3.5tonne Horse box. Log book says is a box van – dodgy???

There’s a lovely couple who seem genuine and have lost historic documentation on conversion and maintenance for their horsebox. The conversion company don’t seem to exist anymore, but they have done a good job and there are a few people with this conversion about.

I’m New to it all and wife and daughter need a box for a couple of years and i figure its a cheap transport and accommodation for boys bike weekends too.

The test drive went well. They have offered to get a full service done at a reputable garage , it has an MoT and a log book that says it’s a box van. Any advice to say if this is legitimate our what I need to do. I can’t find anything on the internet. I imagined the logbook would say it was a Horsebox.

I’m looking into insurance to drive it home and it needs road tax (and I believe there are new rules – my head is spinning).

Although I don’t know if that’s correct you may get more response from a horse forum from users who own them.

On another note, the police are hot on the weights of vehicles just lately, i know of a few vans that have been stopped and drivers fined for being over the MAM.

So if the vehicle is plated at 3.5 Tonne, see what the weight of the vehicle is as if you put a couple of horses in the back you may be over weight. I believe its now 3 points and £1000 per axle fine as well now.

I’m up to speed with the weight thing. It has 880kg payload and we have a 500kg horse to go in, so it’s not much, but I thunk were ok. I’ll get a weigh bridge certificate.

It has 880kg payload and we have a 500kg horse to go in

And 100kg of fuel, and driver and how many passengers?, and, and….

Don’t go off the plate, especially with the conversion. Take the thing over a weigh bridge (a scrap metal yard will have one) and see what it actually weighs when you think its empty.

I hire lutons that are plated as 2.2 tons – which should give plenty of payload – in practice when I took one back out of a scrapyard ’empty’ with me and fuel in it was weighting in at 2.8tons.

The current owners said the payload is 880kg full of fuel, when they put it on a weigh bridge. So, yes, you’re right it is not ideal. Wife and daughter + water + kit + hay + etc.. will have to be careful.

Need to get horse & wife on a diet.

Try this VOSA advice on horse transport

Or this from the BHS on horse transport and the law

Those converted panel vans often don’t travel horses too well as they are higher than purpose built 2 horse trucks and so the horses sway around more. Check for corrosion as unless the floor is sealed horse piss will act like the blood of an Alien (from the movie of the same name) and devour the metal floor

I’d not take anyone’s word for the unladen weight with any horse box either 3.5t vans of 7.5t lorrys.

What is the base van ?

I’ll get it on the weigh bridge. The owner put the weights in writing.

It is a Vauxhall Movano box van conversion, so understandably solid. Which is good. Floors are sound.

On a side note Anthony d Evans do insurance and breakdown cover which includes dealing with the horse

The logbook thing wouldn’t really bother me.

As mentioned though, 3.5 tonne isn’t much for carting a horse around. Conversions can be pretty weighty, so you’re basing the unladen weight on something the seller has told you, with no paperwork to prove. Call me cynical, but I’d be wary of trusting someone I don’t know who is trying to sell me something…

Going way OT, any particular reason you’re going 3.5 tonne plated? Newish car licence?

Got any pics? The vehicle being registered as a box van but there are other issues…

The big thing to get with these luton van conversions is the headroom for the horse…they can be a bit tight although removal vans are often higher.

Check the ramp for steepness, bendiness and size of hinges. Check the gap between ramp and body, I witnessed a horrible scene involving a converted box, the horse stepped on the gap and forced its foot through, the whole show got cancelled with a crowd of people panicking, eventually ending with the fire service and a vet to do the inevitable as the horse had torn its leg up.

A proper 3.5t van conversion will often have a payload nearer 1500-1600kg…also have you considered a trailer. We are out most weekends until recently and use a 3t Equitrek trailer which has a very low ramp and feels like a lorry for the horse. We’ve had it years and done tens of thousands of miles in it, accomodation for weekends away (including biking) is sorted by pulling it (or not, if biking) behind a campervan!

We just went through a similar thing and ended up buying a conversion from JMS down in Kent. Ours is built on a Renault van chassis a set it had he lowest centre of gravity of most vans.

Sounds like there are a lot of businesses doing conversions cheaply and as a result can be dangerous. The wife found. Horse box inspector in Kent that checked the box mechanically and for safety before the final payment was exchanged.

The inspector travelled from Essex to do the inspection and came highly recommended.

Payload in ours is 1100kg total as we had it weighed. We are only ever going to carry a single horse so fine for us. With the 800kg payload you may have to be carefu. 2 humans and a tank of fuel along with a horse and you are getting close.