Anyone have a Renault Master/Movano conversion?

We have a Foxy twin conversion and love it, had an old J reg Renault master before and even that was great especially for its age.
 
I've got a 2001 Renault Master conversion and it's great. Very low, short ramp, horses travel rear facing, bright and horse friendly, small grooms area, window from cab lets you see horse (bum) in transit. Clever storage solutions, drives like a car, cheap on fuel, takes 2 x 16.2 horses (technically). I've travelled everything from tiny 26" shetland to 2 x 15hh in it and the engine copes effortlessly. My only gripe is that there isn't a security rail when you drop the side ramp down. Going to get one fitted.
 
I've got one that's a movano conversion but still a van, i.e. looks like an Anglian Windows van. Wasn't originally looking for one of those but can get more for money as not as popular. Mines for four windows and roof air vents in the van bit so airy as I think one of the problems if they are a van rather than made into a box is maybe the feel stuffy as some don't have many windows. Great and easy to drive and as narrower easier to get parked and through car park enterances etc. Downside I'd say as it is narrower than most horse boxes - same width dimensions as a trailer but slightly lower roof, and they need to be willing loaders with a slide load as the go in and need to do a helpful sideways type move, then if on own I clip his halter to the travel rope I have already in box and say wait while I grab the partition over.. My youngster will wait but I think if a tractor noisely drove past he could panic and pull out as its not as easy to grab the partition - but I guess similarly a horse could reverse out a trailer before you've done back strap up. I think the weight is good on the 'van' style box however my concern is the height.. Mine and quite a few seem to have a lip down before the hinge of the top ramp and when my 14:2 has his head up slightly his ears practically hit the roof, so although they maybe better on weight I wouldn't want to put something partically taller than 15hh - but i may be being picky as recently I was starting to think we are really mad putting these wild animals into metal boxes not much bigger than them! I'd also like a partition or bar before the ramp as I havent had a 2nd pony in but wouldnt mind one day.

Hannah
 
I've got one that still looks like a van too. Agree with barehoofhannah that they need a lot of windows/air vents or they get VERY hot in Summer - I have 2 windows, 2 vents and an aircon fan in one of the room vents.

I *love* mine, the only downside is that they do seem to need a lot of running to keep the battery sweet (especially if you have an imoboliser and/or alarm fitted as standard to the origional 'donor' van) - in the end I got an iscolator fitted to mine which solved the problem.
 
I've got a Movano van conversion - it's great. I had some teething problems when I got it -battery went first, followed by clutch, then gearbox bearings, and alternator - all within a couple of months of getting it. But I had everything done at great expense and two years down the line it's not needed anything else doing, apart from the usual annual service and MOT. I leave it for weeks without moving, but it always starts first time, I travel a 16.2hh in it and she never makes a murmur, and my youngster who I've only had in it twice fell asleep both times!

I would say that they are fab for one horse, easy to drive - but when they go wrong, it costs a fortune to get right! (My credit card is proof of that!)
 
laura7981 said:
Does anyone have anti weave grills fitted?
Click to expand...

I don't - I don't even have a collapsible breast bar, but if my 16.2hh can get it's head high enough to get it's legs up and over the breast bar then it's a equine contortionist.
13.3hh youngster uses the breast bar to rest her head on to fall asleep...very cute!
 
My friend recently had a Movano conversion and it is lovely. My 17hh ID fits in a treat.

I'm currently looking for a box and am having trouble finding one I like as much as hers, bit my budget is several £k lower than hers so I'm not having much luck!!
 
I've just bought a movano.. Decided to check that there was actually steel In between the ply sheets on the bulkhead like the seller said, only to find there was none!! Im having to get it strengthened myself, at the previous owners expense! It's scary to think that when she was using the box to take her daughter to shows, the only thing stopping two horses coming through the cab in an accident and killing them was two bits of thin ply wood!
 
I'm lookingnat a VW conversion tomorrow, saw it in production and know for a fact that there is a lot of steel stopping the horse coming through!

Wouldn't consider a box with no reinforcements in the bulkhead.
 
I no, I was furious! To think I could have easily stuck my horse in the back and had my son in the front with me without checking it and it doesn't bare thinking about what would have happened if we'd stopped suddenly :-/. I hope everyone checks the bulkheads of these boxes.... It doesn't take long and could save your life!
 
Have you tried Travel Two Horseboxes? The lady is a horsebox head hunter type person, bit of a charactor... very lovely and helpful.. She looks for safer sensible boxes dependent on your budget.

I think she'll find ones between £5,000 - £15,000 (poss lower?)
http://www.traveltwohorseboxes.com/

Her and her husband were super with me. If I needed a van, and didn't get one made from new from where I got mine from (she emailed me about the one I ended up buying, even though they don't buy and sell them as she noticed it had lots of windows and air vents) I'd def just give her my spec and trust her to get on with it.

Hannah
 
I spoke to Travel Two last week. Lovely lady, but apparently ere is a real shortage at the moment and they're having trouble getting anything in. She said to email her with my spec and she'd bet back to me as soon as she had anything in.
 
LOVE mine. And get lots of positive comments and nosy people when I'm out and about!

Plenty of room inside for my 15.2 sec D, and I have travelled 2 for short distances, plenty of room. All the horses I have travelled in it travelled really well, it sometimes takes them a few minutes to work out how to load but once they get the idea they go straight on.

I have a removable breast bar, very handy when you want to use the box as a van! I've got 2 big roof lights and 2 windows in the rear doors and I find mine surprisingly cool in hot weather.

I ended up having a conversion done, as I was struggling to find anything decent and safe on the private market. As laura7981 has found, there are a lot of bodged cowboy ones out there with no strengthening put in!

I got mine from 3 Counties Horseboxes, it has a fully reinforced horse area and Paul was very keen for me to go and look at boxes in various stages of construction to show me the cage he builds into them. They sometimes have 2nd hand boxes, worth giving them a ring.
 
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