3.5t horse box on a budget

[reen2020]

Hi all

Am considering actively saving up for (rather than dreaming of...) a 3.5t horse box for my 17hh TB.

From my very amateur level searching, the newer builds appear £20k+ but a good fraction of older/less pretty boxes out there for sub £10k. I'd love to understand whether it's more of an aesthetic thing but that there are bargains to be had, or whether it's a case of buying cheap and having to expect an unreliable box with many regular ££ repairs?

Also, how do people feel about the van-type conversions? Am a bit put off by them for a larger horse.

TIA!

 

[HopOnTrot]

We’ve been tentatively looking but haven’t seen anything decent for less than £15k, I was hoping buying a van and getting it converted would be a good option but I haven’t found a company who will convert for less than £15k + van.

 

[gunnergundog]

Older boxes tend to be heavier so watch out for the payload. How much does your horse weigh? You need to get a certificate for the payload with a FULL tank of diesel and then work out if it suits you with your passengers, tack, water, hay etc on board. It's very easy to be over a 1000kg payload. Older boxes tend to have a lower threshold.
Older boxes obviously are more prone to rust, floors that are dodgy (depending on what they are made of), lack of availability of replacement parts etc.
Buy a reputable brand and they are more likely to be SAFE and without short cuts having been taken in order to save weight. You don't want a horse coming through into the cab when you have to do a sharp stop!

 

[Abacus]

I’d buy an older box of a better brand before a newer smart but cheap build. It’s worth budgeting for a mechanic to give it a check, unless you are able to do it yourself. Look for rust (wheel arches and underneath), and soggy ramps (mine just cost about 3k to rebuild). I don’t think I’d want to spend less then about £12k and would want it to have been serviced and MOT’d recently. For a big horse you have the paradox that the van type will have better payload but might not have as much head height. I have a coach build with a box type back and it is really massive inside, better than most big lorries, my 17.2 is fine.

 

[catembi]

I have got a 2010 Renault Master van conversion & totally love it! I got the front seats colour coded & it looks so smart. I had it weighed & the payload is 1,020kg. Easy to drive, light on fuel, only needs a cat 7 MoT & not a full-on plate. It was fine for my 17hh TB, who weighed 635kg, but it's not big enough for my new 4yo ISH who is 17hh and growing. She has a naturally higher head carriage & 7ft headroom is not enough. So I have very sadly had to decide to get a bigger 3.5 ton & px mine. Boo. My 'new' one is a 2007 Renault Master with the square body rather than the van shaped body with 8ft + of headroom & a half wall at the back whereas mine has got a stallion wall. The half wall makes it seem so much more open & airy. My new one is £18.5k & I paid £13k for my old one about 4 years ago. Mileage 110k & 92k respectively. I have only been offered £6k in px for mine which is disappointing as it's a nice box & I really genuinely don't want to change it...but Echo doesn't fit! Cba with a private sale & faffing about with tyre kickers though!

Like you, I was only finding older, well used cheapies or new, shiny, out of budget...

 

[Melody Grey]

Sorry OP but ‘horsebox’ and ‘budget’ in the same sentence fill
Me with dread.

When I got mine, I looked at what my modest £15k could get me with 3.5t boxes and van conversions and wasn’t impressed. I spent around that on a 7.5t and did my test- much better built box and payload enough to take friends without worrying.

Admittedly, higher running costs and one of mine is a right thug travelling, so much safer in 7.5t, but glad I went that way. Have a look what you can get for the same money.

 

[gallopingby]

I think for a bigger horse you’d be better with a 7.5 or 6.5 if you can find one. They’re more likely to be substantially built and older ones can go on forever as long as you’ve a decent mechanic / garage to sort them.

 

[canteron]

Hey I’ve just bought a 3.5 tonne for £15k and so far so good.
I guess I will do about 2,500 miles a year locally so I am not planning to do high mileage.
My mechanic said actually you want an older one without too many electronics so there is less to go wrong and cheaper to mend.
I know nothing about mechanics but a few things to look for

Who did the conversion - reassuring if done by reputable company.
If you aren’t doing the miles under 150 is fine for a diesel engine.
Check everything, especially ramps and floor, most things can be mended but have a budget (I needed to lower the stallion partition and find a way to make ramp lighter) so it suits you and your horse.
Check service history and MOTs

If you look online there are lists if what to look for!

Good luck x

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Just a suggestion and do with it what you will: but if you can I'd be inclined to hire a few self-drive ones if you can - also if you need to go somewhere consider hiring professional firms who use 3.5's.

I say this because my pony has always been trailered everywhere she's gone; I had her as a just-backed 4yo and she's always both loaded and travelled well in a trailer. However when we hired a 3.5 to go to a fun ride, the on-board camera indicated that she wasn't happy travelling at all - she was moving around quite a lot and seemed really unsettled. We figured this was because, being a fattish little pony, she's happy in the trailer because she simply can't move around from side to side very much and is therefore much more comfortable, whereas in this particular 3.5 there was quite a lot of room either side of her and so she could move from side to side quite a lot, which actually she found unsettling.

Like I say, just a thought, and offering the suggestion.

 

[maya2008]

I have got a 2010 Renault Master van conversion & totally love it! I got the front seats colour coded & it looks so smart. I had it weighed & the payload is 1,020kg. Easy to drive, light on fuel, only needs a cat 7 MoT & not a full-on plate. It was fine for my 17hh TB, who weighed 635kg, but it's not big enough for my new 4yo ISH who is 17hh and growing. She has a naturally higher head carriage & 7ft headroom is not enough. So I have very sadly had to decide to get a bigger 3.5 ton & px mine. Boo. My 'new' one is a 2007 Renault Master with the square body rather than the van shaped body with 8ft + of headroom & a half wall at the back whereas mine has got a stallion wall. The half wall makes it seem so much more open & airy. My new one is £18.5k & I paid £13k for my old one about 4 years ago. Mileage 110k & 92k respectively. I have only been offered £6k in px for mine which is disappointing as it's a nice box & I really genuinely don't want to change it...but Echo doesn't fit! Cba with a private sale & faffing about with tyre kickers though!

