Trailer 'v' horse lorry

[jjsblackhorse]

Hi,
We are considering changing from a 510 trailer to a horse lorry as my husbands horse is 18hh and still growing. I am wondering what experiences others have in making the move.

Thanks

 

[Luci07]

Watch the headroom in any new lorry purchase. I had assumed a lorry would automatically be better but when my friend was having to travel a baby 18.1, his ears were flattened. This was in a big 4 horse 12 tonne lorry!

 

[tashcat]

Probably something you've already considered, but the extra tax and insurance costs as the lorry counts as a vehicle in itself, rather than an addition like the trailer. Ended up being a quite a few £100 more.

 

[jjsblackhorse]

I have been considering height and have come to realise how high my 510 is. My concern is that the manufacturer says it is rated for 17.2hh horses. Plus when it comes to cost we are towing with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which costs a fortune to run and has to double as my husbands car which is not funny at 23 miles to the gallon - on a good day (not towing!)

 

[ROG]

Would I be right in assuming you have a pre 1997 licence which gives you B+E and LGV C1 ?

 

[paddy555]

leaving aside height issues and licence issues and money, we changed from a trailer to a lorry. Would never ever have gone back whatever it cost. Just felt the horses were so much safer in a lorry. (7.5T) For them it was a much better experience. For us it was a lot easier to drive plus we had day living which helped a lot.

 

[Red-1]

I have had trailers, a 12.5 tonne, two 7.5 tonnes and a 3.5 tonne.

The trailer was ok for a budget ride, but I never feel as safe in a trailer as I do when travelling one in a box. Plus there was nowhere to change, cook, lounge etc.

Safest of all felt to be the HGV, it was steady as a rock, and weight was no issue. It did 12 to the gallon! There are issues with hours you can drive though, and because they were tightening up on that we sold it.

The two 7.5s were very different, one was older and swayed a bit, the other had air suspension, and rode beautifully. They brought back 16 to the gallon. I weighed the more modern one, and it (with half a tank, loads of kit such as rugs/ jackets/ crockery, fitten kitchen, bed etc) was just under 6 tonnes. So, even though it was built to be quite lightweight it still only had about 1 1/2 tonnes spare, so if you had a couple of big horses, plus a few people, water, hay etc then you would have to be careful.

The 3.5 I have actually had uprated to 3.9 as I did feel as if it swayed a bit, now it does not. It has 1300 spare weight, but I have had lots of lockers put in, a water tank, fan, wardrobe etc. If you have a basic one it has 1200 as a 3.5 tonne.

If a horse was naughty or unbalanced in the bigger wagon it did not move, in the 7.5 you could feel it, but in the small one it can be worrying how much you can feel it. But, the wagon itself is low, so quite stable. The small one is returning 30mpg!!!!!

The 3.5 is much the easiest to use, but no cooking facilities or lounging space!

All of the vehicles have had 8ft headroom, as this is what I feel comfortable with. I too have seen people sell boxes at 7ft6 internal height as full size, but they are not.

 

[Spottyappy]

I second the 8' head room, our 17.3 went in my old Lorry with room to spare height wise.
I currently have a trailer and hate towing. Am in the process of having a 7.5t built, as I can't stand towing much longer.
Depending on your tow vehicle, mine - Land Rover discovery 3- has cost as much to keep on the road with repairs, as my old 7.5t Lorry did. Probably bad luck, but made me revaluate what I wanted.
And, that is a Lorry!
Allow 4K a year for plating, insurance, services and repairs, and you probably won't be too far out.
Though with most things, it's a lottery. My first 7.5t cost me the annual serve and plate and never needed a thing doing in the several years I had it, the next one had some Wear and tear issues, with age, and several punctures which is just bad luck. But, it was a lovely Lorry and I still rue the day I sold it.

 

[turnbuckle]

£4k a year easy to run up if you are unlucky, but you can do that with a modern car too.

I would take a stab at £1500 or so being much more like it. Crudely £165 tax, £400 insurance and breakdown cover, MOT ££120 (from my rapidly failing memory), a tyre £200, that leaves about over £700 for service and repairs....

 

[jjsblackhorse]

Its interesting that everyone who has made the move say they prefer a lorry.

We are older so can drive up to 7.5t. The added complication is that we cannot go too long as difficult turn into drive. So prob need one with minimal or no living, as need a 2+tonne payload.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

am following this with interest!

