Trailers v Lorrys...opinions please

Tankey

Tankey

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 October 2008
Messages
4,728
Visit site
A friend of mine has been on the hunt for a pony for her daughter and may have found the right one if the vetting goes according to plan
smile.gif

The mother in very non horsey, but the daughter is and the father knows a bit from his childhood, but not to worry as pony will be on full livery at a good yard
smile.gif


Anyway, the daughter will want to go and do all the pony club stuff and local shows, so they need transport.
Please could you discuss the pros and cons of a horsebox and trailer as she doesnt know what to get, but atm is verging on the idea of a trailer.........

Thoughts and discussions please
grin.gif
 
Love my lorry, easy to drive, very cheap on diesel, loads of space for tack etc, smoother ride for the horse.

BUT

We're thinking of swapping to a trailer in the future as it is quite expensive in terms of tax, insurance, MOT etc.
 
Brilliant, thanks
laugh.gif


JM, I may get my friend to give you a ring sometime for advice, cos I havent a clue about trailers and lorrys, its years since I did this stuff
crazy.gif
grin.gif
 
Lorry every time for me, I've lost me faith in trailers having lost a horse in an accident last year. Freak accident, but enough to put me off for life.
 
We had an accident with our trailer and that was only carrying a 13.2hh and a 14.2hh at the time. For me it is a lorry only and at least a 7.5 tonner as i now carry two big 'uns.
 
JM - We were on the M5 near the Berkeley junction. Was July 08, trailer was on it's side with a nice 3 hour queue behind it. Fortunately nobody else was involved... could have caused a HORRIFIC accident as opposed to just losing one horse.
 
if they're on a budget, trailer.
if not, and if they want somewhere nice to sit between classes, read the paper, make a coffee or lunch, entertain friends, stay warm, etc etc, lorry all the way.
the little 2-horse side ramp ones are very nice, drive easily, plenty of room for a pony (+ friend if necessary) and some have cute little living.
lorry = far safer for the horses too imho.
 
How big is their bank balance?!

If they can afford it, I would say go for one of the new 3.5 ton lorries. I have two friends who love theirs, one who downgraded from a 7.5t and the other upgraded from a posh trailer.

They have two big pluses - the ramp is low which means it is much easier to load, and they are delightfully easy to drive and more importantly, to park at shows.

If they can afford it, this is the way to go (I am not a dealer by the way!).
 
Lol no idea where you were coming back from! It was July 13th to be precise if that helps? Was a complete freak accident but no way am I putting Genie in a trailer ever, have my nice little 3.5t box now.
laugh.gif


OP - sorry for hijacking post! I LOVE my 3.5t lorry, drives like a car, but you do have to be careful with payload with them. (I know I can take Genie, equipment, water, plus 3 people, but couldn't fit another horse in on my payload of 1.25t) They would need to make sure the bulkhead between driver and passenger were reinforced, the the partition is a good solid one (some are no more than plyboard), and I cannot stress enough that it's best to get a professional conversion. I have a small area at the back to sit in, but no living as such.
 
This is a great help
smile.gif


Do you think it would be better to go for a trailer rather than a lorry to begin with as they arent too sure how many outings they will be doing, and then perhaps move to a lorry once they know how often they will be going out?
 
Another lorry vote as I was lucky not to have a badly injured horse also after a nasty trailer accident.

Sometimes I look enviously on at trailer owners - looks a lot cheaper but generally I love my lorry (so much easier to turn round if you go the wrong way!) and would never trailer it again.
 
Or even better hire a 3.5 tonne lorry when they need one!

I'm not a huge fan of the modern 3.5 tonners but I absolutely loathe trailers.

I currently own a 7.5 tonner and a trailer. Both the horses and I hate the trailer. The Section A loves it though, but having said that she loads herself into any trailer she can, including our flatbed trailer. The trailer was bought mainly for the livestock and for the horses in an emergency.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Why don't they just hire a trailer when they need one for a while until they decide
confused.gif


[/ QUOTE ]Good idea batman
grin.gif
grin.gif


I will point her in the direction of this thread
grin.gif
 
A lot would depend on money if its no problem then a lorry is the best also would depend if they have a tow car already then a trailer could work perhaps, but not as nice for a family day out having to sit in a car or huddle in a trailer
smile.gif
 
It depends on what personally is important to you, how much you use it and where you can park it etc.

I looked into lorries and trailers and initial costs of a trailer was more than a box. I found that buying a suitable vehicle for towing (so many are not the right weight even if they say they can can tow) and a decent trailer was as expensive as my horsebox if not more so. Mine is a 2 horse Merc 709 with small day living - a godsend when its raining and drives like a large van - I adore it (it will probably break down next week now Ive said that!!
grin.gif
) its 6.6t cost £10,500 3 years ago.

A suitable tow vehicle of reasonable age was around £7,500 and a decent new trailer at least £4,500. My box has cost around £600 a year to get through MOT ([plating) Ive paid more than this for a car. Insurance is about £350 fully comp plus breakdown - more for a 4x4 probably. Tax £180ish. Yearly service £350 - 600 and two tyres in 3 years about £300. If you use the 4x4 for all journeys then fuel prices add up too.

Overall probably need to work on putting aside £120 -£150 a month plus fuel costs. It may sound a lot but need to weigh up against extra costs of a tow vehicle.

Of course if you have a trailer if you are not using it then it doesn't deteriorate much and you haven't got ongoing costs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top