What's cheaper - lorry or trailer & 4x4?!

BethanT

BethanT

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So I am desperate to get my own transport sorted out and so looking at my options, but having no experience with either, I have no clue on the costs involved and which would work out cheaper monthly and long term.

I am 23, I have passed my HGV licence but not my trailer - so would need to add this into initial costs.

I currently have a car on finance which I could buy out if I get a loan, could then look at selling it for 10K or so.

So realistically if I was to go through with it I would have around 8K to spend on a lorry/trailer & vehicle.

But what works out better

Option A - Have a cheap run around car and a lorry, would probably only be one worth 5k or so.

Option B - 4x4/towing vehicle and trailer.

If option B, which vehicle would people recommend as good day vehicles as well as towers?!
 
A lorry will likely be cheaper to run fuel wise, but can be expensive to service and repair. If you have both a lorry and a car then there will be two motor tax & insurance bills to pay. I have just sold our beloved lorry for these very reasons; it is more economic to run a jeep and trailer when you take everything into account. Miss my lorry though.....
 
Depends on daily mileage and horse transport mileage. I find it cheaper in a little car and 3.5 van than 4x4 and trailer but I go out a lot and I think something was wrong with 4x4
 
We find it loads cheaper to run a VW polo and a 3.5 t lorry side by side than our Mercedes ML and trailer.
We sold the 4x4 when we moved further from my work and I was doing a million
Car miles a day. The little lorry was the best thing ever and I've literally saved a fortune in diesel
 
I had this dilemma recently and opted for a lorry.

I drive a Fiat 500 day to day so would have needed to swap that out or have a 4x4 as well. The fuel to run a 4x4 daily would have cost me a fortune and I reasoned if I was going to buy a 4x4 and trailer I might as well get a lorry!

Yes I expect maintenance costs and servicing to be high, but it could be equally so on an older 4x4. It's pretty cheap to insure a horse lorry. Mine was about £ 150 for the year which isn't much more than trailer insurance. The tax is similar to a 4x4 (my fiat is only £30 to tax so having 2 vehicles to tax isn't an issue). Plus don't forget costs to service a trailer need to be taken into account.

I have a 7.5 ton which was just under £5 k. If you do get a lorry make sure you get a pre purchase inspection done. I had to walk away from the first one I found.

The bonus with a lorry is that I have living so we can get warm and have a cuppa, plus I have a toilet which is handy. The only real downside is that the ramp is tricky but doable on my own.

Good luck whatever you decide
 
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It also depends on how much you are going to be going out and about with the horse. A trailer costs nothing if it is not being used, (apart from annual service and looking after) a lorry still needs to be taxed, insured, maintained whether in use or not. A lorry probably gives a better ride and would be generally more convenient because you can keep all your stuff in the lorry (I don't mean tack but just bits and pieces, grooming kit, rain wear, etc. etc, that have to be loaded up in the 4 x 4 every time you go out.)

Small lorries seem very popular, but it also depends on how large your horse is, I wouldn't fancy taking a large warmblood in a "van conversion" type. If you go for the small lorry please remember the awful stories of horses jumping over the breast bar and getting stuck. Look very carefully at every aspect of safety for you and the horse, quality of build, escape route.
 
Could you do a yard share for the lorry? We have our own transport but have actually decided to sell it and hire YO's lorry instead - believe it or not, hiring twice a month works out cheaper than buying/insuring/running our own - and we are terrible for having spells where we don't go anywhere.

But yes I think I would always go for a lorry if possible. I have a slightly neurotic horse and it can be a bit hairy outrunning him up the ramp and under the breast bar on the trailer!!
 
As you aren't limited to the relatively high price of 3.5T and assuming you aren't doing a super low mileage in your car I would probably opt for a lorry. Frankly having done both they make life a lot easier on a day out too!
 
I do a fair few miles in my car!! I've had this car 18 months and done over 20k miles already. So works out around 1,100 miles a month. The joys of living in the countryside!!

Although I would probably only ever compete one horse at a time myself, I like the option of being able to have 2, hence not wanting a 3.5 tonner. In the perfect world a 5.5ton or similar would be perfect. I would like to think if I had my own transport I would be out every weekend with one or the other, or at least fortnightly.

Because of my budget initially I don't think I could afford a particularly new 4x4 and so runs the risk of being hard to keep on the road.

I think in my head I know a lorry is better for my. Initial outlay would be less. And that's what is paramount at the moment.

If anyone is happy to share touch costs each month on what they have it would be much appreciated
 
Tricky tbh. I had a trailer then a lorry but now back to a trailer but thinking about a lorry again LOL! Just so much easier when it doesn't need too much work. The trailer and 4x4 is substantially cheaper if you are not doing huge miles. But not as easy or convenient if using regularly. I went to a trailer because I had to have a 4x4 anyway so nothing was gained with the lorry. I have found, since being divorced and on my own, it is more difficult. So much easier to load up the lorry, quick turn around and off we go. I can hitch up the trailer on my own but it is more difficult, plus I can't leave stuff in it for the summer. I think, if I could afford it, (I can't justify it) I would go back to a small lorry. It is about what is easiest and best for you.I think it would be good to get an idea of the cost of maintenance. Mine cost about £1000 per year as it was old. I suspect it is more now but worth working out the average.
 
I opted for a lorry when I looked into it as a decent towing vehicle and trailer were more expensive than a lot of the boxes. I also had a company lease car at the time which meant I'd have to run two vehicles anyway plus I have quite a small parking area in front of my house so a 4x4 would be more difficult to park.

