Please explain to me about Horsebox testing...

sychnant

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I am going round in circles here

7.5 ton lorry. I understand it needs plating and a VOSA inspection, is this right? If so, how do i find out where i can take one for this to be done?

I have tried googling but have confused myself thoroughly (which isn't hard at the best of times lol)

If anyone can tell me what needs to be done and how to find a place to do it, i would be eternally grateful Thankyou for reading
 

spacefaer

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To start with, a plating is a VOSA inspection :)

easiest thing to do is find yourself a "lorry man" - a garage that will maintain your lorry for you - they will do all the preparatory work and take it in for the test for you

whereabouts are you?
 

sychnant

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Thankyou, knew i was being a bit dim :D

I am in mid/north wales, i will ask at my local garage as we are very rural here - think i may have to trek out to Shrewsbury :p

Thankyou :)
 

Rowreach

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Definitely find yourself a bloke to look after your lorry and take it for testing for you - the test centres are a bit more stringent nowadays, but quite often will still let a lorry man nip round the corner and fix something minor before representing. They also know what the inspection guys are on about (and can occasionally argue with them:)) for your benefit.

So far I've had a Rodney (fairly useless), a Trevor (great but now living 500 miles away) and an Alistair, who is the best and has rescued me from miles away before now, and saved me a packet on repairs by doing loads of work himself rather than getting new parts at vast expense). Worth his weight in gold :D

I also have a Grant for the tractor [Rowreach swoons and wonders hopefully if the tractor will go wrong again soon] :eek::eek:
 

cundlegreen

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This is what you want, but it takes a bit of navigating around.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/onlineservices/onlineservices.htm
The test is £95.00 and retest £38.00. Some testing stations are more stringent than others, I happen to have to go to one of the worst! I do all my own work, as the lorry repair expert can sometimes take you for a ride. A friend of mine ended up paying for 4 new tyres for her test, and it finally cost her £1600 to get it passed. Always "suss" out your nearest HGV breakers yards, as the parts are usually much cheaper than buying new. If you are only doing less than 5,000 miles a year, you'll have more trouble from tyres and parts just perishing from lack of use. hope some of this is helpful.
 

legend22

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I'd book it in take it and see what / if it fails on. A re-test is cheaper than paying for unnecessary work and you can then go to a garage and tell them what you want done. A find a cheerful smile and a bit of perfume always go down well with the guys doing the testing as well!!!
 

thinlizzy

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IF you take lorry in for testing as is and it fails , sorry, this will be recorded against your operators licence ,it is different from normal mot tests on cars ,and you could have operators licence revoked and have to go to the traffic commissioners to explain why you are prestenting a faulty vehicle for tests so many times<they will think it is acceptable for you to present it like this and think you will run it like this > ,dont forget rules were changed to put horseboxes in line with commercial hgvs and will be effected by the same rules.Get it checked by a normal mot garage before your hgv test and take a tool box because any adjustments you can make there and then if you leave you have to re-book and pay again.HGV tests are allot stricter than your normal m.o.t.s.I know this because my grandparents have a haulage business.Hope it helps.And make sure its spotless !
 

LCobby

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Mike007

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Basicly all a vosa test/plating,is,is a detailed safety check. It is not maintenance. Find a good lorry mechanic. Running a lorry isnt cheap.Second hand tyres on a 7.5 tonne horsebox.No thank you!Your truck should have some form of safety check by a good mechanic who knows trucks,at a minimum of every 3 months!YOU should do a daily check before you drive.Oil water wheel nuts, and tyres .Hit the tyres on the tread with a baseball bat/hammer.If a rear tyre picked up a nail and has gone flat,you can guarantee that the tyre next to it will blow because it is overloaded.Keep a faults book in the cab and jot down faults when you find them. It makes your mechanics job so much easier,and easier=cheaper.
 

qwertyuiop

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You can check all the exterior metalwork and lights yourself. You can also do the air brake discharge/recovery test yourself. Check the tyre pressures before you go and give it a good run before you get to the test centre to blast the soot out of the exhaust system.

