3.5ton is it possible??

[emmaln]

Hi all,

My partner and i were hoping to finally be able to afford a little lorry this year however whilst looking into it i have seen so many posts saying that the payload would not be enough to carry 2 decent sized horses, are there any 3.5ton lorries that can do this? what about the ifor back types?? Help please blonde and confused!

 

[foraday]

Sadly the threads about 3.5t are true.

At best they will have a payload of 1.2t. So yes it will be a struggle to get 2 neds on at around 550kgs and a driver!

 

[KL93]

There is a equi-treck small lorry that has the gross weight of exactly 3.5t, i think it's call equi-trek sonic, look on site or at derby house. x very expensive though.

 

[PucciNPoni]

There is a equi-treck small lorry that has the gross weight of exactly 3.5t, i think it's call equi-trek sonic, look on site or at derby house. x very expensive though.

Sorry, I'm confused? How can you know what the gross weight is without having actual horses on it? And tack water fuel driver/passenger etc?

I have a small lorry that was customised, with absolutley no frills (no living, very light weight). It was partitioned for three ponies (I have a 15hh horse) and took one of the partitions out and doing some other weight reducing measures. When I bought it unladen it weighed 2.4t which gives me 900kg of payload. That's not much to play with when you start thinking about how much everything weighs - so no way could a second horse legally be hauled, not with anything else in there!


Re weight: I think the main thing to ask any builder or seller is to get proof of unladen weight on a weighbridge.

As for the Sonic, I had a wee looksie on their website to see what the unladen weight was - it was 2420 kg. Okay, so there is 1080kg payload. If you took two horses, weighing 500 kg each, that's 1000 kg right there. Then you have your tack and driver. For argument sake lets say 100kg for each rider and his / her tack (saddles x 2, bridles x2, headcollars, leads, travel gear, brushes and grooming kit....). So that's 1200 kg in total now. At this rate you're already overweight, and you've not included water, hay, a tank of fuel.

If you're just hauling 2 horses and no extra passengers, no tack etc - you might get away with it. But who does that?

 

[perfect11s]

Hi all,

My partner and i were hoping to finally be able to afford a little lorry this year however whilst looking into it i have seen so many posts saying that the payload would not be enough to carry 2 decent sized horses, are there any 3.5ton lorries that can do this? what about the ifor back types?? Help please blonde and confused!

Take your test for a bigger lorry it will be cheeper and you will be able to carry two+ safely, win win .....

 

[KL93]

Sorry, I'm confused? How can you know what the gross weight is without having actual horses on it? And tack water fuel driver/passenger etc?

I don't know exactly how they know, i just went off what the site and people said when I was looking around.

A compact, easy to drive horsebox, the Sonic has a gross maximum weight of 3500kg, meaning it can be driven by anyone 17 years and over with a standard car licence.
Powered by the 2.2HDI diesel engine producing 120bhp, giving effortless performance and outstanding economy. For added convenience, servicing is only every 24,000 miles or two years and it does not require an MOT for the first three years.
The Sonic has the added benefit of a tack/changing room which is totally separate from the horses. Incorporating two saddle racks, two bridle racks and two coat hooks. There is also additional storage over the cab.

Thats the description on the site?? can they say that if it's not true

 

[Nocturnal]

I don't know exactly how they know, i just went off what the site and people said when I was looking around.

A compact, easy to drive horsebox, the Sonic has a gross maximum weight of 3500kg, meaning it can be driven by anyone 17 years and over with a standard car licence.
Powered by the 2.2HDI diesel engine producing 120bhp, giving effortless performance and outstanding economy. For added convenience, servicing is only every 24,000 miles or two years and it does not require an MOT for the first three years.
The Sonic has the added benefit of a tack/changing room which is totally separate from the horses. Incorporating two saddle racks, two bridle racks and two coat hooks. There is also additional storage over the cab.

Thats the description on the site?? can they say that if it's not true

That just means that its a 3.5t lorry . Its still possible to over load it, but it can only legally take 3.5t gross.

 

[Spottyappy]

IMHO it is not possible to carry 2 and stay legal, assuming the horsebox is built with safety in mind and isn't a flimsy one.
I m having to sell my wonderful coachbuilt 3.5t box for exactly this reason- it won't LEGALLY carry 2 horses, 2/3 people plus tack, rugs, equipment, water etc. I had just one horse that I travelled until recently given another one that needs to travel too.
If you factor in 2 horses at 550kg+, 2 people at say 75-100 each, plus 2 lots of equipment and water etc, you're looking at approx 1375kg minimum, more if 3 people and lots of equipment.
If you find a 3.5t box that claims to be able to legally carry this kind of payload, check the build quality AND ask for a weight certificate so you know its safe and legal.

