3.5 ton horse box help please

[maree t]

Hi, I bought an LT35 2 years ago and have done many happy miles during that time. the kids have been on ponies and it has been great. My son has recently got a 15hh horse so thought I would go and have it weighed . With a full tank and me and my daughter it weighed in at 3.2 tons . We were quite shocked as thought we were within the limits. We did have over a £100 pounds worth of deisel on board and loads of bits and peices but no ponies .

Now i have had someone look at it tonight in regard to changing the floor to lightweight and matting etc but he said forget it sell it as it is and buy another one. he said if we put aside what we would spend on the box and what we could sell for we could get a newer conversion.

We love our LT35 though and the horses travel well sideways and we have a little bit of living behind the cab which suits us well.

I dont like the van conversions, we do stay away at weekends so want a little cooker etc.

Not exactly a life or death dilemma but looking at whats on offer on a certain auction site, most boxes like ours say they can carry two horses etc. Dont know wether they are deluded or just dont know or are we missing something ?

thanks for taking the time to read

 

[MissTyc]

A lot of them are deluded, and in my experience the only 3.5t that can carry two SMALL horses/ponies are the most basic types - no living, no fancy partitions, no side ramp ... I just had my floor changed to a much lighter weight type not for weight purposes just because it needed doing and I fancied a different type - the difference was minimal. We're normally only talking about 3-4 sheets of flooring so it won't take off a pony's worth of weight.

I carry one 15.2hh fine type ... OR one 14.2hh lightweight cob + one 12hh pony. I won't carry anything else or mix/match them in any other way!

 

[maree t]

Thanks, we have inch thick ply topped with inch thick rubber on the floor , the partitions are metal frame with ply inside, there is twin thickness rubber matting round the horse area aswell which is larger than needed for two. There are tack lockers underneath in four places and very heavyweight springs. We have a bench seat and a cupboard in the seating area and not much else. I kind of feel that better the devil you know and better to strip out and improve whats there. The layout is perfect but really dont want to push my luck .

 

[tiga71]

People just don't think about the weight issue at all. I have a 3.5 tonne built to my spec and I have 1.18 tonne payload when lorry has quarter tank of fuel. Weigh bridged it. But I have minimal living as in saddle racks, bridle hooks and two shelves. I travel my 500 kg 15.1 cob in it with a similar horse or smaller pony. But other person goes separately with all tack, water etc. don't do this often though. Think you will struggle to get one with more than 1.2 tonne payload and if you want any living you won't get that. Lot of people think that because you can physically get two horses in, they are two horse lorries. They aren't really.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I have an LT35 and would only ever travel my pony alone in it, never two and never my big chap alone unless it was a life and death horsepital mission.

Ours has very minimal kit out so can cope with one pony but I cant imagine any LT35 being legal for two ponies of any substantial size let alone horses. Lovely drive tho! We couldn't get a Renault Master type because they are too low to the ground for our mile long rutted drive!

 

[be positive]

One of my liveries revamped their 7.5 ton box which was pushing towards its max when it had 2 horses on, they had the floor done with some sort of sealed rubberised covering instead of the mats and wall linings, the ramp was remade and is now possible to lift by myself instead of requiring 2 people and still being a struggle, I am not sure exactly how much difference it has made but it was considerable.
You may find it hard to sell yours with such a low pay load, that will mean a lower price so less for a replacement if you find someone that can do a good job removing any excess and unnecessary weight from the one you have it would make sense to get that done, as you said often better the devil you know.

 

[AngieandBen]

You would think
a 7.5ton box would have enough payload for at least two horses with all the gear/fuel etc?! Just goes to show you really need to check all lorry's on a weigh bridge before buying

My 7.5 has a payload of 2.2t so easily get my two ponies in plus my friends horse.

I would sell it tbh and buy a bigger van, especially if you can drive up to 7.5t one, plus you can get a good sized living too; I can sleep three in mine, have cooker/sink and lots of storage.

