Box Vs Trailer

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Stevie

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Hi folks, no doubt this topic has been covered many times, but need some info. My daughters are in the Pony Club and will be attending many shows etc this year, mostly local or within 50 mile radius. My wife has a fuel guzzling Kia Sorento which she uses as an every day car as well as towing a HB510 Williams. With rising fuel costs and road tax which is over £400 per annum she is spending £80 a week on getting to work ....part time 3 days a week and short journeys, the £80 fuel cost does not count the fuel cost when the girls go for lessons or shows, without towing the 4 x4 averages 25mpg and 18mpg towing so basically i am toying with the idea of a horse box which would only need used when going for lessons or shows and getting my wife an economical car.
Both ponies i have are 14.2hh and i have seen many 7.5t around at decent prices, my price range would be approx 5-6k would that get a decent and safe truck. i have had a quote for insurance on a Leyland Daf box at a cost of £210 fully comp and road tax would be approx £175 not sure what the plating cost is but basically the cost of truck tax and insurance would amount to the cost of the 4x4 road tax.

Thanks
 
Plaiting I think is around £70 now,
I have a leyland Roadrunner 1991 traditional box for sale for 4.5 k!! ( in great condition, no rust! and a cummins engine)They do hold their value well.
Only thing to do is go and look at a few and take some who knows what the're looking at engine and underneath wise.
 
It's a dilemma isn't it?

I had a horsebox up until last year - then I swapped for a 4x4 plus trailer. To be fair I was already running a 4x4 big enough to tow and it seemed daft to run that and a horsebox. The thing with horseboxes is that they need running at least once a week to keep them in a good working order - so if you're out every weekend then it'll be fine, but if it's going to stand idle for long periods then that's not so good. Plus you've got to factor in mechanical costs - horseboxes do go wrong and if you are also paying out to get cars fixed/serviced and MOTed as well it seems like double the costs. Horseboxes at the £5-6k mark can come with lots of problems - believe me I've been there! Plus you have to be so careful about not being overweight - many 7.5ters can actually be overweight with two on board, plus passengers and kit. If you do decide on a box make sure you get it on a weighbridge before you part with any money.

As a compromise have you not thought about a towing car that gets a better MPG? Up until a couple of weeks ago I was towing with an 07 Hyundai Santa Fe and getting 33mpg normal driving (and I drive quite fast!) and 32mpg towing. Pretty good figures. I only had the car on a three year deal so it had to go back and I've now got a Mitsi Shogun 3l V6 that I'm having converted to LPG, which should get me the equivalent of 40mpg on normal driving and 30ish when towing. And because the Shogun was registered before March 06 the road tax is only £245.

If money were no object I'd have an incredibly luxurious horsebox but as money is tight I think an LPG tow car plus trailer is the most economical solution.
 
I ditched the big car and got a small one- an agila-and a 3.5t box last year. Has worked out well as the road tax on car is just £35, it does about 50mpg. So, I have saved quite alot. We do still have a Kia Sportage for a family car, but I run round happily in my little "noddy" car, safe in the knowledge that when i want to go to shows/lessons etc I can usually afford to do so!
I didn;t want a 7.5t box because when i spoke to lots of people, it seems the plating is VERY strict,and they all admitted to having to spend at least £800 a year to get their boxes through the plate.
Maybe other HHO's who actually plate their boxes could confirm or deny this, but it was partly what put me off a bigger box. Mine sailed through its mot this year, with no expense other than the cost of the test.
 
I had a 4x4 & towed a trailer but on buying a second horse, who loved to try & trash it I decided to buy a 7.5 ton box. Additionally we decided that we wanted to stay away at some shows so needed a little accomodation. The 4x4 when towing was similar to yours, it did around 18 mpg....may be less & the Daf lorry I bought does about the same mpg if you keep the revs in the green band.

Taxing the lorry is cheaper than a 4x4, it's the same as a car, I paid £165 last year, insurance will probably be less than your 4x4 but you will need recovery as that alsocovers tyre replacement as you won't have jack & tools that would cope with a lorry. Plating is about £75 but normally you need to have the lorry pre examined by a mechanic who will adjust/replace any parts that would fail the plate. That way you ensure you will pass & don't have to arrange another plating date.

Take a mechanic with you to check any prospective purchase and don't believe anything you are told regarding servicing & parts replacement unless you can actually see the part or there is concrete servicing proof. Sellers will tell you anything to get a sale.

The first year of lorry ownership is often the most expensive because you spend money putting everything right so the next year isn't as costly. Also get the lorry weighed so you know what payload you will have. Many lorrys have loads of living & extras on them & all this weighs heavy. My Tristar on a daf chassis has some living & comes in at 5.6 ton so I have 1.9 rons payload which is good....some barely have enough for one horse so becareful. You get what you pay for so ensure that the chassis, engine, axles, gearbox & cab are sound.

Oh & finally when you get one fit an isolator on it so the batteries will not drain when you leave it. This will ensure that you will always start. Good Luck.
 
