Horseboxes...ones to avoid??

[worMy]

Just looking for some HHOer advice as to the makes/models etc of horseboxes it may be best to avoid / which ones are none for certain problems..

someone said avoid iveco's...but soooo many horseboxes are ivecos...does one really need to avoid them? Advice and opinions please

Thanks

 

[kerilli]

i'm on my third Iveco... by choice.
old ones do turn into rustbuckets though, and it can be difficult to get parts. there's stupid things like the fact that the new replacement part for somethingorother on the power steering fluid reservoir is measured in metric, the original was imperial, so it doesn't quite fit perfectly... (so i was told anyway, could have been rubbish i guess...?) stupid little problems like that.
what sort of age are you looking at, that makes a huge difference tbh, age of chassis.
are you asking about manufacturers to avoid as well, might be better if we pm you the names of the ones we haven't gotten along with...!

 

[Lolo]

We're using an Iveco and its lovely with massive living and loads of lorry space without goign over 7.5 tonnes. Takes 2 big horses easily, and has managed 3 without going over... Mum likes to drive it (miracle!) so, yep. Vote for Iveco's from me AND it looks pretty spiffy

 

[worMy]

well i am glad you like them.
am viewing an iveco tomorrow morning
it's local, and need to have a look at a few to get an idea. - http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horsebo...sale/Oakland-Non-HGV-Horsebox__12-5-10-483635

tbh kerry looking for something that works, wont die on us, has **good living**, isnt HGV, and is below 15k...
so with all of that can't really specify an age....see what is out there...

 

[brushingboots]

we have an iveco and from experience have very good breaking mum says its lovely to drive and prefers it over her car!

 

[kerilli]

that looks really tidy, good luck!
i forgot to say that they're really lovely to drive... the odd one's a bit weird (my first one had a horrible gearbox), but most of them are nice, should drive like a car tbh.

 

[worMy]

fab
*fingers crossed*
although it doesnt appear to have tack or skirt lockers...

 

[langside]

we have an iveco now used to have a renault and find it much easier to drive and starts easier after a long break the only annoying thing is having to wait for the breaks to release - especially on those days when your soaked and just want to go

you should be able to get a good deal esp in this economic climate

some i've found incase you haven't seen:

over budget but open to offers
http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horsebo...r-sale/1997-Iveco-75E150-7-5T__19-5-10-567396

again over but seems good re miles on clock and open to offers
http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horsebo...or-sale/7-5t-Non-HGV-horsebox__25-4-10-997891

http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horsebo...xes-for-sale/Impressive-Iveco__13-5-10-322777

 

[kerilli]

re: waiting for the brakes to release - if you look underneath at the big brake drums (about 1/3 way back on chassis) there's a round metal loop about 1.5" diameter, on a metal 'string' on both of them, offside is easier to see iirc, lean under and at full stretch you can reach it and pull it down towards the floor until it doesn't hiss any more, this releases the built-up pressure and lets the system reset, and it won't take so long to get up to pressure next time. mechanic showed me this years ago and it makes a huge difference on the old Ivecos, my new one doesn't seem to need it, can drive straight off in this one as in a car. weird. (stops the brakes from being ridiculously sharp too, allows more gradual braking, my 1st and 2nd Ivecos would stand on their nose if I touched the brakes, if I didn't do this frequently)

 

[worMy]

gdgd,
and yes seen those- thanks! had scrapped the over priced ones as the budget was originally 10k, but have persuaded dad that that is unrealistic! and got it to 15 ish, so i think even with bargaining they will be over priced!

 

[langside]

will have to look into that kerilli as it drives me nuts

 

[Vickijay]

I was told by my mechanic that the Ivecos were fine still, its the older cargo ones that its starting to get tricky to find parts for....

 

[dieseldog]

When you buy one make the person write on the receipt that there is no finance or loans against the lorry.

I also have an Iveco and it is really easy to drive, also not cost me masses of money to run. My engine is 3.9L - which makes it very economical - still has loads of power, it overtakes cars going up hills. They normally come in 5.9L.

ETS - Most companies seem to use either Daf or Iveco for their fleet vehicles - they drive 100's of 1000's of miles every year in them.

 

[CaleruxShearer]

Kath - a couple of people at the yard have got Ivecos and love them! Never had any problems and backing up what L said, my friend prefers hers to her car

 

[worMy]

discovered it was cargo's my friend said to avoid...
the one we are seeing tomorrow is make - ford iveco, but model - cargo 75e15
poo hacka...

 

[Thistle]

It's the old cargos(like CDEF reg etc) that you need to avoid. The 75e14 is underpowered but the e15 is good. I have a T reg e15, it's great.

The one you are seeing tomorrow looks as though it has skirt lockers, you can just see the handles in the pics.

 

[worMy]

so newer cargos still have parts available, like the one we are seeing tomorrow?
awesome

 

[perfect11s]

Just looking for some HHOer advice as to the makes/models etc of horseboxes it may be best to avoid / which ones are none for certain problems..

someone said avoid iveco's...but soooo many horseboxes are ivecos...does one really need to avoid them? Advice and opinions please

Thanks

Ones to avoid, Non tilt cabs, rusty roten cabs and horse area floors , anything newly painted!! anything that you didnt check on the unladen weight.
my first choice would be daf, then man , iveco, mercedes ... always get a mecanic to check over before you part with your cash...

