Horseboxes...........Getting fed up.......

Heidi1

Heidi1

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So my lovely daddy has decided that I should upgrade my wonderful 1973 Bedford TK, well that's easier said than done. We have looked at 17 lorries so far and they are just c@@p, we have looked at £7k upto £16k and they have all been rubbish, either more living than horse area or they are described as good condition and then you turn up and the doors are rusted to hell and the floor area in the cab is rotten.......... All I want is a nice 3 horse lorry that is in good condition and newer than the lorry I already have, although considering keep this one and trying to find a new cab for it, as my farther doesn't really want to buy something that is then going to have to go into the garage. Getting really p****d off......... Sorry for the rant.....
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Trouble is you cant beat a Bedford TK, mine is 1976. I don't like a lot of the newer ones, all the tack lockers ect seem to compromise the space, our old TK is simple but I have never known a horse not load in to her!

Good Luck!
 
That is another issue I have, bloody tack lockers get in the way of the horses. Agree totally that you can't beat a Bedford, love mine. The more I look at lorries the more I'm think I would be better off spending the money on this one and sticking with it. I've had it for 22 years so far
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We re-chassied an old old W reg TL onto a G reg AWD a few years back - never regretted it, it would not have won any speed tests but the box was fantastic (an Oakland) and was in better condition than most of the newer boxes we looked at! Got the AWD for £1000 and paid £2000 for box to be remounted and whole thing resprayed - ended up with lovely box with power steering that flies through its plate every year and has very little rust! (unlike most of the Cargo's of a similar age we looked at!)
 
Just a thought - if you cant find a Bedford (AWD as they later became) the guy who did my lorry said they go really easily onto a DAF as the cab is a similar profile. I did look at a DAF but to get the better engine (similar to the AWD one ) it was going to be an extra £4k which I didn't have.
 
Ah we have thought of this to - can i ask who did yours & what part of the country are they based? feel free to PM! I was given my old Bedford about 18 years ago, when her last owner up graded,she has out lived that box to, funny really!
 
I had a TK but 'upgraded' to a ford cargo .. know its getting increasingly difficult to get parts but its exacty what I want and very reliable. I have looked at 'upgrading' again but like you struggling to find anything of same quality ... sympathise totally!!
 
I know what you mean its a nightmare!!

I sold my lorry back in March as needed something bigger and more reliable. But couldnt find anything as nice as my old lorry, nothing in as good condition, and easy to drive!!

In the end we ended up with an even older lorry, but its an absolute gem, my old lorry was an F reg, and this one I've got now is a B, but its perfect, its a Renault Dodge, solid as hell, and in great nick. The one thing I want to do to it is have it resprayed, but it'll cost about £1700!!!!!
 
dont tell me about it!! my lorry just spent a month in being plated....3k later and its passed!! However, quite rightly I doubt anything will now needing doing for several years!!

Shop around!! I wouldnt normally spend so much on repairs but the box we now have is lovely in many ways and the horses love it, cheap on fuel even as a diesel and just soooo reliable, never let us down.
 
Think you might be right about the weight on that top one - it looks huge! It is on a DAF 130 which I was advised against as not that powerful, I was told to go for 145 or 150 which is what a friend had her box put onto recently. Finally, as it is so long it looks as though all the horse area is over and behind the rear axle so weight distribution will be all on this axle so even if the lorry appears to weigh in, with three horses on the weight on the rear axle may be too much (remember it is not just laded weight there is a maximum permitted weight on each axle!)
 
I thought it looked a tad dodgy but it does say aluminium so would be lighter. Did look long though and I am not expert on axles!

I just want money so i can buy a nice wagon. Boo hoo! Although our Ford 0811 Cargo has done brillantly and to be fair just needs a respray but that's not cheap is it. Think shall be getting my paintbrushes out..!
 
after looking at lots of rust heaps we bought a reasonably priced East Anglian Horsebox lorry 3 years ago. New but low cost box on a fleet maintained chassis. It is a modest lorry with a new box (without lots of swish stuff but basically well built) but my OH said he wanted something with a chassis not too old, otherwise it was no lorry. 3 years on we have not had any problems. They build to your budget. Might be worth a try.

Ali
 
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