HORSEBOX'S - WORRYING LETTER REGARDING BEING OVER-WEIGHT

[PeterNatt]

From this weeks Horse and Hounds Letter Page 19 of 14 September 2006
"On our way home from Blair Castle in our 7.5 Ton horsebox we were pulled up for a Vehicle and Operators Service Agency (VOSA) mobile check.
We had the horsebox weight checked and where found to be overweight, particularly on the front axel [the weight, when fully laden, of all large goods vehicles over 3.5 tons must not exceed their stated gross vehicle weight].
Although still overweight, after dumping our water, haylage and feed we were allowed to contine with a written and formal warning. The unladen weight of the horsebox is 6.8 tones, without fuel driver, passenger, groom water, bedding hay, feed, tack, the generator, two horses or three ponies. With these we must have weighed nearer 8.5 ton.
VOSA pointed out that it is 'Sharpening Up' on horseboxes and intends to weigh trucks going into shows in 2007.
Although this swells the ministerial coffers and gives us all penalty points , it also invalidates our insurance if we are found negligent and our lorries overweight.
We now plan to put our current horsebox up for sale and have booked to do the HGV test."

The fine for driving an overweight lorry on the public highway is £4,000.00.

My advice would be to take your lorry to a weighbridge (most large feed merchants that distribute feed in their own lorries have one) and check out how much your lorry weighs with all your horses etc on board.

(Most 7.5 ton horseboxes which carry more than 2 horses and are anything other than simply partitioned will be overweight). (In other words any lorries that have day or full living). The reason for this is that they are longer which means they are heavier and also have all the weight of the living etc. Even a basic 7.5 ton race horse transporter which just carries racehorses can not carry more than 2-3 horses without going overweight.

If they start checking next year now is the time to check your own vehicle out as once these checks become established there will be a serious number of 7.5 ton lorries put on the market.

 

[henryhorn]

My husband was pulled in on the M25 last year and everything weighed, and he was empty at the time.
We did actually find we had a lot of leeway even adding the horse's weight in, but that was with two horses not three, I reckon three and we would be over the limit.
I've just realised they have set off for a HT without the horses' passports, oh what a lot of rules you have to abide by nowadays

We now have to add those side lights before long too, we already have three reflectors on a 22 foot box but luckily my husband can install them himself..
I think a lot of people would be surprised how near their limit a laden box is, as most of us carry so much stuff that never comes out such as spare equipment.

 

[RobinHood]

We have a 7.5 ton box that weighs 6.2 when empty. That means we can take 2 smallish horse even though the box is partitioned for 5 elephants. We are going to sell said box as only being able to take 2 is useless to us, and we will get any prospective purchase weighed before we buy it.

 

[vivhewe]

Thanks PN for another extremely useful post!

As I get older and wiser it actually occurs more to me as to whether or not the government actually want anyone to do anything in this country!

Grrrr!

 

[cp1980]

[ QUOTE ]
Although this swells the ministerial coffers and gives us all penalty points

[/ QUOTE ]

Booking and fining people who illegally overload their vehicle is not vindictive or greedy. It's done because to overload a vehicle is unsafe! That sort of reaction suggests arrogance. I'm suprised H&H published it.

Anyway, here is a link some people who bother complying with essential road transport laws useful:

www.chrishodgetrucks.co.uk/pagelaw/lawhome.htm

 

[beaconhorse]

If we are having this trouble with 7.5 t what on earth are they going to have with the 3.5t ??

Does it not tell you anywhere on your plating cerificate what you weight empty?

 

[pixie]

Surely if a horsebox is designed to carry say 3x16.2hh horses which a weight approximately 500 kg each, then the unladen weight should be at the very most around 5.5 tonnes if its going to carry passengers, fuel, tack etc. What's the point in having an unladen weight of 6.8 tonnes?

 

[Doreys_Mum]

Old news.

Older lorries, in particular Bedford, and in particular wooden bodied bedfords, are overweight before you load them.

Someone inspected our bedford and told us never to use a weighbridge, cos then we'd never know for sure how overweight she was.

This news upsets me because it pretty much signs the death warrant for wooden bodied bedfords, which are wonderful boxes and dispite being overweight, are still running where most of the newer boxes have already died. What does that say about weight legislation?

 

[nicknack]

This is very useful news. Yes - the regulations are not new, but the focus on enforcing them is!

I asked my OH about this (he being a qualified Transport Manager). He's often commented to me in the past about the overloading of horseboxes.

Basically it matters because your axels are built to carry a certain weight. If you overload your axels then your suspension flattens which means the suspension is unable to soak up the lumps and bumps you encounter on the road, thus throwing the vehicle around the road - not a good idea!

Secondly, your brakes are designed to stop the maximum laden weight ONLY. Therefore if they are designed to stop 7.5, they'll struggle to stop 9 t and your horsebox will slide down the road. Again, not a good idea!

This isn't about making life difficult - it's about road safety - that's safety for all of us, yourself, your horses and other road users.

My husband tells me that most weeks he hears of at least 2 overturned horseboxes on the national road network causing traffic holdups. Don't know about you, but I don't fancy my horses being tipped over on the motorway.

