Horsebox newbie - simple questions!

LauraElise

LauraElise

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I am thinking about buying a lorry as frustrated at lack of transport. Having never owned or used one before I have no idea! Looking at a larger 3.5 tonne lorry as have a long 17hh horse who won't fit in the smaller conversions. How many, and what size horse will these lorries usually carry, would like to be able to transport mine plus a 15hh cob?

Could someone give me a rough idea of cost of insurance and tax on a horsebox. Also, are they MOT'd once yearly like cars? Sorry for numpty questions but have no idea (would obviously take someone with me who knows what they are doing when looking!)

Many thanks.
 
Im afraid the 3.5t are really only suitable for 2 ponies or one large horse. Theres no way you will carry a big 17hh and a cob together and be legal. The payload is about 1200kg so you will be near or over that with just your horses before putting tack, water, people etc in too. I know someone in the same position who has a 3.5t and is trying to sell it as she didnt realise she was illegal. She is looking for to replace it with a 7.5t.
My insurance with breakdown on a 7.5t was £320 per year, tax was about £190?? and yes they need a 'mot' every year.
 
Hello LauraElise,

Hope my waffling helps...

Some 3.5t conversions are designed to give enough headroom clearance for the larger steed, but lots are catered at the 'up to 16.3' market - I had a 17.2 in my lorry made by Maneline Coachworks on several occasions with no problems. If yours is a long or wide 17h you can always open the partition up to give him a bit more space.

I think travelling a 17h and 15h together LEGALLY may be more of a problem - a lot of the 3.5 tonne lorries can only carry a ton/1.2 tonnes - that weight includes equines, people, fuel, tack etc so I'm guessing your 17h horse is likely to be over half of that on his own. A 15h cob will probably send you over weight - make sure you ask about payloads, some lorries I looked at could only carry 800kg - horse, me and 1/4 tank fuel was over that before thinking about tack, first aid kit, water etc...

Insurance and Brakdown cover was about £300/ year through Anthony Evans, road tax £210. MOT is indeed standard like a car.
 
sorry forgot to add that some of the newer conversions like Regent do have 8ft headroom which is as big as you will get :D If your looking at an older one, check the height as some are quite low. My friend travels her 16.3 in 7'6 with no problems.
 
I agree with all that has been said before. That is check the headroom but also the actual length of the standing space for the horse. Legally you will only be able to carry your horse. You can get some vans which have been made into 5 tonners. This means you would be able to carry two but instead of the m.o.t. each year you will technically have a lorry (although it still looks like a van) and will have to have it plated each year. This is more strict and can only be done at certain places.
 
LauraElise said:
I am thinking about buying a lorry as frustrated at lack of transport. Having never owned or used one before I have no idea! Looking at a larger 3.5 tonne lorry as have a long 17hh horse who won't fit in the smaller conversions. How many, and what size horse will these lorries usually carry, would like to be able to transport mine plus a 15hh cob?

Could someone give me a rough idea of cost of insurance and tax on a horsebox. Also, are they MOT'd once yearly like cars? Sorry for numpty questions but have no idea (would obviously take someone with me who knows what they are doing when looking!)

Many thanks.
Click to expand...
If you are a comitted serious horsey person I would bite the bullet as they say and take your hgv test then you have a wide choice of lorrys and then you dont need to pay over the odds for one of the tiny 3.5 tonners which are very poor value and not much good if you want to share with friends or compete more than one horse.
running costs are broadly simalar all need an annual mot and road tax +insurance hope this helps...
 
Agree with whats been said before. I'm not a fan of the 3.5Tn conversions especially the larger Van convernions, seen a couple of accidents involving the front brace bars. You may struggle to get the height clearance for a 17hh and with a 17hh and cob your laden weight may end up over that of the 3.5tn limit. When I was 24 I took my Class 2 test (Ridget HGV) can't drive the artics but can drive everything else, best thing I did! I got a 7.5tn and you have more scope weight wise and a bigger choice, I also find that my insurnace tax ect is less than those with newer van convernsions I pay £235 insurance a year (thats for any driver over 25) when I was 24 it cost £285 to have me as a named young driver. My tax is £145 per year and my MOT and service has just me £300. My lorries gross weioght is 7.490tn so I am still expetion for using the tacho and the new driving hour regulations that apply to us horse box drivers these days.
 
