Turntable trailers

What is a turntable trailer?  Quite simply, the front of the trailer is supported by an axle mounted on a turntable. Second or third axles can be mounted towards the rear of the trailer. Whilst not uncommon for heavy goods vehicle applications, the light trailer types have only really been seen in the UK as exhibition trailers.  Popular in Germany (known as drehschemelanhängers) and in the Netherlands (called schamelwagens) for many years it is odd, given their practicality, that they haven't been popular in the UK.

Turntable horsebox trailers have been relatively popular in parts of Europe, especially as they can carry horses carriages and living accommodation, not a combination which is easily balanced on a centre axle trailer.


In general, these trailers are regarded as more stable than conventional centre axle trailers and they do not require such careful positioning of payload needed for correct balance.  There is only a nominal nose weight on the towing hitch, useful when your towing vehicle is already close to its own payload limit.

However, as one owner of such a trailer once told me, they are difficult to reverse.  Which is a could be a significant disadvantage if you need to manoeuvre on a regular basis. Nonetheless all users I have spoken to about these kind of trailers think the they are the bees knees and they can turn quite tightly if need be.

So it came as a shock when last autumn new rules applied across the European Union which suddenly put a stop to their manufacture.  These new rules said that mechanical/inertia overrun brakes may only be used for centre axle trailers (trailers built before 1 November 2014 can still be used, as they have grandfather rights).

Inertia overrun breaks are pretty much the only type of braking used for light trailers in Europe.  The vast majority of manufacturers have stopped making new turntable trailers since then, as the fitting of air brake systems to lightweight tow vehicles and trailers so are too costly and technically prohibitive for most users.

Air brake system fitted to a Toyota Amazon (SUV)

 However, there is some interesting news coming out of the Netherlands.  Two manufacturers are offering electric braking systems which - importantly - are European approved and may therefore be used on trailers in the UK and elsewhere in the EU.


JMR Boopark have adapted an American system from Dexter axles (which have partly merged with German trailer giant AL-KO).  The system will require the fitting of US-built Dexter axles to the trailer.

Link to JMR Booparks' braking system

Meanwhile, Fifthweel Europe, also out of the Netherlands, claim to have developed their own.  Though invented for their fifthwheel mini artic trailers, they can be used for turntable and centre axle trailers.


Link to Fifthwheel Europe's braking system
Link to Wagenbouw Bolle

 For European approval of the electrical braking systems have to be different to US type systems in that braking is independent of any driver control . Moreover, a handbrake must be fitted to search trailers which is not always available on US type electric braking systems.

So hopefully, we will see a resurgence in this very practical and little known design of trailer.

I've posted a few images of horseboxes based on turntable chassis.  With a few exceptions, their maximum weight will be around 3500kg (7700lbs) and I expect the payload of these examples to be from around 2500kg for an empty flatbed trailer, down to about 1500kg for a fully coachbuilt trailer with living quarters (more useful for a single horse or a couple of ponies).


Useful Links:  
RC Horsetrucks (Netherlands)
FK Pferdetransporter (Germany)
Toeran Trailers (Netherlands)

 

A Weighty Matter - the payloads of 7.5 tonne chassis

The start of 2014 brought in new emissions standards for goods vehicles (including horse lorries).  The Euro 6 standard requires quite a bit of technology to further reduce the nasty stuff coming out of the exhaust of diesel engines.  Although the technology is necessary, helpful and impressive, it unfortunately reduces the payload of most new lorries (and increases the cost of buying new).

New Euro VI DAF LF

The Euro 6 (or VI if you are being fussy) offerings from the likes of DAF and Iveco have seen an additional bit of weight added to 7.5t chassis ranges.    A Euro 5 DAF LF (7.5t, 4.3m wheelbase) came out of the Leyland factory gates with a body and payload allowance of about 4450 kg; the Euro 6 version has lost around 100 kg from its body and payload allowance, leaving it with about 4330 kg for the body and cargo.

 Iveco Eurocargo's have only 4.1 tonnes or so to spare, whereas the impressively specified Mercedes Atego chassis won't give you much more than 3.7 tonnes. 


However, there a couple of vehicles which still have an "old school" payload allowance. 

A 7 tonne Iveco Daily converted by Paragan Horseboxes

Firstly the Iveco Daily 70 has a gross mass of 7 tonnes, yet still comes with a payload of over 4.7 tonnes! Although this robust little truck can accommodate bodies of just over 6m long, Iveco specify a maximum width of 2.35m (as opposed to 2.55m for most in this segment), so horses would have to travel length ways, rather than herringbone. 

From Japan, the Isuzu N75 7.5t Euro VI chassis still offers a body and payload allowance of well over 4.5 tonnes, though again with a narrower permitted body width.  This chassis is used by EquiTrek for their 7.5t range.

