I hate towing tbh.

But I've already had a quote to fit a tow bar and electrics. It wasn't cheap. I do have a swb transit as well and that has a towbar but I need to carry 1800kg plus myself, my wife and a full tank of fuel so that's not going to work either. Besides, the time I've paid around £1500 for a second hand braked trailer I may as well do two trips.

I forgot to mention, in Bulgaria trailers need their own paperwork just like a car so unless I want to register it there, with all the associated costs and agro, I'd have to bring it back to sell it anyway

Edited by Det on 01/07/2024 at 17:29

It's a difficult one I grant. I don't know how delivery companies manage. As I said though I only need to carry 1800kg plus 170kg for me and my wife. A 90ltr tank adds another 75kg so a total of 2045. There must be a large van out there that can carry that.

Assuming your license allows, might a 7.5t truck be an option?

Slightly scruffy but (allegedly) maintained regardless of cost Post Office 7.5t box trucks available under £3k.

I can drive up to 7.5t on my licence but I'm not sure about about something that heavy. Seems a bit overkill.

But you can drive them legally, they are pretty cheap, but (most importantly) they are available.

IMO, using a 7.5t truck rather than a 5-6.5t van isn't overkill (they aren't hard to drive and aren't that much bigger than an xlwb van). One time when when I was a child and we moved house, my Dad got a loan of the 32 tonne 4 axle tipper truck he drove for a living, that was overkill!

Up to you though.

BBD's got it once again, 7.5 ton box van will have no or minimal if any wheelarch intrusions inside the body which will be a huge bonus for loading, and the vehicle might be easily sold on at your destination.

One point regardless of what you buy, make doubly sure you have the loading door(s) seriously padlocked for the return journey, if even one illegal immigrant sneaks in or manages to cling on underneath and is found on arrival back in Blighty the fine(s) are eye watering for commercial vehicles...and check the roof and floor of the van/truck body just prior to getting on the train/ferry, usually thin roofed so easily broken through.

Edited by gordonbennet on 02/07/2024 at 06:05

I've had quotes from removal companies, they're eye-watering. And hiring comes to about £1700 from the local van hire companies per trip. Part of my problem is where I am, n e Scotland, and where I'm going, s e Bulgaria. Both locations are the back of beyond from the point of view of removals companies.

Is there a possibility to package up / palletise the excess 500kg of stuff which can't be carried in the Citroen Van, and just use the existing van for the rest?

If it can be carried as freight on a combined load, rather than by a house movers it should be a lot cheaper to move.

Also, if this is a one-off trip, surely suffering having to tow a small box trailer would be a lot less hassle than buying an aged truck specifically for the purpose. You can hire a 1000kg payload box trailer for a week for a couple of hundred pounds, and unlike a car/van hire they are less picky where they are taken.