3.5 Ton Lorries - Query for a friend

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ecrozier

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Hello
This is a question from a friend of mine....she is looking to buy a lorry, but has a post '97 licence so is obviously limited to the 3.5ton size, and isn't keen on taking the test.
Now, is what she is looking for possible? Ideally she wants to be able to take a 16hh WB (not a very heavy one though, probably about 550kg) and a 14.2hh welshie. She also wants some day living and space for tack.
I'm just not sure it is possible really, as my 7.5T lorry has space for 2 decent sized horsies, and day living (hob, sink, fridge, seating etc.... Can't see that you can put the same on a 3.5?
Does she need to either give up the idea of 2 horses or the idea of some living space? Or is that still possible? Also she is on a fairly limited budget.
Any advice greatly appreciated, thanks.
 
Wouldn't have said so tbh
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My 3.5t renault master was a new conversion and will carry 2 17.2hh i am 20yrs old. my wagon has 2 seats and thats it. Its very dificult to get a small lorry i can drive with living
 
I have a friend who has a 3.5tonne lorry that takes two horses, with a luton and a small living space (seating for about 2 may be three people. However I dont know whether she is overweight when she has two horses aboard.

I have a little ford transit conversion, which is fab, I can take two horses, though I dont have a living a have a luton to put all my stuff on and a saddle rack and bridle cupboard. But then when I go to away shows I sleep in a tent or caravan.
 
I havent seen a 3.5 big enough for 2 horses AND living.

Mine has both. Room for 2 and a small living with stove etc. BUT, mine is offically a pony box. My lad is 15hh.

I think she may have to choose one or the other tbh.
 
It makes no difference on what you can carry space wise - I can get 2 16HH in my ford transit but Id be way over the weight limit!

Mine weights 2620kgs unladen (with all my water, tack, people etc just no horses) which means I have about 880kgs of horse to carry before I am over the weight limit!!! I can just get my 15.1 ISH and 14 pony in and I am bang on the limit!!!!!
 
Hmmm, thanks guys, thats pretty much what I thought. WIll direct her to this thread though so she can see what other people have found with theirs! Glad I went for doing the lorry test really, with OH's 16.3hh hunter and my 15hh arab we'd have never have found anything with the living we wanted for overnight away trips!
THanks
Emma
 
Have looked into this a lot over the last year or so - and I think it's very difficult to get any sort of 3.5ton lorry that has sufficient horse carrying capacity plus any type of living.

The Renault Masters seem to be the most appropriate, but even then when they have correctly reinforced floors and have been well converted, it leaves not much more than 950kgs for horse weight - which definitely wouldn't be the 2 x 17hh that many of them are advertised as carrying.
My yard owner builds, buys and sells them, and has seen a lot of bad conversions start coming on to the market which are either well overweight when fully loaded as advertised, or not built to carry the weight correctly, so it's definitely worth checking out the work that's been done, and the maximum weight they can carry.

The Transit/Bedford etc/Ifor conversions are normally reliable, but they don't allow for big horses - lack of head room - and can be top heavy, and not exactly stable, esp in winds (my 15.3hh TB type did not like loading into my Transit/Ifor at all).

The VW LT35's are quite spacious in the horse area, but again, don't allow vast amounts of head room, and are closer to the weight limits than the Transits etc.

Anyway, it's worth speaking to a decent manufacturer or mechanic about them, as you need an unbiased professional opinion. As with anything horsey, if it turns out to be the wrong decision, it's an expensive mistake!
 
Providing you keep within the weight limit it IS possible to have a small bit of "day living" in a 3.5tonner- if you have a full width side ramp as opposed to a 2 ramp "walk thru" type box you do have about 4' to play with in front of the neds.
 
Hi I am very interested in this because I currently have a 7.5tn lorry with living and was thinking about downgrading. I need enough room to put all my junk in for eventing! Has anyone used the trailers with living in? Do they have more or as much space as a 3.5tn? I have a full licence so could drop down to 4.5 or 5 tn etc what are your views on them? I feel like I am driving a lot of truck around for one horse and ok tons of stuff!
 