Toyota's Hino brand has long been established in the UK's heavy construction sector.  In recent years, the Hino 300 series has been trying to find its place in the 7.5t sector.  The chassis offer a body and payload allowance of around 5 tonnes. 

A FUSO Canter 7.5t lorry

Mitsubishi FUSO  (now a subsidiary of Mercedes Benz's Daimler) have seen a steady increase of their Canter range over the past few years.  A popular truck amongst the building trades, the plucky Canter's 7.5t biggest chassis  can accomodate body lengths of 7m long, widths of 2.55m wide and yet still have a body and payload allowance of 5 tonnes. 

Horsebox builders and uses tend to prefer the tried and tested European vehicles, liking their heavier duty engineering.  But as the lighter 7.5t vehicles show a healthy sales record the option for utilising lighter base vehicles will doubt be attractive to many in the next few years to come. 

Impressive Horsebox Trailers

German horsebox builder, Dickenherr, produced these large horse trailers.  Interestingly, some feature slant or herringbone stall orientation; other designs feature forward and backwards facing stalls.  

European-wide regulations restrict the sizes of these trailers to no more than 14m long and 2.55m wide.  The rig can be no longer than 16.5m long in total.  

The German manufacturer has posted plans of the designs, complete with dimensions.  

 

The size of these horse trailers are impressive.  The use of articulated trailers by a European manufacturer is unusual - rigid truck and drawbar combinations are permitted to have a combined floor length of 15.5m, which is 2m or so longer than a semi-trailer. 

Drawbar combinations offer greater size in the EU

Horsebox Weights: The Basics

Let's be clear about a few technical terms:

MAM stands for Maximum Authorised Mass.  This is the most your lorry (chassis, body and contents) is allowed to weigh.  It can be changed through VOSA, using minor alterations and/or paperwork (a process called down- or up-plating or rating, depending on the type of work involved. GVW stands for Gross Vehicle Weight.  It is an older term, now replaced by MAM in official terms, but meaning the same thing.

Kerb Weight or Unladen Weight is how much your vehicle weighs 'empty'.  Sometimes manufacturers will add a driver, oil, water and fuel to the kerb weight, some won't.  You can find establish the kerb weight of your lorry or trailer by taking it to a public weigh bridge (see below).

Payload is how much you the stuff you put in your lorry or trailer can weigh.

One tonne = 1000kg   


Your driving licence allows you to drive vehicles up to a certain maximum MAM.  So if you're lorry has a MAM of more than 3.5t, you need C1 or C entitlement on your licence (pre-97 licences have C1 through grandfather rights).  If the MAM is more than 7.5t, you need a C licence.

It's the MAM that counts for your driving licence.  So you would not be allowed to drive a 12t lorry (a lorry with a MAM of 12 tonnes) even if physically weighs less than 7.5t on the day.


How much can you carry?

You can't carry more than your payload.  The payload is the difference between your MAM and the kerb weight.    For example, take a lorry with a MAM of 7.5t.  If it has a kerb weight of 6.25t, you can carry a maximum payload of 1.25t.

A horse can weigh anything between 200kg of a 11hh pony, to 700kg for a 17hh warmblood.

You also have to take hay and feed, water (1 litre of water = 1kg), fuel (1 litre is a little less than 1kg), you and your passenger and luggage, tack, and so on.

If you're towing a trailer behind your van or lorry, the trailer's load on the towbar will also add weight to your back axle, this will be exaggerated if your tow bar is far away from your rear axle. 


Kerb Weight

It is saddening that when a horsebox is advertised for sale, the vendor (be it private or trade) almost always neglects to inform the reader what the kerb weight of the vehicle is.

It is my opinion that any horsebox vendor ought be legally required to show a weight certificate to definitively state the unladen weight vehicle (produced when taken to a horsebox to a public weigh bridge). 

However, I would strongly recommend that as a buyer, one should insist that you see a weight certificate at the very least, if not have the vehicle taken to the nearest public weigh bridge in your presence, before you part with your cash!


Do some makes of lorry weigh more than others?

Firstly, the weight of the horsebox body itself needs to be taken into account.  A horsebox body fitted with 50 tack lockers and a hot tub will weigh more than a simple aluminium box with a simple playwood living sectoin.

However, the base chassis do weigh siginifcantly different amounts.

Take the 7.5t segment:  German makes (MAN and Mercedes Benz) do tend to be very well engineered, so do only have a body and payload allowance of between 4 and 4.4 tonne (approximately).  Iveco and DAF lorries tend to have body and payload allowances of just over 4.5t, making them far more popular as base models for conversions.

In recent years, these traditional main stays of the 7.5t market have faced competition on two fronts.

