Make Sure Your Horsebox doesn’t Exceed the Maximum Allowed Weight Article Written By: ICE Horseboxes
3.5t horseboxes come with separate living and horse areas, and those with a light box can be easily upgraded up to 4.5t. However, if you don’t upgrade, make sure not to drive an overloaded vehicle, as this is a criminal offence. Sometimes, though, people can err simply because they don’t know how heavy their horsebox is. To find that out, you will have to determine your payload, or how much weight you can add on top of the unladen weight of your horsebox (note that unladen still means with a full tank and a spare wheel on). In the case of a 3.5 horsebox, the unladen weight and the payload must not exceed 3.5 tonnes, or 3.500kg.
Calculating the payload More specifically, take the maximum allowed weight of 3.500kg and subtract the weight of the full tank and spare wheel, as well as that of the unladen weight of the lorry. The number you get is your payload, or the weight you can add to your horsebox. This weight will be taken up by humans, horses, tack, water, food, personal items, etc. Most 3.5t horseboxes have 2 stalls for 2 horses; the weight of the animals can vary from 500kg to 680kg for thoroughbreds. In most cases, this leaves a small payload of under 500kg, from which you will have to further subtract your own weight and maybe that of another human operator, your clothes and footwear, plus about 5kg for food and drinks. Also don’t forget to factor in about 100 litres (100kg) of water for the horses. Generally, an increased number of living facilities means a lesser payload. If you can have all of the above and not go over the maximum 3.5 tonne weight allowed, then you are ready to take to the roads. However, problems begin if you exceed the weight, even if you upgrade your brakes and suspension to 4 tonnes. The reason is that an overloaded 3.5t horsebox provides a bumpy ride for your equine friends, and the lorry won’t stop that easily even if you hit the brakes, which could result in a serious accident.