Kevin Parker horseboxes are proud to introduce the new Helios Horsebox range.

We have another website dedicated to the Helios range http://www.helioshorseboxes.co.uk

When we started designing the Helios, we had a clear goal to aim for.
The Helios had to be pleasing to look at from all angles, very strong, incorporate the latest materials for strength and lightness.
We are very pleased and hope our customers feel the same, we have an alluring design that is also aerodynamic and even lighter than before.
The smooth lines flow from the tilt luton down through the skirt to the moulded in rear lights.
The new Helios shape is proving very popular with motor sport enthusiasts, so much so we now build motor sport transporters with drop well workshops.
Because each Motor sport transporter is unique we can build to individual customers specifications.

There are always several in build and they are available for viewing.

For people who want to build their own horsebox or race transporter we now sell the basic Helios fiberglass kit as well as our new bumper design, please phone for details or see more details here.

To make browsing and buying one of our horseboxes easier we have listed a few pointers that we think are important in terms of the quality of the build of any horsebox. There are no hooks or clever wording on the site and we have put all the information at your fingertips with very large pictures to show detail throughout the website.
In addition we can put you in touch with previous customers, for further information See our ‘Feedback’ section on the website for their recommendations.
Please note we build all our own horseboxes, we do not put anything out to tender to then sell on under our own name. Even our new Helios horsebox has been designed, modelled and built on site.
Our staff are body builders by trade; time served and qualified. They take great pride in their work.
All our designs come from our customers' requirements, so we listen carefully to each point and build exactly what they need.

We now include a 2 year warranty on all our horsebox bodies, a full service, 12 months test, warranty on the chassis and breakdown cover. We only require a small deposit when the order is placed and the balance on collection. Again this is to give customers peace of mind, especially in the current economic climate.

When buying a horsebox weight must be one of the most important considerations.
For instance a typical horse can weigh up to 655kg, a pony up to 455kg, feed 20kg, add to this, fuel, water, tack, driver.
Fines can be up to £5,000, if you are stopped and found overloaded a prohibition notice will be issued, banning it from being driven. To clear a prohibition notice, another vehicle may have to transport the excess load or temporary accommodation for your horses may have to be arranged. You could then face prosecution, as well as licence penalty points.
If your vehicle is overloaded, insurance cover also becomes void. We recommend that you always ask for a weight certificate for the finished vehicle as there are many horseboxes both old and new that do not comply with legal requirements, so BEWARE !
Our standard ladies horseboxes are 4.8 ton so they are all legally capable of carrying 3 of the largest horses (they can legally carry 2.5 ton of horses and tack)
We weigh each box on completion and give a certificate with each horsebox.

Height and width next - our boxes are stalled for the largest 18 hand horses with 8’ length and 7’ 10” high and the partitions move to fit any width.

For safety and strength we build in a galvanised steel cage around the horse area that fixes the steel center partition to the ramp frame. The horse partitions are also hung from this and this adds to the safety and in turn, the quality of the build.

Finish in the horse area is paramount and any horsebox must be able to withstand power washing and disinfectants on a weekly basis. We use COAT-X (www.coat-x.co.uk ) to coat the horse area and ramps, there are no seams and no water ingress. Each horsebox looks like new after each wash. We even fit long drain tubes to take any water out of the horse area and past any chassis parts underneath the horsebox. These are not just holes drilled in the floor. COAT-X on our ramps has removed the need for capping's, ramps are often left down and water gets behind edges rotting and swelling up. This is not the case with COAT-X, because it is sprayed at a high temperature it completely seals all edges for the life of the horsebox.COAT-X has been one of our best leaps forwards.

Our horsebox floors have bearer spaces of 10" TO 12" for maximum strength and clever use of materials means our horseboxes are very low for better stability.
Ramps are perfectly balanced and we pride ourselves with making light ramps anyone can close easily.

Rust is our worst enemy and we go to great lengths to prevent it. Having our own spray shop is of great benefit in this area. We do not have to complete a build and drive it to off site to a spray shop for painting. Would anybody buy a car that was fully built and then painted afterwards?
After we service and prepare each chassis it goes into our steel fabrication workshop and all the sub-frame and horse cage are fitted. Next it moves into our paint shop; the cab, engine, chassis and all steelwork is sprayed with 3 coats of oil resistant paint. After the box is finished it goes back into the spray shop and the underside is painted again before the outside of the box is sprayed.

Steel work and partitions are galvanised keeping a quality finish for the life of your horsebox.

On the same theme we use sealer glue on every part fitted to the horsebox, all rivets and screws are stainless steel and each hole is sealed before they are fitted. On the new Helios horseboxes we have removed all the outside fixings. Visit www.helioshorseboxes.co.uk.
The ramps are foam filled with large hinges with grease nipples and hard wood slip rails. They are smooth faced on the outside with no screws or rivets to spoil the lines.They are the full width of the horsebox to make the entrance as inviting as possible. Again our unique design allows us to have a floor to top of ramp height of 34". This makes loading the horses much easier.

We have always built tilt cabs and feel they are a must. With the new Helios design this is now a five minute job. It is just not possible to service a modern chassis when the cab is fixed down.

Soon all horseboxes will need vehicle type approval and you will need a certificate to get through an MOT test. This will ensure any vehicle alterations are done in a safe way and should remove some of the dangerous practices from the industry and thus give customers peace of mind. To this end in 2008 we became members of the VBRA (Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association).

Our Horseboxes

We have a range of high quality horseboxes for sale ranging from 24' overall length down to our ladies boxes at 20' 6" including cab. The ladies horsebox is designed to be shorter than a 4x4 and trailer whilst providing all the amenities of much larger horseboxes.

In the past few years we have expanded our steel shop into a new building and took on more staff to meet demand. The expansion has given us the extra space needed to prepare chassis, build sub frames and lockers and fit the wiring before moving the build next door into the spray shop. After spraying the build is completed in the main workshop and then taken back into the spray shop for full external paintwork.

The new set up has enabled us to improve our quality, speed up our build times and keep between 3 and 4 boxes in build at any one time.

We have made many design improvements, such as a new rear light bar, top light bar with built in camera, LED lighting, new electrical components, light weight materials and these all come together in the new Helios range.

We have introduced a completely new design for the living area; new units and new fittings. The Graphics Department have new designs and we have new suppliers of parts, enabling us to offer more choice.

As always, quality of build and customer care is our priority. Customers are emailed weekly with photographs of each stage of the build of their horsebox. We have continued to expand during 2009 and have bought our own resin system (COAT-X)and added a new staff member to our team. To read more about COAT-X visit www.coat-x.co.uk

Quality Horseboxes

Our policy is to produce a horsebox with a long life span, to a superior standard, using high quality materials and paints. This ensures a trouble free operation.

We put great emphasis on ease of use and comfort for horses and owners alike. Each ramp is made to close with the minimum effort. The ramp slope is as low as possible, with the top only 34" from the floor. We spray Coat-x polyurathane on the walls and the horse floor including the drain holes and on the ramp. The horse area is made so it can be power washed.
Visit Helios Horseboxes - www.helioshorseboxes.co.uk
Visit COAT-X - www.coat-x.co.uk

Happy Customers!

It's always nice to get great feedback, we built a motor-sport box for rally driver Alister McRae, here's what he had to say...

"Kevin and his teams ability to build exactly what was required into my truck would give me no hesitation in recommending them no matter what your requirements"

» see Alister collecting his motor-sport box and read more feedback