Regularly hiring transport

[Daniel_Jack]

Does anyone regularly pay to hire a transporter?

With my previous horse I had my own transport and it was difficult to quantify the costs of individual outings above and beyond the cost of petrol (I'm thinking wear and tear on car, trailer maintainance & insurance etc).

I sold my transport shortly before I sold my last horse and I'm not sure if I'll be out often enought to merit buying my own transport again (I used to be out at least once a week - twice in summer) but now I'm only aiming to be out once maybe twice a month over the spring/summer months to go hacking/exploring.

I had no idea how much hiring transport would cost (I'm talking paying someone to take you not hiring the vehicle as that doesn't seem to be as readily availble these days). I've just got my first quote - I wanted to travel 8 miles to a friends yard for a hack - mostly to get my horse used to travelling and being away from the year.

Quotes are ranging from £65 to £80!!! I'm a bit shocked as I'd never considered it might be this expensive - the cost of the 16 mile round trip taking around 15 minutes each way is about £50 with additional charge for the driver to wait.

Is that really the going rate? If so, how on earth can people justify paying this regularly - I see people hiring these transporters once a week to go for a lesson and based on these quotes they must be paying two or 3 times the lesson price just for transport!

Looks like I better start saving if I want to get out and about this summer!!!

 

[Lintel]

I think if you were going out a couple of times a year it would be plausible but anything more it wouldn't be financially viable.
The cheapest way I have found was having my insignia which got good MPG for generally day to day and was able to toe my cheval.

That's the going rate round about mine's in central Scotland. For a 3.5t box anyway

 

[Daniel_Jack]

That is a possibility but would need my other half to be in agreement on this - which given the ongoing issues I always seemed to have with my previous tow cars might be a challenge!

An alternative is to spend £1k on an old car with a long MOT and run it for a year hopefully to tow then if it fails the MOT sell for scap and buy a similar priced replacement - that would be about the same as spending a couple of hundred quid for someone to take me.

I have a friend who would probably loan me her trailer too so potentially no outlay there.

 

[Fluffypiglet]

I’ve bought a trailer (single chevalier) as in our area it’s easily £100 a pop for transport hire. We already had a car that can tow the one horse tho.

 

[Red-1]

Transport hire is about £120 a day in our area for a 3.5 tonne. Plus fuel.

I have my own box now, but when I was skint I did try the cheap car and trailer. I got an ancient Land Rover, and much as "Clatters" was a great vehicle, it was always a bit of a lottery to get her going when she had been parked up for a week.

It all got a lot better when I swapped a Renault 5 and Clatters for a proper towing vehicle. The towing vehicle was then in regular use, was more comfortable than Clatters (Clatter Banger) and it did not cost THAT much more (as long as you commute is not 80 miles a day!).

I did prefer this to hiring, as then I was more likely to go places. Hiring took the spur of the moment trips out, plus that much money for a lesson put me off lessons somewhat.

PS. I think the hire charge you were quoted is very reasonable. It *should* include cleansing of the vehicle, time for you to load and faff with kit, any minor damage/wear and tear, plus wages. I would not expect someone running a business to take minimum wage. The insurance will be high too.

 

[ihatework]

I’m surprised it’s not more with someone actually driving you.

Round here it’s £60 for a half day 3.5T self drive or £100-110 full day.

 

[Bernster]

I don’t know anyone that’s done it long term. It’s probably closer to £100 around me, south east. You can do self drive 3.5t or hire a driver and a trailer for around that cost. Most people I know have gone on to buy a trailer.

That said, running a lorry is expensive and sometimes when I’ve not used mine much, it’s worked out as not really that much different to if I had hired, but the convenience of having your own has always won out for me even if it’s not that cost effective.

 

[Leo Walker]

That is a possibility but would need my other half to be in agreement on this - which given the ongoing issues I always seemed to have with my previous tow cars might be a challenge!

An alternative is to spend £1k on an old car with a long MOT and run it for a year hopefully to tow then if it fails the MOT sell for scap and buy a similar priced replacement - that would be about the same as spending a couple of hundred quid for someone to take me.

I have a friend who would probably loan me her trailer too so potentially no outlay there.

This is what I do. A £500 4x4 with a long MOT. Run it until it fails the MOT or goes wrong. Sell it for £400 for spares and repair and start again. With the cost of insuring it and any other bits and pieces, trailer insurance etc I reckon it costs me less than £1000 a year to run. That includes the OH uing it 4 or so times a week to do a 6 mile round trip to work and the odd longer run. If it was solely for towing it would be less.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

the driven rate you were quoted is quite reasonable actually -its 2-3 hours (including getting to you and back etc) where they aren't earning anything else. I've not had much luck buying old 4x4 and running them for a year without spending huge amounts on them either, might be worth getting a proper RAC or equivalent inspection done if you go this route.

 

[cold_feet]

I considered hiring (£100 a day round here, and then the cost of travel and time to collect and return) before buying my 3.5t. I thought I might need transport once a month. But now I have my own van I reckon I use it at least 3 times a month - there are so many things I wouldn’t be able to do if I had to hire.

 

[Tiddlypom]

the driven rate you were quoted is quite reasonable actually -its 2-3 hours (including getting to you and back etc) where they aren't earning anything else. I've not had much luck buying old 4x4 and running them for a year without spending huge amounts on them either, might be worth getting a proper RAC or equivalent inspection done if you go this route.

I fully agree with this, plus for towing it's vitally important that the strength of the towing vehicle chassis is not compromised by rust etc so no 'good runners' that are actually rotboxes. We SORNED our old yr 2000 Shogun nearly 3 years ago as it had got so rusty, it's still running beautifully but it only tows the arena leveller and the ballast roller these days.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Def agree with others that your quote is cheap.
Even 9 years ago here in the south east it was £100 + a day with driver (more if long day at a comp or a longer distance, similar too for hiring self drive and then the faff of collecting and returning.
Back then I budgeted £150 Inc for each trip to cover me, allowed 6 trips out, which was more than tax, ins, test etc on my 3.5 is even now. I had a gap of 6 yrs with no box (having had from 7.5 to 18t over 30 yrs), 1 yr of hiring, then gave in and bought the current little box.

 

[milliepops]

I also think the quote was reasonable

I had no transport for about 2 decades and hired regularly before finally buying a little box, lucky for me there's a local lady who let me have hers for £70 A day as I was a regular . Cost has prob worked out about the same for me as i took a loan to get my lorry so pay that back instead now