do you use a horsebox as your main transport?

[noodle_]

question in title really....

to work...college/uni whatever???

Im more on about little 3.5 tonners...however all comments welcome!

isit do-able or just not a good idea?

am thinking instead of my car...?

 

[Cortez]

I'd think the cost of fuel would be prohibitive, TBH.

 

[lcharles]

My dad uses our 3.5 tonnes lorry when his car is in for MOT, something big needs picking up etc, its not everyday but he comments on how much more it costs in fuel, even when its empty. Its a 2.5litre diesel compared to his usual 2.0litre petrol car. If you had one of those 3.5 tonne van merc sprinter style ones it would probs cost the same as running a van but ours is a big van with a big back on it x

cheaper than insuring, taxing, mot-ing two vehicles but not the most stylish!! lol x

 

[noodle_]

mmm.

see insurance is £500 a year cheaper (for me)....

 

[Suziq77]

I sometimes use mine - but it isn't ideal from a parking perspective, might be a bit less prohibitive if you have one of the transit conversions.

 

[noodle_]

should have clarified

i want a transit conversion

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5-ton-h...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item2eb919bbf3

or soemthing like ^^^

 

[*hic*]

After the insurance for my daughter went up from £800 to over £3000 on our car I seriously considered buying a 3.5 tonner (insurance £330) for her to drive around in.

 

[noodle_]

effing hell hic!! how comes? bump?

my car insurance is £550 at the moment....


i finish uni in june, will be working full time. been lookng at cheaper ones - but none are really cheap enough to take a chance on!, and do it up to use!

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

question in title really....

to work...college/uni whatever???

Im more on about little 3.5 tonners...however all comments welcome!

isit do-able or just not a good idea?

am thinking instead of my car...?

to be perfectly blunt... that's a really stupid idea!

when you're at uni you will not have the funds to keep an expensive horse box on the road. The old transits are renowned for rust problems. when you get a problem with an old lorry it costs a fortune to fix, they cost a fortune to run and they need regular maintenance!

I would be looking for a small car as new as possible and if you look after it well you will be able to sell it afterwards!

Chances are you won't be competing all that often whilst you're at uni so get a good job after and get a properly safe little box when you can afford the finance!

Just spotted the £15k box you posted. Get a Honda CR-V diesel which has enough payload for a single horse ifor trailer and it's famously economical and cheap to run with a fabulous mpg.
car = £8k,
box = £3,500 (new),
trailer test =£1,500

and you've enough money left over for the insurance and tax for the car... Simples!

 

[lara b]

sorry to jump in, but any particular age you recommend? What kind of 'real life' mpg do you think these acheive? Thanks

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

the old shape diesel
05/55 plate and you pick these up from about £5k,
payload of 1,400kg
MPG of about 39.9

new shape- 06 onwards diesel is around the £8k mark (age, milage and condition dependent)
payload of 1,800kg
MPG of roughly 42

both diesels have a fantastic reputation and are brilliant quality!

 

[SpottedCat]

Most horsebox insurance is that cheap because it has limited milage on it - usually under 5000 miles a year. So unless you're staying v local and not using it much (in which case buy a bicycle!), you'll probably find you can't stay within the milage limits anyway.

 

[MissTyc]

I think parking would be nigh impossible and highly irritating on a regular basis!
I take mine to work when the car is in for repairs, MOTS, etc, and I try to arrive half an hour before everyone else as the little bays left by other parkers are not suitable. So it depends where you need to go and how often I think! If its only to go to the shops once a week, not a problem, but every day I think you might struggle.

 

[lara b]

the old shape diesel
05/55 plate and you pick these up from about £5k,
payload of 1,400kg
MPG of about 39.9

new shape- 06 onwards diesel is around the £8k mark (age, milage and condition dependent)
payload of 1,800kg
MPG of roughly 42

both diesels have a fantastic reputation and are brilliant quality!

Thank you so much for the info, does payload have to include the weight within the car or just what you tow? Also any idea what an ifor trailer weighs? Sorry for the rookie questions just wandering if it's a case of one big cob with the old model and two with the new one or none with the old one and one with the new one? God this is starting to sound like a riddle

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

Thank you so much for the info, does payload have to include the weight within the car or just what you tow? Also any idea what an ifor trailer weighs? Sorry for the rookie questions just wandering if it's a case of one big cob with the old model and two with the new one or none with the old one and one with the new one? God this is starting to sound like a riddle

The payload is what the car can carry...
say 1800kg- you can safely carry 80% of that (you need some spare capacity to allow the car to pull it safely)

remaining payload= 1440kg

av. Horse and tack = iro 550kg

remaining payload= 890kg

single horse trailer ifor= 735kg

remaining payload = 155kg


you need to include your weight and everything you take with you- I would not advise taking a full water can with you... this in unnecessary weight!

