An alternative to Frank DiBella's "horse vans"?

[FancyIllusions]

I’m not sure if there is another word for them, but on Frank DiBella’s website they are referred to as “horse vans”. I am completely in love with the idea, I feel as though they’d be much easier to navigate than the bumper-pulls I’m used to.

However, I’ve tried to contact them three times over the past week or so and have yet to receive a response. Therefore I’m wondering if there are any alternatives that anyone knows of? (Preferably for used “vans” as I imagine they’re quite pricey). I tried googling but only came up with a single result, and it was for one that isn’t running.

Thanks in advance! (Located in the south Jersey area.)

[Jim_in_PA]

Did you call them on the phone? Even in 2015, there are still many businesses that are not very agile with email or web inquiries. Sadly. Unfortunately, not many places carry horse-vans these days…

[beowulf]

I think they’re called lorries. You can find a few used on FB, etc…

P.S they are easier to navigate, but are much taller… I really liked the one I got to drive but could never afford one - they are EXPENSIVE.

[FancyIllusions]

[QUOTE=Jim_in_PA;8229779]
Did you call them on the phone? Even in 2015, there are still many businesses that are not very agile with email or web inquiries. Sadly. Unfortunately, not many places carry horse-vans these days…[/QUOTE]

I did attempt once on the phone but it was twice via email, I’ll have to try calling again.

[FancyIllusions]

[QUOTE=beowulf;8229830]
I think they’re called lorries. You can find a few used on FB, etc…

P.S they are easier to navigate, but are much taller… I really liked the one I got to drive but could never afford one - they are EXPENSIVE.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for a second name! I’ve never heard of them other than online and one local stable that has one, so I appreciate anything that will help me search. Are they that much taller than the “extra tall/wide” BP or GN trailers? I’ve only seen one in person once and to my untrained eye it didn’t stand out as being that much taller. I’ll have to be careful of that, we have a lot of trees in the area that I’ll have to check clearances.

[Mosey_2003]

They’re called horseboxes, too.

[Guilherme]

They used to be pretty common; now they are an oddity. They are not as useful to most horse owners as a pickup/trailer option.

If you wanted one you could start with box truck or an “expediter” and have a custom shop build one out.

Go to http://www.truckpaper.com/Default.aspx and look at Mediium Duty Trucks. You’ll find lots of “box vans.”

You can also look at “expediter” or “hot shot” trucks. These are box trucks with simple living quarters. They look like this http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6197703

Good luck in your search.

G.

[StormyDay]

I heard of a guy who converts the used moving vans into horseboxes. I guess they are rated to hold the weight of the horse, and he just reinforces things like bumper, puts new ramps on, etc. They look pretty good once they are done. My worry would be that it is so tall, It would be in danger of tipping… but maybe you don’t have to worry about that if you don’t drive like a crazy person
Lorries are very popular in Europe. They have some very nice ones over there.

[SonnysMom]

I would call DiBella again. That is not like them to not return calls. I bought my used trailer from there and have bought parts from them a number of times and have never had an issue with call backs. DH and I normally deal with Jay.
Maybe somebody is on vacation so they are short staffed.

The horse vans tend to be very expensive even used. Another thing to consider is where you park at shows. I don’t think many of the vans are 4 wheel drive. So if you park in pastures that may get wet or a little muddy a 4 wheel drive truck and either a gooseneck or bumper pull make make more sense.

From a stability point goosenecks especially with a dually are supposed to be much more stable than a bumper pull.

[Highflyer]

Yes, not having 4WD can be a huge issue-- there are a number of the older vans around that don’t do well at all in mud (they are still somewhat common in this area with the foxhunting/ racing people and there are always a couple at events). The other thing is the ramp-- many of them have much steeper ramps than trailers do, so you have to be a little careful where you park when you’re away and, if possible, build your own loading platform at home. I also think it can be harder to load bad loaders in them because of this. The newer Eurovan ones are better but of course they are much pricier even used!

They do come up for sale occasionally on Craigslist and in equine classifieds:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/grd/5113360819.html
http://reading.craigslist.org/grd/5096051526.html

[2DogsFarm]

[QUOTE=Highflyer;8230539]
http://reading.craigslist.org/grd/5096051526.html[/QUOTE]
:lol:
The graphics on that ramp are hysterical!!!

Otherwise, besides what Highflyer pointed out re: logistics, in some areas you need a CDL to drive one of these.

[Pennywell_Bay]

I’ve aleays found Dibellas to be responsive. Rock Solid posts on here and Jay works for them. They are really awesome. I’d try again.

[Janet]

The vans I associate with DiBella are 2-3 feet taller than even a tall horse trailer. Look at how much steeper the ramp is- the “floor” is much higher off the ground.

Many of the European horseboxes are built on a lower frame, and are much more compact.

I seem to remember a couple of years ago that DiBella had built a prototype of a European style horsebox, but I do not know if it ever went beyond that.

[Debbie]

My hunt has one for sale if you’d like info on it, I’d be happy to get it for you. At least for this one, I think you need a commercial license and it is TALL. Probably easier to maneuver than a BP, but would have its own set of challenges for sure.

[moving_to_dc]

There is a used one for sale in NoVA fro $13K

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/grd/5113360819.html

[bdj]

As Guilherme mentioned, you can haul horses in a box truck. I hauled polo ponies in my boss’s Isuzu NPR for a couple of summers. It was a nice setup - big box on the back for the ponies and a smaller tack box between the cab and the big box. Tie rings inside (we could haul up to 4) or he had a divider that could be installed to make it more like a regular 2 horse straight load set up (but we never used that). Driving it was easy-peasy and no CDL required (though if the weigh stations were open, I would have had to go through them). The worst part was the ramp - the whole back wall dropped down to make a ramp and that thing was HEAVY. I could manage it alone, but it wasn’t easy.

[vandenbrink]

Are you sure you want one? These types of vans are very popular in Europe because Pick up trucks aren’t very common. They are taller, very heavy…you’d one 4 wheel drive if parking in many of the fields for the smaller shows, and many of these vans don’t have that. I’d much rather have a bumper pull with a pick up. I have a BP…and we also have a gooseneck bigger trailer. For small shows, tight driveways I love my bumper pull. It takes a while to get good at it, but practice make perfect. I like the fact that I can park the trailer and still have a vehicle to go places when you’re somewhere with the horses.

[FancyIllusions]

Thank you everyone for all of the advice! There were multiple good points brought up that I never would have even thought of, I really have to weigh my options a lot more than I was originally planning to. I had no idea about how much taller than were and how steep the ramp is, or about the lack of 4WD. Thank you again everyone!

[redalter]

I had one that I loved, bot it from a racehorse farm liquidation, did a total overhall on it.
I used it for five or six years to go to horse trials.

Though looking back, I am happier with my truck and trailer now, just easier to maintain.
A good experienced friend told me when I got it to think that the van is half full with water, that’s how it felt to drive sometimes.

[suz]

Resurrecting this old post because I’m looking for a used horsebox in very good condition.