Lorry running costs?

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Bananaman

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www.teamtorrent.co.uk
Having had my trailer for about 15 years it really is time to upgrade. Nothing wrong with it at all, it's served me very well but just looking a bit tired.
It's an Ifor W 510............any idea on it's value.......regularly serviced, all present and correct except that it has lost it's rubber under the partitions?

I've always thought that the cost of running a lorry was not worth it but as I get older, the idea of sleeping overnight in my trailer at shows in Feb. is losing it's appeal!!!

Can anyone enlighten me as to the true running costs of a lorry. Nothing fancy, probably 2 or 3 horse with living. Cost of plating, tax, insurance, mpg etc. ?
 
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Having had my trailer for about 15 years it really is time to upgrade. Nothing wrong with it at all, it's served me very well but just looking a bit tired.
It's an Ifor W 510............any idea on it's value.......regularly serviced, all present and correct except that it has lost it's rubber under the partitions?

I've always thought that the cost of running a lorry was not worth it but as I get older, the idea of sleeping overnight in my trailer at shows in Feb. is losing it's appeal!!!

Can anyone enlighten me as to the true running costs of a lorry. Nothing fancy, probably 2 or 3 horse with living. Cost of plating, tax, insurance, mpg etc. ?

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It cost me £660 last year for a service, some repair work and to get through plating. About £150 was due to the w*****r MoT inspector failing it 1st time for the side reflectors sticking out 2mm too far...

Insurance and tax are about the same as a car.

MPG... Let's just say you can see the needle moving down sometimes as you drive.
 
My lorry's an F reg Ford 813. It usually costs £1000 a year at the garage, this year was a good one, but that's pretty much what it's averaged out at over thed last 4 years. Yesterday I did 300km, mostly motorway, but some stop-start stuff and hills, used about £55 diesel, and that costs 110p atm here.

I sold an Ifor a few years ago, looked good but the floor was going, a trailer dealer gave me £1k for it.
 
Tax is £165 - less than a big car
MOT is about £48 - and it is done at the ministry we are not a garage and don't make anything out of failing it - so you know they are honest
Insurance about £200 fully comp any driver

Running costs - I've probably spent about £1k on my lorry in 10 years - mainly on new tyres and exhaust.

Depends on your lorry how lucky you are for running costs.
 
Its all about your lorry mechanic! Garages see young horsee girls a mile off, and then rob you blind! Pick someone well known, and recommended in the area

My lorry cost me £100 for its plating this year, and is an E reg cargo. The year before about £400, and the year before about £400.

My friend who used to use a garage who she trusted, used to charge her about £1k per year to get ready for its plating, having moved to the guy I use, its cost her about the same as me.

Things you need to keep checking etc are tyres, floor, anti freeze etc, windscreen wipers and dependent on how much you spend on your lorry take in to account its age, and the usual moans and groans about that model when, esp when you go looking eg. Ford Cargo and renound for having rust on the doors, wheel arches and in and around the cab
 
Oooh, I can feel a possible upgrade coming on!!!!

We are really lucky as we have an excellent mechanic in the family, (not married yet but looking hopeful!), so those costs would be fair, ie not ripped off.

We buy our diesel in bulk and have a tank on the farm so that would be a bit better than having to pay pump prices. (Not red diesel, I hasten to add!)

The main costs seem to be the possible garage costs then and I guess as with any older vehichle, you could get lucky or buy a pig with everything going wrong.
Hopefully my nephew-in-law would check it over for me.

Next question......buy private or from a dealer? Any recommendations?

Right......off to feed the horses now then to poor over horseboxes for sale sites!
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Depends what your budget is!! Personally I am happy to buy from either, if buying private, again its all about the mechanic. A great paint job can cover a multitude of sins to an amateur!!
 
I allow £1,000 a year MOT, on top of that, £160 tax and insurance runs at £350.00 with breakdown cover. NOT CHEAP but It works out at around £30 a week without fuel even if you don't use it. BUT, I drive around all week in a cheap runaround, 40 miles to the gallon and cheap insurance and tax. Taking that into considration I would say it cost about £20 - £25 a week without fuel. Is it worth it to you?
 
I bought my first lorry 10 months ago from a private seller. I was very lucky, he is a really genuine chap. It is an H reg leyland daf, 3 horse with small living. It is only 20ft in length and is so easy to drive
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I too was worried about the running costs but so far, so good!
My OH is not a mechanic but is very good at that sort of thing. He changed a kingpin on the front wheel which we knew needed doing and £49 for the plating and that was it. They did advise us on a couple of things like 2 tyres needed soon, but all those things i can get done throughout the year and spread the cost.
It doesnt drink any more fuel than our landrover discovery when i was towing, the tax is £165 and the ins is £180 with recovery, so all in all i think its wonderful and it is staying for quite a while i hope
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Its lovely to have somewhere to change and make a cup of tea and the horses are very happy on it.
 
