Rough Guide to Payloads - Horseboxes

[Rambo]

With all the concern at the moment regarding lorry weights and legal loads, i thought
it would be useful to put together some rough guidelines as to what things weigh, so that
you can more easily work out the total payload you might be carrying when you take your neds out

It is worth knowing how much your lorry weighs with nothing on board, and the annual MOT *should* contain
a brake test report with it. On this report it should also state the overall weight of the vehicle when it
was tested.

Roughly speaking, a 7.5t 3 stall lorry with basic living is unlikely to weigh less than 5500kgs empty, and
could well weigh more...leaving 2000kgs or less available to carry your *stuff*. A 3.5t van is likely to weigh
around 2000kgs to 2500kgs empty, leaving around 1000kgs to 1200kgs available.

So.....

General:
1t = 1000kgs


Horses:
The most obvious weight you will carry will be your horses. You can buy a weight tape or take the horses
to a weighbridge for a more accurate figure, but the following table gives a (very rough) guide to how much
your horses weigh :-

15.2hh - 550kgs to 650kgs
16.2hh - 600kgs to 700kgs
17.2hh - 650kgs to 750kgs


Humans:
You will have to add the weight of ALL your passengers to the overall payload.
The following table gives a comparison of weight in terms of Stones and Kgs :-

8st = 51kgs
9st = 57kgs
10st = 64kgs
11st = 70kgs
12st = 76kgs
13st = 83kgs
14st = 89kgs
15st = 95kgs
16st = 102kgs


Dogs:
Don't forget your dog ! He will weigh anything up to 20kgs or more depending on size.


Miscellaneous:
Your saddle will probably weigh in at around 6kgs to 10kgs. Don't forget your bridle, boots and grooming kit
too though, so probably around 20kgs per complete set of horse tack.

Water weighs 1kg per litre, so if you fill a 30 litre container then that's 30kgs of extra weight.

Diesel is slightly denser than water, but the figure of 1kg per litre is close enough. So, your average
7.5t lorry will take 100 litres of diesel (or more)...so add another 100kgs to your total weight.

If you carry a portable generator, then that will weigh approximately 35kgs to 40kgs....plus the fuel
you want to carry to run it.

A portable television, is going to weigh in at around 10kgs to 12kgs.

 

[Tempi]

very interesting, thank you for this!!

 

[bandit]

oh cheers Rambo

so organised.

i have a 4 stall 7.5 tonner with no living and one 15.3 mare - think i'll be fine

Bx

 

[HBII]

Good stuff Rambo - I have toggled this as one of my saved topics

Hb

 

[Partoow]

Thats really useful .I discovered this last year two days before i was due to take the ferry to Ireland!! the funny thing was that on the English side we were a bit over on the Irish side we were well under? I decided i liked the Irish weigh bridge much better.
On a serious note i did get my tyre man to check my tyres to ensure they were up to carrying the weight interms of tyre pressures That really is important if you are up to weight you dont need a blow out thats for sure.

 

[icestationzebra]

Thanks Rambo - that is really interesting stuff. Can you get Admin to put a sticky on this one - it's a great reference post.

 

[Puppy]

Most helpful. Thank you.

 

[RobinHood]

Sooo... if I've understood correctly this is what I've worked out

Lorry is 7500kg - (3 x 500kg horses) - (3 x 50kg people) - (3 x 20kg tack) - (3 x 15kg dogs) - 30kg water - 100kg diesel = 5615

So as a rough guide in order to take 3 average horses a lorry needs to weight about 5.5t unladen. Is that right?

 

[Rambo]

If you have 3 'horses' that only weigh 500kgs each then yes, your sums are about right. Are you sure your 'horses' only weigh that much though

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

That's a good rough guide to what you can carry but there are other things to take into account. Alot of lorries have nice oak door cabinets, microwaves, cookers etc & this greatly adds to the weight. just because a lorry is stalled for 3 horses don't automatically assume you can carry 3 & remain within the weight limit. When you refit the living don't go over the top because every thing you put in reduces what you can carry.

The weight limit is also broken down into axle weights. You can be within your 7.5 ton weight limit but can exceed one of your axle weights. Axle weight is to check that your load is properly distributed throughout the lorry so it remains stable on the road.

A very good guide though Rambo.

 

[Rambo]

Thanks T_Z

Yes, you are quite right about weight distribution across axles too...although that is much harder to guesstimate

As for the weight of living, if you take my example of the vehicle being weighed at MOT time, then it will include all the fitted living in the 'empty' weight

I also use the term '3-stall' as opposed to '3-horse' lol!

