3.5t vs 7.5t Lorry......which?

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LouB

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I am looking into buying my first lorry having borrowed mum's for ages!

I have 3 horses but often only travel one or two. Im having trouble deciding between a 3.5 and 7.5t. From my basic research it appears the 3.5 are holding their value very well, obviously due to the new rules and regs but therefore the 7.5t lorries look better value for money.

My budget is 6kish so not huge but im not keen to buy a 20yr 3.5 jobby and spend fortunes on it. Also, are the 3.5's really much more economical? Obviously the mot/plating is much simpler/cheaper.

Any experiences?
Any recommendations gratefully recieved?!
Many thanks
 
I would say a 7.5t.You might struggle weightwise with two on a 3.5t unless they are lightweight.7.5t seems to give you abit more to play with with a decent living space and more room to carry gear.
 
I changed from a 7.5t to a 3.5t so that K could drive it as well and yes I have a 20 year old LT35! It would not carry 2 horses weight wise but comfortably carries what I want. My maintenance and servicing costs are now a 3rd of what they were with a fairly new Iveco, insurance and tax similar but there is a big saving on diesel costs.
 
What sort of weight will you need to carry?
The new 3.5Ts can have up to 1300kg payload which can be two 16hh horses, depending on your horses. They are easier and cheaper to drive and maintain. I would go for a 3.5T or 6.5T anyday.
With your budget, you will be able to get a fairly decent 3.5T but you would have to get in quick because they are really popular.
 
Def a 7.5 ton. With a 3.5 you will struggle to carry more than 1 horse. With a 7.5 ton you should be OK carrying 2 comfortably. I have seen some of these 3.5ton lorries with a bigger paye load but can compromise strength when using lighter materials
 
I have a 7.5 ton Daf Roadrunner, old
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1990, took it for plating yesterday and it passed with flying colours Yipee.

I paid £5000 fo it 4 years ago and I've had the brakes done and some new tyres over that time, so not bad. It has big living and carries two big horses or three ponies;

Wouldn't change it for anything.

With your bugget you could get a decent one, just take a mechanic with you if you can, the engine is important lol
 
7.5 ton if you need to carry 2 or want to be sociable with friends or need living quarters for nights away, 3.5 tone is ok for one horse and small day shows I would say that the 3.5 chassis are cheep and not very cheerfull basicly tradesmans vans not built to last like a truck chassis, bit better on fuel not that 10 mpg will make much differance to most folk unless your showing all over the country each week then you would want the convinance of the space in a bigger lorry...
 
For two hroses, you need 5.5 to 7.5 tonne lorry.
3.5 wonlt take 2 x 600 kilo horses. plus tack, kit,hay, water, a pssenger, etc.
 
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