Word of warning to 3.5t lorry owners

R2R

R2R

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I got stopped on the M25 in my 3.5 tonne lorry on Saturday.

I had on board

1 16.2hh horse in good condition
1 small bale of hay
1 saddle
1 bridle
1 grooming kit
2 normal sized people
1 puppy


My lorry weighed in at 3.46 tonnes. I could have been fined and all sorts if I had another .04 of a tonne on board!!!

I was terrified. Please dont put yourselves at risk....you have a responsibility to check your weight etc.
 
3.5 tonne lorries are a joke. They can easily fit two good sized, even large horses in but almost all will be illegal with even one large horse! I bought one only to find the unladen weight was 2.7 tonnes!! (Silly me, yes I know should've checked before!) So me plus cob plus tack must've been pretty close to limit and that was without adding my other horse which had been the general idea. They are only suitable for one horse or two ponies. I have looked at sveral since, including new builds and none have the payload to carry anything like two 16 handers.

BEWARE!!!
 
I havent a clue, but I cant be over 3.5 tonnes LOADED in my lorry, I think lorry weighs about 2.2 tonnes without ponies etc in it
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From what you have detailed that you were carrying, and from what I found mine to weigh, your lorry MUST be heavier that 2.2 tonnes unladen. Find a local weighbridge - it cost me under £3.
 
on the MOT cert emmision s sheet for 7.5 t is the weight at the time of plating i.e. without horses not sure on 3.5t MOT's but might be worth looking this is why I weant for a 7.5t lorry
 
3.5t lorries hardly have ANY payload. Tha manufacturers or conversion artists ARE not interested in what is safe/legal as it is the owners/drivers responisibility to ensure they KNOW everything about the laws relating to the vehicle!

They may be able to FIT 2 16.2 in but in my very humble opinion they are for Pony Clubbers!

Let's face it the photo when they are advertising won't pull you in if 2 x 8hh shetlands are being led out of it!

You want to see the HUGE strapping 3 day eventer 16.3hh and weighs in at 3/4 tonnes easily naked! Get all the gubbings on:

Headcollar & lead rope 2kg
thermatex rug 3kg
wool exercise sheet 2.5kg
travel boots and guard 3kg

saddle 7.5kgs
bridle 1kg
nummah 1kg
5 point martingale 2kgs
4 smb 1kg (after xc wet 2kgs)

riding hat, whip spurs 1kg
long leather boots 1kg
riding jacket & jodhs & shirt and waistcoat etc 3kgs
body protector 1.5kgs

grooming kit 3kgs
first aid (horse) 4kgs)
First aid human 1kgs

Food for the horse day 10kgs
haylage (we take a lot) 10kgs
water can weight upto 15kgs each 20litre container

buckets for water, washing down, feeding 1kg each

assuming your horse is plaited up and perfect and won't undo his plaits so no plaiting kit!

assuming you are STILL on your new years diet to shed the annoying 5kgs you cannot lose-so no food for you to go on board

This is without your horse or you or your pups and all your friends you take a long!

Dog cage 5kgs
dog can range from 1kg to 45kg if you have a dobie! Average lab is 30kgs

Think all friends now who wish to travel need colonic irrigation!!!!

So someone please tell me where a 3.5t can take 2 16 handers and their 'mums' to a 1 day event and be legal??????
 
It really annoys me when I see 3.5 ton lorries being advertised as carrying two large horses as you are almost guaranteed to be overweight. Payload is vital.
 
I have got a completely unflashy but practical LDV conversion, and was stopped with me, a 16.2hh horse, big haynet, 2x saddles, 2x bridles, XC boots, Body protector, jacket, boots, stud kit, grooming kit, water and 1/2 a tank of fuel on board.

I weighed in at 3.17 tonnes. You can get them to safely carry a big horse
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However, you will struggle to find one that fits 2x big horses....
 
[ QUOTE ]
I havent a clue, but I cant be over 3.5 tonnes LOADED in my lorry, I think lorry weighs about 2.2 tonnes without ponies etc in it
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[/ QUOTE ]

Ahh theres your problem then... important to know what your payload is as they vary so much for 3.5t. I too suspect yours probably weighs more than 2.2 tonnes its worth checking. most reasonable payload on them seems to be about 1200kg... but yup though they might be stalled for 2 and have the headroom for a 16.2 I thought most people knew by now that they dont have the weight to carry 2 16.2s
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[ QUOTE ]
I have got a completely unflashy but practical LDV conversion, and was stopped with me, a 16.2hh horse, big haynet, 2x saddles, 2x bridles, XC boots, Body protector, jacket, boots, stud kit, grooming kit, water and 1/2 a tank of fuel on board.

I weighed in at 3.17 tonnes. You can get them to safely carry a big horse
wink.gif
However, you will struggle to find one that fits 2x big horses....

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a transit version, noting pretty but solid. Im planning to sell it as the next horse i get will be bigger that the 14.3 i used to have. For that reason i will not put it in my box as 1 its only really got the head room for 16hh and 2 weight wise i dont want to have to worry about it.
That said i will only advertise it as a pony/small horse box it may take longer to sell but never mind.