Purpose built boxes are best because they are designed to carry the sort of stuff we carry in horseboxes. Conversions, particularly when you've added a body to a chassis which was designed to carry weight in a different distribution, are particularly problematic.

He certainly doesn't recommend putting your head in the sand by never putting your box on a weighbridge!!!

*stepping off the soapbox now*

 

[clipclop]

This is what I was wondering too, especially as there is a lot of van style boxes out there?

I know with our own vans it is very, very easy to overload a 3.5tonne vehicle with just tools and a few materials. I really don't think that lot would weigh as much as two horses?

C x

 

[FMM]

Wooden bodied horseboxes may look beautiful when they are well maintained, but even when in pristine condition, I have seen awful pics of when they have been in accidents and the sides have collapsed like dominoes! The new vehicles are much safer. Basically, 2 horses and a small day living should be about OK for 7.5 t. If in doubt, get the lorry weighed with everything on board and see how far out you are.

 

[dieseldog]

I liked the fact that she was going to sell the lorry, do you think she'll tell the person she sold it to how much it weighs?

We got stopped the other day, my sisters' was 350Kg under but only had 2 horses in it not 3.

My little lorry has about 2tonne spare (whilst loaded with everything except the horse. So you could put 3 big horses in it, except theres no room!

 

[samerlin]

if you get your 7.5ton lorry plated. when you get your pass certificate it should tell you what your gross unladen weight is then allow your horses weight and passengers.

 

[Doreys_Mum]

my wooden bodies bedford travelled for 6 hours in one direction and 6 hours home again all in the space of 10 days.

She never tipped, she never had breaking issues... in fact, she didn't even have a single problem!!!

And her only history was that a lorry had rammed into the side of her at a junction, so one of the ramps had had to have been replaced.

The body itself had survived.

On the other hand, my mum took Zak out in a friends modern box and something rather serious failed, as well as the fact every time Zak moved the box swayed.

If I had a modern box, I'd have it home made and I know who'd make it for me...

 

[Saf]

Thank you for that info have just looked at mine from last weeks plating and I am fine

 

[Ferdinase514]

[ QUOTE ]
We now have to add those side lights before long too, we already have three reflectors on a 22 foot box

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this a new rule? My friend recently had her 21ft truck plated and failed (amongst other things) for not having lights down the side.

Luckily mine already has them.

I have a 2 horse daf, with 18ft body (shorter than most 'standard' 7.5 ton) The unladen weight is about 5.5tons. This makes me realise that my old 21ft Cargo that carried 3 horses must have been well over weight with horses in.

I have recently been to a garage where they recover commercial vehicles and seen some really nasty damage done to trucks. It's scary how easily the break. Saw one that hit the back of a milk tanker...whole cab crumpled and driver was killed with the tanker on his lap. Very eerie looking at the trucks knowing that someone had died in it.

Also saw the lorry that hit the motorway bridge on the M25 last wed. Not much left of that either. 56-0mph in 1 sec does very bad things.

BTW the milk tanker crash was as a result of the driver looking at the bridge crash.

(sorry for the long post)

 

[brighteyes]

We did a conversion on a 7.5 gvw MAN to take 3 equines. They are heavy to start with (being German built an all). We don't have a luton, but it weighs well under the max permissible weight when loaded with everything we could dream of taking anywhere. We kept an eye on the weight as we converted it by using a weighbridge. Also note your axles have max loadings on them and also need to be watched for overloading. I think they fine you so much per Kg you are overweight - £20 springs to mind though I don't know why. It wouldn't take much to be 100Kgs too heavy and there goes 2 grand! Get loaded up and get yourself along to a weighbridge!

 

[Ferdinase514]

Just in case you're interested....this is the crash

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/..._closes_m25.php

 

[Bosworth]

it's not just the wooden bodies that are overweight. I looked at several smooth sides and stick sides and asked to see the plating papers before i even bothered to look at the lorry. In 4 out of 5 instances I did not even look at the lorry as the unladen weights were so close to 5.5 tonnes I knew that they were no good for horses. I was going to be carrying 2 17hh plus horses and occasionally 1 15 hh as well. Basically most lorries were over 6.5 tonnes unladen. My horses weighed about 600 each and 500 for the smaller. So I could put in only one of my horses and two riders and the tack - not a lot of use really. And even new builds are close to the limit if you weigh your tack, your riders, grooms, friends, dogs, water, hay etc. I sold my lorry and bought a trailer and will use that until I take my HGV test and can drive drive an uprated lorry. Most 7.5 tonnes have been down graded to make them non HGVs that can be driven on a car licence and you can upgrade them to 10 tonnes and be legal. they are in many many cases more than capable of carrying well over 7.5 tonne but not in every case. But how many of you have an HGV licence

And by the way - ignorance of how much your lorry weighs does not constitute a let off and you will be made to pay the fine and leave behind whatever is necessary to make your lorry legal

 

[demia8]

Just a quick reminder.....

If you passed your test in 1997 or after you must hold a category C licence to drive a 7.5ton lorry.
If you do not hold this licence and you get pulled over, you will loose your licence, plus, your horse / vehicle insurance will be invalid.