How fast do you drive your trailer/lorry on the motorway?

What kind of work is(are) your horse(s) in?

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Santa_Claus

Santa_Claus

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www.katiemortimore.com
Having been overtaken by a small horse lorry (with horses on board) yesterday which was travelling just a tad over the speed limit I am interested to hear what speed everyone else travels at when transporting horses. this will have to be a bit thoretical as some have lorries like mine which although allowed to do 70 can only just about scrap 57mph travelling down hill with the wind behind
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Katie
 
I generally keep mine around the 55mph mark - 60 down hills!! But its a '91 box, so like to keep it steady.

Saying that I was overtaken last time I went to somerford by a big posh lorry that absolutely flew past then by another older than mine!
 
I think it's probably different for a trailer & a lorry so you may get a mixed up roll result... We drive the trailer at 50mph with horse in & 55mph without.
 
I don't know for sure as my speedo doesn't work but based on engine revs about 55 to 60mph...or put another way, NOT flat out.

No two lorries are the same and so you can't really say what is a maximum safe speed anyway. A modern Scania 380 with an Oakley body is going to be able to travel a lot faster in safety than a lighter older vehicle for instance. It's more about the 'way' they are driven...
 
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I don't know for sure as my speedo doesn't work but based on engine revs about 55 to 60mph...or put another way, NOT flat out.

No two lorries are the same and so you can't really say what is a maximum safe speed anyway. A modern Scania 380 with an Oakley body is going to be able to travel a lot faster in safety than a lighter older vehicle for instance. It's more about the 'way' they are driven...

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true true! what would answer be for a 3.5tonne new type forward facing jobby (which is what overtook me and I was marginally above 70 myself!!
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In our "old" lorry would do around 60 - 65 on the motorway until it had to have the limiter on (all newer lorries, even the 7.5t now have to have a limiter) so 56mph. When our HGV arrived the limiter was set at 85kph (53mph) but have had it reset to 90kph (56mph) the legal max.
 
The speed limit for trailers is actually 60mph anyway as you take 10mph off the speed limit in 70mph and 60mph zones... I normally drive about 55mph on a motorway, I feel comfortable at that speed.
 
Mum drives around 60mph, but one of the people I compete for is terrible, he really has got the automatic kick down bug, he just puts his foot flat to the floor and poor horses are shot to orbit- men will not be told!
 
if its a big open road with not much traffic about we can get to 65 maybe a little more...but if its kinda middle of the day traffic we stick to no more than 60 as if anything happened its a lot harder to stop/slow down safely
 
Trailer so 50-60 , only 60 if it's a stright road with a good surface.

Sometimes going lower is just as dangerous as you suddenly get all sorts flying upto/into the back of the trailer.

Also depends on how good a traveler I've got on board, a bad traveler I'd take the long route and avoid any main roads.

When I had a lorry it's top speed was 55 and that was down hill with a good wind, mind you breaks matched it so good job it didn't go faster really.
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Mine new lorry is limited, but i dont understand how lorry can fly past up when there reg of lorry *should* have a limiter. We have been told we cannot take it off?
 
well the lorry that went past me was travelling at a minimum of 80mph with horse on board the traffic was busy (5:30 yesterday) and driver had no qualms jumping for lane to lane at that speed. He quickly pulled away from me and as I said I was going marginally over 70 as my car sits rather nicely at about 72!
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depends on if we have 1 or 5 horses on..or indeed empty.

around 60 with 2 on.....

and anything i can get out of it when empty!!!
 
the law is that you shouldn't do over 50mph if carrying livestock, i believe.
my Cargo has a governor on it, happily goes along at 58, at 3/4 revs. i wouldn't want to go faster, tbh... takes too long to stop if something happens ahead of me.
a friend arrived to help me at an event once, gibbering cos she'd been overtaken on the motorway at 90mph by a horsebox in the outside lane, owned by a certain eventer who always had the biggest, best boxes... 90mph with horses on really is TOO fast.
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Put between 50-60mph, but this is going down hill with the wind behind us, have a very old Bedford TK, but it's the most reliable lorry and my horses travel well in it, so going fast is neither here nor there..........
 
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the law is that you shouldn't do over 50mph if carrying livestock, i believe.


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is it?
i've not been told, or read anything about that.



why should that be?
no different that any other baulk freight of a similar weight.


i'll give the FTA a quick ring in a minute..
 
my old but reliable 3.5t only manages to do 50mph unloaded! Uphill it is even worse but I dont need to do much motorway travelling so I dont mind. Took quite a bit of getting used to being overtaken by everything though!!
 
I travel along quite happily at 60 mph with our trailer as long as it's dual carriageway and no wind. My ponies all travel/load extremely well and don't arrive at the destination with any sweat so they are obviously quite happy with the way I drive.
 
info......

"all goods vehicle drivers are required to adhere to speed limits on roads and motorways.
a towing vehicle cannot exceed 60 mph nor use 3rd lane.
most lgv/hgv vehicles have weight and speed restrictions (limiters) and are also not permitted in the 3rd lane.

so, as i understand it, if your vehicle isnt restricted, and you dont venture into the 3rd lane, then you can legally travel at 70mph.
but not towing a trailer. that is 60mph
 
JM07, i was told this by a policeman friend a few years ago. can't find anything online about it though, so could be wrong.
i'd guess if it is true it's because the consequences to the cargo if you crash are far worse than to any other type of cargo...
 
minefield, really.

my vehicle doesnt have a restrictor..being a w reg MAN it should.. but it doesnt, so believe me it shifts!

as i said in my previous post, i wouldnt go over 60 with ponies on.

i think a lot really has to do with how often the driver actually does motorway driving and how confident they are.

i can spot a non-regular tower/box driver a mile off..they usually are the ones pootling along in the inside lane, doing 40 with a stream of traffic behind them!!! LOL!!
 
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