cant find 3.5t lorry for love nor money, should i go for bigger?

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blackhorse37

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As title really, i just cant find a 3.5t horsebox to carry 16.2! (not unless its about 20k!) Am thinking i might have to go bigger..what does this involve (eg-licence/cost etc) Im 35yrs so would i be able to drive it or do i need to take another test? Sorry for my ignorance!
 
blackhorse37 said:
As title really, i just cant find a 3.5t horsebox to carry 16.2! (not unless its about 20k!) Am thinking i might have to go bigger..what does this involve (eg-licence/cost etc) Im 35yrs so would i be able to drive it or do i need to take another test? Sorry for my ignorance!
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do you not like the van conversion ones?

they take 2 x 16.2hh
 
If you passed your driving test before 1997 then I think you should be able to drive up to 7.5T without taking an additional test. Check what your licence says you can drive. I am a couple of years younger than you and drive a 7.5T on my car licence as passed my test hen i was 17 (so pre-1997).

It will give you plenty of more options and, a lot of the time 7.5T wagons are cheaper than the 3.5T anyway as the 3.5T are so sought after now since the law change. You can also of course look at 3.5T and upwards, so your 5T and 6T wagons. Gives you much more flexibility. Insurance and tax etc wise there is not much difference either, it's mainly the fuel consumption that is more in a larger wagon
 
Thanks all, i dont mind the van conversions (its to carry one 16.2) just cant find any at a sensible price ie-not new!
Are the biggies harder to handle?
 
I had a similar problem, in that altho I only had 1 horse to transport, my budget would not allow me to get a smaller lorry. 3.5t's all seemed to be really expensive. In the end I got a 7.5t and have been really pleased with it, my horse has loads of room to travel and if I'm honest, I don't think she would have coped well with a smaller lorry (she is 16.2). I'm pretty sure your licence will allow you to drive it.
 
There is one in the april horse deals, pg 194. for 2650. Its still for sale. Called about yesterday but the bloke wouldn't give me enough money on part ex on my car. Its got a pay load of 1200 and 7th foot head room.
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It feels odd to start with I guess as it's bigger than a car (obviously) but i love driving the bigger lorries, I feel safer, you have the living space and horses tend to travel very well herring bone style and have plenty of room. If you got for a 7.5T you should be able to carry 2 large horses easily. I don't have loads of experience with lorries so if you do look for the bigger ones check the ease of driving them - some have trickier gearboxes than others! Ours is a ford iveco (like thousands of others) and the gears are pretty easy but take getting used to. Some can be quite awkward though I believe.
 
blackhorse37 said:
Thanks all, i dont mind the van conversions (its to carry one 16.2) just cant find any at a sensible price ie-not new!
Are the biggies harder to handle?
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Ive only one horse and sold my 7.5t mainly due to lack of use. I soon regretted it and thought about getting a 3.5t. My horse is quirky so after chatting to a few people and looking at a couple of 3.5t I decided it had to be another 7.5t.
They do take a bit of getting used to but once you realise you have to give more room on corners, appreciate the width and length, have no rear mirror to rely on, you will be fine. I drove mine regulary empty to get used to it doing easy routes at first to get my confidence. My 2 have both been Iveco's and both totally different, strangely the older one I have now is much nicer and easier to drive. Ive drove others too and they are all different. I used to get in a panic if I couldnt get it in gear (as some are knotchy) but if you take your time with them, they are much like driving a car, only bigger.
Before you make a decision, Id try and drive one.
Good luck
 
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