Honest opinions 3.5 ton van conversions

Rachael.Humphrey

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Good morning,
I have a 15’3 ID and I’m looking to get a 3.5 tonne box.

ive been looking at the Van conversions and I just wanted to get an idea how you guys find them?

Are they generally safe?
Stability when driving?



is there anything specific I should look out for?

thanks

Rachael
 

scats

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I love mine. I do however only travel one horse in it (I removed partition) and my horses are only 15hh. I have travelled a 16hh in it but I would prefer to stick to under 16hh in them. I find mine very stable to drive and the horses travel well. I had some extras added in- a cushion-filled strip over the gap between ramp and floor. This does make my ramp a bit more resistant to lift, but worth it from a safety point of view as I have nightmares about legs down gaps.
Make sure you buy from a reputable company or you get one that has previously been converted by a reputable company. They tend to have higher mileages as they have had a previous life (usually as a builders van).
Main factors to consider are the strength of the bulkhead and whether horse is likely to try and scramble into the jockey area. My girls are fine, but you can have anti weave grills fitted if you are worried about that, or similar.
 

Steerpike

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I love mine too, very easy to drive and handle, mine is a Renault master so parts are easy to get, very economical for me to run, tallest horse I've had in there is 16.2, I tend to only travel one horse at a time to events but have travelled 2 when moving horses to a different field.
 

Chippers1

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Another who loves mine! It's also a Renault Master. I only travel my one 14hh pony in it but i don't even know he's in there most of the time, just feels like i'm driving normally around.
I don't have a full wall between him and the jockey area but he's fine with this and it comes quite high up his chest so i'm not too worried about him jumping over although the back doors are full length so i would be able to get him out if needed!

I'm also really short and I find it easy to drive, some i've struggled to reach the pedals on but i can fit easily into this. Also easy to take for an MOT as i just find a place that does vans :)
 

harri23

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I have a 16.1 in a converted van and its fab! We use a '01 renault master, its really sturdy, she has a tendency to lean and it doesn't seem to move anywhere.

Its really easy to drive, not super wide so driving around the country roads of Cheshire its perfect.

Also have a cheeky little stove in the back for cups of tea for the cold days!
 

ycbm

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Do you mean the original shell with a ramp put into the side or a van with a new body built on the chassis?

If the latter, don't buy anything made by Regent.

The vans with a ramp tacked on don't really look suitable for anything except ponies to me.

I love mine and would never go back to a 7.5 or a trailer (unless money was really tight).
 

Barlow

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I’ve got a 3.5 Renault master coachbuilt stallion box. My horse is 16hh and looks like a Shetland in it, there is almost too much room!
when I bought mine I made sure it was a stallion box with full height wall, had barn doors (my horse can go up on the days he has an opinion about loading), cctv and reversing camera and a door wide enough out the back that could serve as secondary horse exit if needed. I bought mine secondhand and have had the panel side reinforced as occasionally horse likes to rest against that when travelling.
 

Asha

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Agree with ycbm. the ones still in the shape of a van IMO only look good enough for very small ponies.

I love my 3.5tconversion, we travel full IDs in them ( one at a time ), ones 16hds and the other 16.1.Both travel great. I asked for an extra bar on the side of the van just to make sure they where safe. I can honestly say you dont know you have one on board. We had ours made to our spec, and i would highly recommend you do that.
 

Squeak

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Agree with YCBM and Asha, a coachbuilt 3.5t that has been well built is great but I'm not sure that the ones in the shape of a van would be suitable for a 15.3 ID.
 

Pippity

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One of my friends regularly travels her 16hh warmblood in a conversion and has never had any issues. Personally, I'd be reluctant to carry anything over 15hh in mine.

I've never driven a coachbuilt to compare, but I do love my conversion. There's very little difference between driving it fully loaded and driving it empty, which is nice. The conversions also tend to have higher payloads. Even going for every reinforcement option available, which makes it heavier, mine can carry my tank and a lightweight other, as long as tack/water/other person/etc. goes in a separate vehicle.
 

catembi

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I totally love my Renault Master conversion. My 16.1 ex racer fits into it fine. Before that, I had 7.5 tonners & the Renault is so much easier to drive, park, MOT & also light on fuel. I have a stallion box with a reinforced bulkhead between horse area & cab. It is brilliant - I feel happy and confident going out n about alone, which I never did in the DAF & its predecessors.
 
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