Post '97 Drivers, do you have a trailer, 3.5T or bigger lorry?

dressager

dressager

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I have been dilemma-ing for some time now whether 1) I like the thought of my 16.2hh slightly bargy WB in a trailer and me taking the trailer test 2) Whether a 3.5T is worth the huge price tag when the actual chassis can have done 5 or 6 figure milage 3) Whether its worth taking the HGV test and buying an expensive to maintain larger box just for one horse (probably not). Would probably use it twice a month just for local shows on my own, although would want to feel confident if I needed to do a longer trip. My instincts go with the 3.5T, but how can you tell who's a dodgy dealer and who's not :confused:

What have all you "young people" opted for?!
 
i originally had a 6t lorry so i did my HGV but it was a wreck and too expensive to maintain so i did my trailer test and have an equitrek. i'd get a 3.5t if i could afford one. i think the OHTO have a list of mechanics you can hire to go see a box with you before you buy it...might be worth it :)
 
we have a trailer atm which i cannot drive as my insurance for our 4x4 would be astronomical (i am 18)!
thought about getting a 3.5t but i am a bit apprehensive as to how much it can carry ( i have 2 fine 15-15.2hh) apparently once it has all the tack and stuff in it can't carry that much :(
 
I sat my class 2 HGV and got a 7.5tn was the best thing I did. I would have rather sat this test than the trailer one, really didn't want to toe. Hate those 3.5t lorries they are so expensive for what they are and I have seen two terrible accidents involving the front brace bar in the converted van things.
 
I have a Renault master 3.5 tonne lorry. I love it, and Bodey or Badger (being not overly big horses ) fit in it and travel really well in it.

This is where mine came from:
http://www.truleisure.com/

PS before anyone goes on about the price my Dad bought it for me (and my sister), aren’t we lucky girls, lol!
 
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Ive got a 3.5ton but im selling it so i can get a 7.5ton as my boy is a bit big. Luckly my bf is going to drive it for me but im planning to do my test at some point so i dont have to rely on him all the time.
 
We have an 18 tonne lorry, tried a 3.5 tonne just didnt like it, it felt very unsafe but we have big horses so I imagine it would be a lot easier with smaller ones.
If you are only going to use it a few times a month then I would invest in a trailer as its cheaper to maintain not to mention cheaper to buy.
 
I have just doen my trailer test. It was £530 for 16hours trainign which I did within the week and includes the cost of test at end. The test itself is £115. I bought a cheap non pretty but mechanically sound 4x4 and am now lookign for a trailer. The test is very easy with agood instructor. Just need to do some show me tell me questions, a reverse into parking space (very easy once expained step by step!) an emergency stop and 45 min drive on roads and finallyhow to couple and uncouple trailer to vehicle. I was unsure which to do but figured that at 21 the likelihood of me being able to afford to run a lorry would be low and also I was worried the 3.5 tonne would be tricky to stick to as have 16.3 warmblood so him plus me plus tack, hay et cetc and the general weight of vehicle would exceed weight limit. I also didn't think much point in not being able to give lifts to friends either so I wouldn't have to be on my own all time.
Good luck with whichever u go for :)
 
I've got a 4x4 and trailer, did my trailer test in October. We dont travel far and i couldnt a) afford to buy/run a lorry and b) afford the HGV licence. My trailer is mine and so is the 4x4 but i suppose if worst came to worse and i couldnt afford to run the car ive still got the trailer and would try and borrow/hire a car.

I think you tend to stick to what you know, our yard has only tended to have trailers so we feel comfortable with them. Other people think trailers arent safe (for what reasons im not sure) compare to lorrys but i think these tend to be people who have only ever known lorrys.

Hope you get sorted which ever you choose!
 
i bought this 3.5t box last year.
horsebox.jpg

so far its only cost me (running costs!) £120 service, £57 MOT, £185 road tax, 3 full tanks of fuel (£80 each)
i go out on average once a week, sometimes 3x week fairly local journeys. can honestly say its meant ive been able to have so much more fun and progression with the horses...
i only take one horse out (as i always go on my own :( ) so it wasnt worth the money to do the test for a bigger lorry and then have the added issue of where to keep the darn thing as well as being more expensive to run.
and i am happy with my aygo and didnt want an expensive gas guzzling tow car!
 
amandaco02 - how much did you pay for your box? If you don't mind me asking. It looks lovely and just the sort of thing I'd be after so an idea of how much to save would be great :)
 
Thank you for your replies everyone, although I am no closer to deciding now lol. Definitely a lot to think about. I like the trailer idea as its so cheap but just the thought of towing makes me nervous :eek:

LMuirEDT I like your idea a lot with either the chauffeur or the L-plates!

Jobo and Amandaco2 I am insanely jealous of your 3.5T boxes! I've looked at TruLeisure before as they seem to be the main company for 3.5T boxes in the South East, or so it seems.
 
I had the same dilemma, and it was really hard to decide what to do.
I practised towing on private land with my friend's trailer and didn't feel very comfortable towing at all. Also I would have had to sell my little car and buy a 4x4, which wouldn't be very practical as I have a 55-mile round trip to get to work 5 days a week.
The lorry test is expensive, plus my livery yard is quite small so it would be hard to get in and out and around the lanes nearby.
In the end I paid £7500 for a 3.5ton box from a dealer in worcestershire (PM me for the name if you want) and got a W reg Movano (only 90,000 miles on clock) with the horse area fully converted and new floor etc, but just panelled out grooms area in the back. There is plenty of room for my chunky cobs. That said, I only travel them together if I'm not taking any equipment (to the vet for jabs etc) cos I think I would be over the weight limit otherwise. The 3.5ton boxes have had some bad press, so I discussed this with the people who converted mine and got a collapsible breast bar so that (god forbid) if they tried to climb over it, it can be removed in a moment. They travel really well in it, apparently facing backwards means they can balance better so their heart rate stays lower and they don't sweat up as much as they do in a trailer. I do quite a lot of miles in it, going to comps all over the country, and find it very economical!
I would definitely recommend a little box if you only have one or two horses.
 
