7.5 tonne horse box running costs

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GoneBust

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I am looking to buy a 7.5 tonne horse box. For you guys that have one. How much does it cost for you to keep it on the road. ie. Insurance/tax/MOT/Plating. Obviously you can't really include petrol because this will vary widely. But i am just really looking for an average cost. Thank you for the help
 
Insurance is about £200 (I think, can't remember for sure). MOT/Plating is about £150 if you have someone take it for you, not counting whatever needs fixing. Fill up of a tank is between £80 and £110 depending on what the fuel price is doing. Tax last time we did it was £165.

Be carefull. We bought ours six weeks or so after it was plated - I should have asked to see the garage's report! A year later it has failed it's MOT big style
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Everything that could leak has, and everything that could rot has rotted. It looks like it is going to cost too much to fix...
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As per MrsMozart for costs!
I got lucky with mine I think - bought mine off ebay and it's done me proud for nearly 3 years. MOT repair costs are usually about £400 to £500 each year but I have been told it will keep going for years but will always cost a fair bit at each MOT. Am looking to replace it with a trailer as its main fault is that it refuses to start if the temp gets below 5 degrees! In the summer it starts every time! Not advertising but if anyone is interested in a genuine bargain 7.5 tonner you know my PM!
 
Hi there, per year:
Insurance: £320 fully comp
Breakdown cover: £119
Tax: £165
MOT/service: £750 - £1000

Make sure you get the unladen weight of the vehicle before you part with your money. I was looking for a new box last year and was assured that the vehicle I wanted had a great payload but unfortunatly (and naively on my part) I didn't see the paperwork until I went to pick the lorry up. It turned out to be 6.6 tonnes unladen so I could just about carry a shetland pony legally! I've decided to keep my old box and have it beautified.

Good luck in your search.
 
That sounds about right - a bit like the 3.5 tonne boxes - that can apparently carry 2 16.2hh horses?!!?

Any way thanks for the replies - the costs do seem to vary widely - especially for the MOT/Plating for it.

But compared to a 4x4 and trailer would you say that a horse box is the more 'cheaper' option in the long run? (bearing in mind i do a fair bit of milege in my car)
 
My costs for MOT/Plating include a full service. The MOT itself is about £60 I think, so if you are/have a lorry mechanic in the family you can save a lot of money.

My horses are too big for a trailer and we do go out a lot and stay away, so there's not really a choice for me.

Road tax for 'gas guzzlers' is going up soon isn't it? Not sure whether HGV tax is also going up?
 
Insurance and Breakdown was about £400 per annum Fully comp (does depend on age/value of lorry)
Servicing and plating will vary according to the age and make of the chassis - When I had the old Bedford I used to put away £100 per month towards it as it was never less than £1200-£1500, even the new lorry (5 years old) I allowed £1000 for service and plate - I always got it serviced by Iveco dealer not the local coachbuilder. I also had it checked over annually by a local coachbuilder, the plating does not take into account the safety of your horses, just the mechanical soundness, so I had floor, ramp chekced. They used to charge me £50 for this. I also used to get a "winter check" done in November (annual service was in May), this checked brakes/coolant/tyres etc. (£35 at local Iveco dealer). This may sound excessive but the safety of my horses was the most important thing.
Another thing to consider with a 7.5t is that i has to be plated at a DOE test centre and you normally have to get it booked up to 6 weeks in advance.
I have now gone down to a 3.5t and the insurance and breakdown is £300 (including insuring a young driver) and servicing and MOT last year cost £350.
As MrsMozart says - do not rely on the plating alone. Get it checked by a reputable mechanic who understands horseboxes (floor/ramp weight distribution etc), even if you are buying from a dealer, they should not object if they have nothing to hide!
 
My Mot costs including work were £600, insurance is £400 including breakdown cover and that is any driver over 25 as I wanted to be sure I could get my horse home if I fell off and hit my head! Tax is £160 if I remember right. My diesel isn't too bad at around £40 a month generally running to the school twice a week and short runs to hacks at weekends. Mine is a K reg Leyland Daf, 3 horse box but really will comfortably take 2 horses, small day living. I watched payload when buying mine and was really lucky to find this as it has almost 3.5tonne to play with! I had to replace the floor this year and that worked out at £200 as dad did the work, the lorry itself was a bit of a bargain at £2500 and hopefully will give me a couple of years service before I upgrade!
 
Ours costs about £1K per year - plus diesel
Big annual service and MOT last month was £400 ish inc them taking it for us, saves hassle of having to get a booking and take a day off work.

So if you save £20 a week in fuel by commuting in a samll economical runabout it covers the 'keep'
I ignore deprecation costs as a good 4x4 would depreciate just as much, if not more.
 
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