Horseboxes over 3.5 ton

[stimpy]

I am currently looking for a new horsebox and am getting very frustrated with the availability and cost of a well-built replacement 3.5 ton box. So, i was wondering about getting a 3.9 or 4.5 ton box as I have no issue with this form a licence POV and as long as the vehicle is still compact this might be a way to get a much *much* better vehicle for a fraction of the cost of a 3.5 ton. I don't want a 5ton or bigger, I have to park the box on a domestic drive so small and manoeuvrable is paramount and and I only need to carry two large ponies plus day living. What are the issues that I need to be aware of with getting a box in excess of 3.5 ton?

 

[Polos Mum]

The chassis size is rarely any different between 3.5 and 4.5

Many 3.9's are just uprated 3.5's - you can uprate them by filling in forms and in Europe all these vans are 3.9 not 3.5 as standard.

You have to plate above 3.5 vs. MOT 3.5 - slightly higher cost and harder to find in some areas

Tax is much cheaper for above 3.5 as commercial vehicle - so nets off with higher plating

Above 3.5 you might have to apply for exclusion with clean air zone if that's a thing in your area.

I would start with what weight you want to carry = payload rather than physical size, you can get massive boxes with a tonne of fancy living that can't carry 2 horses legally and you can get 7 tonne boxes that are tiny.

My 15hh is 580 kgs with a bit of summer blubber,
Diesel tank full ish is 100 kgs
Me plus helper - 160kgs
Water / tack - 40 kgs

So for just one horse I'm at 900 kgs payload - which is max for most 3.5's

If you only go to 3.9 then you will still only have 1.3 tonnes of payload - for me not really enough to get 2 normal size horses in comfortably.


But if you had v small ponies then you would have a lot of choice in layout / colour etc. taking a 3.5 and paying SV Tech - £300 to uprate it for you.

 

[asmp]

The chassis size is rarely any different between 3.5 and 4.5

Many 3.9's are just uprated 3.5's - you can uprate them by filling in forms and in Europe all these vans are 3.9 not 3.5 as standard.

You have to plate above 3.5 vs. MOT 3.5 - slightly higher cost and harder to find in some areas

Tax is much cheaper for above 3.5 as commercial vehicle - so nets off with higher plating

Above 3.5 you might have to apply for exclusion with clean air zone if that's a thing in your area.

I would start with what weight you want to carry = payload rather than physical size, you can get massive boxes with a tonne of fancy living that can't carry 2 horses legally and you can get 7 tonne boxes that are tiny.

My 15hh is 580 kgs with a bit of summer blubber,
Diesel tank full ish is 100 kgs
Me plus helper - 160kgs
Water / tack - 40 kgs

So for just one horse I'm at 900 kgs payload - which is max for most 3.5's

If you only go to 3.9 then you will still only have 1.3 tonnes of payload - for me not really enough to get 2 normal size horses in comfortably.


But if you had v small ponies then you would have a lot of choice in layout / colour etc. taking a 3.5 and paying SV Tech - £300 to uprate it for you.

I was trying to tell someone the other day that a 3.5t probably wouldn’t take two horses plus two people. I don’t think they listened to me ? and have advertised that they are looking for one.

 

[Polos Mum]

I was trying to tell someone the other day that a 3.5t probably wouldn’t take two horses plus two people. I don’t think they listened to me ? and have advertised that they are looking for one.

It's close as to whether they take 1 horse and 2 people !!

If you have fancy living (cooker, gas tank, hot horse shower etc.) you could get well below the payload to carry 1 horse.

I saw a 4.5 tonne advertised with a 1.1 tonne payload ! because of all the nice living.

Tell them that if they have an accident they won't be insured and that is not a good position to be in, or someone knocks into them and the police get involved its an easy excuse for the insurance co.

At a normal 900kg payload, less fuel, water, tack, 2 average people in boots/ coats you've probably only got 500-550kg of weight left for the horse.

Even a nice 14.2 native will be close to that and possibly over.

 

[stimpy]

Thanks for very helpful answer Polos Mum. I have max 850kg of horses to transport, though it is usually around the 750kg mark if I have the two on who go out the most. My current box has 1100kg payload so I can do it within 3.5 ton but my current thinking is that I don't need to stay within 3.5 ton for licence restrictions, and looking at prices it seems like there is an enormous cliff edge in price between 3.5 ton and 3.9 or 4 ton so maybe I should be looking at that market to get a better, ie newer, box and save some pennies in the process. My limiting factor is parking so i has to be small, so I am not looking at boxes with lots of living that push the body size.

