Really want a horsebox- what would you opt for if buying one?

[Trio]

I'm seriously considering changing my ifor williams trailor for a horsebox as it would be so much easier for travelling etc but am so rubbish when it comes to vehicles.

I would be looking at travelling 2 x 15.2hh ish horses at weekends and am undecided as to what type to go for

must haves!!

Non HGV (so under 7.5tonne)
reliability - newly fitted engine/recon engine
metal ramp- rear loading preferred


Now comes the tricky bit- do you go for one with living area- ie bed/toilet/kitchenette etc or are these just space wasters?

Am i being silly about avoiding a side loader - have heard horrible things about them tipping over and leaving the horses trapped.

So if anyone has any experience/knowlege of good/bad boxes or knows of any gems out there then post away!!

i found this on horsemart

any opinions ??

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/AdvertRef...eboxDetail.asp


Obviously i dont want to spend a fortune but hopefully can Part exchange my Ifor and if i get a horsebox then i will also downsize my car ( have a nissan navarra which i wont need if i'm not towing anymore).

[Jessica23]

Im hoping to get one of these in the not so distant future:




It would be ideal for me as i wouldnt do THAT much with the horses, so we would get it kitted out for using for dog shows as we could sleep in it (you can get them with living areas or without) and could sort the horse bit out for dog crates for travelling so would be ideal

They're about £10k so not cheap lol


ETA - The one in your link would be WAY too big for me. I've driven the bigger version of the one above (picture below) and that was as big as i'd be able to cope with lol But as all the little ones seem to be side unload you'd have to go for a larger one i guess...

[Clava]

That looks perfect! I want one too, but way out of my price range (have to build the menage first)

[bevy]

We have a lorry that has "day living" and we've gone away for nearly a week in that! Stabling was supplied at the show though. We can fit 4 ponies or 3 16'2s. The day living consists of a sink, cupboards and a double electric cooking ring. There is a bench along the back of the cab and a table that folds flat when not in use. There are 4 racks for saddles and ditto for bridles. We put a single mattress down on the floor by the bench and have room in the tilt section for 2 people to sleep. OK it's not the Ritz but it works for us. However the horse end is great. Light and airy, it has a decent sized shelf unit along the long wall above the horses tail area, and there is a shower in the skirts, along with a cupboard big enough for a standard bale of hay. The horses seem to like travelling herringbone. There is a door between them and us.
I would think long and hard about whether you really need the comforts of home or whether a set up like ours would be enough.

[MagicSix]

Hi Trio - you know I have one of the converted vans and I can't reccomend it highly enough!! Took it to Lincolnshire and back the other to collect a horse and it was no trouble, easy to drive and perfect in every way The horses seem to like it too.

If you got a 3.5 tonner with living space + 2 horses on board would you be sure you were below the limit?

[xloopylozzax]

am i alone in disliking the "lorrys" that jessica23 posted a picture of (the first one)

they just look so unstable- you get a 15hh throwing a strop i would be very wary of it rolling over!

much prefer the size of one in the link that one looks pretty good.

when looking for a horsebox, if it hasnt always been a horsebox it might not have had a good life- horseboxes tend to be well mantained and driven kindly even if its quite old it might have been better driven and mantained than a 5 year old hire van

[helenc]

Day living is one of the best things about having a lorry - it's so nice to be able to sit in & make yourself a cuppa and bacon sarnie, also good for carrying things about in the luton if there is one or in the boxes under the seats etc.

I don't like the 3.5t boxes either, don't think they look safe - would have to be at least a 5 tonner but preferably a 7.5

I don't think 2 horses in a 3.5t would be within the limit if you have tack, water, hay etc on board too

[Trio]

thanks for the info guys,

bevy- yours sounds ideal really- i dont particularly need all the mod cons but do need enough space as i tend to not travel lightly and will need everything including the kitchen sink with me!!


clava- you can borrow my lorry if i can use your menage!!


jessica and magicsix- the 3.5tonner is not big enough as the horses weigh around 1.5 tonnes together- i need 6 tonnes + to give me enough leeway to carry all stuff. shame as i know they're great just not quite big enough for my fattys!



loopy - i like the one in the link as well- think its looks nice and solid but its in kent which is miles away

helen- the last comp i went to i would have given my right arm and archies leg to have a warm dry place to sit with a cup of tea!!!

[Clava]

Originally Posted by Trio

thanks for the info guys,

bevy- yours sounds ideal really- i dont particularly need all the mod cons but do need enough space as i tend to not travel lightly and will need everything including the kitchen sink with me!!


clava- you can borrow my lorry if i can use your menage!!


jessica and magicsix- the 3.5tonner is not big enough as the horses weigh around 1.5 tonnes together- i need 6 tonnes + to give me enough leeway to carry all stuff. shame as i know they're great just not quite big enough for my fattys!



loopy - i like the one in the link as well- think its looks nice and solid but its in kent which is miles away

helen- the last comp i went to i would have given my right arm and archies leg to have a warm dry place to sit with a cup of tea!!!

