What do you all look for in a horsebox..?

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Superstar

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Hello Guys

After much thought we have decided to take the plunge and buy a 3.5T horsebox. We have a 14.2H cob that travels well and is easy to load. It will be used about 3 times a week. As we only have the one horse we thought a 3.5T would be most suitable for our needs.

I am sooooo excited but fully aware of the pitfulls of buying the wrong horsebox so would be really greatful if you could give any advice/or share your experiences on the do's and dont's....

I am aware of the obvious things to look for - eg sound floor/or a floor that has been reinforced on the newer van conversions, and good ventilation and light but there are so many other choices/factors....??

Like rear load or side load..? what do you/your horses prefer

Rubber matted ramp or carpet type ramp..?

Is CCTV - really important, those that have it do you use it..?

Soft padded walls/partitions..?

Rubbered floors are they easier to keep clean..? Do you hose them or sweep them..?

Older tradional horsebox...or Newer Van conversion..?

Millage..? I have seen some excellent boxes that have all the gadgets and gizmos for both the horse and me..eg fully loaded living, CCTV, Skylights, padding etc etc but the boxes have done 180,000:eek:

Or for the same price I could have a newer one with alot less millage but not as well fitted out or as luxurious and no cctv or very little living etc...

We dont tend to stay away so don't think the living is the 'be all and end all' but with so many choices thought I would ask what you all look for in a horse box:confused:

We have around £12,500 to spend so any reconmendations on type would be much appreciated....

Thank you so much - large packet of minstrals and a baileys for those that are still reading let alone going to comment...lol...:D
 
*stuffs Minstrel in mougth*

Muosikdn jbbvdlu *swallows Minstrel, takes another one for later*

No use re. all your questions, but will say this:

Check the payload, i.e. what the thing can actually carry.

Get sight of the last two or three MOTs and their accompanying recommendation sheets.

Spot the person who didn't take enough notice of the payload, and didn't see the recommendations... poor Bessie Box disintergrated ten months after I bought her :(

On the other hand *takes another Minstrel*, have fun, take a mechanic, and enjoy :D :D :D
 
MrsMozart said:
*stuffs Minstrel in mougth*

Muosikdn jbbvdlu *swallows Minstrel, takes another one for later*

No use re. all your questions, but will say this:

Check the payload, i.e. what the thing can actually carry.

Get sight of the last two or three MOTs and their accompanying recommendation sheets.

Spot the person who didn't take enough notice of the payload, and didn't see the recommendations... poor Bessie Box disintergrated ten months after I bought her :(

On the other hand *takes another Minstrel*, have fun, take a mechanic, and enjoy :D :D :D
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Are you back now then???? If so did you have a nice time??? :D :D :D
 
whoops sorry superstar completely filched your thread. Have no idea, never owned a lorry. I guess going on colour is not a good idea but for me it would defo help :p :D
 
had a very old vw 3.5 box, it was ace reaaly sad when it went started my own business and needed cash. Did have a new floor put in as seen nasty accident with bad ones. if rubber matting is in check underside esp round edges. MOT only covers the box and road worthy its still going strong now as I see her at the shows boo hoo paid about £4,000 spent £900 in 2 years and got £4,500 back so not to bad for an oldie.Watch the gross weight as the box we had was for 3 ponies but no way would it have been legal we had a 13.2 and 14.2 and because they were LW we were just ok. If got £12000 then a wine store sounds good lol
 
Payload as MrsM said is absolutely crucial. You can see what it is on the last MOT or a weight bridge certificate. The more living the lorry has, the less payload, so if you do not need it, don't look for it (I can't quite picture a 3.5 tonne WITH living to be honest as most of the space is taken up by the horses).

Take a mechanic with you to give the box a really good check. The main problem with lorries is that you can be saddled with quite a few hundred pounds each year just to get it through its MOT. For example, mine has passed its plaiting every year without a single problem and it still costs 300 quid (service and plaiting plus bringing up to date with new requirements which seem to change every year!).

Check the dimensions of the horse area, they need to be large enough to take a horse and look for safety features such as collapsible breast bars. You may want to consider re-sale value here.

Personally I don't like the van conversions at all, I can't really see how they would be stable enough to take a horse and not sway all over the place on the motorway and I would go for something closer to a truck.
 
Had 1.8 tonne payload - for a 7.5 tonne box that was stalled for four horses...

They'd have had to be rescue cases both in terms of size (width) and weight.

Ho hum.

We live and learn :D

...considering looking again now for another one.... :D :D :D
 
It has always struck me that if you broke down and had to unload the horses on the road, having a side unload box would make it far trickier and more dangerous- for that reason only I would go for rear unload :)

With older models make sure the engine is easily accessible (tilt cab or something) as taking the cab off your lorry just to get to the engine makes it an expensive job

Give the partitions, ramp, walls a good bang to check how substantial they are (some new lorries I have come across seem to be made of MDF or plywood or something :eek:)

Put all the gear you take to events in a big pile on your yard and take a mental picture of how much storage you will need- a lot of these new 'van style' boxes are really lacking on decent storage in order to remain chic looking and offer a living whilst staying within weight limitations

You will get a better box for your money if you take your C1 test (or have Grandfathers rights) as the price of the little boxes has been pushed up disproportionately- the test costs the best part of £1000 but the remaining budget would get you a genuinely awesome truck :D
 
I havea 3.5t van conversion and carry one 16.1hh horse in it. They are strong enough if they are done correctly. I got the bulkhead strengthened with steel after I got it which cost £100 and added about 20kg to the weight, however it was well worth it.