I could fit 2 big ones in my 3.5t but it would be overweight. And there would be no space for living.

At the moment mine is partitioned for 2 with a luton for storage and a small space to get changed but you couldnt fit any chairs in there, I just carpeted the luton and put cushions up there.
 
My friend has a 3.5T Theault (sp?) with no living whatsoever and no tack locker and she's still overweight with a 16hh TBx and a 15.1 TB plus gear... TBH I don't think it's possible
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The 3.5 tons are ideal for a couple of shetlands or 12.2 ponies. If you want to transport a couple of horses safely then a well built 7.5 ton.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hello
This is a question from a friend of mine....she is looking to buy a lorry, but has a post '97 licence so is obviously limited to the 3.5ton size, and isn't keen on taking the test.
Now, is what she is looking for possible?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes!!
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I own a marlborough Hunter which i believe were one of the first manufacturers of this type of box. I have a small amount of 'living' at the back which holds a wardrobe for my bits and pieces, and tack, a couple of padded seats and racks for headcollars and bridles etc and a little loo(which is still wrapped in its cellophane LOL!!
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. The horses travel very well in it and it drives like a dream. If you require any more 'technical info' about laden weights etc, please look at this website as it will give you all the info you require.

http://www.marlboroughhorseboxes.co.uk/hunter.htm

This type of box is very popular with the racing fraternity i believe so im pretty sure it will be able to cope with a bit more than a couple of shetlands!! LOL!!

However they do come at a price, if your friend is only willing to spend only a few thousand on one i would recommend she takes a trailer test as there is a lot of 'rubbish' floating around these days that are not made or built correctly.

Good luck and i hope i have provided a different side to the argument!! I am one very happy customer of a 3.5T lorry!!
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Yes....but if you read the literature it states that carrying capacity is only 1.2t unless you get the chassis uprated to 3.9t
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1.2t doesn't leave you much room for 'you', 'groom', tack, water, fuel, and horses does it
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Well it should do for what the opening poster requires with a horse and a pony and tack.
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I don't think she ever implied she wanted to travel 2 17.2 HH on it??
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I only ever travel one horse on mine anyway so its perfect for what i need it for.

It would be very interesting to see how many 7.5T lorries that are designed to take 2 & 3 horses with full living would weigh in correctly - not many i would imagine!!!
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my friends new 7.5t lorry weighs about 5.5t which gives her about 2 tonne to play with. Don't forget this has to include the passengers, hay, water, tack etc etc etc so by the time you've put that lot on board you probabaly would be pushing it to take 3 "reasonably" sized horses! I'm currently on a weight saving exercise with my 3.5T lorry getting rid of anything I can replace with something lighter so I can carry more horse!
 
Not 2 17.2hhs....but the WB would be about 550kg, and the pony is a stocky welshie so at least 450, probably more than 1000kg of horse just to get the two beasts on. So unless she carries almost nothing and drives alone, 1.2tonnes isn't enough.
Re the 7.5 ton, mine is partitionned for 3 but is 5700kg unladen...so would take 3 but they'd all have to be the size od my little arab. Normal adult sized horses, only two! And mine has fairly standard living I'd say.
Very tricky, I think there are probably a LOT of people out there in over weight lorries!
 
I have a 3.5T lorry with small day living but would NEVER carry more than my one 16hh gelding (approx 550kg) as I'm sure it would be overweight. Also, you have to think of the power of the engine, mine is a 2.8Turbo Diesel but I wouldn't go for anything less than that. Of course, it could technically carry two ponies but I was buying the box for this particular horse. Besides, its rear facing and the design might prevent ponies being able to see! Also, check out both headroom and length. Again, my box wouldn't adequately carry anything longer than my current horse (he is fairly shortcoupled). Having said all that, I love it and would recommend one for a single horse owner (that is one horse not unmarried!).
 
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