horsebox help again please

[spike123]

As you know from my previous post about which was best,horsebox or trailer I am looking around and had decided on a 4x4 and trailer.However trailing through ads as you do I have found a transit horsebox which is 3.5t and just wondered what people think of them.I am a little unsure as to how stable they are so would like peoples opinions on them please.My horse is a 15h middleweight and may on occassion also want to take a 15.1h middleweight.Would this vehicle be up to the job?

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

Check the weights very carefully. You need to know the unladen weight (what it weighs empty) and this will tell you what weight you can carry. This is the amount left between the unladen weight and 3.5 tonnes. Very few small lorries on the market will let you carry 2 horses.

I used to have a Ford Transit and thought it was a great starter box, we needed a strong wind behind us to get above 40mph and we held up huge amounts of traffic when hills were involved but it was easy to maintain, easy to park and easy to drive. Having said that, I wouldn't have another one it was so slow and felt a bit unstable round bends.

 

[Springs]

The 3.5t should be fine for your horses, a friend of ours has one and puts here two 16.1 eventers on it and keeps up with us down the m/way and on a roads.

the 3.5t is fine for day shows but if you are taking a lot of tack and staying over night then a horse box wins every time over the trailer, but it is an extra cost with the insurance, mot and tax etc

 

[irishdraught]

The older 3.5t vehicles in particular are a lot heavier than todays modern ones which use lighterweight materials to build. So a lot would depend on how old the chassis is.

It is not often the height of your horses but the weight that makes the box legal or not. As you can imagine, a 15.1 cob is much heavier than a 15.1 racing TB. My 15.2 middleweight for example weighs in at 650kgs after having her foal

yet when in full fitness weighed much less.
There is still a vast amount of people that think because two horses fit in the box, it must be ok!!

A lot of people still do not understand that 3.5t means this is the maximum weight the vehicle can weigh when fully loaded. People also do not understand the axle weight regs.

Whatever you decide to buy, ensure you have it weighed & checked by someone with mechanical knowledge before you buy.

With regards to stability, it depends how the box part is built. Some are really high and have a high centre of gravity making them less stable than lower ones.