Are renault master vans safe for horses?

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lauraheads

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I have wanted to convert a renault master van (not luton) for some time and have found an excellent place that will do the ramp, cut through cab and windows for £3000. The rest can be done at home i'm hoping!

I had my heat set on it until someone said that they are not safe. It would be used for one horse, mainly but would need to carry a pony at times as well. Are the van types safe? Two people have said that they are prone to tipping and if the horse creates whilst travelling there is a risk of the van tipping, but isnt this the case for a trailer too?

So confused!! Sorry for all questions tonight!
 
Cant help you there...but surely before spending that sort of cash without knowing you would be better talking to a specialist??Just thinking would be alot of cash for you to shell out if it isnt a worthwhile project!!
smile.gif
 
I am not an expert but from what I understand from chatting to horsebox manufacturers how you distribute the payload is crucial for safety (of course there is a general issue of the payload for both legal and safety terms but I am assuming that the vehicle you have in mind can legally carry a horse). You would need to know the length of the chassis and how the loads are distributed on the axles to calculate the best place to position the horses. I have a feeling these are quite techinical issues and you may struggle with a DIY conversion, unless you really find out more. A couple of other things to keep in mind include the floor which will need to be suitably reinforced for horses and how the structural integrity of the vehicle will be affected by the changes you propose to make (nobody wants to think about accidents, but the do happen and it is worth trying to make the vehicle as safe as possible).
 
Just had a look at the vehicle specs and it comes in various models from 2.8 T to 3.8 T, so you definately need the higher load to make this work (even then you will have to be very careful what extras you carry as it is very easy to go over the legal limit). But just another thought: if what you have is the van, that is not the box van, but just the van, does it have enough height clearance to fit in a horse? It looks very small in the photos, but they may be deceiving.
 
Ok,

Thanks for all the advice. With the amount of money I have I was thinking of doing a self build, but now im not so sure. I think I will keep my eye out for and older luton master!

Thanks everyone :-D
 
I had one of these and it was fine. Horses travelled great in it. The Renault has a low floor, and the horses travel between the axles so gives a more stable ride. (We also ensured the floor was reinforced with aluminium planks). Do check the weight though. Ours could carry 2, but some conversions would be overweight.
Heas clearance wasn't a problem either - from memory it was 7' or more.
 
Properly converted (payload specific) with horsebox specialist are perfectly safe, however, unless people who will do conversion for you are horsebox specialists I would steer well clear.

Its not quite as simple as just converting there are special weight distribution work that needs doing, even down to the fact the ramp will be heavier than the other side of the vehicle.

I would personally spend my money on a cheapy horsebox bedford or similar or go to a specialist and spend a bit more.
 
Wow thanks for everyone in put. I guess its not as simple as I thought lol!

I think the better option would be a luton renault master, will just have to save some more i guess!
 
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