For all those with horseboxes...

[Vickijay]

Hi,

Im looking for a truck and just found 2 lovely looking ones.

Spoke to my mechanic who said he wouldnt look after truck if it had a fixed cab so couldnt be tilted.

Do your trucks have tilt cabs? Has not having one ever caused a problem? Do your mechanics refuse or moan about it?

Should I not worry or only go for tiltable trucks?

Many thanks,

Vicki x

 

[ladyt25]

Having a tilt cab does make things easier for the mechanic but we have not had any issues with any we've had. We bought one earlier in the year and that's not a tilt cab. We wanted a wagon with a cut through and luton and not many older wagons are tilt cab with this and we don't have the budget for the fancy new wagons or the ones that are tilt.

 

[jess_asterix]

Ours are a bit funny if it is not tilt cab as it it much harder for them but our lorry is tilt cab and so was our old one

 

[Liesel]

I dont have a horsebox but people have said to me when they were looking for a box that they would prefer one with a tilt cab as it makes it easier for mechanics to access the engine etc and costing less in overall labour charged on your bill.

 

[Squeak]

It's easier for the mechanic to have a tilt cab but... i they are tilt cabs then they have a tendancy to leak. If the lorry is well built though the engine should still be easily acessible in a fixed cab.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

mine has a tilt cab!!!! but i think it would be a bit of a job to get it to tilt!!! its a 2001 so hoping it will continue to run like a dream! my mechanic mutters about a lot of things ....best to be deaf and let them get on with it!!

 

[PeterNatt]

In days gone past the older chassis/cabs such as the Bedford TK did not have tilt cabs but there was plenty of room around the engine to access most parts. If the worst came to the worst then the cab could be removed. If the container had a luton then the container (which in those days where simply bolted on with U bolts) would have to be removed first followed by the cab.

Modern day chassis cabs have far larger engines and are compacted in to a smaller space so the manufacturers of the chasis cabs provide a tilt cab so that all parts of the engine are exposed once the cab is tilted.

However horse boxes in many cases have a luton on a coach built container which means that the cab can no longer be tilted and it is impossible to remove the container as it is welded in place and in effect is an integral part of the chasis cab.

Some manufacturers of horse boxes provide an engine inspection panel under/behind the seats in the cab however if there is a problem which can not be accessed from the panel or from underneath the vehicle then there is a real problem and the only way to resolve it is to remove the stearing system, suspension and drop the engine. This is very time consuming and what could have been a 30 minute job takes 12 hours. There is also every chance that parts are damaged on removal.

The reason why the manufacturers of horseboxes do not like tilt cabs is because a properly constructed horsebox with a tilt cab will weigh an additional half a ton.

Most coach built horse boxes these days are effectively gin palaces on wheels and have so much in them that they are very heavy and in the event of a 7.5 ton vehicle there is little pay load left for the horses once a tilt cab is provided.

The choice is yours - buy a vehicle without a tilt cab and if anything serious goes wrong with it you have a major problem both from the point of view of getting a mechanic to sort it out and the cost involved or go for a vehicle with a properly constructed tilt cab where the pay load may be less.

The ideal solution is to get a horsebox that does not have a luton or walk through and therefore there is no luton or walk through to prevent the cab tilting and no wasted payload weight. They may not look quite as aethetic but the cab will still tilt and a mechanic will be able to easily service it.

 

[charlimouse]

Used to have a fixed cob n the mechanic complaied he couldnt fix it when it kept braking down, because he didnt have good enough access to the engine. 1 tilt cab, and mechanic later, i now have a lorry that moves!!!!!

 

[humblepie]

My OH is a mechanic and insisted upon a tilt cab. We don't have a luton or walk through so as Peter Natt says does not look so pretty but it still has full living with a pull down bed and is very good on the weight front.

 

[duggan]

We have a luton and a tilt cab. We pull the mattress (and all the junk I store up there!!) off and the front of the luton hinges forwards, the floor of the luton lifts and the cab is free to tilt.
Its a compromise, i'd love a cut through cab but as said before, since TK days the engines are just to tight to work on. We stop in the lorry a lot so the space up top is appreciated, and although moving everything is a pain at least it means work can be carried out.
I wouldn't buy a fixed cab lorry, they are just too much trouble.

 

[Bowen4Horses]

depending on the size/type/age of lorry you're looking for... you can get smaller ones that are more like large vans than a lorry... so they have a bonnet-type set up to access the engine... sorry, i don't really know much about this, other than having viewed a few, so i'm probably not making sense...

hang on, i'll have a look for a picture...

here, the silver one (i think 5th from bottom) looks like it's got living etc. but a van type front.
http://www.charltonhorseboxes.co.uk/page2.htm

or, google 6.5 tonne horse box, or 5.5tonne etc.

 

[perfect11s]

Mine tilts... truth is its posible to do routine servicing with a fixed cab but repairs are another mater and if its a post 2001 truck with electronic engine management the main dealers wont touch non tilts and if they do there £80+ per hour labour rates soon mount up, the better quality builders use a pod on the cab which are very light and tilts away from the main body with the cab.. the other way is to have a flap in the front of the luton this is the old fashiond way that works not very stylish and can suffer leaks.. only the bodgers are building non tilts now.. there are plenty of nice lorrys about so there's no need to buy a potental money pit

 

[Flame_]

My old box didn't have a tilt cab and it wasn't a problem. The mechanic could access the engine from underneath for basic things. There was always the gamble that if anything major went wrong with the engine, the box would need dismantling to get it out, but it never did. You'll be doing well not to have to compromise on some things if you aren't buying one built to order and are on a budget.

My new lorry has a tilt cab and is well under-weight so it is do-able, but we had that built. If you rule out looking at anything without a tilt cab, you might be looking for a long time if there are lots of other criteria that need meeting, like 8' headroom, tack lockers, etc.

 

[qwertyuiop]

I would never have a box without a tilting cab, or with those stupid/useless side skirts that hide the batteries, fuel tank, etc. What are they for exactly? No better than boy racers fitting body kits to make their 1.2L Saxo go faster...

 

[cptrayes]

[ QUOTE ]
I would never have a box without a tilting cab, or with those stupid/useless side skirts that hide the batteries, fuel tank, etc. What are they for exactly? No better than boy racers fitting body kits to make their 1.2L Saxo go faster...

[/ QUOTE ]


The law requires either skirts or bars. Skirts are prettier and cost less to retro-fit to my lorry than bars would have. Both block access to the underside.

Go for a tilt cab definitely. Ours is fixed and is a constant worry. You can get a cut-through with a tilting cab.

 

[qwertyuiop]

[ QUOTE ]
The law requires either skirts or bars. Skirts are prettier and cost less to retro-fit to my lorry than bars would have. Both block access to the underside.

[/ QUOTE ]
I know the law requires bars - that is why I have them! Skirts do not look prettier and personally, I value practicality over style. Bars do not block access as I can remove my lorry's batteries without having to possess the skills of a contortionist and a gynaecologist!