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Post by Casprinela600 on Nov 30, 2016 7:05:39 GMT
A question for all you horsebox owners.. how do you do it!?!?
In desperate need of a 3.5t box so that I can drive it but how on earth do you scrap together the funds! I really don't want to go cheap and nasty I would rather spend a little bit more so that I know I got something decent but really struggling on how I'd fund for it, it would take years to save! And finances/loans expect so much a month!
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Post by bigmama on Nov 30, 2016 10:47:24 GMT
A question for all you horsebox owners.. how do you do it!?!? In desperate need of a 3.5t box so that I can drive it but how on earth do you scrap together the funds! I really don't want to go cheap and nasty I would rather spend a little bit more so that I know I got something decent but really struggling on how I'd fund for it, it would take years to save! And finances/loans expect so much a month! |
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Post by gillwales on Nov 30, 2016 19:25:50 GMT
one piece of advice; don't have what you cannot afford, don't forget it is not just buying it but keeping it on the road. Sorry to be a party pooper but better that than have things end in tears
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Post by sjw87 on Nov 30, 2016 20:33:43 GMT
I agree with gillwales - you cannot scrimp at all on maintenance as far as horseboxes are concerned and just because one passes an mot/plating mechanically, it can cost thousands to actually make it safe for horses too.
To be completely honest, if you can't afford a suitable box, hiring as required may be a better option? That way, you know you are transporting your precious horses in a safe vehicle without the initial purchase price and ongoing overheads. I know some people baulk at approx £100 a time to hire a 3.5t but if you work out the maintenance costs and insurance (inc breakdown cover) of most 7.5t's, you're probably not far off that cost per use anyway!
Some places also hire longer term such as Edgemere.
Sent from my SM-A300FU using proboards
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Post by judyh on Dec 1, 2016 6:36:08 GMT
Agree that if you can't afford to buy you can't afford to run a box. I had a box built on what appeared to be an excellent chassis cab. Drove it to PUK, a week later we were at BSPS in a trailer with the box off the road having a new engine fitted. Cost over £2000 15 years ago to put it right - go down the hire route.
Running a box is never cheap
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Post by silvester on Dec 1, 2016 8:09:39 GMT
Agree - do you sums and look into how often you use one and compare hire costs. I think if you use a box once a fortnight then owning is best, if it's once a month or less then hire. It's shocking that you use it a lot less than you think!!
It easily costs £1000 per year in maintenance , everything is so expensive. 1 tyre is over £200 and need replacing due to not being used not over wear!! Then add up £100 plating, £400 insurance, £150 tax, £150 breakdown cover. Plus parking costs at livery yards, etc etc etc!! Petrol at £30 for a show an hours drive away and £100 a day hire is looking good!!
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Post by chloesmum on Dec 1, 2016 9:09:39 GMT
Wow silvester some good analsyis which has got me thinking! I guess our 'extravagance' is about convenience of having it at home and short runs, although I think this year it has done its fair share of up and down the motorway!I think I might keep a record of how often we do use it out of interest.
Like judyh our first experience of having a lorry was a bad one. In early days we always had a trailer which personally I loved and my husband had a 4x4 so no problems with towing. I always dreamed of having a little lorry and scrimped and saved and got one which turned into a nightmare, every time we took it out it broke down and like judy it needed expensive repair work, it also caused me untold stress so eventually I just cut my losses and went back to a trailer.
We were fortunate that in most cases pony was transported as with a producer so we really didn't need to own one. It was only when we started having ponies at home again that it became useful and we had a trailer until it got stolen!
I got a 3.5 tonne about 6 years ago and replaced it with a newer one 2 years ago. They are not cheap, I think 7.5 tonne are cheaper to buy but we couldn't get one in the drive and also Chloe can drive the 3.5 tonne. My first 3.5 lorry was brilliant, it needed a couple of things over the years but never let us down, my advice really get it checked out and be prepared maintenance is not cheap and it can become a money pit!
Good Luck.
