Buying a Horse box!!

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pollyred2

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I would be extreamly greatful for any advice.I am looking to buy my first horsebox,after many years with the trailer,and i'm totally confused!I'm thinking of spending around 25000 so should get a good lorry in the current market.
Is a tilt cab really vital?
What make chassie is the best for 7.5T
Is it best to buy from private or trade?
Know any good dealers cheshire area?
Any other tips you can think of would be great.
Thanks a million
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i'm no expert, but as no-one else has answered yet...
tilt cab - not essential, but mechanics do like it.
Eurocargo is a good chassis imho. very pleased with mine, on my 3rd one.
your choice, private or trade - depends if you want some comeback or not. private should be cheaper, in that case i'd take a mechanic with you, or get one to check it over. go for as recent a chassis as you can. make sure the make is a 'known' one with a good reputation for quality, there are some right sharks in the horsebox manufacture business who cut dangerous corners. (i say this from experience - my first 7.5 tonner had the whole roof peel off one day!) ask on here for recommendations or otherwise (by pm so as not to be defamatory/libellous), that's what i did. make sure to check floor and ramp really thoroughly.
good reasonably-priced well-made makes include Thorpe and Solitaire, for starters. i'm sure more will be added to the list by other people.
best of luck!
 
Millie - I recently hired a horsebox from Prestige Horseboxes from Preston, following a HHO recommendation. They make new ones but also sell second hand ones. Dave was the man, everyone was extremely nice and I would consider buying from them if I was buying one.

http://www.prestigehorsebox.com/
 
A tilt cab is desirable as the engine is easier to gain access to to work on. Being easier means quicker to repair & that translates into cheaper bills.

I have a Daf45 (2000) & this is a good chasis & engine, there are several BHP models 130 & 150hp, the larger the HP the more power the engine has. I have a friend who works on trucks for a living & he advises Daf or Iveco for 7.5 ton trucks. Parts are cheaper & the chassis are good & not too heavy. Apparantly Man & Mercedes have very heavy chassis which highers the unladen weight which in turn lowers the amount you can carry. He actually works for Volvo, but says steer clear from Volvo as they don't make a good 7.5 ton lorry
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. Apparantly every Volvo 7.5 ton box that comes in for pre test check always have shed loads of work to be done.
There is no particular best place to buy from. With a trader you may pay a little more but you should have more comeback on any problems. Private sellers invariably sell for lower prices but you have less protection. (I bought private & have been very happy).
With the amount you are spending you should get a nice lorry but be very careful that your unladen weight is not too high. The more you have fitted i.e. shower, h & c water, full cooker & fridge, oak units, toilet compartment, horse wash, lockers, etc etc you will eat into your payload. When I was looking I saw a lovely lorry, stalled for 3 & had everything on it. I asked the ulw & was told 6.7 tons! That left just 800kg to carry me, wife, daughter, tack, water, fuel & 2 horses....it couldn't be done legally. The seller couldn't see any problem
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Always ask for the ulw, for carrying 2 lightweight horses, driver, rider, a passenger, tack, water & fuel you will need at least 1.5 tons
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Good Luck in your search.
 
I would always go for the tilt cab - means much simpler repair and cheaper bills. For the price you are looking to pay you should be able to get a really nicely done tilt cab that is easy to operate and looks pretty! Also means that if you are unfortunate to have a breakdown you may find it is something that can be repaired on the roadside rather than having to be towed in because mechanic cannot get access. Ditto checkin gthe payload depending obivously on how many horses you actually want to carry. I think everyone has their own opinions on makes and types just make sure you get it well checked out by someone you can trust.
 
Check the unladen weight and also if you can lift the ramp by yourself. Heavy ramps are a nightmare.

I woould pay someone to check it over, even if it is from a dealers.
 
PRB horseboxes at Leominster are good upper-mid range manufacturers - I've had good experiences with them as have friends. I would give them a go as not too far from you.
 
My lorry hasn't got a tilt cab and my servicing's always been dead cheap (lorry man not bothered either way). It's never broken down (I really shouldn't have said that....) so I can't comment on breakdowns and tilit cabs!

Trouble with some tilt cabs is unless they're a damn good conversion (assuming you want one with a luton and a cut through) is they can leak.

I don't think many coachbuilt lorries with lutons/cut throughs at that price will have a tilt cab but I'm happy to be proved wrong
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We have had a tilt cab and non tilt cab Leylands, the Commercial garage man is happy with either, non tilt one had two hatches that lift off to access various engine areas.
We had breakdone/get you home added to our insurance with NFU.
 
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