 

[Abacus]

Personally I would stick with a 3.5 if you possibly can, unless you can afford the bigger bills that come with a 7.5. I swapped my old 3.5 for a 7.5 18 months ago for the sake of being able to take two (and at the time a fellow livery agreed to go half on bills for the use of it - then promptly changed her mind and left the yard). I had forgotten how much they cost to keep going safely - unless you are a mechanic or married to one, they are hugely expensive.

I have now gone back to a lovely 3.5 and know that I can only carry one in it. In my old one I did carry 2 horses on one occasion - like another poster said I had someone else travel in a car with tack and water. I wouldn't do it now, just in case. That one did have a 1.2 payload (certified) and one of the horses was a fine 14.3, nothing else on board but me and half a tank of diesel. And it was the van shape, which is about as minimal weight-wise as they can be.

You may find one of the newest builds with the best light materials might work for you - even then I'm not certain - but they may be beyond your budget. One with some living in, though, may take you beyond the safe limit with the horses on board. Alternatively how about a 5.5 or 6.4 tonne, which are still a bit smaller and easier to drive than a 7.5 but give you a bit more payload? Something like this:
http://www.equimarkhorseboxes.co.uk/view_horsebox.shtml?id=135

 

[catroo]

I have an LT35 as well, lovely little box. I had it weighed before I bought it and with two of us, water and a full tank of fuel it weighs 2.8T. I only travel shetlands and only ever two so while we don't have loads to spare, it's ok for what we need.

We have redone the ramp (didn't like the rubber used) and the new material is lighter and we've also swapped the partitions for smaller, lighter ones to make everything is as light as possible.

So many people/companies advertise as being suitable for two horses but most of the time they just aren't

 

[maree t]

Thanks everyone. i am on a restricted license (diabetic) so can only drive a 3.5 ton. My son will also be taking his test next year and it would be nice if he could rive it in a year or two. The chap who cam and looked at mine said he is building a new one on a van base at the moment which will have 1.2 ton payload. I really am not keen on the van types I like the small living area behind the driver . We dont need much living just a hob really and we have a cupboard with a tiny sink and two ring hob. the luton has wooden board down as the floor .
the chap said he could take the floor out and put an aluminium one in with the new foam type flooring but doesnt think it will make enough difference. there are tack lockers round the bottom all made with wood aswell which we could easily do without .
Have been looking at buying an iveco daily and getting that converted. That could be an option with newer lightweight materials. really torn on wether to spend the money and risk not reducing it enough after all that. Ahhhhhh

 

[khalswitz]

This is really interesting to read. I'm looking at a 3.5t to travel my 17hh TB (weigh tapes ay 550kg but I always err on the side of saying 600kg just in case!), and myself, with tack storage, a few cupboards and some seats, nothing more. How likely am I going to be able to do that if the payloads are as low as this?

 

[Abacus]

They aren't all. The one I just bought has a 1.1 tonne payload which does give me enough for a horse the size of yours (I say 600kg too), plus tack, water and stuff. I am careful not to cart about everything I don't need like I used to in a big lorry, and I don't have passengers apart from the dogs as I generally go out alone.

 

[maree t]

I think mine is a pretty old conversion so I think the old fashioned materials are my main problem. Ask for a payload certificate if you are looking at one. They should be able to get one from the local weighbridge. I would be wary if they cant or wont. i will be double checking next time but it has done us well with the ponies we had up until recently

 

[khalswitz]

They aren't all. The one I just bought has a 1.1 tonne payload which does give me enough for a horse the size of yours (I say 600kg too), plus tack, water and stuff. I am careful not to cart about everything I don't need like I used to in a big lorry, and I don't have passengers apart from the dogs as I generally go out alone.

That makes me feel a bit better! Thanks

 

[Mithras]

You can convert 3.5 tonne boxes to 3.9 tonnes I think and still drive them on a car license. It involves uprating the suspension and fitting a speed limiter to 50mph or similar (I can't remember exactly). This might not be enough weight still for you.

If you want to see whats available in 3.5 tonne box ranges, have a look at the Alexanders and Equitrek websites.