A couple of other item that will add to weight too of course.....haynets, especially soaked ones, will weigh a few kgs....as will shavings, wheelbarrow, fork, broom etc for those overnight stays

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Absolutely right, it's mainly when someone buys an old lorry & does a complete refit & makes the living really fantastic with every extra that problems occur. People also assume that because a lorry is stalled for 3 then you can put three horses in it. I believe most of the 7.5 ton lorries are stalled for 3 ponies or 2 horses to be honest. I remember someone taking a box builder to court over a lorry they had bought because it was over weight when she had 3 horses in it. She successfully sued.

 

[lisan]

I keep getting asked for lifts in my 3.5 tonner - I took it to be weighed with me int it, all May's gear, water etc and it came in at 2.7kg - which only leaves enough my fat Madam and a lil groom!

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
I keep getting asked for lifts in my 3.5 tonner - I took it to be weighed with me int it, all May's gear, water etc and it came in at 2.7kg - which only leaves enough my fat Madam and a lil groom!

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you get the ultra-lightweight model then........or did you mean 2.7t

ETS: I know what you mean about the lift thing too. I have had to explain to YO that i can no longer take my two and her daughters horse as i only have 1750kgs available to me in my 7.5t. I felt awful as she has done so much to help me in the past and if i don't take her, then she doesn't get much chance to go out and compete...but it just isn't worth the risk of going overweight

 

[lisan]

[ QUOTE ]
Did you get the ultra-lightweight model then........or did you mean 2.7t

ETS: I know what you mean about the lift thing too. I have had to explain to YO that i can no longer take my two and her daughters horse as i only have 1750kgs available to me in my 7.5t. I felt awful as she has done so much to help me in the past and if i don't take her, then she doesn't get much chance to go out and compete...but it just isn't worth the risk of going overweight

[/ QUOTE ]

You know what I meant!!!! 2,700 kg's!

I took one of the ponies from the yard to evening SJ last night, and everyone just kept asking why I had'nt brought May! They don't seem to believe me when I say it is up to its weight limit with just her! I mean if its partitioned for two, then it must take two???

 

[sillygillyhorse]

That is really helpful, have been meaning to weigh my lorry but not got round to it. At least now with your guide I have an idea of the weight of the horses and "stuff" I need to carry, particularly the diesel and water. Guess could always ditch the water from the tank but diesel a different story.

 

[RobinHood]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have 3 'horses' that only weigh 500kgs each then yes, your sums are about right. Are you sure your 'horses' only weigh that much though

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes when I say horses I mean a connie, a haflinger and a tb, which weigh 470kg, 505kg and 510kg respectively.

Thankyou for your help x

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Thanks for that, been meaning to get lorry to a weighbridge (think I better make sure I'm empty!!!)

 

[Bounty]

That's really good Rambo, but I think I'd prefer to remain bllissfully ignorant!

7.5ton lorry, full living, 3 500kg horses plus tack and rugs, 4 people with clothing, bedding and tents/gazeboes, 3 dogs, diesel, water, electric fencing and battery, feed and water buckets, generator.......... eeek!!!

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
That's really good Rambo, but I think I'd prefer to remain bllissfully ignorant!

7.5ton lorry, full living, 3 500kg horses plus tack and rugs, 4 people with clothing, bedding and tents/gazeboes, 3 dogs, diesel, water, electric fencing and battery, feed and water buckets, generator.......... eeek!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I think the fines are 'per kilo over the weight'....sounds like you could have a problem

 

[Bounty]

I think the polocrosse community is going to shrink!
The amount of stuff i've just listed is typical of most polox families, we literally uproot every weekend to go live in the lorry. Usually at least two members of each family play, so most 7.5t orries will carry 3/4 horses.
It's just not going to be financially viable for us all to be getting hgv licenses and upgrading our lorries.
I won't be playing this season, so the list i posted above will be minus one horse, one person and our stuff...but it still doesn't help very much!

 

[spooks]

my 7.5 ton lorry is stalled for 4 but unladen weight is 6.6 ton so i can probably only just get away with carrying the big lad and all his gear!

 

[Pidge]

thanks Rambo, that's really useful. I've booked my lorry in for its plating on the 1st March so will see if they can weigh it for me.

 

[Hornby]

If you found over weight there is a fine and your lorry will not be allowed to travel home laden. You will have to have it re-tested and verified at a suitable weight and only then will the police allow it on the roads (as told to me by my mechanic who had to rescue and strip down and re-test a 3.5 t lorry that was tested overweight on a motorway near me)