Lorry or 4x4 please advice???

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I know this has been done to death many times but would like someone elses opinions on my situation. I currently have a 7.5 ton lorry 2 horse and a car. The car is an estate but is a lease car which i have to have from my company as i do sop many miles they wont let me claim private mielage so cant have my own car or a 4x4. Not allowed to tow with car either. I have one horse i take out and my friend quite often comes with her horse so min 2 horses. I decided against a 4x4 nd trailer before becuase the 4x4 breakdown wont pick up horses so have to have horse rescue, insurance and breaakdown, servicing and tyres etc for 4x4 and trailer- i said basically doubling everything compared to a lorry costs. we go out once a week and also go to my mums once or twice yr which is 300 miles each way hence didnt fancy that trip in lorry. However just had lorry mot and serviced and mechanic commented that although no issues i would be better with a 4x4 and trailer ( i cant afford to upgrade lorry for couple yrs - it is K reg Man). Any suggestions welcome. Dont really want to hire bowx as faffiing around collecting them and then returning, costly for number of times we use them and also limiting.
 
I have just sold my trailer and 4x4 and upgraded to a 7.5 tonne lorry again for a number of reasons as follows:

I found I was only ever going to the venues I knew I could drive in and out of without having to reverse the trailer as no matter how much I practiced, I found it really stressful and could never do it at shows>

I qualified for the Regionals and had to take my first journey round the motorway and believe me that can be quite hairy in a trailer with a big horse.

We overturned a trailer with two horses in the back when I was a teenager and my father was driving. It took a long time to get over this horrific incident and then a month ago I passed an upturned trailer on the side of the A40 and there was a horse ambulance there suggesting that the horse inside had not made it. It struck fear into me again. Two weeks ago I sold the trailer and now I am going to get a smaller car.

I don't know if this helps, but I personally don't think I could go back to a trailer having got a lorry again. They are safer and nicer for going to shows when the weather is bad, plus I think the horses get a better ride in a lorry.
 
I will very soon be selling my trailer and 4x4 to upgrade to 7.5t lorry.
Main reasons are safer vehicle for horses and only 4 corners to think about - I hate towing the trailer.

Costs for me will be similar as have car for work with car allowance and I only use 4x4 for towing.

4x4 tax has gone up

Want more storage when at shows and ability to have somewhere dry to sit and make lunch.

I'v got to book in for my lorry test and training but think it will be so worth it.
 
forgetting about the cost :eek:, trailer is more practical for local journeys - low trees and narrow lanes etc... Trying to get a big 7.5 tonne to the local hunt meet was a pain in the *&^%....
 
As above - I recently changed my 4x4 for a cheap little car, and got a 7.5t lorry.

I don't mind towing - I've towed on motorways, moved horses several hours in a trailer, so that wasn't really an issue, my main issue was the running costs of the 4x4. I'm self employed and do several thousand miles a year in my car. It was expensive to tax, expensive on fuel, and expensive to fix if something went wrong.

My lorry is old, very cheap to insure (including roadside rescue), cheap to tax, and I have a Friendly Neighbourhood Mechanic who looks after it for me. My little car is in the lowest tax bracket, again cheap to insure and is very economical on fuel.

I do love driving the lorry, there's so much space in the back for the horses, and I can carry three horses rather than be stuck to two in the trailer, we have a little bit of 'living' in the lorry, so can change/make a cup of tea/shelter from the rain.

Definitely more happy iwith my lorry!
 
lorry every time...cheaper to run than a 4x4 unless your a mecanic or married to one or very lucky... unless you realy need a 4x4 for other jobs... you have your company car to run round in .....
 
i also have a lease car for work and it would have cost a fortune to run one big enough to tow.i have a 4 x 4 just for towing trailer and this is better for me.only travel locally and use it to get hay,do dirty jobs .the idea of a box is good but wouldnt be worth while.
 
I'm having the trailer/lorry dilemma at the moment. I have a 4x4 and trailer and would really like a small lorry however I haven't taken the plunge yet and am still mulling it over. Here is my thought process:

4 x 4 tax costing me £500 a year and a fortune in diesel as it's my main mode of transport too. If I got a lorry and a small runaround it would be cheaper.

The horses would be dry when travelling in the wet.

I wouldn't have the hassle of hitching up in the dark some mornings.

And the reasons against the change are:

Lorries get stuck and I have to get out through a muddy gateway. I am concerned about getting it stuck in/out of the yard when I am on a timescale and there is no one to tow me out. Also I often have to park on the moors for hunting & I'm not sure a lorry would cope in the wet.

It will be left standing for periods of time and I would be worried it wouldn't start because of this.

The main reason is the terrible winter we had, if I didn't have a 4 x 4 I would never have got to my horses in the ice and snow - the Landcruiser was an absolute godsend.

So......all in all still no decision :D
 
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