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Post by bigmama on Dec 1, 2016 11:28:40 GMT
Agree - do you sums and look into how often you use one and compare hire costs. I think if you use a box once a fortnight then owning is best, if it's once a month or less then hire. It's shocking that you use it a lot less than you think!! It easily costs £1000 per year in maintenance , everything is so expensive. 1 tyre is over £200 and need replacing due to not being used not over wear!! Then add up £100 plating, £400 insurance, £150 tax, £150 breakdown cover. Plus parking costs at livery yards, etc etc etc!! Petrol at £30 for a show an hours drive away and £100 a day hire is looking good!!
Yes, there is road tax of £230 p.a.
Insurance depends on your individual circumstances and some policies include breakdown cover
If your vehicle engine is not too old and is regularly serviced then the fuel consumption is very reasonable .. I think we get between 26 - 30 mpg (sorry, I am an old fashioned gal still on imperial measurements!)
You may wish to use your 3.5t for other jobs such as collecting haylage/shavings, moving furniture or other large items for friends and family, provided no money changes hands for hire then you are fine. I've even taken mine shopping in town when a car has been unavailable ... parking is not that difficult and usually very straightforward at horse shows
Trips out for lessons, farm rides, the beach, as well as shows, make sure you use your box to get maximum value for money.
We have had 7.5 tonne horseboxes but found that they were more often than not parked up for the week and only used at weekends during the spring and summer months.
Our 3.5 tonne does have limited sleeping but we prefer to either stay over at a hotel or hire a 7.5 tonne if we need to stay away at shows.
Hope that helps ... it's not all doom and gloom with a 3.5 tonne. As already said, start off with what you can afford and then keep upgrading as funds allow.
Good luck xx |
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Post by chloesmum on Dec 1, 2016 14:17:57 GMT
Good point bigmama and yes ours is very economical on fuel and like you we have limited living but usually book the Travel Lodge at Grantham well in advance!
We did sleep in it at NPS and 3 nights at HOYS - not great but with a new little gas heater stopped it being so damp in the morning. I LOVE my little lorry.
Love the bit about other uses it made me smile as we have used our old one to move both children flats at some point. My favourite being moving my son once who lived in Hackney, the lorry caused huge excitement on a Sunday afternoon amongst the locals who all wanted a tour and I was able to give out old rosettes to passing children!!
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Post by bigmama on Dec 1, 2016 15:50:57 GMT
Good point bigmama and yes ours is very economical on fuel and like you we have limited living but usually book the Travel Lodge at Grantham well in advance! We did sleep in it at NPS and 3 nights at HOYS - not great but with a new little gas heater stopped it being so damp in the morning. I LOVE my little lorry. Love the bit about other uses it made me smile as we have used our old one to move both children flats at some point. My favourite being moving my son once who lived in Hackney, the lorry caused huge excitement on a Sunday afternoon amongst the locals who all wanted a tour and I was able to give out old rosettes to passing children!!  |
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Post by Toaster on Dec 1, 2016 22:24:06 GMT
Having (almost literally) written the book on cheap 3.5t boxes I can with some degree of accuracy say that unless you have decent money to spend you'll almost certainly end up with a bit of a money pit
To buy mine I sold everything I could lay my hands on to raise £300 then spent that at an equestrian equipment auction, separated up my job lot purchases, gave everything a clean and made £1200
With this in my pocket I bought a lorry
The lorry itself is cheap cheap cheap day to day, it takes little fuel but does guzzle oil like I guzzle chocolate milkshakes. Insurance etc is very low - all in all running and routine costs cone in well under £70 a month. A bargain surely..
Now that's the good news
The bad news is the repair costs. Most 'affordable' 3.5t boxes are old or in need of TLC. Some months we will sail blissfully through the month with no extra costs, sometimes we are unlucky such as this summer where the box had two starter motors in two months at £240 each
"Whoa!" I hear you say "I'm not crazy like you and plan to spend a bit more!"
Unfortunately with 3.5t boxes holding in value the age v price rationality completely misses the equine world and you can end up paying several thousands for what is essentially a 1990's shed
Think about it.
Having said allll of that I love the freedom that a horsebox gives me, I can guilt free make a decision on show morning whether to stay in bed or go to a show, when I do venture out all my stuff is packed ready to go. I don't think I would want to do without it so for now will keep throwing money at it!