I think a lorry will work out cheaper if you do a fair mileage for comuting or running about when your not towing I have 7.5 ton box (£165 tax £70 mot plate + insurance 20 ish mpg) and a diesel fiesta £35 tax insurance 60+ mpg.. thats fine for me but I guess it depends how big a car you need and if you need to tow other things dont worry about the plating I take a few trucks and would strongly dissagree that its more severe than a car MOT I think getting older cars mot'ed can be harder personaly, I would rather take a lorry for test than a car,, You just need to do your sums what ever you do there will be pros and cons however I dont think you would go back to a trailer once you have had the convieance of a lorry....hope that helps
 
I've had my lorry five years; didn't spend anything the first year as it had lots of things done by previous owner. I had two new tyres the second year, then 2008 had new brake discs/pads; ( about 500 pounds) I've only done about 4oo miles since then!
Only the cost of the plating last year :)
Hopefully should fly through it this year too;
 
We had a lorry, but it died just under a year after we bought it (boo hoo). Loved it. Ah well.

When you go to view, MAKE SURE YOU SEE THE LAST TWO OR THREE MOT REPORTS - check the advisories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...spot the person who didn't :(

I now have a Disco and a three horse trailer. We can carry more in the trailer than we could in the lorry. I have just under 2.5 ton to play with using the trailer; the lorry had 1.8 ton payload, which considering it was stalled for four horses... they'd have had to be rescue cases!

Forgot to add: as I fill up the Disco at least twice a week, there is a good chance we'll swap it for something more economical and get another lorry at the end of the year when the prices drop a bit :)
 
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Thanks for all your replies, i did consider an older 4x4 to use as a tow vehicle and buy a new economical diesel car but my sums etc swing towards a truck, one thing i did forget to mention is that i am to trade a Mechanic but have been out the business 23years but still service my own vehicles when i can be bothered so any work needing done on the truck apart from welding or big repairs i could manage myself.
Good advice with regards to weight and having it checked that is one thing i probably would not have thought of, there is a 7.5t Leyland Daf for sale not to far away from my home, may go and check it out to see what i would be getting at 5k, then this would give me an indication if i need to fork out a bit more for something better.
 
Stevie said:
Thanks for all your replies, i did consider an older 4x4 to use as a tow vehicle and buy a new economical diesel car but my sums etc swing towards a truck, one thing i did forget to mention is that i am to trade a Mechanic but have been out the business 23years but still service my own vehicles when i can be bothered so any work needing done on the truck apart from welding or big repairs i could manage myself.
Good advice with regards to weight and having it checked that is one thing i probably would not have thought of, there is a 7.5t Leyland Daf for sale not to far away from my home, may go and check it out to see what i would be getting at 5k, then this would give me an indication if i need to fork out a bit more for something better.
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you should be able to get somthing for £5 k esp if you look a simple box van converstion rather than a coach built then i would look for the best condition container with a view to swaping the chassis
in the future... or if you have time, buy a box van and do a diy conversion you can pick up tidy box vans cheaply at the moment... just my two cents....
 
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Watch the weight and beware the "stalled for 3" when it could only legally carry 2. There have been a lot of recent laws, and they are being enforced more stringently. I went to a show where Trading Standards impounded some lorries and wouldn't let the owners drive home with their horses.

You can get horsebox experts to have a look over them. Remember the floor, how you get to the engine and working parts.

I think the horses get a lot better ride in a lorry and it is certainly more convenient, so ifyou are using it a lot, i.e. nearly every week,then it is probably worth it.
 
I decided to go for the trailer option this time round. The main reason was because my budget meant I would have had to have an older lorry, and I don't go out a lot, so keeping it running smoothly might have been a problem.
 
I agree with once youve had a lorry you wont want a trailer. My horse doesnt do trailers so we finally afforded a lorry and its stood doing nothing for the majority of the time and my heart sinks when I drive in the yard and see it just stood there. If my horse would travel in a trailer I would go out and buy a nice trailer. Minimal running costs and not much to go wrong.
We have a 4x4 thats needed by hubby for work, my runaround and the wagon. It just seems stupid. My wagon has done more mileage empty, just keeping it ticking over than it has with a horse in it. Hence its going up for sale soon :(
If you are going to use it regulary, then go for it and swap the kia for a small car.
 
2 1/2 years ago i bought a brand new HB510 Williams LTD Edition Eponain lilac it has done i would guess 500miles, since having it it has sat doing nothing until the last 12 months, now that my daughters have gained confidence, right Ponies at last and have met a bunch of new friends that are all PC members the usage should be twice weekly from now till end of the year and one other positive for the truck is the day living section which would be ideal considering the last few summers. Also my oldest daughters Pony does not travel well in the trailer and for years never has.

http://www.horsetrailersales.co.uk/images/pressreleases/290408/DSC01064250.jpg
 
I don't know why people get so worried about a 7.5 ton box being stalled for 3. Not everyone carries horses, some carry ponies & I know I could carry 3 ponies easily. I have almost 2 tons payload so I could carry 3 horses depending on their size. I normally only carry 2 because that's the number I own & compete.

The main thing as I mentioned before is to get your lorry weighed, it's very cheap to have done, & then you'll know what the payload is & therefore hopefully you should never be overloaded.
 
Toby_Zaphod said:
I don't know why people get so worried about a 7.5 ton box being stalled for 3. Not everyone carries horses, some carry ponies & I know I could carry 3 ponies easily. I have almost 2 tons payload so I could carry 3 horses depending on their size. I normally only carry 2 because that's the number I own & compete.

The main thing as I mentioned before is to get your lorry weighed, it's very cheap to have done, & then you'll know what the payload is & therefore hopefully you should never be overloaded.
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I think some people like being proffets of doom and passing on urban myths!! I was intrested to hear trading standards have now taken over from VOSA on inforcement of vehicle safety oh well best ring trading standards my van needs a MOT.....
 
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