If you are getting a 3.5t conversion, get the registration number and the number from the front of the registration document and go to www.motinfo.gov.uk and you can check the current MOT and also previous MOTs - check that the mileage on previous MOTs isn't higher than the one following it. I bought a clocked one at first and it died. The one I have now is great for carrying the horses, but has cost me a lot to maintain, but that could be because I got everything done at once - taking precautions rather than waiting to break down..... the previous MOTs also show whether any advisory notices were issued.

Also check the payload capacity to check whether it can carry two - plus water, haynets, tack, people etc...

If you want me to send you some photos of my van conversion, PM me with your e-mail and I will take some photos.
 
Well I've recently paid best part of £12k for a 3.5t, so similar to your budget :)

I wanted a new shape (53 plate onwards) Renault Master or Vauxhall Movano. The new shape ones look pretty and have the 6 speed dash mounted gearstick :)

I ended up with a coachbuild by TruLeisure - it's got a really top quality build with a lot of aluminum to keep the weight down. My previous van was a van conversion though, and I liked that too, it's just that a coachbuild came up first.

The side load is very inviting for horses and I love it. This box has rubber on the ramp and the last one had carpet. The carpet was slippery, particularly for me in trainers, and wasn't easy to clean.

The hay gets everywhere in the back, so try to have a tack cupboard to keep your stuff clean.

I don't have CCTV yet, but I want it so that I can reverse with more confidence, and keep an eye on him too.

I sweep the floor, and only ever hose it out if he's had a wee. Mine is rubber over aluminium, so I don't need to worry about rotten wooden floors. I just leave it to drain out and dry.

Mine has 96k miles on it, and I bought it from here - it's the white one sold in May that had "Showjumpers" on the side (not any more, lol!):
http://www.traveltwohorseboxes.com/currentstock.htm
 
Just a thought on the ramp. Although the side ramp can take up more space, few small lorries will have a back ramp because this would mean travelling herringbone. You actually get a lot more horse space travelling forward or back, for which you need a side ramp.

Also regarding the tilting cab, as far as I understand it chassis in the 3.5 tonne range (and even some larger ones like my 5.2 tonne Iveco Daily) have full access to the engine from the bonnet and don't come with a tilting cab to begin with. Access to the tilting cab is more of an issue for larger lorries, 7.5 tonnes and over.
 
I prefer a side loader. with backwards facing travel. i prefer rubber on the ramp and the floor. I dont have cctv, dont really need it. Im not bothered about padded partitions ect. Im not really keen on the small van conversions, just dont seem all that sturdy. but having said that your horse isnt big so might be ok? And the thing with the newer van conversions is there isnt really a lot of room for all your things and tack and isnt room to get changed. (however i do take about a million things to shows so might just be me haha)
Good look on searching for a box :)
 
Rebelzmum said:
I havea 3.5t van conversion and carry one 16.1hh horse in it. They are strong enough if they are done correctly. I got the bulkhead strengthened with steel after I got it which cost £100 and added about 20kg to the weight, however it was well worth it.

If you are getting a 3.5t conversion, get the registration number and the number from the front of the registration document and go to www.motinfo.gov.uk and you can check the current MOT and also previous MOTs - check that the mileage on previous MOTs isn't higher than the one following it. I bought a clocked one at first and it died. The one I have now is great for carrying the horses, but has cost me a lot to maintain, but that could be because I got everything done at once - taking precautions rather than waiting to break down..... the previous MOTs also show whether any advisory notices were issued.

Also check the payload capacity to check whether it can carry two - plus water, haynets, tack, people etc...

If you want me to send you some photos of my van conversion, PM me with your e-mail and I will take some photos.
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Thanks for all of your replies...Rebelzmum is yours a van conversion, or a van chasis with a box on the back. Is yours a high top van.

Which would you think would be stronger..? A high top van that is unaltered apart from being converted by a coachworks builder in the inside and hydrolic (sp) ramp etc. Or a van chasis with a coachworks built box put on the back..?

Thanks x
 
Superstar said:
Thanks for all of your replies...Rebelzmum is yours a van conversion, or a van chasis with a box on the back. Is yours a high top van.

Which would you think would be stronger..? A high top van that is unaltered apart from being converted by a coachworks builder in the inside and hydrolic (sp) ramp etc. Or a van chasis with a coachworks built box put on the back..?

Thanks x
Click to expand...

Hi

Mine is just a van conversion - it is the highest top out of the vans - I think is is 7ft inside internal height. I think that as your horse is much smaller than mine you will be fine....they do get a bit difficult to handle when it gets windy on the motorway - you can really feel them pulling over, but that is also because I live in Cumbria and use the M6 over Shap!
It wasn't done by a professional converter, just a man in Glossop who does van conversions. The only complaint I have is that the bulkhead was not strong enough - hence getting steel bars fitted. I have seen better, and I have seen worse...mine doesn't have collapsible breast bars, but as the horse is 16.1hh there is no way it can rear up far enough to get its legs anywhere near high enough! You can always get anti-weave grills fitted if your horse is likely to rear up.
Personally, I think the box vans look much nicer than mine, but essentially, they are still Masters/Movanos, just with a higher roof.
 
My advice would be to talk to a wide variety of manufacturers, ask to speak to their previous customers and visit their workshops (if they refuse or won't pass on details then walk away).

Ask them what strengthening they put into the vehicle, is the side ramp spring assisted with long support struts and what material is it made from. Do they use the manufacturers bulkhead or make a whole new one up, if so what metal do they use?

Find out what their after sales service is like, does the vehicle come with a warranty and what does that cover. Will they still want to know you in a years time if you just need a service and a bit of wear & tear repaired?

Feel free to contact me if you need further advice.

Emma
Northern Horseboxes
 
Does it have to be a lorry? Unless you are specifically looking for living, for the budget you have, you could get a decent 4x4 and a really nice trailer! No plating to worry about, and when not towing the trailer, the 4x4 could be used for a whole load of other things!
 
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