Interesting....

there just isnt an answer though, is there...i mean where would the horses necks and heads go in these ill-thought out vehicles??
 
I hugely doubt they are ill though out tbh... there must have been some reasearch and planning going into designing them, and only a small proportion of horses get stuck. What about horses in trailers that jump over bars etc? When you travel a horse it's always dangerous, and though you try and minimise as many risks as possible...
 
In a trailer there is much less space for them to jump in to.
so les temptationto think it is an exit.
In a trailer,you can usually release the pins and drop the breast bar, esp front unload ones.

So 3.5 conversions have a breat bar, with room for horses head and neck and haynet, then a solid wall in front.

I expect the research and planning went in to how many features they can they fit in, and 'living' of a small seat and a couple in units around the horses head was added.

larger lorries even 2 facing forwards, have a bulkhead wall with samll grooms door between living and horses's heads
 
On the flip side of this though, how many times have you heard of horses getting stuck with front feet on tack lockers/in haynets in 7.5T / HGV boxes?
My cob cannot travel any other way than in my "burger van" (as you put it - I feel rather insulted by that!)

I often get down-the-nose looks when we draw up in it - I could afford, and can legally drive, a 7.5 tonner but don't due to my cob's travel issues.
As long as the horse is properly prepared for travelling, happy and content to travel in one there is NO problem. Same as with travel boots where people says they don't like them - your horse is telling you he's not comfortable with the boots so let him get used to them before travelling!
 
I think the picture of this was posted on here before and it looked like a very standard lorry with herringbone partions and the small door to the grooms section at the front as per 99% of horse lorries on the road. This wasn't a 'burgervan'

The horse had attempted to come over the partion towards the living and got stuck halfway over. This could happen in most of the lorries you see on the roads today.

Perhaps the design flaw he is talking about is that the partions were not quick release or something. I don't think it's the design of these vehicles, more the handling of the horse/common sense. i'e leaving a horse in tied too long or worse still, untied.

In saying that, my friend's horse tried to get over the breast bar of our IW trailer (the front ramp was up at the time and the grooms door was closed) and ended up sqished up in the front. the quick release bars are great idea, but not so useful when you need to lift the bar to release it, but your horse is on top of it!!!
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[ QUOTE ]
I hugely doubt they are ill though out tbh... there must have been some reasearch and planning going into designing them

[/ QUOTE ] Perhaps the initial conversions carried out by reputable manufacturers were well-researched, but unfortunately they have spawned a lot of copy cat versions done on the cheap, which really do look dangerous to travel in.
 
The new oakley 2 box we have at work looks like a burgr van and that is what our box driver calls it. Like most two boxes of that type it has a top and bottom to the ramp/door. In the Oakley the top portion of the door goes upwards Batmobile style on strutts, the horses hate this and most good loader sare a little iffy on it and the ramp has to be lowered before the top door is opened which just seems daft. It is also only 6 foot long in the horse area which even a box builder today where we took the vehicle for some repairs (yes and it is brand new) said was too small for normal horse size horses. He usually advises 6'6 to 7 foot for the horse area.
 
Ha Ha we actually ahve a real burger van at our centre for feeding folk on Open Days and Pony Club Day for lunch etc. I acquired it from a friend who gave it to me as a gift for some work I had done for her, it has been a god send.
I assume the burger vans you refer to are the Equi-trek type boxes, the bug white ones.
Bust as others have said it is just as easy to have a youngster go over the bar in a conventional box.
Personally I prefer travelling youngstock in a livestock trailer to avoid this.
I had a two year old go over the bar in my IW HB510 just 8 weeks ago and I was on my own and was lucky to free her which reinforced to me I should have had the livestock trailer that day too.
 
Here is my "Burger Van" - the interior has 7ft 5"internal headroom, and the internal horse area length is over 7ft (Ifor 505 max height is 7ft 2" and max length to horse's chest is 6ft 2 1/2")

My box has at least 3ft 10 of untapered headroom beyond the breast bar (which in my box is solid) - the Ifor is tapered and is max about the same but there is far less room due to the pointed front - I checked all this when we had mine built.

HorseboxPics_04.jpg
 
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