I always take the view that they are going to fail my lorry whatever, so I take it for test 1st and let them decide what needs doing.
 

legend22

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I always take the view that they are going to fail my lorry whatever, so I take it for test 1st and let them decide what needs doing.[/QUOTE]



I agree broken arrow! As I said it's cheaper to do it that way! My own lorry is HGV and I check the obvious and then take it down to testing station. Take the wheel dishes off ready for the vehicle inspector as that saves them time and you doing it when you get there! My family have been in haulage for over 60 years and I've had lots of lorry tests on both non and HGV horseboxes and this way has definately worked out cheaper for me.
You don't need an operators licence for your own private vehicle by the way!
 

Booboos

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Might be worth reading dressagecrazy's tale of woe recently when her lorry failed its test and was declared unroadworthy. She had to fork out for a recovery service (insurance won't cover this) to return it home so she could get it sorted and represented.

I am relatively near you and take mine to the Wrexham test centre. PM me if you want a recommendation for a local mechanic (SY11).
 

qwertyuiop

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Might be worth reading dressagecrazy's tale of woe recently when her lorry failed its test and was declared unroadworthy. She had to fork out for a recovery service (insurance won't cover this) to return it home so she could get it sorted and represented.

I am relatively near you and take mine to the Wrexham test centre. PM me if you want a recommendation for a local mechanic (SY11).

If they did that to mine, I would just walk to work (3 mins down the road from the test centre), get a lift home at the end of the day, and never go back for it. They are welcome to it! In fact, when they told me they were impounding it, I would refuse to move it (well its dangerous isn't it?) and leave it in the middle of the test shed (minus keys and a couple of other things essential to make it move without resorting to a crane)!
 

perfect11s

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If they did that to mine, I would just walk to work (3 mins down the road from the test centre), get a lift home at the end of the day, and never go back for it. They are welcome to it! In fact, when they told me they were impounding it, I would refuse to move it (well its dangerous isn't it?) and leave it in the middle of the test shed (minus keys and a couple of other things essential to make it move without resorting to a crane)!
um you are dealing with a goverment department I think sadly they would have the upper hand and would have some nasty law on there side , you just have to humour them and if they think a lorry is unsafe they will give it a prohibition , so it pays to
have a lorry checked over by a mecanic before presenting it for a test.....
 

qwertyuiop

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um you are dealing with a goverment department I think sadly they would have the upper hand and would have some nasty law on there side , you just have to humour them and if they think a lorry is unsafe they will give it a prohibition , so it pays to
have a lorry checked over by a mecanic before presenting it for a test.....

I'd like to see them try and follow me in to work. That would be amusing...
 

Mike007

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Vosa dont put an immediate prohibition on a vehicle under test,lightly.If it is unsafe,it is unsafe,and they cannot in all concience let it out on the road.When I take a vehicle in after checking it ,I welcome vosa as a second opinion,plus I dont have a rolling road,so while I can inspect brakes up to a point,I need the test to confirm my work.Lorries make up 2% of road traffic yet are involved in 17% of accidents, and horseboxes have been identified as the worst maintained (on average).What price do people put on their horses and their own lives.
 

perfect11s

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I'd like to see them try and follow me in to work. That would be amusing...
I dont think they would be interested my guess is you would just get a massive bill for removal and storage, it is a pain getting a prohibtion but surely better to have safe lorrys on the road I dont think many folks would like the idea of some dizzy bird in a 7.5 ton death trap with faulty brakes going down the highstreet :D
 

perfect11s

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.Lorries make up 2% of road traffic yet are involved in 17% of accidents, and horseboxes have been identified as the worst maintained (on average).What price do people put on their horses and their own lives.
Sadly not much Mike, It (horse transport) seems a area in which some horse owners are prepared to cut corners!!! for instance
I have never seen a post for what's the best tow car, just what is the smalest can I get away with or can I carry 2 horses in a 3.5 ton... Im sure these self same people woulldent dream of useing a dodgy girth or other tack if faulty but they will leave there lorry or trailer parked in the nettles for monthes and get in and go to a show with little or no checking as to its safety............
 

qwertyuiop

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I dont think they would be interested my guess is you would just get a massive bill for removal and storage, it is a pain getting a prohibtion but surely better to have safe lorrys on the road I dont think many folks would like the idea of some dizzy bird in a 7.5 ton death trap with faulty brakes going down the highstreet :D

Which I wouldn't pay!

Dizzy bird?
 
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