 

[Mike007]

What you are going to look at is an euro cargo not a cargo. Eurocargos are prone to serious chassis corrosion . Dont get one with air suspension, lots of trouble and very heavy.Make sure you get a good mechanic to check it out, and check the unladen weight. People are starting to panic about the vosa WIMS system and getting rid of overweight boxes.Personaly ,I love the old cargo,s.Parts are starting to be harder to get,but rust tends to be cosmetic,and cab pannels are all available.They are slow compared to modern lorrys but you wouldnt notice the difference on a long run.I followed a eurocargo from surrey to cheshire ,and they got there about 20 minutes before me.

 

[Gucci_b]

I no someone with an Iveco#cargo non tilt cab and coach built, and she is really pleased with the horse box. They hold their money more the coach built horse boxes, and even tho the cab doesn't lift, there is very easy excess to the engine as the passenger seats lift up to a door way entrance to the top of the engine and also in the living (where the crawl thought is) is another pull down door to expose all the engine. Hers is a 1991 "I think" and so good on fuel.

 

[perfect11s]

What you are going to look at is an euro cargo not a cargo. Eurocargos are prone to serious chassis corrosion . Dont get one with air suspension, lots of trouble and very heavy.Make sure you get a good mechanic to check it out, and check the unladen weight. People are starting to panic about the vosa WIMS system and getting rid of overweight boxes.Personaly ,I love the old cargo,s.Parts are starting to be harder to get,but rust tends to be cosmetic,and cab pannels are all available.They are slow compared to modern lorrys but you wouldnt notice the difference on a long run.I followed a eurocargo from surrey to cheshire ,and they got there about 20 minutes before me.

yes I would avoid a older euro cargo too...but it would limit your choice as they are a common chassis ... the cabs rot and the brake system can be expensive to fix they have miles of pipes that rot and the calipers sieze up and cost a fortune to sort out ..

 

[I_A_P]

We have had a N reg Iveco for at least 5 years and its been great

 

[conniegirl]

I have a G reg Iveco (one of the first Ivecos) It is wonderful. Mum loves driving it, I find it very easy to drive (I'm 5ft 3 and a size 8 so not a big girl!).Mine only has a 2.5l engine on it but it goes up the hideous hills round here (snowdonia national park so bloody big mountains) with 2 Huge welsh cobs onboard and doesnt blink. It is incredibly efficient as it uses less fuel then mums 4x4.

mine has very little rust concidering it is 20 years old. It does not have a tilt cab but I've had no complaints from my mechanic who used to moan something wicked when I took in my old merc. the lorry is ultra reliable, it gives a lovely ride to the horses and whilst it is not the fastst lorry on earth it would pull up hill allday at 50mph without heating up!

Lovey my Iveco - we have called her Ivy the Iveco!

BTW mine is a 1990 reg and was about 6k cheaper then the first link the OP put up.

 

[popsdosh]

Eurocargos are great and parts easily and relatively cheap to obtain.Avoid all Mercedes apart from the later Ategos(these would be beyond your budget)as the suspension is not suited to horses ,I have at least one request a week to help beef up Mercedes suspension.Mans also suffer this on some models.

 

[measles]

Talking about the rest of the lorry the OP put a link to, Oakland boxes were built up here and all looked good types from those I've seen.

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

I had a Euro cargo then sold it.
Got a MAN 8153 chassis now and love it.

 

[VRIN]

I have an old ford cargo and there was a time when it seemed that spare parts had become nearly impossible to find.. however that seems in the last couple of years to have got easier -

there is a particulary good place called Phillips Commercials which offers an excellent service - next day delivery and (fingers crossed) has been able to provide anything I have asked for.. (not sure I should be telling anyone about them..don't want them running out)

Kerrilli is right about the steering pump pipes - there is a fractional difference between the metric fittings and old imperial - you will be told it will make no difference at all - this is not the case!!! There are a lot of sceptics out there but from experience - don't go there!! Apparantly Phillips is making steering pipes now but I don't know if they use metric or imperial..

I was told (by the guy who looks after my truck who also looks after the roadferry trucks so plenty of experience)the best chassis is a Leyland Daf..

Good luck with your hunting

 

[worMy]

went to see lorry.
very nice, living (which is important to us) was lush, really liked it.
Looked good condition throughout.
deff two horse though and no external lockers (well one fairly small skirt one, for like stud boxes and all that stuff). But two saddle racks, and rug rack thing in horse area. loads of storage and cupboards etc in living for all our stuff.
drove well, mum found gearbox odd, but only in getting used to how everything clicked in.
heating in cab doesnt work, they said they would reflect that in price as would need to be fixed etc.
basically really liked it, but obv would get a mechanic out to thoroughly vet it....
so we shall seeeee

 

[bigboyrocky]

yeh ditto above,, when we were looking, mechanic just said dont touch the cargos..

to stop any confusion, just get a Mercedes

 

[shark1]

just to throw a spanner in the works, i wouldnt touch another iveco if you paid me, ours has been nothing but trouble.
out of all the ones we've had mercedes was the best by a mile.

coachbuilder wise, oakland are really good and without the designer price attached, olympic really nice, and personally would not recommend a whitaker, so many people i know have had alot of trouble with theirs.