Buying a second-hand horsebox help please

Foxy O

Foxy O

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I am looking to purchase a second-hand horsebox, between 3.5 ton and 4.5 ton.
All the ones in my budget and age range seem to be about a 4 and a half hour drive or train away.
The issues are I don't have a massive budget, I want one as new as possible definitely no older than 2012, it can't be too long as we live down a narrowish lane and our gateway isn't massive and can't be made bigger.
I'm also hoping to get about 10 years out of any box I buy so it needs to be a good quality long lasting make.
We check the MOT history on all the ones I find and some of them seem quite dodgy.
I found a lovely 4.5 ton in my budget but it was 27 feet long and wouldn't fit into our driveway.

Can anyone tell me
Which makes to look out for or avoid?
What would make you run a mile in the other direction if you saw it in the pictures or viewing?
Would you buy from a horsebox sales place with a warranty?
What else do I need to know?
 
First thing is to be realistic about your budget.
Secondly unless you buy something converted from new, most will have mega miles as they have previously been delivery trucks

I have an Equitrek 3.5t which don't have the best reputation but it's been OK so far. One day I hope to upgrade to a Kevin Parker 4.5t 😁
 
What do you want to travel? Is a 3.5 ton enough payload? What is your budget? Whereabouts are you?

I have a Select Pro on a Renault 2017 - The box was built for me 4 years ago and the engine had about 64,000 miles when I bought it. It now has about 75,000 miles so hopefully has some tme to go. I would not say the body is the bst on the market but it is pretty good value.
 
sport horse said:
What do you want to travel? Is a 3.5 ton enough payload? What is your budget? Whereabouts are you?

I have a Select Pro on a Renault 2017 - The box was built for me 4 years ago and the engine had about 64,000 miles when I bought it. It now has about 75,000 miles so hopefully has some tme to go. I would not say the body is the bst on the market but it is pretty good value.
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A 17.2hh horse weighing 668kgs, tack, haynet, myself and tank of fuel, possibly one other person and a dog. If I could get a bigger payload it would be nice to take 2 horses even if the friend had to follow in a car with the tack.
I'm West Midlands/North West area
Budget around £17,500 possibly a tiny bit more for a better box
 
Central England horseboxes shouldn’t be too far from you; although we didn’t end up buying a box from them so have no experience of them in that regard, I found them really helpful when we were looking and they had a good amount of stock which may help you get a better idea of what is available.

I also wouldn’t rule out a well maintained older chassis, especially if it’s a 7.5t. If properly looked after they do go on forever; imo they age better than the newer 3.5/4.5t vans. If you’re comfortable driving something heavier I would explore that avenue; you can get more for your money, take two without worrying about weight and there are plenty of compact ones out there.
 
I bought a 3.5 tonne last year. Basically the sellers were honest, but I have still had to spend quite a lot on fixing ‘little things’, so my advice is to keep a budget for that - and also put aside a little a month as repairs are inevitable.
Second point regarding age is actually the older ones without too many electronics are cheaper to repair if they go wrong - newer ‘older’ lorries with too many aging sensors can be more of a worry.
Thirdly, people may be putting off selling until Spring, so access all local fb sites with a wanted advert and you never know!!!
 
Just to ask the obvious question but have you got the right licence to drive over 3.5t? Also anything over 3.5t requires plating rather than an MOT. Although given the weight of your horse I would agree with others that if you can drive a bigger box then I'd probably go for a heavier one, just make sure that the payload is higher and that it hasn't been reduced by adding things to the living.
 
VictoriaSponge said:
Central England horseboxes shouldn’t be too far from you; although we didn’t end up buying a box from them so have no experience of them in that regard, I found them really helpful when we were looking and they had a good amount of stock which may help you get a better idea of what is available.

I also wouldn’t rule out a well maintained older chassis, especially if it’s a 7.5t. If properly looked after they do go on forever; imo they age better than the newer 3.5/4.5t vans. If you’re comfortable driving something heavier I would explore that avenue; you can get more for your money, take two without worrying about weight and there are plenty of compact ones out there.
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I have been in contact with Central England Horseboxes, the one he had advertised had gone and he told me to keep an eye on the website but I've found it hasn't been updated as it's still showing ones I have been told have been sold.
I think a 7.5 ton will be too long :(
 
canteron said:
I bought a 3.5 tonne last year. Basically the sellers were honest, but I have still had to spend quite a lot on fixing ‘little things’, so my advice is to keep a budget for that - and also put aside a little a month as repairs are inevitable.
Second point regarding age is actually the older ones without too many electronics are cheaper to repair if they go wrong - newer ‘older’ lorries with too many aging sensors can be more of a worry.
Thirdly, people may be putting off selling until Spring, so access all local fb sites with a wanted advert and you never know!!!
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Thanks, I tried Facebook but didn't get any response, maybe I should add a picture to get it noticed
 
Squeak said:
Just to ask the obvious question but have you got the right licence to drive over 3.5t? Also anything over 3.5t requires plating rather than an MOT. Although given the weight of your horse I would agree with others that if you can drive a bigger box then I'd probably go for a heavier one, just make sure that the payload is higher and that it hasn't been reduced by adding things to the living.
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Yes thanks, I'm afraid I'm that old that I can drive up to a 7.5 ton on my licence :)
 
There are a few smaller boxes on horsequest, but with a big horse these small boxes are a tight squeeze and the horse can get upset and it is so easy to be overweight. We had a Merc Atego compact 7.5 with a PRB on it that was only 20f long, travelled 2 x 17.2 MW's in it easily within the payload, on the herringbone. It might be worth you looking for something similar.
 