I think I'm going to go down the 4x4 + trailer route, as only want to tax/insure/MOT one vehicle, and couldn't afford a decent 3.5t.

Have to wait till next year though as wanted a holiday this year :D
 
Thanks for the advice :)

Yes I think up to 10k is a sensible amount for a 3.5T but I am worried I will end up buying something with problems! Glad to hear yours is going well. I would only have one horse in mine so hopefully payload shouldn't be a problem but would defintely go to a weighbridge WITH horse and kit in the back to check pre-purchase, if they let you do that!
 
QR

I passed my test in 2006.

At present, I have a trailer which Mum tows for me. We used to have a 7.5t, but sold it when I stopped competing.

Mum is my 'groom' (LOL :D) so she has no problem with driving me. OH is pre-1997 so is also on hand to tow whenever necessary. But my long term goal - whether for me to drive or Mum/OH - would be to buy a little 3.5t lorry that we could travel two in :)
 
i dont get the rules??

im almost 22 so on a normal car lisence what can i drive? 3.5 ton??

or take another test?
 
I passed my test in 2003, I have since done my HGV licence (category C so I can drive huge lorries).

I currently own a 7.5 ton lorry and use it to carry 2 14hh ponies round.
I have driven several lorries and I'll list my experiances:

My 7.5 ton lorry- absolutly love it. Easy to drive, easy to get into show fields, easy to park and nice to have a space to change whilst at shows.

6.5 ton lorry - loved it, probably even more then the 7.5 ton as it was smaller and easier to manouver but you had all the security and facilities of the larger lorry. (and it was worth aotu tripple what mine is worth).

18 ton 8 horse- awful to manouver and get through tight show field gates, turning circle of a jumbo jet and about the same size as one. I wouldnt have one but I'd drive one again if I had to.

I have also driven 3 3.5tons, one older purpose built one, one van conversion (fairly new) and one like the photo shown in a post above. All of them utterly terrified me and I hated every moment of it. The horses are so close you can practically hear them breathing, I was terrified if I had to brake hard the horse would join me in the cab as the walls on all of them were so thin. The van conversion was the worst of the lot but you couldnt pay me to have any of them. They catch the wind awfully and dont have the weight to counter act it. the living isnt big enough to swing a cat in (or get changed if you have the door closed) and in some your stuff gets covered in hay anyway. They feel dangerously light to drive and wander all over the road in the slightest breeze.
Utterly terrifying, I would not drive one again EVER. Oh and add to it my friend had a horse go over the back partition and into the living doing alot of damage to itself in the process, I've heard and read (in H&H) of several other similar cases where the horse didnt survive and at somerford park last weekend I actualy saw a horse go over the partition and exit through the back door destroying the lorry in the process and doing some damage to itself.

Jack9 - since you passed your test after 1997 you can only drive up to a 3.5t lorry. You Can NOT drive a bigger lorry or a car a nd horse trailer.
To tow a trailer you would need to do your B+E test, to drive a lorry you would need to do either your C1 test (to drive up to 7.5tons) or your C test (to drive any weight of rigid body lorry).
To drive a huge articulated lorry youwould need to first pass your C test and then pass your C+E test. Passing the C+E automatically gives you the B+E licence.
 
conniegirl said:
Jack9 - since you passed your test after 1997 you can only drive up to a 3.5t lorry. You Can NOT drive a bigger lorry or a car a nd horse trailer.
To tow a trailer you would need to do your B+E test, to drive a lorry you would need to do either your C1 test (to drive up to 7.5tons) or your C test (to drive any weight of rigid body lorry).
To drive a huge articulated lorry youwould need to first pass your C test and then pass your C+E test. Passing the C+E automatically gives you the B+E licence.
Click to expand...

So horse and box combined has to be no more than 3.5 ton?? and id be legal on my car lisence?

whats insurance etc like?

thanks btw and sorry OP for hi-jacking!!
 
jack9 said:
So horse and box combined has to be no more than 3.5 ton?? and id be legal on my car lisence?

whats insurance etc like?

thanks btw and sorry OP for hi-jacking!!
Click to expand...

horse, lorry, all gear, your self and anything else that goes into the lorry has to total less than 3.5tons and the vehicle has to have a GVW of 3.5tons or less (ie it cant carry any heavier).

On my 7.5 ton lorry, baring in mind that i am 24, have had one major accident in the last 5 years and the lorry is worth approx 10k, the insurance is £400 approx including breakdown and home start.

I've no idea on 3.5t lorries as I was hireing them. The very big lorry was on an any driver over 21 policy (with appropriate liscence) and was a friends so I have no idea either.
 
thats actually better than i thought. Im almost 22 no claims for nearly 5 years and in 2 years im getting a horse :D so will be 7 years nc.

I pay £450ish a year for my car insurance now :/ and wouldnt use a trailer again.

thanks for your help :)
 
QR

passed my test in 2003 - had a 3.5 ton lorry that i just sold. Have bought a 5 ton lorry asi wanted living and enough weight to carry 2 horses. insurance is no more expensive. i have my provisional c1 and i hope to have a full c1 in the next month. in the meantime i have qualified people to sit with me if i want to drive my lorry.

HTH!
 
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