 

[WandaMare]

We had our gate moved inwards and slightly changed the slope of the driveway so that the turn is easier from the road. It was quite easy to do and actually looks nicer than it was before.

Definitely agree it feels a lot safer having bigger horses in a lorry, especially on the motorway.

 

[turnbuckle]

Plenty of differing chassis lengths around, although fewer "in the middle".

Depending on budget, you could always have one made to your specs. From memory a new basic aluminium body is around £9000. Add say £1500 for basic living or the basics to be able to plug that in later and say £5000 to £7000 for a fair chassis.....

 

[MrsMozart]

We had a 7.5 tonne lorry, but it needed a load of work and we sold it to a lorry man. Cried the day it went. Bought a Disco and a big old three horse trailer. Don't like the combination, though got out and about albeit slowly. The Disco was written off when it was parked up minding its own business, so now have a trailer and nothing to tow it with, other than offers from kind friends with suitable vehicles. Going to get an M Class (Mercedes) to tow for now whilst we wait to order and have built either a 7.5 tonne or a 12 tonne lorry. Tempted by the bigger one as then no weight hassle and if stalled for four we can take friends to the beach and have a hoot, can also use it to move house nex year

 

[Tyssandi]

Hi,
We are considering changing from a 510 trailer to a horse lorry as my husbands horse is 18hh and still growing. I am wondering what experiences others have in making the move.

Thanks

Best decision I ever made going from trailer to Box, never regretted it once and doubt I ever will.

 

[jjsblackhorse]

Plenty of differing chassis lengths around, although fewer "in the middle".

Depending on budget, you could always have one made to your specs. From memory a new basic aluminium body is around £9000. Add say £1500 for basic living or the basics to be able to plug that in later and say £5000 to £7000 for a fair chassis.....

WOW the cheapest build I have priced so far is coming I just under 30k!
If anyone knows of a reputable builder who can build a safe box for less I would be very interested.

 

[conniegirl]

I second the 8' head room, our 17.3 went in my old Lorry with room to spare height wise.
I currently have a trailer and hate towing. Am in the process of having a 7.5t built, as I can't stand towing much longer.
Depending on your tow vehicle, mine - Land Rover discovery 3- has cost as much to keep on the road with repairs, as my old 7.5t Lorry did. Probably bad luck, but made me revaluate what I wanted.
And, that is a Lorry!
Allow 4K a year for plating, insurance, services and repairs, and you probably won't be too far out.
Though with most things, it's a lottery. My first 7.5t cost me the annual serve and plate and never needed a thing doing in the several years I had it, the next one had some Wear and tear issues, with age, and several punctures which is just bad luck. But, it was a lovely Lorry and I still rue the day I sold it.

Jesus where are you getting yours done!
Last year my 26 yearold lorry had a lot of work done to it, including new brake system (everything replaced), rebuilding the entire cab and new wireing! Bill came to just under £1700.
Add insurance, tax and rescue and im not sure it topped £2500 for the year and in 8 years of owning it that was the most expensive year ive ever had!

I would never go back to a trailer now!

 

[Sallyfinn]

I changed my 505 to a 511 2 years ago and then swapped to a 7.5t lorry 3 months ago. I LOVE IT!
I only used my 4x4 for towing and kept a fiesta for work. Consequently the lorry is working out much cheaper to run. And it's sooooo lovely being able to ride then change and have a cup of tea.
I'm also very excited still by buying little matchy horsey teatowels and mugs etc. etc. for the lorry!
I'm like a 5 year old at Xmas!

 

[Red-1]

WOW the cheapest build I have priced so far is coming I just under 30k!
If anyone knows of a reputable builder who can build a safe box for less I would be very interested.

Yes, Ian Saynor with Highwood Horseboxes in Wakefield did my 12.5 tonne and the modern 7.5 tonne. The big one we had for 10 years, and the body had no faults, even with travelling right down to the bottom of the country and to the top of Scotland, and coast to coast east to west. Regularly had 2 horses, stayed away several times, it was built like a tank.

The second one he did we only had for 5 years, but it too was solid and reliable.

 

[Shadowdancing]

Bought a 3.5 ton for my horse, always travelled in friends trailers previously, is a Renault master. It's great to drive and the horse seems much more comfortable in it. But she is only just a horse, 15hh, and very finely built, so fits nicely. I've only travelled her with a pony and only ever would. They are so small although I see many that are kitted out on the base van only described as suiting 16hh horses! I can't say I'd fancy that...!