If you had the funds the new kia sorento has a fabulous reputation and 2500kg payload and the nissan x-trail again has a good rep and 2500kg payload. both of these have very good MPG of around the 42mpg mark. If you wanted to tow two big horses then look at a defender or discovery. payloads of 3500kg but you sacrifice mpg and they are horrendously unreliable!

All the ifor weights are found on the technical information sheets- all available on line!

 

[lara b]

The payload is what the car can carry...
say 1800kg- you can safely carry 80% of that (you need some spare capacity to allow the car to pull it safely)

remaining payload= 1440kg

av. Horse and tack = iro 550kg

remaining payload= 890kg

single horse trailer ifor= 735kg

remaining payload = 155kg


you need to include your weight and everything you take with you- I would not advise taking a full water can with you... this in unnecessary weight!

If you had the funds the new kia sorento has a fabulous reputation and 2500kg payload and the nissan x-trail again has a good rep and 2500kg payload. both of these have very good MPG of around the 42mpg mark. If you wanted to tow two big horses then look at a defender or discovery. payloads of 3500kg but you sacrifice mpg and they are horrendously unreliable!

All the ifor weights are found on the technical information sheets- all available on line!

Thank you for the very useful info, all food for thought...

 

[noodle_]

to be perfectly blunt... that's a really stupid idea!

when you're at uni you will not have the funds to keep an expensive horse box on the road. The old transits are renowned for rust problems. when you get a problem with an old lorry it costs a fortune to fix, they cost a fortune to run and they need regular maintenance!

I would be looking for a small car as new as possible and if you look after it well you will be able to sell it afterwards!

Chances are you won't be competing all that often whilst you're at uni so get a good job after and get a properly safe little box when you can afford the finance!

Just spotted the £15k box you posted. Get a Honda CR-V diesel which has enough payload for a single horse ifor trailer and it's famously economical and cheap to run with a fabulous mpg.
car = £8k,
box = £3,500 (new),
trailer test =£1,500

and you've enough money left over for the insurance and tax for the car... Simples!

i wouldnt buy a 4x4 - point is i want a box!?

dont assume i cant afford it .... im at uni - i finish in 6 months

i wouldnt ever in my life spend 8k on a car - its rediculous!

and yes id be competing once a month but out every week hiring.hacking etc.....

never assume.....

simples

 

[noodle_]

forgot to say

thanks for the replies...

i do know a couple of people who do the original question...

 

[Ritzyroo]

I drive my 7.5t lorry to work once or twice a week - keeps it lubricated and lorries dont do well for sitting parked up for too long - I am lucky I can park it safe at work as I work for a waste firm that have run a fleet of trucks. Its cheaper to tax for a year than my car too!!

 

[scarymare]

Its not a stupid idea at all. My 3.5 tonner is way more economical that my Kia Sorento. I did buy the Kia with a view to getting a trailer but couldn't part with my little lorry in the end. If I didn't live in the highlands and have such a long and twisty commute to work (sheet ice for last 2 days) I would seriously consider it.

 

[SSM]

I use mine about once a week!

We are a one car household as I would rather have horse transportation and husband works from home, about once a week he does need to go out so I take my 7.5 lorry to the office! (I do work in the countryside so no problem with parking) and it gives the lorry a run out - far cheaper than taxing, insuring and running two cars plus a horsebox IMO!

 

[nikCscott]

We use ours as a second car.

My husband works abroad 6 weeks away 2 weeks back (sort of) and when he's back he uses the Bmw and I use my horsebox- no point having 2 cars and makes the horsebox even more worth having. Horsebox has its own set of boosters for the girls and is quite often seen in tesco car park

 

[OWLIE185]

On the occasions when we have a heavy downpour and the road in my village floods I have used my 7.5 ton Bedford TK horsebox to get out and have driven up to London in it. Being privately registered and compliant with the emiison zone I can even park up in Central London. (Subject to a Congestion Zone charge)

 

[lochpearl]

noodle_ I cannot see why not apart from the sheer size of it and parking! I have one just like the one you linked to and I have used it in place of my car to go to my old office - we had a massive car park! and also to the yard as again lots of space to park up, but I would probably stress out if I was going to the supermarket unless I could take up a lot of space . Taking it to where I work now would not be feasible, mainly due to the parking, but driving about in it generally I can't see why not. Mine is a Vauxhall Movano and drives just like a car.