Cost of running a lorry...

[madabout2]

As horse refuses to travel in a trailer we are thinking of upgrading to a lorry rather than cadging(?) lifts.

How much does it really cost to run one?

Thanks

 

[spooks]

i guess it depends how old it is,how big it is etc etc..take mine for instance..its a 30 yr old beford tk (7.5 tonne) and went for its MOT today and its got no back brakes so i had to have it towed home.that alone cost me 188 quid and then there is the repairs on top which im looking at around 500 i reckon ,then its got to go back for a retest. normal running costs without breakdowns, it cost me 30 quid in diesel to get about 60 miles out of it which is usually 3 trips at a push, insurance is about 250 a year then tax etc which is 190 or so a year. then there is anything else that can/will go wrong that needs repairing! then you may have to pay to park it somewhere unless you can keep it at home. think that covers it lol.

 

[appennea]

I have a two horse lorry and we're selling it as I just don't use it enough to justify it. However if I was competing regularly or had difficult loader would definitely stick with it. Ours is a two horse iveco 5 tonne and goes on forever with half a tank of fuel. Really handy at shows as well - keep all my gear in it so no loading up early mornings or unloading at the end of the day.
Speak to some local lorry servicers and ask how much servicing /plating/mot would be. We've had to redo our floor, mend power steering etc etc since we've had ours so when they go wrong it is going to cost you at times. Plus you're paying tax on a vehicle you can't use everyday (unless you count B&Q!). Other alternative would be one of those trailers that are like a horse box? Very expensive to buy still but may be cheaper to keep on the road?

 

[Sooty]

A fortune! Just out of interest, what trailer do you have? Some horses travel better in some trailers than others...

 

[aliacc]

...and there is brakedown insurance ....£80...and if you take it to a horsebox service/MOT expert rather than doing it yourself it will be somewhere between £600-800/yr to service/replace bits/MOT.

..but on the bright side....you have a lorry that is far easier to use than a trailer at shows...and generally horse load and travel better. I think our diesal costs about 40p/mile.

Ali

 

[Baggybreeches]

Firstly make sure you have an appropriate license. Our wagon was quite cheap to run. Over 25 any driver insurance was 180 per year. Try to buy a lorry with out a living and kit it out yourself without going overboard on fittings as they add to weight and fuel consumption! Try to find someone to look after the lorry before it has a problem, keep services on schedule and you should be ok. The main problem with lorries is they need to be used regularly at least once a week preferably more to prevent them from seizing up. Mobile commercial vehicle mechanics are usually cheapest.

 

[6410]

3 things to look at Insurance, road Tax and running cost FUEL.

 

[Rambo]

Basic costs for a 7.5t :-

Insurance: c.£300

Annual Service / Plating / MOT: c.£250 (If nothing wrong ! Sky is the limit if things need fixing

)

Road Tax: c.£180 (Can't remember exactly as it keep schanging lol!)

Fuel: Avg 25mpg

 

[marion95]

I have a a 3.5 tonne lorry and it is quite cheap on fuel costs and I can keep it for free at my yard. BUT insurance and recovery is £250 a year, tax £180, just had it MOT'd and a 'bit of welding' and draining fuel pipes has come to a massive bill of £490! I'm still waiting to see the breakdown of costs.

Having said that I did look into buying a 4x4 and a trailer, but that would have worked out more expensive for me in the long run, so it all depends on your circumstances.

It's like everything related to horses - there is no cheap option!

 

[racingdemon]

Tax: 180/yr
service/MOT: last year £750, haven't had this years done yet (but am hoping it'll be slightly less!)
Insurnace & Breakdown £580/year (any driver over 21)
Fuel: i spend ~ ~£60 & £100 a month depending on how much a i'm doing

My lorry is out at least once a week, sometimes 3 times a week, so works hard, if you are looking at maybe 1 or 2 trips a month, i would consider alternative trailers first, as a lorry is very expensive, one new tyre is ~ £200, my lorry has 8!! (as a guide i've had new 2 tyres in 18 months) everything is more expensive to repair than any other vehicle, so as a rough gauge work out what it costs to run/service/repair you towing vehicle & double it!
Lorrys also like being driven regularly, and problems do occur when they aren't used enough, which adds to the expense,

hope that helps, there are days when i'd love to have the running costs of a trailer, but it isn't practical for me!

 

[Ferdinase514]

Racingdemon....your tyres are expensive! Mind you I probably buy the bargin basement ones -£100!

I save during the year so that I have £1000 put aside for servicing and MOT/ repairs and insurance for the year.

Have always thought It would be nice if I didn't sepnd it all, to buy a new saddle. Ofcourse, that hasn't happened yet!

Saying that I wouldn't part with my lorry. Finni is a nightmare travelling and refuses to face forwards so that rules out most small lorries and trailers. Do feel safe in the lorry.

 

[racingdemon]

LOL!! maybe its my garage ripping me off!!

one thing i wouldn't recommed doing to often is taking it to a main dealer, i took mine last year and nearly died at what they charged me!! for the simplest of things!!

i love having a lorry & wouldn't swap back to a trailer in all honesty, i just wish lorries were slightly cheaper to keep on the road.... my dad doesn't help, he works in the truck industry so is always phoning me to remind me to change this & that before it goes wrong & costs me a fortune, just means my pocket suffers in the short term, and it seems that no matter how much i save up, it always costs me more!!

i do feel ALOT safer travelling mine about in a lorry, esp mares & foals, and also the ease of one at competitions is fantastic,

 

[Ferdinase514]

[ QUOTE ]
LOL!! maybe its my garage ripping me off!!

one thing i wouldn't recommed doing to often is taking it to a main dealer, i took mine last year and nearly died at what they charged me!! for the simplest of things!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree def. wouldn't go to the main dealer thier hourly rates are huge.

Random fact for you....

I heard on radio 4 that remoulds are very common on truck tyres and cheaper. Apparently, remoulding has no effect on quality and is only not done on car tyres as it costs the same as a new budget tyre.

So there you go.

 

[racingdemon]

ooooooooooooo..... will look into that next time!

 

[TequilaMist]

I run 7.5 ton,varies with fuel costs as depends on how far I'm going and if travelling against wind and if carrying 1/2 horses and all the junk and people oh and how fast I push it.
Insurance approx £300 per annum includung breakdown.Tyres -OH usually scours local scrap yards-last time he picked up a pretty good tyre for £20!!Hes also picked up heater for living area there as well but thought it was too big for our needs so sold it on.
Mot was biggest this year £800 but that was mechanic taking lorry to centre for mot twice and part needed was exspensive,normally £200-£300 including mot and mechanic taking it up.
Love my lorry wouldn't want to go to trailer am hopeless at towing

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

There's two ways of looking at it. If you buy yourself a fairly new lorry then your bills for replacing worn out/rusty parts will be far less and so you save abit like that but obviously you have had an initial outlay of more. The other is to buy an old lorry fairly cheaply but then you've got the likelihood of heavier repair bills for worn out parts. The service history is normally very sketchy on these older vehicles aswell. A decent trailer & 4x4 can cost you easily as much or more than a lorry to buy & the servicing & parts replacement is also heavy...cheapest thing to do it sell the horses, take up stamp collecting & travel on the bus! Good Luck