Firstly, Japanese 7.5t lorries tend to be lighter duty (mainly because the European chassis are also used for 10 or 12 tonne lorries), so can carry more.  Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Hino (Toyota) are producing 7.5t lorries with body and payload allowances of up to 5t!

Secondly, Iveco are doing very well selling large 6.5t or 7t 'mini lorries' with payloads that are comparable to the full 7.5t vehicles (4t - 4.6t).


How do I use a public weigh bridge?

Reading at a public weight bridge.  

Most public weigh bridges are privately owned, some operated by government agencies.  But as the name implies, they are open to the public.

After you find them on search engines or in the Yellow Pages, you can make an appointment and for  small fee (usually £5-£20) you can weigh your lorry.

I've taken a loaded 7.5t lorry to a weigh bridge at a ferry port and the process was very simple.  They didn't even charge (though if I wanted a weight certificate - an official print off - they would have charged me £5).  I would advise taking a high visibility jacket as these are often compulsory to wear in busy haulage yards. 

You could take your empty lorry along and see how much the kerb weight is, then work out how much everything you put in weighs.  Alternatively, you can load up your lorry with every thing you would want to take and, provided you are travelling to an appointment at a public weigh bridge, you are actually permitted to be overweight.  Hopefully, you won't be. 

Driving Licences for Horseboxes

 (and a few other important details)

Driving licence rules are very simple but there several little things that are handy to know.  

In the UK, years ago, you could pass your test in an Austin Metro or Vauxhall Nova in the morning and then take your horses to a show using lorry and a trailer in the afternoon.  The rules changed in February 1997, and the UK – along with other EU countries – introduced new categories of driving licence: 

B – a car licence, you can drive a car or van up to 3.5 tonnes (e.g. a transit van)

C1 – a licence to drive large van/small lorry up to 7.5 tonnes

C – a licence to drive vehicles we describe as "rigid HGV", things bigger than 3.5t and beyond 7.5t

If you passed your test before February 1997, you automatically got the B and C1 entitlement under grandfather rights.  Some of the older terms are still used.  For example, a Class 1 HGV is the old term for driving an articulated lorry; now you need a C+E licence. 

Any of these rigid licences will allow you to tow a trailer that has a MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) or up to 750kg.  Horsebox trailers tend to have a MAM of between 1500kg and 3000kg. 

Is it true that you can tow bigger trailers on a car licence without taking a trailer test?

The B category licence (ordinary car licence) will allow you to two bigger trailers, so long as two rules are met:

1)       That when you add the MAM of your car and the MAM of your trailer together, the total is no more than 3500kg.

2)      That the MAM of your trailer is not more than the unladen or kerb mass of your car.

For example, some compact 4x4s (such as a Toyota RAV 4) will have a MAM of around 2000kg and an unladen mass of 1500kg.  This will allow you to tow a trailer of up to 1500kg.

1)       MAM of car + MAM of trailer            =             2000+1500 = 3500kg        RULE 1 OK

2)      Unladen mass of car = 1500kg.  The trailers MAM isn’t bigger than this so   RULE 2 OK

Smaller car-trailer combinations may not need a trailer licence

Realistically, this sort of setup will only be suitable to those carrying a horse no bigger than 15hh, using lightweight single horse trailer.  If you have a lightweight trailer, you can ask the manufacturer to downrate the MAM of the trailer so you can be legal, but you must ensure that you don’t overload the trailer to take it over the lower MAM. 

Also, ensure that your car is capable of towing your trailer, as you are not allowed to tow a trailer that is heavier than what the car manufacturer has stipulated (usually by giving a gross train weight - the weight of your car and trailer together; others give a specific trailer weight. 

Taking a C1 Test

There are many firms offering training courses for C1 driving licences and are popular amongst horsebox owners and ambulance drivers. 

A C1 licence will permit you to drive a van or small lorry up to 7500kg (7.5 tonne).  You can also tow a trailer that has a MAM of 750kg or less. 

C1 licence training and tests are often done in larger
vans of about 5 tonnes with car-like controls

To get a C1 licence is almost as complex as getting a fully-blown "rigid HGV" or C category licence: you still have to have a medical, pass a lorry drivers’ theory test and then complete an extended practical driving test.  Some people therefore prefer to train full "rigid HGV" (C category) licence, rather than the C1. 

However, a C1 driving test can be passed in a large van, such as an up-rated Ford Transit, Iveco Daily or Mercedes Sprinter.  These have similar driving set-ups to cars, such as having five or six speed gearboxes, simple braking systems, and so on.  A "HGV" will have two ranges of gears, retarder braking systems, air brakes, etc.  Vans are also a bit smaller.

Because of these differences, it is cheaper (and usually easier) to train and pass in the C1 category. 

