3.5 tonne box for 17.2 Warmblood...

gallowaygirl

gallowaygirl

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I know this has probably been asked many times before but does anyone have any recommendations for a 3.5 tonne horse box to take a 17.2 Warmblood (7ft rug) comfortably?
I would only be looking to travel the one horse and currently use a 511 trailer which is great, but I am considering a move up to a little box.
Any advice would be gratefully received as this is a whole new world for me and looks to be a bit of a potential minefield!!
Thank You x
 
I have a VW LT35 which has a side ramp, day living, luton bed and travels forwards. It's more like a little lorry than a large van - tons of space and headroom...
 
Last weekend we put a 17.2h ISH in a equitrek to see if he would fit. Plenty of head room but the length of space from breast bar to tack area wall was way too short for his head and neck (rear facing lorry).

In my opinion big horses need big lorries for comfortable travelling. Those small van type lorries worry me on the safety front. If they stand up and get their front end on the bulk head or on a rear facer they go over the breast bar it would be carnage.
 
I would be worried about a large horse's higher centre of gravity in a small vehicle, even if the space was large enough. It would make for a less pleasant journey for them than in a trailer or larger lorry.
 
I'll try and find out what my boy went to the vets in this week as it was a fab little lorry. He's 18hh and in a 7'6" rug but had plenty of height for him. To be fair, he did fill the entire space but he wasn't squished, unlike when he's travelled in much bigger lorries.

All I can tell you is it was rear travelling and side loading as I was too busy fretting about going to the vets!!
 
My boy is 17.1 (chunky ISH) and fits very well in my Equimark box, with headroom to spare and enough room from bum to chest and for his head and neck. It's bigger in terms of horse space than my old Leyland Daf 7.5, especially the total length from bum to nose. If only carrying one (which you would be because of weight) you could take out the partition, and then he would have a bit more room to stand on a slight diagonal if more comfortable.

I find he travels better in it than he did in the big lorry so I don't think it is a more uncomfortable ride - he's pretty sensitive, and lets me know when he doesn't want to do something. He was a reluctant loader in the old one, but not at all in the 3.5 tonne.
 
Thanks for all the advice everyone. The length and having space to turn into a side loading lorry is what concerns me. She is a great traveller in the trailer but I, perhaps wrongly, worry about how comfortable the trailer would be for a longer journey than a couple of hours? We are in Scotland and just about everywhere is a long journey!!
Would also be nice to have somewhere to change rather than hopping about in the mud :)
I love the look of the Theault lorries but just need the lottery numbers to come up for that!
 
Whilst the space the horse has to fit into (especially headroom) is of course important, the build quality/solidity and mechanical capabilities of the vehicle, plus its relative size to the animal it is transporting, would concern me much more in terms of safety.

If you have a relatively small vehicle,packed *full* with a heavy,unstable (let alone unpredictable) live load and brakes/wheels/tyres/bulkhead/panels/floor etc not *absolutely* up to containing,stopping and protecting that load in an emergency stop,or collision....well...yes,carnage could ensue😬
 
Fides said:
I have a VW LT35 which has a side ramp, day living, luton bed and travels forwards. It's more like a little lorry than a large van - tons of space and headroom...
Click to expand...

I've got one of these too and love it! I agree there's loads of room but the only thing I'd worry about is the weight. I had a 16-16.1 TBxISH and travelling him was fine in it but my new Belgian warmblood girl's a big 16.2+ and big-built and I can really feel the weight difference; I'd be worried an even bigger horse on one side would make it unstable...
 
eleanor79 said:
I've got one of these too and love it! I agree there's loads of room but the only thing I'd worry about is the weight. I had a 16-16.1 TBxISH and travelling him was fine in it but my new Belgian warmblood girl's a big 16.2+ and big-built and I can really feel the weight difference; I'd be worried an even bigger horse on one side would make it unstable...
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But you'd have that problem with any 3.5t box with one big horse...

I've travelled a 16.3 shire x tb and it was fine - stopping not an issue and hills doable. And I'm talking berridale Braes in Caithness!!
 
I'll not hijack your post but the vet trip has gone well. He's still there and will be for a while (hoof resection) but the op went well and he hasn't killed the vets!! He's the most gentle, kind horse you could ever wish to meet until he spies a needle then he turns into the king of crazy lol.
 
My boy is a big 17.2hh Warmblood, we have a 7.5t lorry, without living... We decided we wanted the option of travelling 3 if need be (other 2 that would need to travel are ponies). It isn't side loading. We had to have the partitions changed to herringbone to accommodate the extra length but after we'd done that he travels like a dream!
 
Watch the payload on 3.5s. With mine, after I've added fuel, water, tack, kit and me there's only 800kg left for a horse (I put my 3.5 full but horse-less on a weighbridge to check). My 15.2 lad weighs about 530 but yours sounds much heavier. And that doesn't include human passengers or gear for a weekend away.
 
One other thought - if you have a powerfull enough vehicle to tow the weight, would an equitrek-style trailer with a bit of human space at the front for changing in be another option?
 
I don't know your budget, but Bloomfields in Notts do a great little 3.5 tonne box.

I like the "professional" version with no breast bar, and it has a small living space at the back. I intend to have just one horse travelling, and they have been very helpful and have configured it so my horse has 8ft headroom, 8ft9inch nose to croup and 4 ft width. Bigger than a 7.5 tonne wagon. The second partition will just be a tack area. Capacity will be 1200.

Not got it yet (will be a while too) but worth a look as they will build on a variety of chassis.

I am not worried about the stability as the chassis is a platform cab, and the horse is lowered between the wheels, so very stable. The quality looks great.
 
magicmoose said:
I would be worried about a large horse's higher centre of gravity in a small vehicle, even if the space was large enough. It would make for a less pleasant journey for them than in a trailer or larger lorry.
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You'd be right - if the horse was a prat in the lorry! I use a transporter who has a fantastic little 3.5 t lorry - and she has taken BIG horses long distances for me/my clients. But one particularly brain-dead ID mare (a BIG 16.3) walked onto the lorry and a mile down the road decided she was getting off!! The lorry rocked very seriously as the mare reared, climbed the sides etc. and was NOT taken any further - she was taken a mile back home! The VERY experienced driver wouldn't face the risks - quite right too!

IF the box is well designed (and not all are) they're fine for a big horse who travels well - and a good driver.
 
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