You may have to wait a while - but DEAL! (but it would be more fun just to go for a hack together )

[Trio]

Originally Posted by Clava

You may have to wait a while - but DEAL! (but it would be more fun just to go for a hack together )

we'll have to meet up over christmas- you can always come out for a hack and ride Jo !

[Clava]

Originally Posted by Trio

we'll have to meet up over christmas- you can always come out for a hack and ride Jo !

That would be fun.

[Lgd]

My first box was an old (but very reliable) Bedford TK with a small day living.

It was fine when we were pottering around local shows but once the longer distances became involved and there were quite a few overnight stays a proper living became needed - particularly in the depths of winter-brrrr!

Ours has just been refurbished/upgraded. We have a cooker (hob/oven/grill), sink with cold water hand pump (previously had hot/cold which we never used so removed to give more space) Under-seat storage. Seating pulls out into a double bed with room to sleep one or two more on the Luton area. Good selection of storage cupboards/wardrobe. We do have space for a fridge, just not put it back in yet.

Electrics run off two large batteries which have split charger - charges while driving but does not draw off the main engine batteries when in use. Will also charge from the mains and we have a mains/generator hook-up

We've also had an external tack locker put in - don't know how we ever managed without it!

We have cab to living access and living to horse area access.
Ours is a 7.5T with a 2.3T payload which means we can genuinely take three good sized horses and their gear, although in practice we tend to travel two and use the back compartment for feed/hay/tools etc.

[MrKia+Me]

Can I just ask (sorry OP not wanting to hijack) how much can a 3.5 tonne lorry take as a payload?? Are they 500kgs?? 1000kgs??

Just wondering what you can actually take in them??

Nikki xxxx

[Iron Maiden]

Generally the 3.5 tonner van conversions can take 1200 - 1300 kg, so very little to play with if you take 2x15hh horses in it. Some of them purport to take 2x17hh - no chance unless one of them can drive!

I had a Bedford TL 7.5 tonner with full living but I never liked to drive it, it was too big and I had to go into a trance & use The Force to find 2nd gear I never used the living in a year, so when I got rid of it I bought a replacement with a compact tack area & no living I'm soooooo much happier! It's a 1990 Leyland Roadrunner with a Cummins engine (apparently that is very important!), the container is only 14ft so very compact but it took Mrs P & Flynn (two chunky 16.2s) in comfort today

I made friends with a lorry inspector while I was box hunting and he gave Roadrunners & Dafs the thumbs up - he was not so keen on Fords/Ivecos, & the Iveco he inspected for me was a dog, despite being quite new.

If you want something easy to drive, Mercedes 609/709/811 lorries have vacuum brakes rather than air brakes and really do drive like cars. I found one but it was rotten underneath, however they are well worth keeping an eye out for

[campbh]

Trio, you'll not get 2 x 15hh plus tack and gear for weekends away on the payload of a 3.5 tonne, you need to allow a good few 100kgs for yourself, tack and gear, and if you need to transport hay/feed etc you're going to run out of space as well as payload. I know because I've got one - but then for travelling one horse plus gear for 3 days away at a show on the other side of the country, my 3.5 tonne is just fabulous - and I sleep in it cosy as anything, so for my purposes, I can't rate it enough (and my originally non-loading horse is happy as larry in it, so that must say something about its stability and smoothness of ride). If I had all the money to burn (crazed laughter!!) and wanted to travel 2 horses I'd opt for the new Equitrek 7.5 tonne lorry - it has the same principles as far as horse carriage is concerned as my current horsebox, but extended living at the back, looks absolutely gorgeous!! (But even then, it doesn't have a substantially higher payload, and I bet it would cost me more than £54 for a round trip of £350 miles, so I'll stick with what I've got for now...)

[bevy]

Ours is a Mercedes. We did have a couple of additions put into it. Air vents in the lorry section and seat belts in the front. It seats 3 which is generally who went. Oh and forgot to mention that there are 4 cupboards in the "kitchen". These manage to hold enough cookware and food to keep a very hungry competitor, groom, and general dogsbody going for several days!!!
The ramp is really light, as I can manage it by myself, handy as I sometimes have a problem with my wrist giving out.

[Trio]

the equitrek 7.5 tonner looks rather nice!!! but the price is a tad steep

http://www.jswhorseboxes.co.uk/forsa...ils.php?id=274


I know there's no way i could go for a 3.5 tonner as i dont travel lightly and i need lots of space and payload to spare so i want to go for a 7.5 tonner but am a bit scared of the manoeuvreability of it - i drive a pickup truck at the moment for everyday use so am used to pretty hefty vehicles but some of the 7.5 ers look well meaty!

[MrKia+Me]

Originally Posted by Iron Maiden

Generally the 3.5 tonner van conversions can take 1200 - 1300 kg, so very little to play with if you take 2x15hh horses in it. Some of them purport to take 2x17hh - no chance unless one of them can drive

Thanks IM!!

I was consdering one of these 3.5t's for myself with all the carry on about what car can pull this and your only legal if you have XYZA licence etc

Nice to know that It would take Kia and another 500kg ponio happily. Still prefer my trailer and Xtrail tho but hey you never know lol!!

Nikki xxx