can i drive a lorry?

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SarahRicoh

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Hey all.

Im 19, and i have a full cars license. I passed last year in july. Someone told me i can drive a 3.5t lorry. Is that correct? I know i cant tow a trailer so i cant see me being able to drive a lorry?
 
Your license covers you to a MAXIMUM weight of 3.5 tonnes yes, but bear in mind the weight of 2 horses, tack, a passenger etc may take you over the weight limit so you have to be very careful what you take so that you don't go over the weight limmit.
 
Please note that, even if your licence covers you for larger vehicles, if a 3.5t vehicle is overloaded you will still get fined. I posted on her a few weeks ago about taking my 3.5t to a weighbridge with one horse in it (15.2hh lightweight mare) and finding out we weighed 3.2t - i wouldn't carry two horses in one.
 
Id only carry one horse- a 16.1hh sports horse and tack. Do you think id be ok? How cheap can you get a lorry? Working but things can be needed to be done and can be in poor condition (ie paint)
 
Yes, you can drive a lorry up to 3.5 tonne, and tow a trailer up to 750kgs (so a horse trailer even unladen will be over the limit).

I did my test after 1997 so I have the same restrictions.

I looked at various 3.5 tonne lorries and decided anything under 10k seemed a death trap. You can find Ifor bodies on chasis for reasonable money, but personally they look far too high and unbalanced for me to be happy driving them.

In the end I saved up and bought a 55 reg Movano van for £4k and spent another £4k having it converted. I absolutely love it, and it weighs 2 tonnes with 1/4 tank of petrol so I can take two small horses in it, or my one 17.1 boy (and yes, he does fit, there is 7 foot 4 of headroom!).
 
I can drive a lorry over 3.5 tonnes. However, I may not. There's a difference between being able to do something and being permitted to. Here endeth today's pendantry. :)
 
fburton said:
I can drive a lorry over 3.5 tonnes. However, I may not. There's a difference between being able to do something and being permitted to. Here endeth today's pendantry. :)
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hee hee this reminds me of my grandma saying "the question is not whether you are able to, the question is whether you may"
 
SarahRicoh said:
Id only carry one horse- a 16.1hh sports horse and tack. Do you think id be ok? How cheap can you get a lorry? Working but things can be needed to be done and can be in poor condition (ie paint)
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Honestly I think it could depend on the vehicle - some of the older conversions look very heavy to me. Mine was newly converted last year and weighed 2.4t unladen with minimal fuel.

Ebay is apparently awash with cheapish 3.5ts at the moment but do make sure you look before you buy and ask for a weighbridge certificate of unladen weight before parting with any money. Also bear in mind that some people will take literally everything out before weighing, e.g. partitions, saddle racks and so on.
 
Yes you can.

I have a Renault master that has a payload of 1200kg's so can just take my 2 14.2hhs but not much else, so for one 16.1 it would be fine.

These conversions are not the cheapest on the market. However a ford transit/Ford iveco, which would be cheaper, may not be able to take a larger horse and are most commonly partitioned for ponies. Also the chassis tend to be heavier so will not give such a generous payload.

To give you a rought idea one of my liveries has just sold her rm van conversion for £6500.
 
I have a 3.5t P reg daf with an Ifor container, it's been a horsebox all of it's life. Payload is 1.2t, so, although you can fit 2 17hh horses in it, legally you can't carry much more than one horse (add in people, tack etc etc).
I'm used to driving it, and know it's little foibles, but I would much rather drive a 7.5t, it feels more stable
 
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