Lorry help/advice please-sorry may be long

[scribble]

I am looking to buy lorry next year to start takinng my horse out and about. however i am stuck really as to what to get. I dont have a huge budget up to £5k for right lorry.
I need to fit in a 16.3 horse and sometimes my friends 15.2 so had dismissed 3.5 ton boxes due to lack of weight.
needs to be reliable aas i am in norfolk and sometimes visit folks in Wales. needs to have day living or unfitted living i can fit out enough to put dog in and make cup tea. Dont want huge long box as will more often than not be driving myself so dont want big 20ft box to lug round. Can drive a 7.5 tonner so not an issue.

Can you get 3.5 ton with enough payload for these 2 horses.
what about 4.5, 5 ton or 6 ton boxes but dont know who makes them may consider new one. can you get little short 7.5 ton boxes?

 

[Nosey]

I personally think you would be better off with a compact 7.5 ton lorry.
I think you would struggle with your budget though unless you really happened to land jam side up...or you know a friend of a friend or something!
To get something to be reliable enough to do a reasonable amt of mileage will cost quite a bit more.
Its bad enough breaking down in a car...break down with horses on board and its 1000X more stressful.
Sorry if I come across as negative!

 

[MilosDad]

I dont think you will get away with less than 7.5 tonne.
Things to look for are payload ie how much you can carry. Its no good having a 7.5 tonne that weighs 7 tonne; that way you can only carry .5 tonne.
Take someone with you who know lorries. Go under it from front to back. Check the cab floor, check all kingpins and bearings ( jack the lorry up and try to shift the wheels up and down using a crowbar), check your air pump it should not leak oil. Drain the airtanks down and undo the valves, check for oil. Check the driveshaft. Check the crossmembers on the box.

Haggle

 

[scribble]

I am willing to look at new lorries if price is right and lorry is what i want but i cant find any 16-18ft 7.5 ton lorries.

any suggestions>????

 

[humblepie]

I used to have a 5 tonne Iveco Turbo which was really good, had lots of payload and could take a tall horse. There was a small day living which I did actually stay overnight in on a few occasions. That area may have been a bit smaller than you would want but you should be able to find something smaller than a 7.5 that does your job. I loved my little lorry as was so easy to get round. I now have a 7.5 with a 20' body which is lovely on the motorway but not so easy round the country lanes and gateways!

 

[PeterNatt]

What you want is a 7.5 Ton 2 Horse Ex Racing Box on a short chasis cab.

 

[ladyt25]

My advice is - keep looking! There are some nice little compact 7.5T ones out there and I think you can get one for your budget but it's a case or trawling loads of sites and getting an idea of what reg/type you can get for you cash.

We sold our old B reg for £2K or thereabouts so I think you could be looking at something F / G reg maybe for that price. There was actually a K reg I saw recently, looked smart enough - that was £6500 I think. It a case of getting the important bits right - flooring, engine etc.

There are a lot of boxes out there WAY overpriced so don't be scared to haggle!

Heres a few from a quick look

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/3_horse_g_reg_living_lancashire/71011

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/3_horse_h_reg_living_kent/70957

This looks good value

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/3_horse_k_reg_living_yorkshire/69047

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/3_horse_l_reg_living_derbyshire/68064

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/3_horse_p_reg_living_kent/66939

Think they are out there looking at these. I prefer boxes with lutons but for maintenance you're best getting something with a tilt cab. Still, that's down to your preference I guess.

We trawled tonnes of sites before we found the wagon we wanted for the right price. Avoid any Ford Cargos as they are very difficult to get parts for now.

 

[LCobby]

Some 6 tonners will take two horses and have a basic day living, with two tonnes payload
Look for something like a Trophy Twin
or a compact 7,5

 

[scribble]

I had been told yo get the youngest chassis i can for the money however i have seen some older chassis that look better thn some younger ones so not sure this is true. looking for Merc, iveco, Daf, not sure if Renault are reliable. know to avoid cargos. have had roadrunner with cummins engine buitls by tristar which was good but stolen.

 

[Mike007]

Please please,whatever you look for,get a good lorry mechanic to check it over.There are some right crooks out there, and people trying to pass on the vehicles they have been caught with.Some of these people make the average horse dealer look like mother Theresa!

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

I've got a 6.6 tonne Renault Dodge (Perkins engine) that takes 2 x 16.2 and has a small day living. It starts every time, is easy to drive and park and we get there - eventually (everything vibrates if you go much over 40 mph)! The previous owner used to go to Germany in it quite happily.

We love it and would recommend one.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I've got a lovely 6.6 tonne compact MERC 709D built by McNeills (Hampshire)- its a fab workhorse not fast but really reliable (touch wood). It takes two 16.2+ easily height wise but as its herringbone layout the width means a longer horse can be a little cramped. I've also driven a 7.5 tonne and to be honest I don't think length makes an awful lot of difference to ease of driving in most cases - you just get used to it.

Happy box hunting