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Post by mousethe5 on Jan 4, 2017 10:02:11 GMT
Agree - do you sums and look into how often you use one and compare hire costs. I think if you use a box once a fortnight then owning is best, if it's once a month or less then hire. It's shocking that you use it a lot less than you think!! It easily costs £1000 per year in maintenance , everything is so expensive. 1 tyre is over £200 and need replacing due to not being used not over wear!! Then add up £100 plating, £400 insurance, £150 tax, £150 breakdown cover. Plus parking costs at livery yards, etc etc etc!! Petrol at £30 for a show an hours drive away and £100 a day hire is looking good!!
Yes, there is road tax of £230 p.a.
Insurance depends on your individual circumstances and some policies include breakdown cover
If your vehicle engine is not too old and is regularly serviced then the fuel consumption is very reasonable .. I think we get between 26 - 30 mpg (sorry, I am an old fashioned gal still on imperial measurements!)
You may wish to use your 3.5t for other jobs such as collecting haylage/shavings, moving furniture or other large items for friends and family, provided no money changes hands for hire then you are fine. I've even taken mine shopping in town when a car has been unavailable ... parking is not that difficult and usually very straightforward at horse shows
Trips out for lessons, farm rides, the beach, as well as shows, make sure you use your box to get maximum value for money.
We have had 7.5 tonne horseboxes but found that they were more often than not parked up for the week and only used at weekends during the spring and summer months.
Our 3.5 tonne does have limited sleeping but we prefer to either stay over at a hotel or hire a 7.5 tonne if we need to stay away at shows.
Hope that helps ... it's not all doom and gloom with a 3.5 tonne. As already said, start off with what you can afford and then keep upgrading as funds allow.
Good luck xx |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2017 12:57:04 GMT
We have had some very old horse box/trailers in the past. Finally I bit the bullet and took money out of savings to buy a Marlborough 3.5ton horsebox. It was 10k. Literally the most expensive thing I've ever bought for this 'hobby'. But it is well made and touch wood very reliable. My nerves could no longer cope with the nightmare of 'will we get there/will we not' particularly with horses on board. I feel very lucky to have it but I would advise getting a Marlborough or an Alexander if at all possible as some we looked at really were nothing more than badly converted vans. Good luck 😉
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Post by mcnaughty on Jan 5, 2017 14:51:51 GMT
I'd like to add that a larger lorry (if you have the correct licence) could possibly be a better idea. You get a lot more for your money for starters. As someone said above, to get a half decent one you need to look at spending around 10K but you can get a very nice 7,5T for around £5K. I do believe that lorries are more reliable as they generally have less to go wrong! I know that sounds a bit strange considering the size difference but lorries are usually a lot less complicated in terms of electrics and computers than their smaller cousins.
I love having a lorry rather than a trailer now and could never consider hiring as I would have to go so far out of my way to pick it up and take it back it would add around 2 hours to my journeys which do tend to be reasonably long anyway. I love the way I can leave the lorry 'pre-packed' with all the little bits and bobs that you 'might need' to hand and all the larger 'always need' in there too. In fact, if someone ever nicked my lorry Id be more upset about the stuff inside the lorry than the actual lorry itself! I dont have the best memory so the fact that I only have to pack pony, tack, myself, child and money is always a bonus! I do believe it was the day when I forgot my leadrein skirt and it peed down all day that might have prompted the lorry purchase! Oh and to have a lovely luton that you can snuggle up in for the 3 hour gap between classes is yummy.
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Post by gillwales on Jan 13, 2017 5:59:25 GMT
One other point to consider. Be aware of what you put in whaatever vechile you buy, there is a maxium loading weight, so make certain you know how much your neddies weight, water is a must to have but heavy. The Police used to turn a blind eye at the weigh-bridges to horse boxes and concentrated on commercial wagons, they don't now, so just because there is space for that extra bale of hay does not mean it is a good idea to put it on board.
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Post by mcnaughty on Jan 25, 2017 12:51:59 GMT
Oh crikey yes Gill - I dread to think what the lorry weighs on the way to a sleep over show! I probably need to go down to a weigh bridge one day and find out but we only carry the one pony so expect we are fine ;-)
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