3.5 Ton Lorries How stable are they.

PeterNatt said:
How stable are 3.5 ton lorries? I am used to a 7.5 ton? I have a 14.3 hand heavyweight cob.
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Get one with a low centre of gravity in which the horse area is supported between the front and back axles, and they are very stable. This is a hire Marlborough Hunter stallion box, I’ve travelled horses in it, it is fabulously stable. Would easily accommodate a HW 14.3hh cob :).

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ETA

The type of 3.5t boxes pictured below, with a high centre of gravity, are notoriously unstable.

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I once had a 17.1 heavy horse throw itself around in mine, it was less than comfortable TBH! But, it was still safe.

I have one with the overflow wheelbase, so it is quite stable. I will take it out in winds with gusts up to 40mph.

It is exceptionally easy to drive. Easy on fuel too.
 
I have a LWB Renault master and find it is very stable. I've driven in some gusty winds recently and felt quite safe. Also on the motorway if I am overtaken by something really big, although I feel the effect, it's not scary.
 
You need either a Fiat Ducato or the Peugot/vauxhall/Citroen/Renault shared low wheelbase chassis. I have the Ducato and it's brilliant. I would do anything with it that I did with my 7.5.

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Ive got a renault master van conversion, we did our longest trip it in last weekend, justover 120 miles each way on motorways mainly. It was absolutely fine in the gusty wind and the pony travelled easily and with no loss of balance at all. It has a lovely low centre of gravity and is really easy to drive
 
If you are thinking of buying a 3.5 ton make sure you look at the video by Henning Horseboxes. Definitely an interesting watch. If you are hiring I personally would see if you can look at service history and look at the box before hiring to see general condition.

There are nice 3.5 tons out there that are stable but there are some potentially dangerous ones too. A 14.3 should be fine to travel in one, I've had a 16hh in one before and they travelled fine, with no loss of balance.
 
The newer Renault Masters also have some kind of side wind assist gadgetry, which is supposed to help in strong winds. I assume other vans have something similar, although you might lose it if you go for a coach-built over a conversion.
 
When looking it might help you choose if you are aware that the Peugot, Citroen, Renault and Vauxhall vans are all the same base van,

The Fist Ducatos are less common but that's partly because they've been the platform of choice for motor home builds and they've been snaffle up by those converters.

All good base vans, but please don't buy one without a full wall at the back of the horse part, or if you do, block it it so the horse can't get over it. Too many nasty accidents caused by horses trying to get out through the back door.

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I've never driven a 7.5t so have no comparison that way but I have a coach built Iveco 3.5t and it's very stable.

TBH I dont go out in high winds because I dont see the point in taking risks just for a pony party but every day Scottish winds (still not the best! Ha ha) dont negatively effect the driving and handling of it
 
I've recently swapped from 3.5t coachbuilt to a 7.5t. Driving round the little roads near home I feel the camber far more in the big one. The centre of gravity felt a lot lower in the little box.
 
The modern Renaults & Vauxhall 3.5 ton boxes have a very low centre of gravity are stable & are safe to use. The Transits with the Ifor box on the back are very unstable. They have a high centre of gravity & when you take into account the height of a horse the centre of gravity gets even higher. I was at a show when I saw one turn into the bar park & I swear I thought it was going to roll over. It frightened the hell out of me, my daughter & wife who were in our 7.5 ton box watching it. Don't touch one wit a barge pole!
 
After the detachable towbar thread I am so lusting after one of these Renault and similar boxes.
I can’t justify one ? and even if I could I don’t think I could fit one up our drive ??? if they are any bigger than the Tesco lorry which I’m guessing they are. (Not relevant to the OP sorry! ? )
 
PeterNatt said:
Many thanks for your comments.
Having taken your advice I shall be looking at a Bloomfield, Boss, Marlborough, Boss or Oakleigh built on a 3.5 ton Renault Master Chassis Pan Cab.
Any comments?
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Dont just limit to the Renault, the Vauxhall Movano is the same, and cheaper models like the Peugeot Boxer and the Citroen - all as already mentioned above :)
 
Here is my BOSS. Loved it..sold it for more than I paid. Easily carried my ID and TB. I had it uprated to 3:9 Tom
 

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Can't fault my Bloomfield's. Really solid build. I had mine made to take one horse with huge external tack locker and toilet area in spare partition, small living at back. I also had it to 3.9 tonnes as I had a few extras and wanted no weight worries.
 
I had a coach built Vauxhall Movano & it was more stable to drive than my little city car (I much preferred driving it to the car on long journeys). It was a 2003 model so a bit older than some but when all was working really couldn't fault it to drive
 
Small but helpful tip: I have two partitions in mine rather than a single central partition. This means that when I am travelling one pony I can position him firmly in the centre of the horse area. Depends on what the roads are like where you are, but for me this is really useful as I drive quite a lot on narrow lanes with steep camber to ditches on both sides. It really helps if pony is securely in the middle.
 
Have a good think about the interior design of the box. I’d always go for a stallion box, as in the hire box I posted above, as there’s nothing for, the horse to get hung up on, and horses seem to travel very well in them. Don’t have a fixed breastbar at any price, horses can and do jump them and then it’s a fire brigade job to cut them out, and even then the horses don’t always survive. The rear grooms door should still be wide enough to exit the horse if it does somehow end up in the rear grooms area.

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There are various designs of collapsible breast bar and also after market anti jump modifications for boxes with breast bars that can be installed, though others could tell you more about these than I can.

The hire company that uses the Marlborough box that I showed the pic of did the rounds of the various manufacturers to see their boxes in production to check standards - I recommend doing the same, though your short list sounds pretty good to me.

Happy shopping.
 
I would not have had a breast bar either, even though that means no tack locker under their heads.

Mine is a stallion partition, and to make up the space is why I had just one partition so the other can be a huge external tack locker. To make it balanced, the ramp on mine is behind the driver, so the spare partition is not needed for the horse. I made the horse side wider then the other, plus more space to spread back legs under the partition skirt. The tack locker is like a big lorry one. Masses of space for saddles, bridles, buckets, a shelf unit...

The toilet part is accessed from the small back living, which only has 2 seats and a wardrobe. The horse can easily exit out the back if necessary via the opening doors.
 
I had this built into my 1998 race master for a horrendous traveller. He did still rear up on it I might add, but it meant he couldn’t actually get anywhere. Kept the box nice and light and cool as windows now blocked off and worked v well for us.

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