Ditto what the others have said. I have a 5.2 tonne which has plenty of space for the larger horse (I've had a 17.3hh in there and it still looked roomy and it can also take my OH's HW cob who although not tall is very broad).
 
Thank you all for taking the time to reply, much appreciated and I am pleasantly surprised at the cost of taxing and insuring lorries. Need to save a little first then will start looking ad no doubt be back with more questions!
 
Another thing to be aware of is who to get your breakdown cover with, and believe me, you hope it will never happen, but it will eventually. I have recently had a motorway breakdown and the company I was with left me for four hours on the motorway - they initially sent a van which couldn't recover a vehicle with horses inside and when they eventually sent a recovery vehicle, they recovered my van with a front lift with the horse inside. This is not ideal. I have since changed to Equine Rescue - they will send a separate vehicle for the horses - more money, but believe me, you get what you pay for....
 
rebelking said:
Another thing to be aware of is who to get your breakdown cover with, and believe me, you hope it will never happen, but it will eventually. I have recently had a motorway breakdown and the company I was with left me for four hours on the motorway - they initially sent a van which couldn't recover a vehicle with horses inside and when they eventually sent a recovery vehicle, they recovered my van with a front lift with the horse inside. This is not ideal. I have since changed to Equine Rescue - they will send a separate vehicle for the horses - more money, but believe me, you get what you pay for....
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RK - interested to hear who this was with... PM me if you would rather. Thanks!
 
omg, i'm sorry, but you won't manage to get 3 horses in a 3.5t... i had a 3.5t. it looked lovely, but it was useless. i couldn't even get my bigger horse into it as although it was officially 'tall' enough for him, as he walked up the ramp it all looked too pokey in there and he wouldn't go in.

3.5t are really only suitable for one horse. and even then, you have to make sure you get the right one.

i sold my 3.5t and bought Katie, she's perfect (soon to be advertised for sale... see link in my sig) , she was originally a 5t lorry but uprated to 7.5 tonnes. so, she's the size of a 5 tonne (compact, easy to drive, easy fit two big horses in) but has the extra payload/brakes/suspension so you're extra safe and she's extra sturdy.

i found some of the 'real' 7.5t just too big to climb into (some are like real lorries, and you practically need a step ladder to climb in the cab) let alone drive...

it's so hard finding a decent lorry. we looked and looked, and i dismissed most of them for being too 'scary'.... if i were you, i'd go and look at as many as possible. VW do 5t ones i think, older models. try looking on ebay. not to buy, but to get a general feel for your options and maybe go and view some?

good luck! xxx
 
Clipcloppop

That's exactly the sort of thing I'm saving up for. How much would a Lorry like that cost?
Don't think I'm quite there yet and you're a bit far away otherwise I'd be very interested in Katie.
 
clipcloppop said:
oooh, and breakdown cover? i HIGHLY recommend anthony evans. i insure with them, they are CHEAP, friendly... and when my hideous 3.5t lorry DIED on the A1 they rescued me in minutes!
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CCP - they're the same company that left me for nearly four hours on the motorway!!! They were good when my 3.5t broke down (actually, similar to yours, it actually DIED) last year, because I had no horse inside, but it seems to be a bit different when you have a horse inside - they didn't seem to have much in place and kept asking me to sort out my own recovery for the horse. Unfortunately it was a Sunday and everyone I knew with boxes was out at something....

Regarding 3.5t, they're not all bad.....I got another one when my last one died and I love it. Really easy to drive and economical. I had extra strengthening work done to the bulkhead though as a bit of wood and thin metal at the back of your head won't stop 500kg of horse coming through if you have to stop more sharply than anticipated. However I agree with everyone else on here if you have two horses to carry. Go for a 6.5t or 7.5t. I can only take one horse with me when I go anywhere, but that is all I would honestly want to take anyway.....can't cope with both of them at the same time!
 
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