Horsebox van conversions.

[littlen]

Hi everyone.

I am thinking of getting a 3.5t horsebox to transport myself and my horse to shows.
At the moment we never go anywhere and I am trying to work out whether it would be worth it to purchase a box or just hire (bearing in mind to hire from 50 miles away, the closet place, it is £100 per day)
It would have to be 3.5 t max due to my licence.
I would only use it maybe once a week max, proberbly less, would it be worth it in this instance?
I have a silly car (alfa mito) which cant tow and I wont get rid of so trailer is a no go too, plus I would need to do my towing test.

I have been looking at vauxhall movano/renault master. Ford transit is a no go due to steep ramp and silly horse.

They do seem quite expensive for what they are... £10k for a 04 plate in most cases which seems steep to me, wheres the best place to look for a reasonably priced one?
Has anyone had one converted, how much did it cost and who from?

If I was to buy one second hand from say ebay how do I know how it was converted and whether it is converted to a high standard or bodge jobbed?

I have heard bad things about the reliability, how have you found them to be?

Also, how much generally does it cost to run one of these?

Sorry for the millions of questions, thank you!!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

you dont need an 04 if you cant afford it.

I have my own wouldnt be without ,as


1. horsebox hire get booked up in advance

2, you might miss out on a show if they are

3, i prefer mine as somewhere to sit in when raining or between classes
4. in emergency you might not find hire when you need it

5 its always to hand when you need it
6 you can take your hoprse on holiday with you.


yes you have up keep but worth it if your going to spend 100 each time for hire



mine was converted before i bought it,


then when the chassis died i bought new chassie and kept the body but it was expensive to transfer it over as body was wooden and needed some repair. but on newer chassie its made it worth more

 

[littlen]

you dont need an 04 if you cant afford it.

I have my own wouldnt be without ,as


1. horsebox hire get booked up in advance

2, you might miss out on a show if they are

3, i prefer mine as somewhere to sit in when raining or between classes
4. in emergency you might not find hire when you need it

5 its always to hand when you need it
6 you can take your hoprse on holiday with you.




yes you have up keep but worth it if your going to spend 100 each time for hire



mine was converted before i bought it,


then when the chassis died i bought new chassie and kept the body but it was expensive to transfer it over as body was wooden and needed some repair. but on newer chassie its made it worth more

Thanks for the help!!

I would much prefer a newer model as I feel there is less likely to go wrong with it!?
I also dont really like the look of the older ones and prefer the face lifted models.

I have about a max of 7k to spend on one, or rather will have by the time summer hits!!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

decide what features you want in the way of

traveling
number horses to carry
day living
or full living
toilet etc
lockers then go look at what you can affor with that,



test driver the lorry
check underneath for rot
check inside round floor in living area for soft spots check roof etc.
check for rust
check partitions move easy
check the ramp is easy for you to lift


and above all once you found one you like

GET A LORRY MECHANIC TO CHECK IT OUT GIVE YOU thums up or down.

 

[perfect11s]

Hi everyone.

I am thinking of getting a 3.5t horsebox to transport myself and my horse to shows.
At the moment we never go anywhere and I am trying to work out whether it would be worth it to purchase a box or just hire (bearing in mind to hire from 50 miles away, the closet place, it is £100 per day)
It would have to be 3.5 t max due to my licence.
I would only use it maybe once a week max, proberbly less, would it be worth it in this instance?
I have a silly car (alfa mito) which cant tow and I wont get rid of so trailer is a no go too, plus I would need to do my towing test.

I have been looking at vauxhall movano/renault master. Ford transit is a no go due to steep ramp and silly horse.

They do seem quite expensive for what they are... £10k for a 04 plate in most cases which seems steep to me, wheres the best place to look for a reasonably priced one?
Has anyone had one converted, how much did it cost and who from?

If I was to buy one second hand from say ebay how do I know how it was converted and whether it is converted to a high standard or bodge jobbed?

I have heard bad things about the reliability, how have you found them to be?

Also, how much generally does it cost to run one of these?

Sorry for the millions of questions, thank you!!

Age or mileage isnt
a good indicator of condition !!! if yo are thinking of buying something always make sure someone vets it for you after you had a look yourself , make sure you find out the genuine unladen weight and who did the conversion and how long ago... the reason its for sale is sometimes a good indicator... its worth paying someone to look it over best person would be who you use to service family cars tractors etc or if a friend with a lorry can recomend someone.... dont rush into something and its better in the end to pay a little more for a nice one that you will be happy with ...good luck...

 

[lauraandjack]

I love mine! But they are not for everybody.

You are definitely limited by weight (none will take 2 big horses and be legal) but then if you only want to travel one horse (like me) this is irrelevant.

I would say a lot of the older Masters/Movanos out there are seriously overpriced for what they are. The chassis can be a rust bucket yet because it is a horse box people think they are worth 5 or 6 grand - google the prices of the van, it can be an eye opener!

Beware cowboy conversions, there are a lot that are done on the cheap with no strengthening. For this reason and the rustbucket problem I took out a loan and had a conversion done myself so I knew what I was buying, mine has a cage built in round the horses so I know if I have an accident I won't have my horse on top of me in the cab!

Mine is pretty cheap to run, tax is about £200, insurance about £300, it's been reliable since a few teething problems were sorted out (had new engine when I got it), started first time even after standing for 6 weeks in the freezing weather last winter. It's pretty economical on diesel too. I use it every weekend in winter and 2-3 times a month in summer. I couldn't do without my own transport, I definitely do not fall in the happy hacker category!