How old is too old?? for a Daf Horsebox

Just nearly choked on my wine :D:D

Know of someone with a new Equitrek too, lovely leather interior but she keeps finding bits of the horse area that have fell off :eek:
I think a safer bet is ................................ yes you got it..... the K reg :D:D
 
Hiya,
I bought an F reg (1989) Leyland Roadrunner (DAF 45 engine and 6 speed gearbox) last August for £3000 and have spent a few quid on it since - firstly it needed a new floor and ramp (£1000), then a new power steering pump (£700). All was well, new battery in winter (£90) and then came the MOT in June (£1200). It unfortunately failed on a brake hose bursting under pressure on the rolling road, the other sides hose was an advisory so got that replaced, also a fairly bad oil leak from a perished gasket behind the fuel pump so that was sorted. I am gutted to have had to spend so much money on it - but the old'uns are money pits - but then isn't everything with horses....!! I am still glad I own it as I am free to enjoy my 2 horses taking them out and about. Its 21 years old and I dont want to tempt fate but its extremely reliable so I wouldnt say its too old but granted it was cheap to purchase.... just the running costs.....
 
This is my fear, saying that my friend has just sold an L reg Daf for a good price, probably cheap looking at whats out there :(, it was immaculate, coachbuilt and you could have practically lived in it. Put a private reg on it and it could have passed for a box 15 yrs younger and if it was younger, sold for £10k more!. It cost her nothing to maintain, bar a service and tax, test and she owned it for about 8 years.
It is scary, I have just seen a brilliant G reg cargo, looks horrendous at the mo but is a very solid build, needs a respray but if I knew it could be done without costing a fortune I would definately love to put the back on a newer chassis. The horse area is great.
Jusy how do they transfer a coachbuilt body, arent they built into rather than onto the chassis
 
Louby said:
This is my fear, saying that my friend has just sold an L reg Daf for a good price, probably cheap looking at whats out there :(, it was immaculate, coachbuilt and you could have practically lived in it. Put a private reg on it and it could have passed for a box 15 yrs younger and if it was younger, sold for £10k more!. It cost her nothing to maintain, bar a service and tax, test and she owned it for about 8 years.
It is scary, I have just seen a brilliant G reg cargo, looks horrendous at the mo but is a very solid build, needs a respray but if I knew it could be done without costing a fortune I would definately love to put the back on a newer chassis. The horse area is great.
Jusy how do they transfer a coachbuilt body, arent they built into rather than onto the chassis
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its not so bad if it has a tilt cab you need to watch the hight of cab to chassis to see if it will fit under the luton and you would most likely need some alterations round the cab to make it look right , if its a non tilt its much harder and as the modern chassis are much more complicated you would need to have it made to tilt which would cost... the other way is to find a newer same chassis as your replacing then its a bit more straightforward ... but ask someone for a quote/advice before you leap .. and there is a good chance there is rot and problems to find once things get disturbed like floor bearers and chassis mounts
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It was my mechanic who suggested doing this rather than buying an old box. He said something about cut throughs making it harder but doable??
The box Ive seen is on a G reg cargo, which looks shabby. My hubby spoke to the mechanic the other day when we was on route to look at a wagon and he said he had a Merc chassis coming in that was mint, not sure of the year but think it was 03 or 04. When you mention tilit cab, I take it you mean the horsebox body cos this one Ive seen doesnt. Its all just a thought :)
 
Louby said:
It was my mechanic who suggested doing this rather than buying an old box. He said something about cut throughs making it harder but doable??
The box Ive seen is on a G reg cargo, which looks shabby. My hubby spoke to the mechanic the other day when we was on route to look at a wagon and he said he had a Merc chassis coming in that was mint, not sure of the year but think it was 03 or 04. When you mention tilit cab, I take it you mean the horsebox body cos this one Ive seen doesnt. Its all just a thought :)
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yes the horsebox bit and yes merc ategos are good i have one, however they have a softly sprung cab that will rock about to much for a luton and or cut thru unless someone welds some bump stops on to the chassis to stop it moving and hitting/knocking on the body the merc is a bit heavier than say a daf lf and THE CAB MUST BE ABLE TO TIP on an atego as the filters are impossible to service from underneath ..
 
Thank heavens for Perfect11s, thank you. My mechanic is very good but he isnt horsey, so he doesnt appreciate the benefits of a cut through etc.
Do you want to make me a wagon :D:D I can supply a good chassis :D:D or I always suppose theres hp at Kevin Parkers :eek:
 
The k reg has sold :(:(, thats what I get for being such a worrier. Ahh well back the drawing board
SOMEONE SELL ME A DECENT WAGON :eek::eek::eek::eek:
Goes off to sulk!!
 
