horsebox hire - 3.5t or 7.5t? or 5.5/6.5t?

[welshies]

Would anyone consider hiring any of the above? I have seen a few posts on here by people being put off 3.5t boxes due to pay load issues. I went to look at one that was advertised as a 3.5t box but there is no way it was, it was def at least 5.5t. Some of you have said your not that confident with a 7.5t so would you consider a 5.5 or 6.5? Doesn't sound a lot less but theres a huge difference in size. I know obviously the 3.5t is great for young drivers and also for maybe moving yards or other short journeys, but with the extra payload of say a 6.5t you have the sufficient spare weight for a sink etc. This still isn't the cheaper option to buy as most are just as expensive as 7.5t but if that what suits you, but anyway just interested in a little poll:

 

[JM07]

cant reply with a vote yet..time is 12 midday....

but personally, i fell it's false economy not taking an HGV test, just to drive one of those little burger vans!!

they are IMO, unstable, carry very little and are vastly overpriced!!

get a HGV licence, buy a minimum 7.5 ton 2/3 horse all for the same price as those little things

as for hiring one, i would go with a company that has minimum of 7.5T and a driver that is fully licenced and insured to do so.

 

[KatB]

The prob with lorries over 3.5t is the fact you have to pay for plating, so they cost more to maintain, and also the HGV license is expensive!! PErsonally couldnt afford to maintain a 7.5t, but will find a 3.5t alot more manageable, and only have one horse.....so most payloads of 1tonne suit me fine!

 

[*hic*]

I'm old enough to drive up to 7.5 tonnes and in fact own a 7.5 tonne lorry. However I expect to have to go and collect a horse a couple of hundred miles away and will be hiring a 3.5 tonne new horsebox to drive up and and gehard and noisy work and also expensive on fuel. It will be cheaper for me to hire a small one, by the time fuel is taken into account, and of course with only fetching one horse I'm well within the payload!

 

[JM07]

to plate a lorry, the cost is the same as an MOT, it's just called plating, because that what was given originally, a metal plate to put in the cab.

parts can be more expensive, as obviously they are larger pieces but a gearbox or a clutch, the two most replaced parts in horseboxes, arent that dissimilar in price in the two vehicles.

i agree with you kat, if you only have 1 horse, these little things can be quite useful.

 

[samp]

My horse is very long and likes lots of room so although I can not drive my horsebox as its under 7.5T I know I could not tkae her in a 3.5T. Also my dad is a mechanic so he does service it for me. To get it through its plating cost me £400 this year and that included oaying someone to take it to the centre

 

[ecrozier]

Agree with comments above re taking HGV...I did just that, it has cost me a total of about £5000 to get my HGV, buy a 7.5t (old but serviceable) lorry and insure her etc. Whereas my friend with a similar budget is really struggling to find a 3.5t lorry anything like as nice as my old bedford! The prices for the little ones seem very inflated now that people are realising about the weight restrictions on licences etc, and I think it is only going to get worse over time as more and more of the people on the roads can only drive the 3.5t...good news for those of us who have paid out to do the HGV as bigger lorries will probably get relatively cheaper when compared to the small ones!

 

[JM07]

£400 is very good.
the way i look at things is, i add together all the outgoings on my lorry, insurance/tax/plating/repairs then devide them by 12 months and it works out to be about a 1/3rd of what i spend on the horses,!!
tax on a 7.5 T is the same as a 3.5T...£165.00
Insurance, ok i'm an oldie to be able to drive 7.5T, is £385.00 with breakdown,
plating £40.00
repairs last plate, £190.00

i've also replaced 4 tyres this "plating year" at £380.00
diesel, £500
so not too bad at roughly £138.00 per month!
bargain!!

 

[Kate_13]

I am old enough to drive a 7tonne lorry, but I have chosen a little 3.5t.

I couldn't afford anything flash, so I bought a heap off ebay, got it MOT'd and have virtually rebuilt it! I am a DIY person so putting in a new floor and re-doing the sides and generally making it look pretty was relatively easy.

In total my box including purchase, MOT and refurb has cost £1300. However I am sure if I took it to a company to refurb it would of cost more like £5000!

I only have one small 15hh horse and only go to day shows and beach e.t.c