Which 7.5 Ton Lorry? Advice please

[seabsicuit2]

Have got £10k to spend on a 3 horse lorry. Can anyone advise what makes to go for?

From what I've gathered over the years, MAN and Mercedes are the only two makes that are good/reliable?

Leyland Dafs and Roadrunners, and Ford Iveco's all have had a lot of problems/difficulties?

Do correct me if Im wrong!

Also need advice about which type of lorry has the highest and lowest Miles to the Gallon, and also very important is that the lorry MUST give a totally smooth and stable ride for the horses with no rocking them about whatsoever.

Have no idea what to look for so any advice would be much appreciated...looking for a 3 horse lorry, with small living, outside tacklockers (prefably not going into the horse area) plenty of headroom and width in the horse area, and a low slung ramp set on shallow not high and steep. Must be a stable drive and not 100 years old. Think I can find this for £10k?

 

[ecrozier]

Can't comment too much on others but I do love my merc one thing I have noticed when browsing lorries, the Mercs I have seen tend to be quite high off the ground which can lead to steep ramps - mine does have quite a steep ramp but once up there they seem to get a good ride in there

 

[Santa_Claus]

personally for a 7.5 i would go for a leyland daf. main problem with fords is rust but a properly looked after one can go on for years. MANs are pretty reliable from heard older mercs can have suspension issues. what ever you get make sure it has a thorough 'vetting' from a reliable mechanic before you part with any cash.

 

[Nicnac]

Leyland every time - economical and easy to maintain as uncomplicated. Had a Ford before and as previous poster said a rust bucket!

 

[siennamum]

I love leylands, mine gives the most brilliant ride and is incredibly reliable. I was told by a lorry builder that MAN's and Mercs have spongy suspension which does make them bounce. Maybe complete cobblers, but mine has no suspension that you would notice and the horses are always very happy.

 

[seabsicuit2]

Ok thank you! Have got a few lined up to look at so exciting!

Just one thing- I had heard that there was a problem with leylands rolling ( the horse area rolling from side to side) was that the roadrunner not the daf?

 

[Mavis007]

I am looking into a new chassis for my lorry and have been recommended to go for a Leyland DAF by Dale Smart of Smart Horseboxes- he always uses them as they are generally so reliable and good to drive Definitely NOT a Ford Iveco...

 

[ecrozier]

Must say my merc 1994 L doesn't have spongy suspension at all, less of a bone shaker than my old Bedford but that's not difficult!
I did borrow a friend 2000 DAF and that was lovely to drive, whereas I didn't enjoy another friend's 1991 leyland - might well have been a roadrunner at that age now I think of it.
Personally with £10k I'd be looking for 1998 onwards DAF Merc or MAN. Know a lot of people have iveco/cargo but have personally known several people have huge problems with a variety of different things on both iveco/cargo so I personally would steer clear. The other one I wouldn't rule out is a newer Renault, I did my HGV training in one and it was great. Also Volvo/scania but they tend to be bigger than 7.5t although not all, you do get 7.5t volvos.
Sorry waffled on a bit! A lot of the above is based on what my mechanics have told me, they are commercial vehicle rather than Horsebox specific. Also I would say if at all possible look for one that has a tilt cab!!

 

[iconique]

I've got an Iveco and found no problems (now going to touch wood!), what I have found is that having a tilt cab, and a well maintained lorry both mechanically and structurally is actually more important!
Personally don't like the drive of the MAN but used to have a Merc 814, which was fine but only 4 speed, prefer having my 5 speed for cruising on the motorway. Used to have recovery trucks as well which varied according to previous abuse. So suggest best thing is to get something checked out by a proper mechanic and with regard to what rocks and what doesn't then its down to the lorry build. Plus go drive a few as they all drive much of a same if you are used to them, but some do drive better than others!!

 

[siennamum]

Mine is a roadrunner and I've never had any instability or similar. It is absolutely ancient though, with your budget I'm not even sure a Leyland is likely to be appropriate. Lorries certainly seem to be cheap at the moment so you should get a bargain.

 

[Maisie2]

I think the most important thing about a horsebox is it's reliability and I don't know how you can guarantee that I've had most makes over the years and my preference was a Man - but apparently they are one of the heaviest chassis. The one I positively loathed was a Daf - because it broke down on every motorway in the Midlands The Merc. was very reliable but expensive to get repaired. My only advice would be to try and find one that is well maintained and hasn't been standing unused for a long time, and if you can, take a mechanic with you. Good luck.

 

[ecrozier]

Actually just reading Maisie2's post is a v good point, OP if you need to travel 3 proper sized horses and want living too, weight is going to be important. Not sure how true but was told merc also quite heavy chassis.

 

[morrismob]

Owned an MAN for nearly 8 years totally fab, always starts and only once have I had to pay anything on plating and that was this year and it was £95 !!

 

[seabsicuit2]

Ok thanks so much everyone- just rung about two boxes ( sure there are loads more!), one is a MERC solitaire but 1991 ( too old) but owner has had it for 10 years from new, says its fantastically reliable, and owner sounds very genuine £10k and the box looks brand new. Dont like the age but do like the fact that the owner said how reliable it was & that she never had to pay anything to get it through plating- she says she can provide all service history. that has a 1.5 ton payload.

Other one to look at is a 1997 Daf ( £8,500) but its being sold by a dealer and last owner had it for 4 years ..dealer says that he will get the number of the old owners for us so that we can check how reliable the lorry is. this one has a 2 ton payload which is very tempting, loads of room and height in the horse area too.

 

[ecrozier]

If you want to transport 3, 1.5t def won't be enough... But my merc is 1994 and so far (touching every piece of wood I can find!) been super reliable. Had it 3 years now.

 

[Jnhuk]

I have an Iveco which has been really great - reliable and very easy to drive. However, when chatting to the mechanic re lorries chassis etc... he says Ivecos rust more.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

One thing to note that the higher the body is on the chassis, the more roll you are likely to get on whatever truck you have.
This can be alleviated somewhat, by fitting good anti-roll bars on if they are not already fitted, or by stiffening the suspension. Any box builder would be able to advise & a competant mechanic could fit.
I had these fitted to my last Merc (a 98 Atego but sold back in 2005), which gave it a lovely stable ride over bumpy ground etc.

The previous L. Roadrunner was a good'n - bit like a cob - sturdy, reliable but really only had 1 top end speed, so motorways were a bit of a trial.
Fords & Bedfords were cheapest to maintain, tho rusted happily if not looked after.