A friend go stopped at the weekend and her box came in a 1.6 ton over. She had her 16 something warmblood and a 14.2 chunky type, all there tack etc. This was in a full size box with living but plated at 7 ton not 7.5, either way she was still well over so its not just 3.5 that have this problem.
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This isn't just a problem with 3.5t lorries. I have exactly the same problem with my 7.5t. I had the company build the lightest build possible, with basic living. It weighs just over 6t unladen! This means although stalled for three large horses, there is no way you would beable to have 3 horses plus tack on the lorry and not be overweight! I'm looking at doing my HGV test, and getting a bigger lorry, as quite often I want to put 3 (or even 4) horses on an outing, but at the moment I can't.
 
I have a friend who has a 3.5t VW LT35. To me the LT35 bit suggests that it is 3.5t but she's insists that on the log book it says 7.5t.

Can this be the case?

Her little lorry is so heavy to drive that it feels like 3.5t without any horses in it !
 
Thanks for the advice - you've probably just saved me a shed load of cash. I have a 5t lorry with a pretty rubbish payload of 1100kg and was looking to treat myself to one of the Chaigley type boxes at 3.5t. After reading your stories will re-think and go for a compact 7.5t. I only want to carry a 13.2 connie x and occasionally a 15.2 tb but now realise that a 3.5t just won't have enough payload for them both. Very disappointed as I had really set my heart on one but thanks to you folks have probably averted a cash disaster.
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Mine (now sadly sold) had a payload of 1200kgs. So, considering my horse weighs just over 500, I was happy enough carrying one horse, two humans, tack, water and a haynet. However, I wouldn't have put any more than that on board.
 
I think it's a good warning to check the payload of any lorry we're thinking of buying, not just a 3.5!
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My friend has one that has been upgraded to 3.9t, not sure how that works.
 
I think she would have been fit to carry her dog
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The guys where really good when they pulled her and let her go to the show but could no go over 30mph.
my OH who is a machanic thinks that it was originally a 12ton that was converted and down rated to 7 ton. The whole chassis will be heavy to start with then with living etc.
Scary really
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If you go to a weigh bridge, do they give you a slip or something with the weight on? And would this then be required to be used on a plating/MOT cert?
 
I'm planning on getting an old VW 3.5t this summer - whatever I find, I will be taking to a weighbridge before buying!!

I hired a 3.5t last summer, it was only to travel one tb, but they had it advertised as capable of carrying 2x16.2hh!!!
 
we bought a 3.5 ton lorry and dealer certified it had enough payload for our (then only 1 albeit big) horse. Plating backed it up. Got it home and drove it once, it lurched everywhere, took it straight to a weighbridge and found that the plating was completely wrong and it would have been illegal with our chap in it. Then had to try and return it and get money back. Mr nice dealer turned into Mr Dodgy dealer.......eventually managed it but only by my inside knowledge of arcane bank cheques law!

So we bought a 7.5ton lorry which doesnt have much fancy living but has ample payload free for big chap and the Haffie :-). Very solid, big chap doesnt like travelling but is much better in this.
 
ive just checked mine i have a Equitrek, Sonic the unladen weight is 2420kg so with HW cob plus me, mum and show stuff we would be around the limit, all very interesting. Im def going to have to stop eating the lemon sherberts at my desk
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i've got a 15.1 anglo & 13.1 whp type - i can carry them both with just me on board and haynets. i would weigh there tack/gear before i took it. I have 1200kgs free, pony is 350, horse 520 and im not much - so can just about do it if i need to. although I dont plan on travelling them together very often.
 
This is all such a shame for those of us who took our driving test after 1997 as 3.5 is the maximum we would be able to drive on that license and considering the cost of taking an HGV test it all just seems a bit of a joke.
 
exactly LEH89.

I've got a van conversion which luckily is pretty light, I can easily carry all the gear I need plus one of my horses, the tiny dog and a passenger. But, had i bought an older heavier lorry theres just no way!
 
this is the arguement i have been having with my mother for months!!! i am well aware my 3.5 is overweight with a 16.2hh and 17hh on board,so therefore with my licence i would be fined and insurance etc would be void, i was told i was being "ridiculous" until she heard what the fine was
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,
we have now bought a 7.5 ton instead and even that might be pushing the boundries fully laden with everything to go to a 3 day show, but i think folk have no idea about the weights of thier lorries!! the same can be said about towing cars and trailers though, which is probably more dangerous!!!!
 
QR - I have a Master 3.5t. I have only ever used it so far for carrying Harley around - he's a 16.1 Section D.

What I really want though, and what no van manfacturers seem to provide, is the ability to carry him in the middle of the van to help the balance. So maybe a partition track all the way across at both front and back, and two lightweight partitions.

I think this would be much safer, not only from a weight distribution point of view, but also in the case of a side impact, the horse would be much better protected.

How come none of the manufacturers seem to cater for this - after all, the vast majority of 3.5 tonners spend their lives ferrying just the one horse around.
 
The situation regarding transportuing horses has become so serious with recently introduced new laws that The British horse Society are organising seminars on the subject to update people on the current legislation.

Also be aware that converting vehicles will shortly require the vehicle to be tested prior to it being legally allowed to be on the road. This is because the have been so many conversions carried out which are dangerous.
 
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