever, carry two full size horses in it, most of the time it would just be my TB, occasionally with a pony in with him as well.
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You would probably not be able to ever carry two full size horses, depending on the payload.
S :D
 
i think i have seen one of those van type lorries with tack room for abot £5000 new so im sure you would be able to get a used one for a good price
 
I'd think quite seriously before getting rid of your trailer. A 3.5t lorry is not going to offer many advantages if any and you will still need your towing vehicle if it is also your daily use car. A £4 000 trailer will offer quite as much as any lorry at the same price and in the longer term be cheaper to run.
Lorries are a whole different ball game and a trap for the unwary especially in that price range
 
MD - The trouble is I can't actually tow, I would have to do a trailer test and it's not something I would feel comfortable doing, I think I would feel far safer driving a small lorry. I don't have a towing vehicle but my parents do, we looked into getting me insured on it and it would cost close to £1000. At the moment my lovely trailer is wasted as I have to rely on others to take me anywhere, I'm lucky to get 3 outings in a year.
 
flo bell i think anthony evans has gone bust. could be wrong but do check! most 3.5t lorries wont carry 2 big horses you will be over weight! OP you need to check the unladen weight of the vehicle and work out your payload. please be careful and do not buy a rot box.
 
Probably not want you want to hear but Id stick with the trailer. For £4k you will be very lucky to get something that wont cost you a fortune to maintain. Im looking at the mo for a 7.5t and have a larger budget but cant find anthing half decent.
Good luck tho :)
 
Was talking to some friends the other day about them replacing their small lorry (driven on a car licence so much be 3.5t) and came to the conclusion that a trailer would be a better optuine all round. They have had to take their trailer test now but its been alot cheaper for them.

If you do look more in to lorrys then keep in mind that new laws are comming in (or are already in) about how far the side skirts of the lorry come down. Alot of older lorrys the side skirts dont come down far enough and they will now be failing MOTs because of this, it cost alot of money to have this issue recterfied i believe aswell.
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
flo bell i think anthony evans has gone bust. could be wrong but do check!
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I hope not! I have my horsevan insured with them and I phoned them only on Thursday to let them know that I have changed the place where it is kept at! Although at the end of the day, they are only the brokers, they are not the insurance company. Wouldn't surprise me if their recovery went bust......I had major problems with them and ended up reporting them to VOSA!
 
my 3.5 tonne lorry was overweight with me and my 15.2 cob without tack or water or even my bloody lunch!!!!! They are bloody useless things unless you are buying a pretty new conversion but you'd need another 20K on your budget!!! Do your trailer test - its easy!! I've done it with no bother. Do a 2 day training course then your test and you'll be fine. That option is usually around £500 and if you earn less than 22k you can use your ILA which is around £200 (or is that maybe just a Scotland thing?).
 
To give the flipside of the concerns, though: I have a very basic 3.5 which has a very good payload as a result, so it is possible to find. But not for 4000, I don't think. Tax/insurance-wise, I pay only slightly more for the lorry+runabout than I did for the car I had before. The mpg on the little lorry, though, is excellent compared to what my friends seem to get for 4x4+trailer.
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
flo bell i think anthony evans has gone bust. could be wrong but do check! most 3.5t lorries wont carry 2 big horses you will be over weight! OP you need to check the unladen weight of the vehicle and work out your payload. please be careful and do not buy a rot box.
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What makes you think this? I expect Anthony Evans will be inundated with calls Monday morning checking on this now..........why do you post this without actual knowledge, it's absolutely irresponsible. :(
 
3Beasties, I think you will struggle to find a small lorry for 4k or less as they are very popular at the moment, so people tend to charge a lot, even for the old ones! Saying that I have an old P reg 3.5 tonner and it is still reliable and safe so don't think that just because they're old they'll be a death trap! Mine only has a 1 tonne payload sadly so I can only take one horse at a time (could manage two ponies but sadly I have two horses!).

I think you should try and do your trailer test, it's really not that hard, very similar to a standard driving test, just with a trailer on the back! I did one as part of a three day course, it cost me about £450 altogether but it is well worth it for all the freedom you get afterwards when you can just hitch up and go to a show/outing/lesson etc whenever you want. With regards putting you on your parents insurance, yes £1000 is a lot (have you looked at any comparison websites as these are generally very good for getting you a much cheaper deal? (I managed to knock £250 off my car insurance by doing this)). BUt even so £1000 + £450 for trailer test is still cheaper than £4k+ for a lorry which would then also need it's own servicing, MOTing, etc each year.
 
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