Which make of lorry?

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Tangaroo

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I am looking for my first lorry, to take two 16.2hh on the herringbone plus small living. I just wondered which makes you recommend. How easy is it to get parts for each make? Are there any you wouldnt recommend? I will have to buy a fairly old one due to limited funds so all recommendations gratefully received.
 
I had a Bedford TL on an E plate which rotted for something to do and managed to fail it's plating every year. Now have a trailer and sooo miss my lorry even though it cost me a fortune!
 
I was at a lorry builders on Saturday, we got on to discussing chassis and in his (the lorry builder) opinion the Iveco chassis is the best, he did not recommend the DAF, something to do with the back springs, another builder I spoke to before buying my lorry said the same thing. As for the older lorries I am not sure, sorry probably not much help really!
 
Not very experienced in the whole horsebox stuff but we have a MAN and so far have been very pleased, have had it almost a year and a half and only problem we have had is the batteries died so had to be replaced. Good luck finding a lorry that suits you
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Well, it really depends on budget !

You will find Ford / Iveco and DAF at the budget end of the range, and Volvo, MAN, Mercedes and Scania at the top end
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Just look at what the fleet operators are running and you won't go far wrong
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If you have a limited budget then go for a 6 cylinder 7.5 ton diesel Bedford TK. They go on for ever and parts are available.

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I have an old TK sitting at home idle...but was told last time i had it serviced that parts were getting very hard to source now
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we're on our second Iveco and we've had nothing put problems with both of them. We thought it was just bad luck with the first one, so we sold it. We've now forked out over £5k in the last 5months on repairs on our current Iveco. The chassis had a low mileage when we brought it and was in excellent condition (we had a mechanic check it before we brought it). However we're still had loads of problems with it. But then i do think im doomed with lorries, as noone else i know has had as many problems as ive had
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we have a MAN LE which is brilliant, and before that we had a DAF 45, which again was brilliant and very powerful and easy to get parts for - luckily we never needed any
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, i must say we didnt find any problems with the back end / springs of the DAF, our horses travelled absolutely great on the lorry , when we bought our new lorry we were advised to steer away from mercedes cos they roll quite alot over the back springs - not great for the horses and expensive for parts, and iveco are OK but not the easiest truck for a lady driver, ( i test drove a couple) also we were told that they are not the most reliable as they are manufactured with a shorter "shelf life" , that was just what ive been told by a very very reputable horsebox builder.
 
Have a Bedford Tk and love it, must do had it for 18 years, it on the old M plate and I mean old think it's 1974. Carries my three ladies (2 x 16hh and 1 x 15.2hh) happily.......
 
I had a Bedford and it was a nightmare
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The parts were incredibly expensive, hard to source and it spend more time off the road than it did on
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Cant recommend the Ford Iveco enough- I love it
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i have a little merc 814, merc's are so good and it is just so reliable..... it takes 2 16.2 has small living dad made from a caravan.... it's H reg looks are ok nothing flash but smart and tidy! Oh and it's for sale!!!!! £5500 to right home can send pics?!?!?

Always make sure you go for lorry reliabilty and not looks though, stay away from Cargo's as parts difficult to get now.

Goodl uck in your search!
 
pre 1990 Daf's were not very reliable..springs were indeed a problem!
post 1990 they are much improved....
get a 45/150 instead of the 45/130 as it has a little more oomph!

iveco/eurocargo are IMO a no-no

if you have unlimited funds a Scania!!
 
Our last 2 have been bedford TLs, and we only had to replace the first one because it was written off in an accident. They are fantastic little lorries, much better at hills than a friend's cargo we have borrowed, and we get the parts very cheaply from a breakers yard or occasionally even ebay. The only time we have broken down was when we didn't put any diesel in it
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Mind you it's probably worth mentioning that our lorry is only cheap to maintain because my father and his friend do absolutely all the work on it so we don't have to pay a mechanic. If you would need a mechanic for maintainence then steer clear of old lorries
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We have a renault dodge 5.6 tonne - c reg, reliable and fairly easy to drive. Ours will hold two horse or three ponies. Ours is coach built with a luton, we redid the living ourselves this year. Engines super reliable, but you need to check cab over carefully for rust. I beleive engine parts are the same as on massey ferguson tractors so relatively cheap and plentiful. I echo other members views. No old lorry will be cheap if you have to have everything done at a gargage. However a well maintaned older lorry may not give you any more problems than a newer one which has been abused. Good luck
 
Can't go far wrong with a Dodge IMO, fairly cheap to run and parts easy to get hold of. Easy to work on and although the older ones are very basic, they don't half hold their price well. Very spacious inside as well even the 2 pony ones, bit like stepping into a tardis..... yes you have to watch the rust but if you can keep it under cover then it won't rot as quickly obviously.
 
Thanks for all the answers, that gives me some ideas. MY husband is a lorry driver and fairly good mechanically minded. He also knows a couple of lorry mechanics who do private work in their spare time so maintenance shouldnt be a problem. I like the dodge lorrys but not so easy to find!
 
I've got my E reg ford cargo, and apart from the odd thing its so easy to run. They all have their faults - Cargo gets rusty doors, DAF problem listed above

Go look for a lorry thats in good condition and the horse area is nice/secure etc. It might not always be the prettiest lorry but sometimes those ones which look great cover up things which are wrong
 
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