So I took my 3.5t to a weighbridge...

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Suziq77

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I have a 3.5t box built new last year on a vauxhall movano cab. It came with a weighbridge certificate showing it at 2.4t unladen.

I only use it to take one 15hh horse out, plus tack, rugs, kit and one or two people plus me in the cab so I have felt pretty comfortable that we should be under the 3.5t limit fully loaded.

However, a few people have asked me for lifts and have been a bit shocked when I've said I'd rather not as I think we might be overweight with two horses. Even when I have explained the 2.4t unladen weight and asked how much they think two 15hh horses might weigh / suggested that at the very least the second person and tack would have to follow in a second car and even then I would not be 100% comfortable.

So, as we are about to enter the winter dressage / SJ season and I hate feeling like a meanie about not giving lifts to a second horse yesterday I took my loaded lorry to the weighbridge. Here's what we had on board:

£25 of diesel (3 bars on the fuel gauge)
Driver (me - 52kg)
Friend (approx 60kg)
Handbags of above people containing phones, purses etc.
One horse - 15.2hh TB X Connemara (fairly lightweight type)
Two saddles - one leather, one synthetic
Two bridles
One cooler and fleece
Three plastic deckchairs
A mounting block
An empty water container and bucket
A spare pair of wellies
A spare waterproof jacket (lives in my box in case of emergencies, along with spare wellies)


Anyone want to guess what the weighbridge said?
 
I'm glad someone has actually done this with a 3.5 ton lorry, it will dispel loads of theorys that people have had over the months about overloading etc. I'll be watching this post with great interest. ;)

I would think that you'd be around 3200/3300kg?
 
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£25 of diesel (3 bars on the fuel gauge) 25kg
Driver (me - 52kg)
Friend (approx 60kg)
Handbags of above people containing phones, purses etc. 5kg
One horse - 15.2hh TB X Connemara (fairly lightweight type) 550kg
Two saddles - one leather, one synthetic 15kg
Two bridles 5kg
One cooler and fleece 5kg
Three plastic deckchairs 7kg
A mounting block 2kg
An empty water container and bucket 2kg
A spare pair of wellies 1kg
A spare waterproof jacket (lives in my box in case of emergencies, along with spare wellies) 5kg

2,400 + above 744 (10kg added for people weight) = 3,144 kg
 
Jen_Cots is pretty spot on! I forgot to add in the weight of our clothes/shoes as we obviously didn't go naked ;)

The certificate said 3,190

The response of my friend "Hmm, well I reckon we could take everything out except you and the horses and just make it under".

My response "I will only try that if we bring the second horse in another box as if we are overweight then one of them will have to stay at the weighbridge for me to go back for it unless we have an alternative means of transport, as I don't want to break the law".

I appreciate I could have had less fuel in there but realistically I wouldn't go to a competition with less than 3 bars on the fuel gauge just in case!

So that's that, one horse only unless someone wants to follow me down in a second box to run more tests.
 
I have a transit with a aluminium box on the back, unladen weight of 1.9.....i put a 17hh TBxID and a 16.1hh KWPN in with tack, two people etc and we are juuuust under weight!! x No fat passengers or hay filled horses allowed on board!!! x
 
I've had an extra partition made so I can travel my horse in the centre (v high C of G) - got rid of people asking for lifts problem. Mind you some company would be nice occasionally!
 
I can't believe your friend is being so push about you breaking the law to do her a favour!!! At the end of the day it's your horsebox and your responsibility, you are being very sensible and she has to respect that. She could rent her own lorry now couldn't she???!
 
Booboos said:
I can't believe your friend is being so push about you breaking the law to do her a favour!!! At the end of the day it's your horsebox and your responsibility, you are being very sensible and she has to respect that. She could rent her own lorry now couldn't she???!
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She's not really being too pushy, I understand where she's coming from - it would be nice if we could travel together and it was disappointing to find out that we definitely couldn't. I had pretty much expected the outcome we had but I think she had genuinely thought it would be ok, especially as quite a few of her friends travel 2 together in a box like mine. I honestly think a lot of people have no idea about weight limits and think that because these boxes are built for 2 up to 16.2hh they can legally carry them, regardless of the unladen weight of the box.

I added the bit about her response because I thought it really shows how few people appreciate the limits of the smaller boxes (and some of the bigger ones with kitted out living!). More should be done to inform the general public IMO.
 
Captainmouse said:
you also mentioned the empty water container, water is quite heavy
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That's why I took it empty. The assumption being there should be a tap on the showground I could use to fill it for the day and then empty what's left before I go home. I agree if it had had water in it this would have added to the weight.
 
Ah ok, thats where I got it from then! I still always travel with it though, never know if you might be spending some time on the side of the road, either with a break down or with traffic :)
 
StencilFace is correct it is a legal requirement that you MUST carry water for your horse during ANY transit!