I agree with perfect 11s. Having gone through this whole process and having to learn by my mistakes I can offer some advice.
Cut throughs can be a nightmare unless they are done properly with a frame. It is better to have a tilt cab for servicing as some parts cannot be easily reached without tilting thereby putting your costs up. I closed my cut through but had to lift the floor of the luton by quite a bit to get the tilt. What we have done is put a removable floor in to allow tilt at service.
I have an 04 Daf chassis that drives like a car and had an uprated rear spring for the box. Cost 6k. The refurbishment of the box comes in around 6k but the only original bits are the verticals and the roof struts. Everything else had to be cut out because of rot. Told you I learned by my mistakes!! The box bolts on to the chassis and takes an afternoon to do. Its a viable route to getting a lorry that you know is sound and you will save money with MOT and servicing
 
Thanks Milosdad. Im happy to pay that much but it would cost me much more as I'd have to pay someone to do it. Im now wishing Id never sold my last wagon! :(
 
I have a K reg Man 8.150 Eco which takes 2 horses 8ft head height side ramp, seems very rerliable. had sat for 2 months then we brought it back 220 miles and was fine in 30oC heat. always starts, 2 new batrteries, new clutch, alumium floor, tilt cab, 130,000 miles and basic living which we are now re-doing. does 20 miles per gallons. recent respray. i got it for £3K it has a 6.7 litlre engine. no rust on chassis and very little on box. i can do the ramp on my own.
 
That is the cost with someone doing it for me. God I cant do DIY let alone refurbish a horsebox. When i asked my mechanics if I could help they said Yes by not touching anything!
 
We've got an X reg DAF but the actual horse box part and flat bed is off a C reg Road Runner, my dad first made it into a horse box about 17 years ago. He's had to do some fairly major refurb work because the metal parts around the back end had gone a bit too rusty for comfort. So he's basically chopped about a foot off the back, built a new back bit and stuck the ramp back on!

It looks pretty tidy now considering how old it is. Still would probably have costs loads to get someone else to do the work though.
 
Thats good then for a pretty new horsebox. I just worry, here I go again worry worry worry :D that its a job for a horsebox expert. My mechanic is brilliant but he doesnt make horseboxes for a living, he fixes them and other commercial vehicles.
 
You just need to find an experienced lorry fitter/mechanic and a good welder. My mechanics are fitters for a fleet owner and understand the regs inside out. Anything they need to know regarding the special reqs of a horsebox they just check with VOSA who are delighted to help as they know that we are building a safe box. Plus they have some brilliant ideas brought across from the commercial fleet. Such as putting a sleeve between the chassis pinch bolts that hold the box on so they dont distort the chassis when done up
 
Louby said:
Thats good then for a pretty new horsebox. I just worry, here I go again worry worry worry :D that its a job for a horsebox expert. My mechanic is brilliant but he doesnt make horseboxes for a living, he fixes them and other commercial vehicles.
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Louby, first if your on a smaller budget and yes i can relate to that! you need to forget about fancy looking lorrys and go for a basic non luton recenty done conversion on a tidy box van, not a old and most likley money pit coach built. then later have it uprated luton, skirts extra living etc because even a basic thing with no living is going to be beter than a trailer you still have the living space to camp in at shows and to change in and can even increase in value to a certain extent too if you have it improved and or last you a few years...
 
jessicabeau1 said:
hmm yeah but 'most' horsey people have a 4x4 or something that would pull a box imo...and still its much cheaper than maintaining and keeping an old lorry....just my opinion and past experiences! x
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Not me I've
got a fiesta £30 road tax and 60mpg!! and my diy conversion lorry....
the 4x4 and trailer make sense if you, realy need a 4x4 and very few people do!!! or do very few miles weekly. me I do about 500 some weeks and at 30mpg instead of 60 it would cost a fortune not that i wouldent want to ride round in a pick up or 4x4 just to much $$$$£££
 
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perfect11s said:
Louby, first if your on a smaller budget and yes i can relate to that! you need to forget about fancy looking lorrys and go for a basic non luton recenty done conversion on a tidy box van, not a old and most likley money pit coach built. then later have it uprated luton, skirts extra living etc because even a basic thing with no living is going to be beter than a trailer you still have the living space to camp in at shows and to change in and can even increase in value to a certain extent too if you have it improved and or last you a few years...
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I know your right but I just got rid of one of them :eek::eek: and mine cost me a fair bit more than £12k
Looks like Im either gonna have to have another conversion or up the budget.... a lot! So much for getting a cheaper wagon :(
 
What about that plastic horsebox that was in H&H a couple of weeks ago? Isn't that a way forward instead of Aluminium I understand that that had a good load capacity!
I doubt they have the resources of Boeing!

I know it wasn't cheap but it looked a nice box.
 
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