 

[LynH]

I'm in the process of moving from a trailer to a 6.5t lorry. We looked at the smaller 4.5t boxes but as the payload was so tight we felt they didn't feel as safe as a 6.5t. We've gone for a LWB with 2t payload and a small living with bed over the cab. Just have to wait for it to be built now.

 

[Bernster]

Been toying with this idea for a little while now as well. Only ever had boxes although a trailer makes more sense financially as I have a company car. But think I will stick with the box as I like the feel of em, the ease of driving and the extra room. Trailers feel a little more flimsy for the motorway or on windy days.

Ideally I'd get a 4.5t or bigger for the payload but they are v expensive and harder to find second hand. I do like my 3.9t and it's been v easy to look after and not that expensive to maintain really.

 

[jjsblackhorse]

I must admit that over the years of towing a trailer we have always taken the weather into account and missed a number of days out due to high winds and avoid motorway driving like the plague. So changing to a lorry will make things easier and safer I hope!

 

[turnbuckle]

jjs, have spoken to a guy who builds sticksided containers, if you include a power ramp and bulkhead off the front stall so that can become living in due course, he thinks about £12500, so my first thought on price was a little out of date...but still very affordable.

 

[jjsblackhorse]

jjs, have spoken to a guy who builds sticksided containers, if you include a power ramp and bulkhead off the front stall so that can become living in due course, he thinks about £12500, so my first thought on price was a little out of date...but still very affordable.

Wow that sounds great turnbuckle - where abouts is he and does he have a website? I think I may have to go down the purpose built route as we have limited access into the drive. Having said that the 11ton oil lorry gets in no problem but he is a short wheelbase 19.6ft long and just under 8ft wide. Add that to a height to accommodate 18hh+ plus at least a 2ton payload - it is becoming a tall order.........

 

[turnbuckle]

The price I got was from Tristar, have never used them but they've been around for a while and they sort of specialise in sticksiders. Google for the website, they're in wild Wales.

Width is standard on lorries, so that won't a be problem. Length pretty well tweakable to order, depending on the chassis you buy. If you need more than 8' height that may be hard as the panels usually come in 8'by4' sizes. Payload should be easy if you have minimal living, but you can always build using all aluminium which makes a big difference. One point - I think Tristar use old school heavy hardwood flooring,which is fine, but may be worth asking about ali plank flooring. If you can make the weight with timber I think it gives a more solid feel for the hroses, but remember it will rot over time, you just have to check and replace in due course.

 

[jjsblackhorse]

We have been looking at Tristar and visited the factory. We were very impressed with what we saw and such nice people- we got the impression they would not build anything that they would not be willing to put their carriage team on.
So I must admit they are favourite at the moment ��. I would love to find a good second hand one of theirs about 5years old.

To change the subject slightly....... What have people experienced when it comes to MOT for 6.5 to 7.5t lorry's? Just starting to pick up rumours that people round here are being charge £200 just to book a commercial testing lane then the MOT on top.

 

[conniegirl]

We have been looking at Tristar and visited the factory. We were very impressed with what we saw and such nice people- we got the impression they would not build anything that they would not be willing to put their carriage team on.
So I must admit they are favourite at the moment ��. I would love to find a good second hand one of theirs about 5years old.

To change the subject slightly....... What have people experienced when it comes to MOT for 6.5 to 7.5t lorry's? Just starting to pick up rumours that people round here are being charge £200 just to book a commercial testing lane then the MOT on top.

If you book in plenty of time at a dvla centre not a private one then it cost around£100

 

[Ahrena]

We moved from trailer to lorry as I used to do a lot of stay away shows.

I'm not really sure re cost comparison as I didn't run the trailer (I was a teenager st the time and my mum sorted it).

I love my lorry but god it's a pain. Sadly my mum passed away 18 months ago so I had to learn to drive it and it's cost me(and thankfully my dad) over 5k in repairs in that time. Also as a 24 vault engine when it decides not to start it's a huge pain as can't just jump it with a car. (Plenty of trucks seem to run off 12v which I would bear in mind!) I had to invest in a £250 battery jump pack after I had to call my break down several times.

However I do love it and its mainly so much easier than a trailer especially as I event so most of my show stuff can live in it.