Are 3.5t boxes decent or rubbish?

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CrazyDog

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I'm trying to decide how to go about transporting my horse. He is 16.3hh so small boxes and trailers are too small. I don't think I'll be eligible to drive a lorry, so it looks like either a 3.5t horsebox or a truck and larger trailer.

Comments from anyone? Which would you go for and why?
 
I am not sure your horse would fit comfortably in a 3.5T. I had to get a 5.5T for my 15.3hh mare as she is too long for the 3.5T
 
Ive had HUGE probs trying to find a 3.5ton for a big horse. There are some out there, but they go very quickly, and arent cheap! Ive finally found a perfect one, but they do vary in quality of conversion, so you will need alot of patience, or a large budget!
 
I think to classify decent or rubbish is a bit difficult as some would fall into one catagory and others would fall into the other!

What budget are you on?

I have had trailer and a 3.5T horsebox, both my combinations have been on a budget.
I had an older 4x4 and and Ifor 505 - I removed the central partition and just travelled one horse, that way it took a 16.3hh/17hh good traveller comfortably.
trailer very cheap to run but as the 4x4 was also used for business mileage it was quite high maintenance, a newer 4x4 would have been easier!

3.5T box I find a lot easier as no hassle of hitching up and I can leave stuff in the luton etc. I would say though I think buying a lorry is a bit hit and miss, some are great others are a complete financial drain. So far, despite being old mine is proving okay. It is however very old and slow so I allow extra time for journeys!

Something to think about with 3.5T is that many are stalled as pony boxes so you won't fit your horse in. That said there are some that could easily fit 2 x 17.2hh in (mine could), however 99.9% of 3.5T boxes would be overweight with 2 horses in.

I'd say that if you don't do massive personal mileage and aren't planning on really long, overnight or very frequent (2-3 times a week) horsey trips then go for 4x4 and trailer
 
I used to have a VW LT35 and it was great, room for two large horses facing forwards and an integral seting and storage area with external tack locker, it was in excellent condition and we only sold it as my sister got a bigger horse which made us overweight. If you will only be carrying one horse you will be fine but if you want two i would be vary worried about the weight. we sold this box for £7000 about 2 years ago and had our hands snapped off! think it was an E plate. we now have a VWLT50 which again you can fit 2 large horses in and we are now within the weight
 
I would be traveling maybe 3 times a month and would only occasionally spend more than one night away. I only have one horse so if I couldn't travel two without being overweight it wouldn't be a major problem.

I do want him to be comfortable and safe traveling and won't be on a super-tight budget. I also want something that I can handle on my own if necessary.

What would you look for at a minimum for space? I've heard 7'6" headroom for a large horse but I haven't heard anything with respect to length. He is a good traveller, but a future horse might not be, so I'm not sure I want to be too reliant on that.

In terms of horse comfort, is there much difference between a properly sized 3.5t horsebox and a trailer? I expect they'd both be a bit less comfortable and stable than a larger lorry.
 
7'6 headroom would be lovely, but near on impossible, a majority of trailers have a max of 7'3 headroom. If you have got a decent budget, a coachbuilt renault master would be great for you, and good if you got a future bad traveller too!
 
It really depends on how the lorry has been converted, your horse wont be comfortable in a 3.5 lorry if it isnt forwards facing as there will just not be the room. we have travelled a 16.2 in our 3.5 and he had loads of room.

Would you consider a 5 tonne? or will your licence only allow 3.5 like mine? if you can drive a 5 tonne i would recommend that. as then if you did want to travel 2 you could and you will have a little bit of living space, its rare to find a 3.5 tonne stalled for large horses with living. By the sounds of it your horses comfort comes first, our old 3.5 tonne would have been perfect for you and know it was only sold on again last month, but it shows that they are out there.
 
I'd say they are totally hit and miss, like any lorry. It seems like the problem at the moment is that in the last couple of years the demand for them has absolutley rocketed due to new licence laws, but unless you have a decent (£10k+) budget, many of the ones that are now being built/converted are too expensive, so more and more dodgy/ancient ones are being bought by exactly the people who have been affected by the laws...us "young'uns". Two of my friends have recently bought 3.5t lorries. One wanted living and space to travel two with a limited budget, rapidly found it didn't exist! Eventually found a very nice pony box, takes 2 up to 15hh at a push, but has fab living etc. Has had a few teething problems but for its age it looks good and seems to be behaving now. Another bought a very cheap, old but seemingly adequate transit, which has turned out to be a nightmare! Won't go into detail as may end up in court, but lets just say none of us will ever buy a lorry without a professional vetting after that!
I needed to travel a 16.2 ID and a 15hh arab, plus we wanted living etc, so with a budget of £5k, took my HGV licence and bought a B-reg bedford which so far has done everything we asked! Only problem we have had has been a couple of flat tyres but that is the builder at the yard's fault....fencing nails!
I have to say I would highly recommend a professional vetting if you do go for any type of lorry, but definately prefer having a lorry to car and trailer, especially when it rains!
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