Ok What do you think - Box, or 4wd & trailer debate? Your thoughts please!

monikirk

monikirk

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I've had my horse a year now and fancy some independence & adventure! He's a 16.3 friesian 600 kilos who would like equally large friend to come with us. :)

I'm trying to figure out if it's better to have a 4wd and a large trailer or a double horse box.

I think I need a 3.9+tonne but not totally sure as I have not found a site to advise on vehicles and weights and engine capacity.

Prob is I have a lovely diesel golf that does 45 mpg which I use to go to wk and then to yard about 30 miles altogether most days - if I have 4 wd guess fuel consumption will shoot up and the road tax will be higher!

If I got a box I'd prob only tax it for the summer and it might be easier to drive (never driven a trailer!)
We haven't decided on how much to spend but think we want to keep under 10k.
Any ideas or suggestions will be helpful - it seems to be really tricky to make correct decision especially with the price of diesel to take into consideration!:confused:
 
Just make sure you add in the 1500 quid that you'll probably need to get the average wagon thru it's plating... It really depends how far and long you plan on travel... If it's long distances I'd bite the bullet and get a wagon - for short local stuff I prefer a 4x4 and trailer.. (I have a 4x4 and a cheap fuel efficient car to go to work in - I drive about 1000 miles a week in all)

BnbX
 
monikirk said:
I've had my horse a year now and fancy some independence & adventure! He's a 16.3 friesian 600 kilos who would like equally large friend to come with us. :)

I'm trying to figure out if it's better to have a 4wd and a large trailer or a double horse box.

I think I need a 3.9+tonne but not totally sure as I have not found a site to advise on vehicles and weights and engine capacity.

Prob is I have a lovely diesel golf that does 45 mpg which I use to go to wk and then to yard about 30 miles altogether most days - if I have 4 wd guess fuel consumption will shoot up and the road tax will be higher!

If I got a box I'd prob only tax it for the summer and it might be easier to drive (never driven a trailer!)
We haven't decided on how much to spend but think we want to keep under 10k.
Any ideas or suggestions will be helpful - it seems to be really tricky to make correct decision especially with the price of diesel to take into consideration!:confused:
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I think it realy depends on how far you drive weekly a 4x4 will do about half what your golf does I guess you use about £30 per week ?so if you did it in a 4x4 say 30 more pw and 4x4s need more servicing I would swap the golf for a polo diesel or a fiesta some have free road tax and do 70+ mpg then its how you move your horse, a decent trailer is £3k and a 4x4 about £5k up, mpg dosent realy matter if you only have to tow with it you need to put tax on it and insure so thats your fixed cost or a lorry I dont think you will get a good 3.5 ton for under 10k most are very over priced for what is basicly a cheap tradesmans van with a limited life, they only carry one big horse too so sharing isnt a way of saving costs a 7.5 ton is better value and much more usefull, running costs are little different to 3.5 tons but luck is a factor what ever you buy as for repair costs and geting the annual mot.. get someone to check what ever your thinking of buying before you part with money ..oh if you took your test after 97 then a 3.5 is the only thing legal unless you take an extra test.. hope this helps
 
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Without a shadow of a doubt, get a box. I had a trailer jacknife with me on a dual carriageway last year with two horses in it. Never, ever again. EVER! I still have flashbacks to this day.
 
We've just had the same debate!

We (finally) decided on 4x4 + trailer.
Mainly for cost reasons. Its going to be a lot cheaper to get me through the B+E towing test, than the LGV test.
Plus we can use the 4x4 for getting through snowy roads (if we get snow like we had last Nov) in our little village.

As others have said though, it depends on how far your planning on going.
We're not planning any long journeys (1hour at most), so a trailer is fine for us.

Good luck!
 
This is a common debate. I think if your trips with the horse are mostly going to be within the county and mostly in spring/summer/autumn then the trailer will be probably be more cost effective.

If you plan to go out nearly every weekend all year round and go to things a long distance away (breed shows, qualifying for dressage, endurance, trec, eventing) then a lorry is going to be a lot more comfortable for you and the horses and much more convenient if you have to stay overnight.
 
Box everytime for me :)

I've been very lucky with mine, bought a 7.5t Leyland Roadrunner that is 20 years old for £5k, I've had it 6 years, so far I've spent about £2k on it; four new tyres, new brake discs/pads on the front, oh and a couple of light bulbs.

Its fab to reverse, park, drive, turning circle is brilliant

Apart from the cost of plating, insurance, diesel and tax, I don't think thats bad, but then I do share a car. I have large living and plenty of room for two horses/three ponies, with almost 2t payload.

I use mine at least once a week, even if its to hack out at a different place, plus I go on camps ( great fun ) and this year where off to the beach for three days :)

Do take someone knowledgeable if you do go and look at some, you should be able to get a good one for 10k
 
I've had my own 3.5 tonne lorry since I was 17 so much freedom and always nice to have some living and not clutter your car with stuff i leave most of my competition equipment in the lorry.

Saying that I do have to pay two lots of insurance mot etcetc but at least when my car is in the garage i have the lorry to drive around! with the right insurance you can loan your lorry out and make a bit of money on it!
 
You are all (horses and pasengers) safer in a 7.5 ton lorry. They are higher off the ground so you have better visibility and far stronger than a trailer or van type lorry.
 
I went through this decision process and concluded that I'd try a cheap 7.5 tonner and see how I got on. I bought a very old and ugly looking but safe and sound lorry for £1K with 12 months tax and test and kept her for three years, she was a little difficult to source parts for but went through her plating three times for me with little cost. She was very heavily used which porbably contributed to her reliability. I sold her for nearlywhat I paid for her and have replaced her with a much more modern lorry with living as our trips changed from frequent trips for lessons to longer trips and stays away.

I do also have a 4x4 and trailer for farm work and I can say that the 4x4, which cost four times as much to buy as my old lorry, has been far more unreliable and cost far more in repairs.

If you can find a cheap but safe and sound lorry I'd suggest buying it to see how you get on.
 
Used to be a box only person (7.5t). Had a 3.5 ton little lorry and hated it. Unless you have ponies the horses weight throws you all over the road. Now do everything with a 4x4 and trailer - even long journeys (1,000 miles plus) with absolutely no problem, even with a three horse trailer. Can feel everything the horse does behind (which you can't in the big lorries) - as for jack-knifing, read the road in front of you and don't travel too fast.
 
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