Like you, I was only finding older, well used cheapies or new, shiny, out of budget...

I just sold a 2003, nearly 170,000 miles, 3.5T box for slightly less than you have been offered, privately, easy sale. Ours had recent new floors and new clutch/gearbox but still, yours should be more than £6k!!!

 

[catembi]

I know it should, but it's the convenience of px rather than dealing with a succession of no shows/numpties/tyre kickers/people trying to drive a hard bargain. It's worth a lot to me not to have to deal with people.

It passed its MoT in March with two advisories which I've sorted. I've always looked after it, done everything that it's needed etc etc & I really wanted to hang onto it as better the devil you know. I looked into getting a square back put onto it, but the people said it wouldn't 'be economical' for me. Surely it's up to me to decide on my budget, & I would far rather have kept my looked after lorry rather than hoping for the best with whatever chassis they decided to supply... The attitude put me off re-converting mine.

Next door wants a van to convert into a camper & mine is nicer than the ones he's been looking at so maybe he might offer me more than £6k for it!

 

[Highmileagecob]

Be aware that a part ex value is a lot lower than it's actual retail value. I don't understand how it is worked out, presumably it's to allow for a resale margin.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

When my daughter joined pony club and started wanting to go to rallies and competitions I realised very quickly that having our own transport would make life so much easier. I looked at a few cheaper 3.5 boxes and anything that was safe and reliable was much more expensive than I felt I could justify spending on one child’s hobby. We already had a big car that could tow so bought a trailer as that was the most cost-effective solution. Apart from an annual service, it cost nothing and when I sold it I got slightly more than I’d originally paid for it. Also do check that your horse is happy travelled in a 3.5 - out of ours two only like travelling forward or herringbone which rules out the majority of 3.5 trucks.

 

[Abacus]

Also do check that your horse is happy travelled in a 3.5 - out of ours two only like travelling forward or herringbone which rules out the majority of 3.5 trucks.

I'm not doubting you but I think this is unusual, I've never known one to be unhappy travelling backwards. I think there is research showing that most find it more comfortable. If travelled loose in a lorry without partitions, most horses position themselves to face backwards.

 

[eggs]

I'm not doubting you but I think this is unusual, I've never known one to be unhappy travelling backwards. I think there is research showing that most find it more comfortable. If travelled loose in a lorry without partitions, most horses position themselves to face backwards.

I know all the research says that travelling backwards is easier for horses but I know of 2 that really did not travel well facing backwards. Both had only ever travelled herring bone in a lorry before though.

 

[Squeak]

I think 3.5t prices have gone down a bit recently and 7.5t have caught up a bit more again.

As long as you know what to look for in terms of build quality and are realistic about age and mileage it is possible to get a good 3.5t for 15k. If you go too much lower than 15k you might start having to really compromise on age or mileage - if it's been well looked after though high mileage or age is ok.

It would be well worth having them checked out by a mechanic/ horsebox pre purchase inspection.

In regards to space I find that the 3.5t has more room for the horse than the 7.5t and I haven't experienced horses having any dislike to travelling backwards. I personally much prefer the coach built lorries and wouldn't go for one of the van conversions.

 

[exracehorse]

I paid 8,500 for my Vauxhall Movanno. Was bit tatty on outside. Had a year ticket. However …. Bare this in mind. I had an anti jump grill put in. That wasn’t cheap. The rubber matting was over metal floor. So, it was recommended that all boxes need marine ply over the metal floor then the check plate. Then new rubber matting. Another expense. Then the ramp wouldn’t shut properly. Had a new one put in. It had gone rotten. And was twisting. I’ve now been told that the outside drivers wall needs replacing. The cracks in the wrapping have let the water in. So.. bear in mind you may need to add to a cheap 3.5t due to wear and tear.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I think if your patient and have someone to look one over for you its perfectly do-able. I think my old little Reanult Master would only be worth around £7000 but it would be a great buy for someone at that. Its low mileage for the year and has had all its needed doing done.
I can honestly say its only once not started in over 10 years of owning and that was when it had been parked up all Autumn and winter. We jumped it and off it went.
Mr P wanted to upgrade but the amount i use it it would be stupid really for fork out the extra when there is nothing wrong with the one we have.

 

[Fieldlife]

I think 3.5t prices have gone down a bit recently and 7.5t have caught up a bit more again.


In regards to space I find that the 3.5t has more room for the horse than the 7.5t and I haven't experienced horses having any dislike to travelling backwards. I personally much prefer the coach built lorries and wouldn't go for one of the van conversions.

I think it’s more the way horses face. I’ve got a spacious 5.5tonne with horses facing forwards. Most 7.5 tonne with horses travelling sideways will be limited in space.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

I'm not doubting you but I think this is unusual, I've never known one to be unhappy travelling backwards. I think there is research showing that most find it more comfortable. If travelled loose in a lorry without partitions, most horses position themselves to face backwards.

Our horses obviously haven’t read the research

 

[BSL2]

Just do your research and make sure parts are easily available. I don't want to be a "female name downer" but I believe there is no such thing as cheap/ reasonable cost horse transport. Please make sure whatever you get has a good payload. And get a reputable engineer to check it over