 

[9tails]

In a word, no. Two section As would be OK.

 

[OWLIE185]

One other issue you want to bear in mind is that they are talking about a static payload of 3.5 tons. But horses will move and therefore you really do not want to be anywhere near to the 3.5 ton limit if you want to be safe. The chassis cab is designed for a static load of 3.5 ton not one that moves as this will effect the peformance characteristics of the vehicle.

 

[suestowford]

I don't know exactly how they know, i just went off what the site and people said when I was looking around.

A compact, easy to drive horsebox, the Sonic has a gross maximum weight of 3500kg, meaning it can be driven by anyone 17 years and over with a standard car licence.

Thats the description on the site?? can they say that if it's not true

What it means is, the vehicle and contents should not weigh more than 3.5 tons. So what you really need to know is the unladen weight i.e. what it weighs with no horses or tack/water/hay on board. The difference between the unladen weight and the gross vehicle weight is the payload. Gross vehicle weight includes everything on board - people, horses, fuel, your packed lunch etc.

Most 3.5 tons have a payload of less than 1000kg. Really new ones are being made with new honeycomb materials which promise to be strong but light, in an effort to overcome the lack of payload, but these are VERY expensive. Some of the conversions advertise a payload of 1300kg - this might be achieved by having no living but I would worry about safety - has this payload been achieved by skimping on materials somewhere? Are these conversions safe? I wouldn't risk precious cargo in one - would you?

 

[maletto]

Don't forget that, because one can drive the 3.5t on a car licence, loads more people can drive them so there is more demand and the price of a decent one will be a LOT more than the price of an equivalent (age, mileage, condition) 3.5-6.5t.

If you've got some cash to splash on a lorry, why doesn't one of you do your LGV (or HGV if you want to keep your options even broader) training and test and then get a nice LGV lorry that will safely take 2-3 full size horses plus whatever tack and stuff you want.

I think you can do all the training and the test in an intensive week-long course that costs about £1k. The premium commanded by 3.5t is at least that, so it wouldn't end up costing you more.

(I'm assuming here that the reason you want a 3.5t is due to driving licence restrictions and not because you want something smaller)

I've taken a 15.2 and a 14.2 in a 3.5 before but had someone following in a car to take all the other kit. I just don't think it's possible to get enough payload for two horses plus riders and kit.

 

[scarymare]

Your best bet if you are pre 1997 testwise is to uprate a 3.5 tonne to 3.9 tonnes (effectively getting the other horse in). The posts which advocate a bigger lorry are fine but come on - look at the price of diesel plus a mortgage for an oil change!

 

[mashnut]

According to my father (lorry driver of 40 years), he can't see how an axel weight of 3.5ton could realy take anything more than tiny ponies (by that he means the section A and B that we have at the yard). My mare isn't over weight but weighs about 600kg so if I was lucky someone (not me sadly, still working on my driving licence) could almost drive her and her stuff.
I second the suggestion to get a lorry licence. Remember that past 1997 no new licence holder can pull trailers without taking the test. (Somthing else I'll need to do when I pass!)

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

no.in a word.
even the lightest ones have a max -payload of 1200kg, and your average horse is 500-550kg, so unless your driving on fumes, with no passengers, you are overweight before you put a single other thing init.

PRB are building me a 3.5ton, with aluminium floor, aluminium skinned walls etc and due to that i will def only have payload for 1 horse.which is fine, i never take 2 out together so not an issue.
if you ever want to take 2, get a bigger lorry.

 

[shywhitebadger]

I wouldn't risk precious cargo in one - would you?

Yes, every day. Made out of the same materials as a 7.5T. Horses load easily, travel the best they have ever travelled, easier to drive than my car, cheap to tax, cheap to insure, over 30mpg, no expensive commercial garages or mechanics to pay for, no plating.

Who wouldn't???

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

agree, the ones built like a big lorry, same materials, are fine.

the ones built of the thinnest GRP and marine ply to try and keep weight down-no way!

 

[emmaln]

Thanks for replies guys, I have seen one of the ifor Williams advertised with a payload of 1370 after driver and full tank of fuel with weighbridge certificate!