Although short, and sweet, part two took the longest time, comparable to all of the other hours put in, thus far. My task for the second phase, was to keep her battery running and repair the stable ceiling and ramp. To recap:
- Celing needs to be replaced and the ingress sealed up,
- Skylight needs repairing and placed back in,
- Ramp surface is spongy, so complete restoration is needed,
- Oil the hinges and door-catch, before it is sealed behind the new boarding.
July 2023:
I began the task of repairing the ramp, over the next few hours. I used 18mm marine-ply to replace the rotten boards that were already there. This was heavy boarding and up to the job of supporting the horses as they board the box. I stripped it down and cleaned out the underside of its debris. Greased it up and began the job of sealing her up, again.
The next job was to replace the carpetting and put the rails back on. This was a reasonable job, over an hour, I stuck it down with spray adhesive. There wasn’t much needed for this, as the rails would hold the centre of it, down. The railes were fastened using fresh fixing, and the ramp was alive, once more,
August 2023:
The celing in the stable was a vast job. I moved the horsebox up the embankment for this, getting closer to the cutting space that I had used, previously.I needed to get ahold of some white boarding. This proved difficult, as there were none available, only brown, which would have made the interior dark. I found some in Stoke-on-Trent, whisked over and picked it up. It took three sheets to do the job,
VIDEO WILL BE ADDED HERE
I started by stripping it out and then sealing the old celing roof with a new piece of perspex that I had, already. The edges were difficult; they required the lights to be removed, shaped, and replaced. This tool several more hours, but the end result was great. There were a few bodges, but nothing that ruined the look, functionality or safety of the new ceiling. The skylight was cleaned and placed back in. Now, the box was finally finished.
The end result was pleasing. The ramp was no longer like stepping on a trampoline, the cab was de-dusted and the living-space was fit for a king. What more could you want? All in all, the job was approximately 14 hours, in all. This didn’t include travelling for materials, or setting up. If you are looking at refurbishing a horsebox, give youself a few days, you’re going to need it.