However maintenance was quite expensive and yearly servicing, plating and the odd thing like needing a tyre puncture repaired came to around £1000 a year plus insurance, rescue and tax. However I've had car bills for quite a bit when needing the cam belt done plus servicing. Also lorries don't like sitting around doing nothing so if your horse if off games or you hibernate in winter it doesn't do them much good so if you have one you need to use it. I had a 6.5tonne.
 
When deciding whether to sell my lorry I worked out that it was costing me over €100/£85 per trip with all the running costs added in. We really only used it over the summer months and it was sitting idle for more than half the year. Couldn't really justify that so am now running a jeep and trailer; miss the lorry though :-(
 
I'm sure it's been mentioned already, but a big factor is how often you'll be using the trailer / lorry. From my own experience, I found that as soon as I stopped using my 3.5t lorry less than once a week, it quickly started to become unreliable - and more expensive to maintain. The chassis was used but the container brand new when I bought it, but I do think they need to be used regularly.

Once the lorry had let me down a couple too many times, we opted for a trailer (IWT 505) and a 4x4 and it suits our requirements very well - and there's no annual MOT / Insurance etc for the trailer.
 
Thanks all.

Due to the mileage I need to cover for day-to-day running I think it makes more sense to have a little run around and a lorry rather than 4x4 and trailer.

I would like to think I would be out every weekend, I have 2 horses so definitely doable. Especially in winter where I would try and be hunting every Saturday with one.

Can I be cheeky and ask the lorry owners amongst you, how much an older lorry costs to run/maintain a month, based on 1 trip a week? I know that's a bit "how long is a piece of string" question but would be very helpful for my budgeting :) I'm looking at around 1996 and newer lorries due to my budget. 2/3 horse.

I do have a HGV licence, I know sometimes they work out cheaper to buy, but what about running them?
 
Why do most think that a large 4x4 is necessary when something like a skoda octavia 4x4 will do both towing and commuting without high mpg etc ?
 
Something that hasn't been mentioned is running a 4x4 + trailer, alongside a smaller or more economical car for day to day use. This has the advantage of low running costs, plus a 'spare' car for when the other one's poorly, and you can use it for driving across fields to fix fences / pull ragwort too. :)

I have a Terrano (£1k), and an old Rice trailer (£500) which are much cheaper to maintain than a lorry. Yes, I miss the lorry, but I never did use it enough, and they really don't like standing about.
 
ROG said:
Why do most think that a large 4x4 is necessary when something like a skoda octavia 4x4 will do both towing and commuting without high mpg etc ?
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I thought the main reason was making sure what you are towing isn't heavier than what you're towing with? Other than that I've no idea. It would be interesting to know if that is a misconception.
 
Yup, waved goodbye to the lorry and have a car for travelling and a jeep + trailer, primarily for moving the horses, but also as 2nd vehicle. Cheaper.
 
Skoda Octavia Scout 4x4 tows 2000kg. It's a great choice if you only need to tow one, it breezes my Ifor 510 (1000kg) plus 695kg ID/cross. Once you're towing 2, then you need something like my 2014 Shogun LWB.

Horses for courses. The Octavia Scout returns nearly 50 mpg in everyday driving , the Shogun returns 25 mpg.
 
pennyturner said:
Something that hasn't been mentioned is running a 4x4 + trailer, alongside a smaller or more economical car for day to day use. This has the advantage of low running costs, plus a 'spare' car for when the other one's poorly, and you can use it for driving across fields to fix fences / pull ragwort too. :)

I have a Terrano (£1k), and an old Rice trailer (£500) which are much cheaper to maintain than a lorry. Yes, I miss the lorry, but I never did use it enough, and they really don't like standing about.
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yes that is very true
although having an hgv 2 opens up options, older lorries are not always known for being reliable!
I have a disco so it is not economical at all but very comfy and huge- great for dog and baby and it tows a small trailer across a field to hay all winter and then can obviously do a trailer with 2 horses with ease.
but my husband has a more economical ford mondeo estate- if I am doing more than a few miles to the yard and back I take his car, like on motorway journeys.

agree I would prefer a lorry, but my trailer has not been used in over a year and has cost me nothing sitting there!
 
I now see that the OP wishes to tow 2 horses. In that case, the Skoda Octavia Scout 4x4 estate (awesome vehicle though it is) is unlikely to cut the mustard having a tow limit of 2000kg. My alternative choice of a LWB Shogun would tow pretty much anything, though, and is a very pleasant everyday drive.

I'd much rather a trailer sitting on the drive doing nothing than a lorry, which needs using regularly.
 
This is a fascinating thread and fits my current dilemma exactly. It whether to buy a lorry or a second - towing only - car(for car read 4x4). I have a decent weight Passat which tows my 14.3 cob solo well. Thats all I need really. But I feel its killing my car and its a great car for my everyday use (25k annual car mileage). My trailed mileage is probs around 2000. I leave my trailer alone in winter as I can compete plenty at home. Perhaps I should just expect to buy a replacement Passat fairly regularly x
 
Funnily enough I did think about Skoda Octavia or similar, but didn't think it would be juicy enough, you know, just in case I do have 2 horses on board ;) . The other thing with trailers is that I would likely be on my own most of the time, and as I would be very new to towing, hitching up would be fun! LOL.
 
BethanT said:
Funnily enough I did think about Skoda Octavia or similar, but didn't think it would be juicy enough, you know, just in case I do have 2 horses on board ;) . The other thing with trailers is that I would likely be on my own most of the time, and as I would be very new to towing, hitching up would be fun! LOL.
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If near me in Leicester I can help with that for FREE - with any expenses covered
 
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