Looking locally there seem to be loads of VOSA plating places (obvs I haven't checked availability, though last time I had to MOT my current box I had to wait a month!) so I am really looking for reasons *not* to get an uprated box. V interesting about tax, I had no idea that a bigger box would cost less! Will Google that now.

 

[stimpy]

I was trying to tell someone the other day that a 3.5t probably wouldn’t take two horses plus two people. I don’t think they listened to me ? and have advertised that they are looking for one.

I have this conversation all the time Most people I discuss this with don't know their payload and frankly don't care. When i bought my current box I took it to the weigh bridge myself, and I am pretty careful about how much stuff I take with me if I have two ponies on board. I also never take 3 people in cab as that's another 70kgs straight away.

 

[jenni999]

Thanks for very helpful answer Polos Mum. I have max 850kg of horses to transport, though it is usually around the 750kg mark if I have the two on who go out the most. My current box has 1100kg payload so I can do it within 3.5 ton but my current thinking is that I don't need to stay within 3.5 ton for licence restrictions, and looking at prices it seems like there is an enormous cliff edge in price between 3.5 ton and 3.9 or 4 ton so maybe I should be looking at that market to get a better, ie newer, box and save some pennies in the process. My limiting factor is parking so i has to be small, so I am not looking at boxes with lots of living that push the body size.

Looking locally there seem to be loads of VOSA plating places (obvs I haven't checked availability, though last time I had to MOT my current box I had to wait a month!) so I am really looking for reasons *not* to get an uprated box. V interesting about tax, I had no idea that a bigger box would cost less! Will Google that now.

Tax on my 7.5t is £165 - I don't think that's gone up for years. (tempting fate now)...

 

[Quigleyandme]

I had a 3.5 tonne Vauxhall Movano to transport one performance (lean) Dales pony. I would be in struggling along in first gear by the time I got to the top of any decent hill. On the flat she was brilliant though.

 

[Bernster]

Hmm, cost and availability probably just as much of an issue with something bigger, as those 4.5/5t ones are fairly rare. There’s a smaller market of buyers I suppose as lots of people can’t drive them. Payload should be better if that’s what you’re after though.

I love mine. Just like a 3.5t but with a slightly longer at the back for more living area. Main downside compared to a 3.5t (assuming you have the right license) is you have to have it plated rather than an MOT but that’s not that big a deal. But I like having the confidence of knowing it can actually take 2 horses.

ETA if you only need a little extra payload, uprating a 3.5t to a 3.9t may be a good idea. Still needs plating I think, rather than an MOT.

 

[humblepie]

Tax on my 7.5t is £165 - I don't think that's gone up for years. (tempting fate now)...

My other half gets very cross that my ancient lorry costs so much less in road tax than his car. The lorry test fee has gone up a lot in recent years. Pretty sure it used to be less than a car one.

 

[exracehorse]

I have this conversation all the time Most people I discuss this with don't know their payload and frankly don't care. When i bought my current box I took it to the weigh bridge myself, and I am pretty careful about how much stuff I take with me if I have two ponies on board. I also never take 3 people in cab as that's another 70kgs straight away.

I know someone who drives an ancient wooden conversion with two 16.2h horses inside. Plus passengers. Tack. Water. Etc.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I had a 3.5 tonne Vauxhall Movano to transport one performance (lean) Dales pony. I would be in struggling along in first gear by the time I got to the top of any decent hill. On the flat she was brilliant though.

Perhaps it was down to an underpowered engine?
My Movano positively pulls well even up to a distant rc field approached by a 1 in 6 hill with 2 tight bends, it has a 2.5 cdi engine in. Earlier ones didnt all have fuel injection, engines covered anything from 1600cc upwards.

 

[ester]

The 4.5t I’ve met are all significantly larger than a 3.5t if drive parking/manoeuvring is an issue, I suspect mostly because people want the bigger tonnage in order to have more capacity (and therefore space) for living on the back.

 

[spotty_pony]

I am currently looking for a new horsebox and am getting very frustrated with the availability and cost of a well-built replacement 3.5 ton box. So, i was wondering about getting a 3.9 or 4.5 ton box as I have no issue with this form a licence POV and as long as the vehicle is still compact this might be a way to get a much *much* better vehicle for a fraction of the cost of a 3.5 ton. I don't want a 5ton or bigger, I have to park the box on a domestic drive so small and manoeuvrable is paramount and and I only need to carry two large ponies plus day living. What are the issues that I need to be aware of with getting a box in excess of 3.5 ton?

sorry to jump on thread but we do have a lovely 3.5 tonne for sale but it will depend on your budget. The market for the 3.5 tonnes is rocketing at the moment and they are selling for good money. Ours is in very good condition though and we are still in touch with the previous owner too. ?