 

[tiga71]

This is really interesting to read. I'm looking at a 3.5t to travel my 17hh TB (weigh tapes ay 550kg but I always err on the side of saying 600kg just in case!), and myself, with tack storage, a few cupboards and some seats, nothing more. How likely am I going to be able to do that if the payloads are as low as this?

With mine you would be absolutely fine. I have 500 kg horse and with just him I have loads of available weight for me, extra passenger, bags, tack water. It is only with two horses you have a problem. Unless you get a dodgy lorry that has an awful payload - some do have rubbish payloads, even the newer ones.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Only a weighbridge certificate of total actual weight excluding horse taken off the 3.5 t will give a proper picture of payload. Manufacturers published payloads are a reliable as their published fuel consumption figures ie not at all, as they are often calculated with a totally stripped vehicle, no partitions, matting, fitting out, and of course no fuel tack or people either.

 

[ROG]

You can convert 3.5 tonne boxes to 3.9 tonnes I think and still drive them on a car license.

A driver would need LGV C1 on the licence to drive a 3.9 tonne GVW vehicle

those with a pre 1997 licence will have that given for free but for those who passed after 1996 they will need to pass the LGV C1 test - the LGV C test covers C1

If looking at anything over 3.5 tonnes GVW then the driver might as well go for something like a 5 or 6 tonne van type horsebox if they do not want to go to the full 7.5 tonne lorry

 

[kevd]

Im taking it yours is the newer model if so the problem with the 3.5t is it weighs to much to start with, as does the 3.5t iveco. Thats why builders tend to work with the likes of movanos or masters. Ive built on both and managed to get 1.1t payload on both. It all comes down to how it's built.
Always insist on a weight ticket and check the floor, ramp and bulkhead as this is where most try to cut weight.

 

[maree t]

Are the iveco dailies any good to convert then or are they just too heavy initially ? We really need to decide what we are going to do. have been trawling sites and found a couple of reasonable ones which we could afford to buy and convert (pro doing the work ) . Really would like to have the living behind the driver rather than at the back .

 

[kevd]

I think the ivecos are about 200kg heavier, chassis specs are at work so I cant give you the exact amount.
I havent come across a 3.5t iveco with anymore than about 800kg payload after conversion. I personally wouldn't build a 3.5t horsebox on one, but that's not to say others havent. As for the living being behind the cab the reason most if not all are at the back is because of the rear axle. The original van floor is left in to keep the floor low and save weight but this means the wheels are half above floor level meaning horse's cant travel in the back area. Sorry if this is not what you want to hear but I dont think you will find what your looking for. And if you do find a 3.5t with living behind the cab I bet it won't have a great payload. Unless someone has come out with a super light weight build ive yet to come arcoss. Im betting if you look at multiple horsebox builders you will find they will all look similar and on the same type of van chassis.

 

[Magicmillbrook]

A driver would need LGV C1 on the licence to drive a 3.9 tonne GVW vehicle

those with a pre 1997 licence will have that given for free but for those who passed after 1996 they will need to pass the LGV C1 test - the LGV C test covers C1

If looking at anything over 3.5 tonnes GVW then the driver might as well go for something like a 5 or 6 tonne van type horsebox if they do not want to go to the full 7.5 tonne lorry

Is the LGV C1 test a HGV license or something in the middle? We have a 5 tonne and can't decide whether to keep and put daughter through test or get a 3.5

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Is the LGV C1 test a HGV license or something in the middle? We have a 5 tonne and can't decide whether to keep and put daughter through test or get a 3.5

It's in the middle, it covers vehicles over 3.5T up to and including 7.5T.

Over 7.5T is HGV and that introduces all sorts of regulations for both driver and lorry.

 

[Magicmillbrook]

It's in the middle, it covers vehicles over 3.5T up to and including 7.5T.

Over 7.5T is HGV and that introduces all sorts of regulations for both driver and lorry.

Thanks - might be worth looking into. I know when I looked at the full HGV it was going to be hugely expensive