Ford cargo 813 , thoughts please.

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SAL66

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I have decided to buy a horsebox and tbh know diddly squit about then , never owned one before.

I have seen what looks like a nice one , not seen it in the flesh yet , and its a Ford Cargo 813, just wondering for people who have had them ot still got one what are they like.

Thanks in advance
 
Will be older than 1992, parts are getting harder to find, very good meccanicly and not bad to drive, cabs rust round steps, under the screen, floor etc ,some have been repaired well but most just get bodged up take someone who knows about trucks and or mecanics to look at it with you, could save you a fortune, there are some nice ones out there but their getting rare, good luck
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Thanks, the trouble is everything I have seen in my price range is miles away, so whilst I know some mechanics trying to get one to view a box will be difficult.

JM07, Ohhh !, this one looked really nice and smart albeit old.

Possibly back to the drawing board then.
 
I have one and until now have not had too many problems getting parts for it, however i had a power steering pipe go on me the other day and my fab mechanic had to try and make something up to fit it. he did also say i need another job done on my lorry and the same problem i have is it's going to be able to fit the part i need.

Yes watch they do rot, but on the up side i love my lorry and it drives very well.
 
Avoid anything older than 1986/ D reg as they are hard to get some parts for BUT there are loads in breakers yards !
1987-92 are easier to get bits for. Look for service history and regular use is essential. Perfect is right about the rust!
 
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barge, pole, dont, touch

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LOL but Im sure you will find 100s still giving good service
they were a very good wagon in there day, like the old bedfords Tk and TL.. its all about mainternance ...most horsey folk haven't a clue
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barge, pole, dont, touch

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I do agree with that some what, if it was not for the fact i already have one and like you, do not have a large budget, i would probably not look at them. I will stick with my lorry for now and thank god i have a very good mechanic that can adapted parts to fit.
 
Thanks all for your replies, this one I am looking at is H reg I think, looks well looked after and is only £4500.

I work in a garage so can always find a good mechanic to work on any lorry that I buy.

I just need to buy the best that I can afford and with a limited budget I have to be realistic in what that will buy me.
 
In that case go for the best basic box and ignore the frills. My ultimate cheapy has been fab for three and half years, has no fancy bits at all and looks terrible. But you can't see how bad she looks when you're inside driving along, taking calls from people with much newer lorries who are stuck at home because they won't start.

We won't say too much about her "disobediences" over the past couple of days
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I agree with all of the above!!

I have a ford cargo and whilst parts are getting hard to find and they do rust... mine has given better service than most people I know who have a different manufacturer.

I agree its all about finding one that has been well maintained - and also regularly used..

The person who mentioned steering pipes I have had a similar problem BUT BEWARE... its easy to get the replacement pipes made up but you need to make sure that the fittings are not metric 'equivalents'.. they may only be slightly different but its 'big' enough to potentially cause a major problem!! I know its happened to me twice!
 
You can allways get new & used parts by going on Ebay , ford cargo parts, . I had one a loverly lorry did all we wanted and I made £2k profit after 3years , and had very miner problems ,so it was good.
 
Parts can be difficult to get (talk to your mechanic). We had one and it was reliable D reg. Stick with the 813 not 811 though as 811s are gutless.
 
I have a Ford cargo 813 and love it. I travelled miles and miles of the country looking for a lorry. I spent a summer looking then gave up as I saw so much "trash" that I decided to stick with the trailer. I then looked on horsemart just for a browse a year later and stumbled across a very nice Ford Cargo only about 50 miles from us, so had to ring up! Although i was already thinking it would probably be like all the other ones i had travelled miles to see and not suitable! Anyway it had very low mileage only 50,000 miles genuine on clock and had always been a horse box (coachbuilt) and had never been a commercial lorry. Anyway i bought it and its perfect, cannot imagine life without it now! Anyway as with any vehicle thats had use it has had to have a few new parts. I would WARN you that it is very hard to source Ford Cargo parts and there are NOT many if them in scrap yards. I have sourced a local Ford Cargo breaker and they are excellent.

Another factor is £4,500 seems quite cheap?

Anyway good luck! and whatch out for dodgy horse boxes there are too many out there!!
 
BRAKES, BRAKES, BRAKES - cargos are notorious for not having them!
My lorry was an 811 cargo - on way home from show - came to a roundabout and went to stop...

And didnt - resulting in a car embedded in the cab.

My mechanic said they were really bad for it - got it fixed and sold it.

Still gives me the heebies!

MAN chassis are the best.
 
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The person who mentioned steering pipes I have had a similar problem BUT BEWARE... its easy to get the replacement pipes made up but you need to make sure that the fittings are not metric 'equivalents'.. they may only be slightly different but its 'big' enough to potentially cause a major problem!! I know its happened to me twice!

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That was me i think. It's OK my mechanics are also horsebox builders so would know what they can use and can't, but yes i know what you mean.
 
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