Talk to me about 3.5t's....

[alsxx]

I've made do with a trailer for years but seriously considering upgrading to a 3.5t box. Mainly for convenience really! I'm not out every weekend (kids get in the way!) But at least a couple of times a month.

What are the key points to note, and what to look out for? I'd likely have a budget of up to around 20k so can't afford something new, but would that get me something decent that won't end up being a money pit?

And in terms of keeping it, it would need to live at the yard (as trailer does now, with hitch lock, hitching post and wheel lock), but is this realistic or are 3.5t's likely to be stolen? No one on site sadly, and just me there a couple of times a day.

Thanks all!

 

[PeterNatt]

To assist in the identification and recovery a if stolen have a tracker fitted and also have the roof post coded in large lettering and all the glass windows etched with the vehicles registration number. Buy a second had one made on a new chassis by a reputable builder such as Bloomfield, Boss, Marlborough, Oakley, Oates. The best chassis pan cab chassis for them are a Renault Master.

 

[oldie48]

I am a 3.5 fan having had 7.5s and a trailer in the past but only if you are going to travel one horse. the quality of the build is paramount and for me that would be more important than age of chassis and mileage. I like the Renault masters, having had 2, it is easy to find spares and they are relatively cheap to run and repair. I have found both my 3.5s considerably cheaper to run and repair than my 7.5s and probably cheaper than running a good meaty towing vehicle which is getting on age wise. There's been lots pf threads about which are the best builds. I've had a van conversion that I had checked by a reputable horse lorry repairer and although I asked him to strengthen the bulkhead for my piece of mind, he was very complimentary about the build. My present one is coach built and much more roomy but was well built by John Oates. I am pleased with it, bought secondhand it was within your budget, was higher mileage than I wanted and hasn't been trouble free but it's still not cost me that much to keep on the road.

 

[ycbm]

Don't touch a Regent build, but Fiat Ducatos are also a very good base van and an awful lot of motor homes are Ducatos. I love mine.

They are very attractive to thieves. A friend of mine had one stolen from Somerford Park Farm, a huge and busy centre with at least four sets of people living on site and a whole yard to drive through to get it to the road 2-300 yards away. . SPF has fitted gates since then, but I would be concerned at leaving mine at an unattended site.
.

 

[onemoretime]

Bloomfield are now making 2nd hand boxes so worth contacting them. also look at Henning horsebox for what to watch our for, its on Facebook. Also Dodgy Horsebox Seller on FB is worth looking out, it can show you some of the dodges and pit falls. Good luck

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

We have 3 at work. A Bloomfields on a Fiat Ducato base. It's a lovely truck, powerful, keeps it's speed even with 2 horses on board. The only things I don't like about it are the rubber floor pieces - they stretched and bubbled very quickly. And it is VERY sharp off the clutch/accelerator. You need to know it and to drive it a few times to get the hang of it otherwise you are flung out the back door!

One is on a Renault base though I couldn't tell you who built it. It's losing a bit of power on hills now but it has done 170k miles or so. It is my preferred truck of the 3. Internally it is well built and solid.

The 3rd is an Equi-trash and although the fiat base is nice to drive the build quality isn't great and it only really gets used to swop horses between yards now.

All 3 are stripped out basic models as they are transport trucks basically.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I had a Movano and it was inexpensive to run and service, could be serviced by my car mechanic and was very reliable. The only time it broke down was because a rodent had chewed through the fuel line so we didn’t make it out the yard. I passed it on to a lovely family. The daughter was very talented and had a French TB that didn’t travel well in the trailer and would tie up. The Defender was also struggling to tow the trailer so mum dreaded taking daughter to pony club rallies or events because the car was breaking down so much. The little box was a game changer and even dad, who didn’t want to spend the money, learned to love it as it would take bikes and pals on trips. It never failed the MOT and became a sort of village resource, tables and chairs to fetes, trips to Ikea, etc. The 7.5 I replaced it with was lovely but every trip had to be planned like an expedition because the Devon single track lanes were as far from ideal motoring conditions as you could get. It would have been great in Buckinghamshire or somewhere more civilised.

 

[ROMANY 1959]

I had a BOSS, it was the first one they produced, So I was a willing trail person for them.. I loved my little lorry, it was with a payload of 1250, had it weigh checked. . It carried two polo ponies happily and we put a foam mat in the over cab area for kids to kip in. Lots of storage, and when I sold it due to kids going to uni then work life, I got as much as I paid for it (£23k) Now they are about £30k and used ones are scarce . It was on a Renault master chassis’s

 

[Boulty]

I had a Racemaster on a Movano chassis. Brilliant little box when it was working & easier to drive than my little city car... When it was working! In fairness the lion's share of the issues I had were battery issues & once I'd had the starter motor replaced ( after 3 batteries & glowplug replacement!) it never had another starting issue. The other major problem I had was when it sprang a leak that then went between the panels & also affected the floor. (Tbf the build be was nearly 10 yrs old by this point & I wish I'd sent it to them for a spruce up when I first bought it... Benefits of hindsight!) It had several other random breakdowns & generally cost me 1-2k a year to keep on the road. I believe they do conversions onto a 2nd hand chassis within your budget although they are fairly basic (but definitely sturdy)

 

[MrsMozartleto]

I have Citroën Relay and l love it.

She's cheap to run, insurance is tiny spend, and is lovely to drive. Never failed to start. She has an immobiliser and my garage tells me that makes her safe.

With 1.14t payload I won't carry more than one horse upto 16.2hh or two smaller ponies. There's plenty of space for them, though as I'm usually just taking one I leave the partition against the far wall.

I've loved having her and she's moved more than just horses - I can leave her parked on the road overnight without issue so she's been used to help with a couple of moves.

I need to be able to take bigger horses and thanks to covid I can't afford to run two lorries, so this one will be sold but I'll cry when she goes. I'll definitely have another one in the future as it's so easy to just load and go even on my own.

 

[alsxx]

Thanks all, that's super helpful. Loads to think about, I think security will be a worry although certainly steps to take to minimise the risk, but if they want it they'll have it. I could keep it at home but husband says I can't!!!!

I have a 14hh, 10.2hh and then a growing very bum high 14.2 2 year old who will hopefully level off about 15hh, so in theory if I get one with enough payload I might be able to squish in 2 if I go easy on passengers and 'stuff'. Most of the time it would really just be 1 but I can imagine I might want to take the baby out on a couple of journeys with company for practice.

Loads to think about though!!

 

[Bernster]

I liked my vauxhall movano. Drove well and was fairly cheap to keep. It did need a few new parts after a while but generally ran well. Needed a new floor when I sold it so def get any box checked by someone knowledgeable before you buy.

When I was looking, boss, bloomfields, Kevin Parker and Freddie Gover all seemed to be well thought of. Def not equitrek.