Trailer licences

When you pass either a B or a C1/C category licence, you are automatically given a provisional licence for your respective trailer licence (i.e. B+E or C1+E). 

You don't have to take a medical or a theory test if you're adding trailer entitlement (unless your adding full trailer entitlement to a restricted C1+E obtained through grandfather rights - see below).  The practical test is extended, and includes reversing manoeuvres.    

Passing a B+E licence allows you to tow any trailer that doesn't have a mass bigger than 3500kg. (It used to be "any trailer" - so some engineers were making mini-articulated lorries using vans as tractor units, but the Department for Transport have closed that loophole.)

If you already have a B+E licence, you aren't automatically allowed to tow with your C1 or C test; you have to take a further towing test for this category.  However, if you do pass a C1+E or C+E trailer test, then trailer entitlement will be added to your car licence (so you get B+E too) if you don't have it already. 

A C1 licence allows you drive a 7.5t lorry with a
trailer with a MAM of no more than 750kg.  This combination
would need a tachograph as it is over 7.5t

A C1+E licence allows you to tow any size trailer, so long as the combined MAM (the tow vehicle MAM plus trailer's physical weight at the time is no more than 12000kg (12 tonnes).

If you passed your licence before 1997, you have a C1+E entitlement, but with a restriction.  You can tow a trailer behind a vehicle, but the combination MAM (the tow vehicle MAM plus trailer MAM) must not be bigger than 8250 and the MAM of the trailer must not be more than the unladen mass of the towing vehicle. You can remove this restriction by taking the C1+E test, but you'll need to pass a medical and do the lorry theory first. 

If your lorry and trailer combination are over 7500kg (7.5t) you will need a tachograph and observe driver hour’s rules, even if it is for private use.  

Supervising a learner driver

A rule brought in recently now means that you can only supervise a learner driver if you've passed the test in that specific category.  So if you have C1 or C1+E entitlement thorough grandfather rights, you'll have to pass the tests yourself before you can teach others. 

Trailer MAMs and the Law

I called the DVLA to check the rules.  They were insistent that your trailer’s rated MAM, rather than what is physically weighing on the day, is what matters when you are considering your driving licence.

For example, if you have a 1000kg MAM trailer that weighs 600kg when you load it up, you could be prosecuted for driving without a valid licence, even though it physically weighs less than your 750kg entitlement. 

The good news is that most manufacturers will provide a replacement plate with a lower MAM, so long as the trailer and its components are capable of going down that low.

VOSA, on the other hand, will regard what it physically weighs, rather than the MAM (assuming your trailer isn’t overloaded anyway!) if it checks your trailer against the towing ability of your car.

Manufacturer's plates

For example, if you have a car that is rated to 1500kg by its manufacturer, you are perfectly OK to tow a trailer that has a MAM of 2000kg, so long as it is never loaded above 1500kg (and you have the appropriate licence, of course). 

The MAM of the trailer can be found on the manufacturer’s plate (which all trailers have been legally required to have since 1983) and this is found on the A frame, close to the towing hitch.

DISCLAIMER - I'm not a lawyer, nor a government official.  Check with these if you want definitive answers; this is as much as I think I know.

Volkswagen 1989 Marketing Brochure: For Horse and Rider

Here's a few pages from an interesting brochure from Volkswagen (published around 1989), promoting some of their vehicles for equestrian use.


It's entitled Volkswagen fur Ross unt Reiter - which roughly translates as "for rider and steed".

I don't know if they did an English language version of this, but the TriStar (double cab 4x4) was ahead of its time back then. 

 

Horseboxes in Sweden

Sweden in a country with a  very strong tradition of horsemanship.  I visited southern Sweden in 2010, starting off in the wonderful city of Malmo, before moving inland to Lund and to see the National Stud and Equestrian College at Flyinge.

 
Firstly, here some photos taken a couple of years ago at the Malmö City Horse Show.  The venue is right in the heart of this wonderful little city.  It will be hosting the European Eventing Championships in 2013.

Gimmel is a German horsebox manufacturer. 
Note the elevating roof section over the centre of the lorry - quite possibly for a groom's bunk over the bathroom.

The horse show seemed to have two main events:  An international FEI three day eventing competition and a local pony club meet.  See if you can guess which horseboxes belong to which event.  

There were quite of few of these little single-axle trailers, pulled by modestly-sized family cars.

This is actually a 7.5t motorhome towing a simple horse trailer. 

The area around Flyinge must be some of the most horsey in the world.  So between visiting the wonderful equestrian estate at the Swedish state stud and equestrian college, I managed to snap a few pictures of horse transport solutions.

VW Transporter and single-axle horse trailer

VW Transporter and single-axle horse trailer

German built high spec. horsebox

A very large horse trailer and a small 4x4