Should you breakdown at the side of the road on a hot day how will you look after your horse?

Anyway well done OP for weighing your lorry and sadly finding out that ALL these 3.5t are not suitable for carrying 2 horses and kit!

But at least you can carry your own horse and stay legal.
 
Usually I do travel with it about 1/4 full in case of emergencies, as explained we were trying to get to "minimum" realistic weight to see if we could accomodate another horse. Now it has been proved we can't I will be able to fill the container as full as I can carry it as I cannot imagine it wll weigh 300kg ;)

ETA - the weighbridge is close to home and my house so if we had broken down the horse would not have been without water for very long I promise! I am now making this thread about water oooops
 
However remember that you can get a 3.5 tonne uprated to 3.9 tonnes and still come under much of the car legislation, though you do need to upgrade the suspension and have it electronically limited to 57mph. Also please remember that some people like me have Renault Masters with coachbuilt extended chassis with living which are not 3.5 tonners but are 4.5 tonners. I get so fed up of having to continually explain that I am not overweight to interfering busybodies at shows. Theres far more chance of a bigger box built with old fashioned heavy materials being overweight (and unsafe) than mine.
 
hmm I have a vauxhall movano and was pondering whether it would take my 2 15hh horses (one a very light weight tb and one a slightly chunkier welsh x tb) plus me (57kg) my sister (57kg) and my mum (around 60 kg) and tack and be under the weight limit. Might be worth a try! as I dont tend to take any extras other than a cooler and handbag obviously.
 
foraday said:
StencilFace is correct it is a legal requirement that you MUST carry water for your horse during ANY transit!

Should you breakdown at the side of the road on a hot day how will you look after your horse?
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Please can you provide your reference for this as DEFRA says 8 hours even in the detailed guidance and cannot find it in the animal welfare act either
http://adlib.everysite.co.uk/resources/000/095/002/wato-guidance.pdf

Edited to add table C:

Table C: Vehicle Standards and Journey Times
Farmed Livestock and Horses (other than Registered Horses)

Journeys on “basic” vehicles
All journeys 8 hours followed by 24 hours rest

Journeys on “higher standard” vehicles
Unweaned calves, lambs, kids ⎫ a maximum of 9 hours, a mid-journey
and foals which are still on a ⎬ rest of at least one hour, then a
milk diet and unweaned piglets ⎭ further maximum of 9 hours
Other cattle, sheep and goats a maximum of 14 hours, a mid-
journey rest of at least one hour, then a further maximum of 14 hours
Pigs a maximum of 24 hours with
continuous access to liquid
Other Horses (excluding registered a maximum of 24 hours with liquid horses) and, if necessary, food every 8 hours
 
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We have a 3.5t and have had people asking for lifts etc. With 2 passengers and quarter tank of diesel, the weighbridge said it could have 1.2t more loaded on before it was over weight. The lady that owned it previously used to regularly travel 2 huge warmbloods in it! Markie only ever travels alone, by the time gear etc is loaded we might just manage a mini shetland to stay legal!
I'm looking at upping to a truck with a higher payload, purely so that my friends can travel with me. Don't need living or anything fancy, but some I've looked at don't have a much higher payload than what I have already. 5.5t VW had day living, partition for 2 but the payload was less than a ton!
 
Yes but that is determined by species and the guidance specially for horses is 8 hours for water

So those horrible long haul meat wagons have automatic waterers on board so they don't have to stop

If travelling under 8 hours, the species rule applies and you do not need to carry water

Edited to add: RSPCA website confirming:
http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/farm/livetransport/factfile
 
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BonneMaman said:
What if you just took the horses and the other person who is nagging you takes all rugs, tack, etc etc in her car?
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To do that I've said we have to take the two horses separately to the weighbridge, load the second one into my almost empty box (containing only me, my horse, my handbag and the fuel) and weigh it again. IF it came in sufficiently under 3.5t to factor in more fuel / other unforeseen additions such as more hay/grass in the horses then I might consider it. BUT 3.5t is the maximum and I'm not sure I'm wild about driving bang on maximum weight - the limit must be there for a reason.

ETA she's not nagging me, I think a lot of people genuinely don't realise how tight the weight is to make.
 
Suziq77 said:
To do that I've said we have to take the two horses separately to the weighbridge, load the second one into my almost empty box (containing only me, my horse, my handbag and the fuel) and weigh it again. IF it came in sufficiently under 3.5t to factor in more fuel / other unforeseen additions such as more hay/grass in the horses then I might consider it. BUT 3.5t is the maximum and I'm not sure I'm wild about driving bang on maximum weight - the limit must be there for a reason.

ETA she's not nagging me, I think a lot of people genuinely don't realise how tight the weight is to make.
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No, people are slow to realise these things when its not them who would be charged with being overweight or whose insurance wouldn't cover them!
 
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