Sick to death of my horsebox, swap to big trailer?

2 horse trailer-wise with a decent bit of living you could try a Pegasus.

A friend of mine had one that was much admired. Carried 2 horses facing forward, with a large side ramp. There was a good amount of space up the front, and my friend had a small kitchen of sink, gas hob and cupboards. The padded side walls in the horse area, once horsey was out of course, pulled down to provide 2 beds.

They pulled 2 biggish horses in theirs with a Landrover Defender.

She had the Pegasus Beta model with living: http://www.horsetrailersales.co.uk/PegasusIndex.htm

I'm sure it was bigger than the ones pictured, maybe they've altered the sizing.
 
Unfortunately we so often trust companys because they are large well kmow organisations,yet the truth is thati t is only as good as the spotty seventeen year old that works on your truck.But maybe I,m just bitter because I,m only a lowly backstreet cowboy mechanic with a degree in aircraft engineering:D
 
QR

Can't help you on the towing, but if you quite like the Lancruiser, don't rule out a Toyoya Surf. Mine is fab, I love it to bits. It's a bit less....agricultural than a LC, but a similar size and only slightly lighter. It's a similar size to a long wheel base Shogun, but known for being more reliable (and I think the Shogun is known for it's reliability anyway!). The UK version is the 4-Runner, but they're hard to find (and pricey) 2nd hand. The Surf is the Japanese import. They're based on the notoriously indestructible Hilux pick up, and are basically a 5 door estate version of that. Mine is badged as a Hilux Surf, but later versions just as a Surf.
sadly these smaller toyotas are only rated to tow 2250kgs so one big horse in say a 510 ifor!! best for heavy towing is 4.2 landcruiser 80or 100 series
the mupets at toyota call them amazons (a big strong woman) nissan patrol or defender all tow 3500kg
 
Unfortunately we so often trust companys because they are large well kmow organisations,yet the truth is thati t is only as good as the spotty seventeen year old that works on your truck.But maybe I,m just bitter because I,m only a lowly backstreet cowboy mechanic with a degree in aircraft engineering:D
me too mike but not as clever no degree!!! I work round some of these main dealers and yes !!!! they rush jobs and half do them, are fitters not engineers fix one problem and make another , or mis diagnose ... but apart from that quite good:D
 
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I will take the "not as clever,no degree " with a pinch of salt.I have read your posts for too long to be fooled ,perfect 11,s.
 
it's non-tilt cab, unfortunately. :( :(
dozzie, i KNOW it had enough oil in it, that's the first thing the rescue people got me to check when it broke down, the level was absolutely fine.
the garage said the sump was full of oil and diesel though, that one of the injectors must have been faulty and was dribbling fuel in but then must have flooded it, or something.
yes, i suspect i might just be being taken for a ride here. will consult good friend who knows a LOT about engines...
thankyou, all. really really appreciate it, hugely.

Yep you need a good mechanic to ask questions IMO.
 
Kerilli,
we use an old wooden 3 horse trailer that has had the breast bar adjusted so it takes 2 big horses. Yes its heavy, but its stable and lovely and spacious. I tow with a daihatsu fourtrak, and previously with a disco. Won't go back to the disco as they rust too quickly, and the fourtrak is more stable. A few years ago my sister and I took 2horses and all the kit for eventing them down south for the RC champs near stoneleigh. We had 2 sets of tack, feed, clothes, a tent and associated stuff, hay for two horses for 3 days without grazing (9 bales, on the roof of the disco!) and found that it worked brilliantly!
 
Re Goosenecks. That's what horses were travelled in when I worked in Australia and they were amazing!

Lakota Trailers have just started advertising in Western Horse UK mag and are the closest things to goosenecks I've seen in the UK. "HUT Horse Utility Trailer. USA made bumper pull trailer with all the living amenities of a Gooseneck!"

According to the advert:
Pull with a Discovery, Shogun or similar
Fully UK weight regulations compliant
No more VOSA worries about overweight lorries
The most luxurious trailer available in the UK
All aluminium trailer with awesome (their word not mine!) build quality.

Anyway the wesbite is http://www.lakotatrailers.com/ if it's of any use
 
Re Goosenecks. That's what horses were travelled in when I worked in Australia and they were amazing!

Lakota Trailers have just started advertising in Western Horse UK mag and are the closest things to goosenecks I've seen in the UK. "HUT Horse Utility Trailer. USA made bumper pull trailer with all the living amenities of a Gooseneck!"

According to the advert:
Pull with a Discovery, Shogun or similar
Fully UK weight regulations compliant
No more VOSA worries about overweight lorries
The most luxurious trailer available in the UK
All aluminium trailer with awesome (their word not mine!) build quality.

Anyway the wesbite is http://www.lakotatrailers.com/ if it's of any use
i was intrested to see that in the western horse, I hoping to go to the wes champs tomorow
maybe they will be there, and as someone who looked into importing a gooseneck and found a miriad of laws and rules that were different here v the states I have quite a few questions!!
 
Just a thought about double cab pickups - not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but they aren't easy to insure. They are classed as commercial vehicles and 'normal' insurance companies won't do them. My husband uses his for a business - so has to have business insurance anyway - but it would make it more expensive to insure if you didn't.

Also they get charged the same amount as an artic to get across the Severn Bridge. So my lorry with living is now £10 cheaper to drive over than his pick up.
 
dieseldog, no Maple immobiliser, no.
i'll keep looking for ideas, thanks everyone. just sick to death of it at the moment and would love someone to take it off my hands... any takers?!!? (yeah, right.)

