3.5ton horseboxes - What to look for

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Sooph

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I'm currently thinking of buying a 3.5ton horsebox (have my HGV) but can't tow and only have a 14hh pony, therefore it seems the most sensible option.

What would you look at when buying one of these apart from payload?

Is it better to have an emergency exit at the back, or not?

Thanks
 
Any emergency exit is better than none. Have a look at Tru Leisure web site, we bought our's from there and they are brilliant. they are strong which many are not and you will get a weight certificate from them when it is finished. their after sales services is also brilliant.
 
We had a Chaigley which was lovely but unfortunately my boy HATED traveling backwards so have bought a older forward facing transit which i love just as much, although it's not half as pretty to look at- probably as loading is no longer an issue!

My friends horse who she has had from 3 and is now 13 and never had a problem loading is now having issues with her Chaigley but we think it's just traveling backwards as he still loads in the 7.5 fine :confused:

Maybe hire one and see if your horse is ok to travel backwards as it seems some don't like it.

Good luck and happy shopping x
 
Thanks for the advice.

have bought a older forward facing transit which i love just as much
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nikCscott - I've also been wondering about these, do you know what weight yours is, and what payload?
 
We had an older shape transit and now have the newer one.
If we carry about 1200kg it is then about 3.5t.
The newer one actually carries more than the older one we had and it is a much stronger build than the other types on the market xSx
 
Sooph said:
Thanks for the advice.



nikCscott - I've also been wondering about these, do you know what weight yours is, and what payload?
Click to expand...

Yep it came with a weight certificate with payload of 1200kgs but i expect that was with an empty tank etc I'd like to get it done again with full tank, water carrier, tack all show stuff to see what I have left, but as i only take 1 at a time 16.2 WB or 11hh SecA i'm never likely to be over loaded- even if i did travel them together.

Mine was a bargain too :D
 
I would get one which has a wide door, also if possible one which seperates the groom area from where the horses are. My boy got stuck over the partition, half in the groom area, half in the horse bit. We didn't have a wide door, so that that to cut the end off our horsebox. Now we have this bit completley filled in so that it can't happen again - though it will be very rare to find one of these. This hasn't put us off using 3.5t as you can have accidents whichever transport you choose but it is just goot to be wary of some of the design faults. I've seen in vets ones, that they have the front partition openable if such a thing happens.

Hope your search goes well - despite what happened to us, we love our 3.5t horsebox :)
 
ive got a ford transit, only i didnt want a front loader, ie stalled like a trailer i personally thing the ramps are to steep to back out of and the front ramps are just scary! mine is herringbone stalled, it was stall for 4 ponies:eek:

ive had a 15hh and 16hh in there together and there was tons of room for them. (know about being over weight but it was a short journey on minor roads.)

payload is just under 1200.

from what every one says about them rocking and not being stable i find that if i travel just one so long as they are stalled central then the box is as stable as a 7.5tn.
 
I would go for a Vauxhall Movano or Renault Master van conversion - a well done one. A lot of people criticise these boxes, however they are actually safer than the box type ones. These vans are crash tested and is why they are used for ambulances and minibuses. They have crumple zones, unlike the box type ones which would fold if in an RTC. The box type ones have had no crash testing done, yet you will pay around half as much again as what you would pay for in a van conversion....the main thing is that you get one which is well done, with a reinforced bulkhead (nobody wants a horse sitting on their head!), reinforced panels and quality floor and partitions. Good luck, it's a minefield out there!
 
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