AdorableAlice said:
There are a few smaller boxes on horsequest, but with a big horse these small boxes are a tight squeeze and the horse can get upset and it is so easy to be overweight. We had a Merc Atego compact 7.5 with a PRB on it that was only 20f long, travelled 2 x 17.2 MW's in it easily within the payload, on the herringbone. It might be worth you looking for something similar.
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I've had a look on horsequest but the ones in my price bracket and age are miles away
My issue is the 22feet needs to include the cab not just the box part, hence a smaller box. I am making sure that the horse area is at least the same size as my trailer and she is happy in that
 
My First Select horsebox mounted on a Renault Master chassis is a 3.5 ton. It has stallion partitions (ie no breast bar for them to jump over) I have just measured it and it is 20' from front of cab to the back of the rear step into the tack area.. I regularly travel a 17.1 very long horse and he is fine - he actually travels better than on my HGV lorry. I would think the payload is about 1 ton so you should be fine with that. I chose the chassis from those in stock with Andrew Saywell and he had the body built for me and gave me some excellent tips - ie which side of body to put ramp etc.
 
sport horse said:
My First Select horsebox mounted on a Renault Master chassis is a 3.5 ton. It has stallion partitions (ie no breast bar for them to jump over) I have just measured it and it is 20' from front of cab to the back of the rear step into the tack area.. I regularly travel a 17.1 very long horse and he is fine - he actually travels better than on my HGV lorry. I would think the payload is about 1 ton so you should be fine with that. I chose the chassis from those in stock with Andrew Saywell and he had the body built for me and gave me some excellent tips - ie which side of body to put ramp etc.
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That sounds lovely but sadly I think that would be way out of my budget :(
 
This one was on Horsequest this morning - a 3.5 tonne but can be uprated to 3.9 (they have done the mechanical work already) so you'd get 1.4 tonnes of payload, which might be enough for the extra horse. Mechanics might tell you that it's not a good idea to overload the engine with this much - I would be a bit wary.

www.horsequest.co.uk

3.5 Tonne Marlborough Hunter

<p>Owned since conversion. Full service history. 12 months MOT.</p> <p>Payload 1100, but ready to be registered if desired to 3.9 tonne (1400 payload)</p> <p>Drives beautifully, easy ramp, partition easily moved from person.</p> <p>Very large horse area, with good ventilation.</p> <p>Living area...
www.horsequest.co.uk www.horsequest.co.uk


I used to have a 6.5 tonne of the Peper Harrow type, and although the space, size and payload were fantastic, it did have a narrow steep ramp which was offputting, This is something to check, if buying the sort that is a bit like this one: https://www.horsequest.co.uk/advertisment/358833
 
Abacus said:
This one was on Horsequest this morning - a 3.5 tonne but can be uprated to 3.9 (they have done the mechanical work already) so you'd get 1.4 tonnes of payload, which might be enough for the extra horse. Mechanics might tell you that it's not a good idea to overload the engine with this much - I would be a bit wary.

www.horsequest.co.uk

3.5 Tonne Marlborough Hunter

<p>Owned since conversion. Full service history. 12 months MOT.</p> <p>Payload 1100, but ready to be registered if desired to 3.9 tonne (1400 payload)</p> <p>Drives beautifully, easy ramp, partition easily moved from person.</p> <p>Very large horse area, with good ventilation.</p> <p>Living area...
www.horsequest.co.uk www.horsequest.co.uk


I used to have a 6.5 tonne of the Peper Harrow type, and although the space, size and payload were fantastic, it did have a narrow steep ramp which was offputting, This is something to check, if buying the sort that is a bit like this one: https://www.horsequest.co.uk/advertisment/358833
Click to expand...
Thank you, that one looks great but just too old as I want it to last another 10 years if possible so 2012 is the oldest I will consider
 
www.horsequest.co.uk

Renault Horsebox - 3.9 Tonne - 2012

<p>Just been serviced. New rear brake calipers, shoes and discs fitted.<br /> <br /> The engine was changed and a new engine fitted in 2018 (this is a new engine not a reconditioned unit) when it was converted, has a new clutch, steering rack and tyres. If you're looking for a really well made...
www.horsequest.co.uk www.horsequest.co.uk

This one is 3.9 tonnes and 2012 (with a newer engine). It has a reassuringly detailed description. If it meets all the requirements it might be worth even a long journey as I don't think there are many out there that do.

My hesitation here is that I think it has been for sale for quite a while, I saw it advertised perhaps a month ago. (I still get the Horsequest emails, so I seem to have quite a good recent knowledge of what's out there!)
 
He does get a variety of chassis but in reality if you want it to last 10 years you will have to either have a bigger budget, a chepaer body or an older chassis!
 
This just popped up Couple of years too old but 21ft total if horse area tall enough?
 

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Abacus said:
www.horsequest.co.uk

Renault Horsebox - 3.9 Tonne - 2012

<p>Just been serviced. New rear brake calipers, shoes and discs fitted.<br /> <br /> The engine was changed and a new engine fitted in 2018 (this is a new engine not a reconditioned unit) when it was converted, has a new clutch, steering rack and tyres. If you're looking for a really well made...
www.horsequest.co.uk www.horsequest.co.uk

This one is 3.9 tonnes and 2012 (with a newer engine). It has a reassuringly detailed description. If it meets all the requirements it might be worth even a long journey as I don't think there are many out there that do.

My hesitation here is that I think it has been for sale for quite a while, I saw it advertised perhaps a month ago. (I still get the Horsequest emails, so I seem to have quite a good recent knowledge of what's out there!)
Click to expand...
I did take a look at that one but even though it has a newish engine it has done over 300,000 miles probably as a deliver van which could mean hundreds of times a day stopping starting doors opening closing and usage on the peddles, etc. so we decided not to but thank you
 
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