Very possibly maybe ;) My dad is a mechanic, I already have the (Euro-cargo!!) chassis; and Dad has just started getting the chassis up to scratch to swap under my lorry. But my existing body is too long so he's got to do quite a bit of work to shorten it. :(

Therefore in theory might be interested in a lovely body with a duff brain :p But depends on how on earth we'd get a lorry with no engine up to NE Scotland :rolleyes:

Re towing, I'm afraid there is not a chance I'd tow three horses. I tow with a Disco (one of the few that have a 3.5T rating, Landcruiser being another I think). It tows my Ifor and 2 horses very very well, but I get a lecture every time I see my Dad about the combined weight, and how I need to pay attention and yadayadayada. He's quite right to lecture me (not that I'm not a careful driver, but I'm a girl and therefore in his eyes a ****e driver ;)) but his point is that even that combination can weigh nearly 4 tons - as much as many smaller lorries, but with a "bendy" joint in the middle. I don't mind towing per se, but I can't wait to get a lorry back, I just feel so much safer.

Also - I can't tack up in the trailer, so if it's raining when out competing I get soaked. And cos my two fight, I have to keep putting the head partition up, then take it down to unload again. Not an issue in a lorry.

Admittedly as Dad is a mechanic the running costs are less of a concern for me, but I really really can't wait to get back to one! Horses for courses though, and it does sound as though yours has been a particularly bad End of Shift version :mad:
 
Just a thought about double cab pickups - not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but they aren't easy to insure. They are classed as commercial vehicles and 'normal' insurance companies won't do them. My husband uses his for a business - so has to have business insurance anyway - but it would make it more expensive to insure if you didn't.

Also they get charged the same amount as an artic to get across the Severn Bridge. So my lorry with living is now £10 cheaper to drive over than his pick up.
dont think its a problem anymore as the insurance companys have realised they are a sensible alterntive to a car for sporty familys or country folk so the NFU etc will give cover and at a sensible price...
 
Very possibly maybe ;) My dad is a mechanic, I already have the (Euro-cargo!!) chassis; and Dad has just started getting the chassis up to scratch to swap under my lorry. But my existing body is too long so he's got to do quite a bit of work to shorten it. :(

Therefore in theory might be interested in a lovely body with a duff brain :p But depends on how on earth we'd get a lorry with no engine up to NE Scotland :rolleyes:

Re towing, I'm afraid there is not a chance I'd tow three horses. I tow with a Disco (one of the few that have a 3.5T rating, Landcruiser being another I think). It tows my Ifor and 2 horses very very well, but I get a lecture every time I see my Dad about the combined weight, and how I need to pay attention and yadayadayada. He's quite right to lecture me (not that I'm not a careful driver, but I'm a girl and therefore in his eyes a ****e driver ;)) but his point is that even that combination can weigh nearly 4 tons - as much as many smaller lorries, but with a "bendy" joint in the middle. I don't mind towing per se, but I can't wait to get a lorry back, I just feel so much safer.

Also - I can't tack up in the trailer, so if it's raining when out competing I get soaked. And cos my two fight, I have to keep putting the head partition up, then take it down to unload again. Not an issue in a lorry.

Admittedly as Dad is a mechanic the running costs are less of a concern for me, but I really really can't wait to get back to one! Horses for courses though, and it does sound as though yours has been a particularly bad End of Shift version :mad:
surely it would be easyer to get the right wheelbase chassis to suit your box or move the rear axle its easy to get the propshaft altered ...
 
surely it would be easyer to get the right wheelbase chassis to suit your box or move the rear axle its easy to get the propshaft altered ...

Not so simple unfortunately - oh that it were!! The existing box that I've owned for years is the maximum length it can be for the size (including the maximum distance from behind the rear axle, which if iirc should be a % of total length?). I think from memory it's a 24ft box (excl cab), and most are 18-21ft. It's aluminium so not as heavy as some, but still pointlessly long for the 7.5t limit; it's partitioned for 4 but in these weight conscious days, completely un-necessarily big, unless I load 4 falabellas in it :D. Also unfortunately in my new house, there is a very tight gateway in from the fairly narrow road, with trees either side I'm not allowed to take down, hence can't make gateway wider. My lorry won't fit in unless we shorten it; due to the swing from the rear wheel to back of lorry.

Anyway, he loves doing stuff like this - honest ;)
 
Not so simple unfortunately - oh that it were!! The existing box that I've owned for years is the maximum length it can be for the size (including the maximum distance from behind the rear axle, which if iirc should be a % of total length?). I think from memory it's a 24ft box (excl cab), and most are 18-21ft. It's aluminium so not as heavy as some, but still pointlessly long for the 7.5t limit; it's partitioned for 4 but in these weight conscious days, completely un-necessarily big, unless I load 4 falabellas in it :D. Also unfortunately in my new house, there is a very tight gateway in from the fairly narrow road, with trees either side I'm not allowed to take down, hence can't make gateway wider. My lorry won't fit in unless we shorten it; due to the swing from the rear wheel to back of lorry.

Anyway, he loves doing stuff like this - honest ;)
Ahh yes I understand ,big job broken out then:D yes better at about 20 ft and get rid of some overhang, best if one horse is in front of the back axle, good luck with your project..
 
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