Fully Comprehensive insurance is £180, Recovery insurance in case of breakdown is £160, Road Tax £180, Annual Service, MOT Fee, Preperation for MOT and Taking to MOT £300.

My vehicle is a fairly ancient 7.5 ton (27 Year Old) and only insured for £3,000 and only insured to travel less than 3,000 miles per year.

Obviously if something went wrong mechanically then there is the cost of the labour and parts.

If you intend using the vehicle within the M25 then you will need a Euro 4 compliant engine in it.

Put whatever vehicle you intend buying on a pubic weighbridge to check the payload. Do not rely on what the sellers tell you.

To find a good reliable mechanic go round the local yards and ask the owners of vehicles who they use and if they are happy with them.
 
If you are looking to purchase a wagon, just one thing to think about with regards to mechanic fees. A tilt cab will end up being much cheaper to do as if it doesn't tilt, to get to the engine, seats have to be removed etc, adding to any labour fees.

Our wagon doesn't have a luton, so we have a tilt cab - some with lutons can also be tilted but the majority can't.

Floors do not get checked during test or during service so you will have to ensure they are safe by looking at it yourself.

I would never go back to a car & trailer now I have my wagon.
 
Whatever you decide to get, do check the weight and make sure you can get your horse, driver, passengers and equipment on and still be under the 7.5t. Only other advice would be to buy the best you can afford. I currently have a Renault Midliner, which is the best one I've had so far, but have previously had a Volvo (good but parts are expensive) a big Renault ditto, and two Bedfords which were pretty bad for things going wrong but the parts were cheap.

And like the others say, it's more about the mechanic than the lorry - mine is fab, but some will love trying to rip you off.
 
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This is why I love HHO, so many lovely, helpful people, willing to give their knowledge gleaned through experience. Thanks to all of you for your help so far.

Next query........what sort to look out for?

I am only very little so it will need to be something easy to drive. I have driven lorries for work before but we are talking a long time ago and I can't remember what sort they were.
I had in mind that Leyland Daf's were OK. I've not heard of the Renault Midliner.
My budget would be up to 10k I think without doing my sums properly.
 
We're on our 4th lorry (we've kept each about 6 years and then upgraded) and would def recommend getting the best quality body that you can. A "name", whilst being on an older chassis than an equivalent conversion-type box, will hold it's value and give you peace of mind that it's safe for you and the horses.

Our current box is a good make, coachbuilt and bought privately from a wealthy eventing family who could afford to do the routine upkeep on it. That said, the chassis is an N Reg and we've had to replace certain mechanical bits that go with age but I expect to have to do this at a cost of about £1,000 a year. We've spent £2,500 this year but I hope that will see us through for a few years to come.

Our previous box was built to order by a company who later "featured" in the H&H news section! Our box was fine, but we had a lucky escape.
 
I bought my first lorry privately (Ford Cargo) and in the 5 years we had it, most things that went wrong were trivial. Then when it was time to upgrade we decided to have one built so we could specify exactly what we wanted. However we have had it now since May (Daf 45) and have had one thing after another go wrong (all just after the warranty expired!) I wish now I had bought another one privately with a mechanics inspection. The lady that bought my old one is having trouble free driving whilst mine is often in the garage again.
 
As for whether to buy privately or from a dealer just be aware that if you buy from a private seller it is your responsibility to HPI check the chassis. Last thing you need is someone selling a chassis with outstanding finance on it and you being liable for the bill. Believe me this does happen. If you buy from a dealer it is their responsibility to HPI check, if they dont the buck stops with them and they have to clear any outstanding finance.
 
Yep, Mercedes also have a bigger turning circle. I find my Daf incredibly easy to drive, the Man was more heavy on the clutch and the Iveco were another nice drive.

I would personally buy from a dealer because you always have a come back if something goes wrong... but that is just me
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We had an Iveco until it caught fire today (post in Comp Riders) which was lovely to drive. I learnt and took my test in a Daf which I also liked as the gearbox was a bit easier but that might be as it was a lot newer than our lorry. I think it's a case of trying a few to see which you like best.

We've got a trailer too which we use most of the time then use the lorry when we're taking 3 horses, staying over or it's raining as it's so much nicer to not get continually wet!

As for insurance we paid about £400 for up to 5000 miles a year. It's more than usual as I'm under 25. We've got our own diesel tank too so can't tell you how fuel efficient it is but we did get from North Wales to Lincoln and back on one tank!
 
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