Would you drive a small lorry in heavy winds?

Firewell

Firewell

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Would you drive a 3.5t horsebox along the motorway in gale force winds? My mum has expressed that she WILL NOT drive the lorry tomorrow the 1.5hrs up the M25 to pick up my new horse if its windy
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My dad has said she is being silly, what do you think?

Unfortunatly I cant drive it as im not insured and my dad cant drive it as hes hurt his back!
 
should be ok if you take it easy, dont think its going to be too bad tomorrow.
good luck and i hope you get your new horse tomorrow
 
I definitely wouldn't tow a trailer but I would drive a lorry, although I have to say that my 7.5 ton lorry does have a mind of it's own in strong winds and you do have to drive carefully. But hey, it's upto your mum!
 
hmmm I wouldn't want to drive my 7.5t in heavy winds again as last time I did the steering kept going really light & I had to really concentrate to stay on the road.
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BUT a 3.5t has no way near the same surface area so would be less trouble to control.

I would assess it tomorow, but it is your mum's decision. If she is the one being kind enough to drive that way and pick up your horse, I would respect her decision if she doesn't feel comfortable doing it.
 
hmm, maybe shes not being as wimpy as I think then. I dont think the winds are going to be gale force tomorrow but I think they are going to be strong.
My dad drove the lorry across the severn bridge in horrendous winds and driving rain with 2 horses up, I was terrified, I had to cover my eyes! It was Ok though and my dad didnt bother about it in the slightest, men eh.
 
I had a 3.5 older vehicle which was quite scary in high winds, my 5.2 current horsebox is a lot better but to be honest I still find it scary so I would try to re-arrange. Very disappointing when you are expecting a new horse though!
 
Don't think your mums being a wimp.But am probably a bit bias as I hate driving in blizzards daughter can't see a prob!!
We wouldn't take our 7.5 out in winds,but they have a larger surface for wind to catch as think theres always another day/show.Depends I think how high your 3.5 is and weight of it.If light may get thrown about a bit.
 
If you don't have to then don't. It is just too easy for even a smaller (and therefore lighter) vehicle to be tipped over.
 
I've done a long drive in the lorry in very high winds, in those mad storms we had at this time a couple of years ago. It was scary, hard work and I would avoid doing it again. Passed two overturned artics on the roadside too.
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I'd say an hour and a half isn't too bad, but I would avoid motorway if at all possible. Is there a cross country route you could take instead?
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I think unless you really NEED to, it's best to avoid a motorway with a high-sided vehicle in string winds. A 3.5T shouldn't be as bad as a 7.5T though - it's a bit nerve-racking driving in strong winds in a 7.5T and i end up at 40mph half the time! It's not really worth the risk - lorries can get flipped over.

As others said though, not so bad in small box but you'll still feel it and over an hour's journey could be hard work and tiring fighting the winds.
 
QR - No, I wouldn't. It is simply not worth it in gale force winds. A 3.5t vehicle is lighter and therefore it is easier for the wind to catch it. Is it worth the risk of blowing into the path of an artic?
Dramatic but if you don't need to travel, why risk it?
 
I found my 3.5 tonner hard to steer last time I took it on the motorway in strong winds at 50mph and had to slow down.

3.5 tonners are less stable than 7.5 tonners and wobble a bit more anyway because they have a smaller surface area but tend to be a similar height.
 
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