Cute little horseboxes

Oberon

Oberon

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I am not wishing to offend any horsebox makers out there but I have a question.

3.5t box conversions. Why are they so expensive?

A used 3.5t commercial van costs under £4000. Most come with panelling already.

I am watching a friend convert a commercial 7.5t lorry into a lovely posh horsebox. And it doesn't seem THAT hard if you're handy.

Why do they cost £10,000 - £20,000?
 
'cute'???
Its a vehicle
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My Uncle put a Ifor trailer on the back of a tranny, it was a lovely little box!
I dont think that cost him hardly anything!
 
Its because if you past your test after 97 you can't drive 7.5tonne lorries put you can drive 3.5t lorries!
p.s have the sign the 'cute' pink boxes that a place near york sell! i NEED one hehe
 
well it depends if you are doing a conversion - as you have described, or a coachbuild from the chassis upwards - like we do.

our 3.5 tonne chassis are late plate so therefore the initial cost is more, the coachbuild, of course, costs more, is more labour intensive, we use materials of fantastic quality which puts the price up but makes the vehicles more attractive, safer and more hard wearing for your resale in the long run.

yes most come with panelling - we remove al the original body work and rebuild on the chassis/ cab -as the height and width are not adequate.

The old addage is "you get what you pay for"

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Absolutely beautiful. And absolutely no way I would ever be able to buy one.

I don't understand why no company is able to do a budget range - £5000 without it being a potential death trap?

I don't need living of any sort. If the vehicle was low enough to the ground - I may not even need a ramp.

I just want something to get us safely from A - B?

I have a 7.5t but they are such a hassle.

Hmph - looks like I will be doing it myself one day
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this one is our "dinky doo" ...... well official name is the "Tatton" 3.5 tonne range.

It is lovely, we have had lots of great comments about it, as there is even a nice day living area at the back (leather upholstery inc: Cab, double bed, sink, hob, wardrobe, cctv and reverse, stainless partition, cupboard space etc etc and still has a great payload)

We exhibited it at Blenheim Horse Trails on our Trade stand along with the 7.5 tonne range, it had a massive amount of interest.

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PC - I insist you sell me your blue horsebox immediately! I am desperate to find a 3.5 ton like that, ideally used but recent reg mark. They aren't out there! Can't justify brand new with 1 veteran ned but I have the dosh clutched in my sweaty paw and cannot find a box!!!!!!!! Do you sell good quality used?
 
we hired a small box very similar to the one shown above & whilst the larger dales traveled well in it, my little sec A spent most of the time staring at the wall (due to it being a solid chest panel & not a bar)
my personal prefrence is for full height ramps, the pop up tops worry me, too many horses harm themselves bangnig their heads on the to edge of boxes whilst rearing when not loading well, to my mind the flap up just increses that risk (watched a friends TB just miss it as she refused to laod & bunny hopped backwards skimming her head on the overhang just a few months back)

we are now looking for a trailer or small horsebox that is fitted out for his height & make him comftable in.
 
I agree a company should do a budget range which is not a dealth trap, and aalso a 2 horse 5-6.5 ton box for one big horse and a 15 hand pony. on 3.5 ton boxes with only 1100kg payload you are way over but i dont want to lug a big box around. Can drive a 7.5 ton on licence. Even part builds would be good so you can do living yourself or something.
 
I've been wondering the same thing myself OP, as the chassis used can be picked up for a few thousand. And the comments re the workmanship could equally apply to bigger boxes. So I guess its just down to them being fashionable at the moment because of the licensing requirements. But some of the bigger manufacturers are extremely over-priced. If you scout around and look in H & H you can see more realistically priced ones. And I guess as the market becomes more saturated and more are produced, the price will fall. Personally I think an automatic would be a good buy, as thats the way the markets going...

Pathelschoice - interested to hear what the payload of the one you described with living is, thanks.
 
i think 3 counties do conversions from 6k for the van type......
i prefere the coach built ones (hence bought one) so i can carry a taller ned, plus they seem to load better. get a payload cert so you know what you can carry.
a well designed box with a top door will have it opening so its at an angle, so the horse is unlikely to whack its head. or you can get barn door styles, but the single top door type can create alot of wear on the hinges due to the weight of them....
they are expensive to buy as they do cost to convert! and they are popular as they are cheap to run and easy to handle/park/store/ and have no restrictions on driving.
 
Well, yes it is because everyone can drive the little ones. However, there's no way I would ever buy one that Joe Bloggs has decided to try his DIY out on.

I would rather pay £20,000 knowing that the vehicle was made by decent horsebox converters than pay under £5,000 or so for some 'pretty' deathtrap. My horse is worth more to me than that.
 
Just a quick comment with regards to the comment about the lift up portion of the ramp - my 17.2 has no probs getting in and out of the lorry, our internal head height is 8ft so the lift up is over 10 ft, banging heads is not a problemo

The open side ways top door has the risk of getting caught by a gust of wind and banging shut, even when fitted with the best door hold backs and / or struts. There should be no wear on the hinges - the hinges are not load bearing. There should always be 2 gas struts to take the door upwards and bring it down with minimal effort.

It took us over a year to come up with this design concept and we talked to lots and lots of current 3.5 tonne owners for their likes and dislikes, but in fairness if a customer wants the cupboard door - side hinge type of opening they can have it, all of our lorries are bespoke built to customer requirments and needs.
 
BOF - its for sale hun, PM me for details, it was originally sold to a lady with a 17hh only 4 weeks ago but the silly old horse has pulled a tendon quite badly and is out of work for a long time - so we are marketing it on her behalf. She is having another built next year
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I always thought they were in demand but after having my slightly older box on the market for a reasonable price im not so sure anymore. Ive had plenty of emails but no one to come and look, or maybe im just no good at selling
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Thats a great question... Why is the Theault & MTM £35,000+ yet you can buy a Man in a Shed one for £12000? Maybe something to do with overheads, and meeting regulations and safety requirements. Only in the UK do vehicles NOT have to meet WVTA (Whole vehcile type approval), and carry out crash tests at the moment anyone who can stick panels in a truck can call themselves a "Coachbuilder". However this won't last much longer. There is a huge range on the market, you only need to look at www.horseboxworld.com and see how many manufacturers there are.
 
Well we dont "Stick panels on a truck" , we are one of the few UK VBRA approved and certified coachbuilders, yes there are some cowboys out there, its always wise to go to a reputable manufacturer with a good reputation, who also has a tried and tested build and offers a warranty and back up service.

VBRA approval protects both the manufacturer and most imporatantly you the consumer.
 
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