Trailer vs. Box

B

Baileyboo

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I don't know what to do, I'm really sick now of not having my own transport. I'm also a bit poor. Do I:
a) Take lessons for my trailer test and hope to eventually pass and then change my car and buy a cheap trailer.
or
b) Just get a load from the bank and get a 3.5 tonne box?

What are the hidden costs of each? I've got quite a nice car so I know if I sell it I could probably get a towing vehicle and someway towards a trailer. Any comments/ideas would be most welcome.

I would only be transporting one 14.1 pony.
 
Main cost of a box is that of running an extra vehicle. Insurance, Tax, fuel etc. And you have to get it through an annual MOT test and fix it if it breaks. Calculate...

Down side of running a towing vehicle daily is the additional cost of running a heavier vehicle - you need to do your sums!!
 
It realy depends how many miles you do. I Had a Disco & trailer, that was fine until I started doing loads of miles for work. Plus the insurance and tax just seemed to go up and up on the Disco.

We ended up selling the Disco & trailer and got enough to buy a 5.5 tonne renault dodge lorry (2 horse/3pony + living). I then got a cheapy fiesta. It works out slightly cheaper, plus shows, pony camp etc are so much easier and comfortable.

Not sure what Tax, test and insurance would be like on a 3.5 tonne, plus remember the cost of servicing etc. We dont spend a lot because OH is very handy.
 
i think a box costs a lot more overall, unless you are very lucky and get a saint of a box that never needs anything expensive!
i'd say a) tbh.
if you got a smaller loan than you'd need for the box, and got a good trailer, it would hold its value well anyway, i think. just got to stop it getting nicked.
frown.gif
 

Having had both, I think Id go for a 4x4 and trailer if money was tight.
If you do your research on towing vehicles, you'll find one that is fairly cost effective!
The only extra cost of having a trailer is getting it serviced.
Oh and repairs, should you ever need any.

Having a lorry AND a car, is like having two cars! If you can afford to run two cars, then havng a lorry wont be a problem.
 
Thank you, I'm depressed!! I only want to be able to go to a couple of local shows that are out of hacking distance and some pleasure rides so I doubt that i'd really use it that much really.
 
Another problem with getting a box is that if it is cheap enough it will probably be old-ish so will forever be having something wrong with it, or (esp if not used really regularly) won't start when you come to use it. Plus, we had a 5.5t one and it was too big for MOT so had to be plated at a test station for commercial vehicles... a real pain as there aren't nearly as many of those around and I had to leave it with them all day! I think it then failed for only having a temp fuel cap so had to have it all done again the next week, grrr!! Never again!
 
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if you passed your test after 1997 you would need to do a test for the 3.5t box i think

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Not the case, I passed my test in 2007 and I can drive up to 3.5T.

I used to have a 3.5T lorry, I loved it, miss it like hell, what I dont miss is the upkeep and running costs. In my opinion get a trailer. Apart from servicing and repairs its pretty cheap really. x
 
Agree with kerilli, get something to tow with, for a single pony it needn't be a massive 4x4, then either hire or do you have any nice friends who might lend a trailer? If you buy - I had an old one for 6 years, bought for £1,700, sold for £1,300, they really do hold their value, get one with an aluminium floor though!!
 
Eek, I've been looking for a 3.5ton box because I thought it would be better value than a trailer! Aren't tax and insurance on a 4x4 more expensive than on a box? I couldn't buy a 4x4 instead of my car because of how far I have to commute to work each day so I'd end up with both
 
I've just bought a Rav4 (newish one - 54 plate) with the veiw to tow a single box and my 15.2 horse. It can tow up to 1500kg braked weight easily. I was contemplating getting a 3.5t lorry but it would cost a lot to run with a car as well for the useage that it would be doing. One thing to bear in mind if you do decide to tow is the weight of the trailer before you add the horse(s). The Ifor Williams 2 horse standard trailer weighs 905kg! hence the reason getting a single box. The Rav4 is fairly ecomonical for a 4x4. tax is £205 per year and insurance for me was about £600, and fuel wise it's no different than a new VW beetle 2.0 diesel (used to own one).
 
a pre 2001 4x4 has just the standard road tax, as pre 2001 vehicle don't ahve the emission data for differential raod tax rates.
Fine for 4x 4 owners but annouying for little hatchback owners who would othersie be paying less.
 
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A 3.5t box is usually quite small, and it is very easy to go over the weight.

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But not with a 14.1 pony....

read the thread on 'nervous wreck towing' which came up yesterday (I think) - that's always a question - if you *loathe* the trailer and don't use it, then the money's wasted however carefully you did your arithmetic

good luck

E (who is making the same decisions and not made them yet)
 
Don't worry about the B+E test just go for it. Ive just invoiced a lad for £380 for his training and hire of 4x4 & horsebox for his test. A very bright lad aged 23 passed 1st time. It's only common sense, apply the rules of the highway code as you would in every day driving i.e an amber traffic light means stop, a speed limit sign is a maximum not the minimum speed,keep a safe seperation distance for the weather and road coniditions and giveway to the right at roundabouts just as you do every day and you will be home and dry. Try these websites. http--towingtraining.mysite.orange.co.uk or www.topshamdrivertraining.co.uk go for it, good luck
 
we have found that running a lorry is cheaper then running a 4x4 and trailer.
Also you have to think that insurance for a lorry is alot less then the insurance for a 4x4!
I cannot get insurance for my mums 4x4 (im 22) as the cheapest quote we got was £2000 on top of mums policy with me as a 2nd driver. Im insured on the lorry and it only cost an extra £100 on mums policy!

Also running the 4x4 on a daily basis was enormous for the fuel costs. That running a little clio and the lorry worked out as alot cheaper for fuel.
Tax is the same for a 4x4 and a lorry. There are good older lorries out there and IMHO your going to have the same problems with an older 4x4 as you are with an older lorry.
 
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