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French Cattle Hauler: 1977 Peugeot J7

If you’re a rancher or cattle baron and you need a way to haul your livestock or other animals around without your vehicle being lost in the crowd of boring pickups and trailers, this 1977 Peugeot J7 van could be your ticket to stardom. This one can be found here on eBay in Portland, Oregon with a $9,850 buy-it-now price or you can make an offer.

I see this and I think motorcycle/scooter hauler but then I notice the openings at the sides of the cargo area and that wouldn’t work unless I lived in the southwest which I wish I did, but I don’t. Yet. Peugeot made the J7 van for a decade and a half all the way up to 1980. I can almost see Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler roaming around Africa in this with a giraffe’s head sticking out above the roofline in the back. Ok, maybe not.

I’m not sure if this one has been modified or customized. Or most likely, it came from the factory as a cab and chassis and went to a specialty company that made the animal hauling portion. Or not, who knows. The seller says that this one was used to haul Charolais cows for a farmer in France. A white van hauling white cows, tres cool.

Unfortunately, the seller didn’t post any photos of the front interior, engine, or underside. A seller can post 24 photos in an eBay listing, why, why, why do some sellers not show parts of a vehicle that they’re selling?! They did provide a shot or two of the animal carrying area and I still say it would make a great motorcycle or ATV hauler, especially if a person lived where rain and snow wasn’t a big issue. They mention that it has a diesel engine and 4-speed transmission and I’m assuming that everything works. Have any of you owned a Peugeot J7 van? How about owning a Charolais?…

Comments

  1. Avatar Ken Carney

    How cool is this! Wheelchair van conversion for Mom coming up! Just
    imagine going to the market, dropping
    that ramp, and rolling Mom’s scooter
    onto the pavement. This would be a
    fun little rig to cruise at Oldtown complete with your own beverage
    dispenser on board! The uses for it
    would be endless! The diesel engine
    would be okay until something broke,
    and then you’d be up the creek–especially
    here in Florida where foreign car parts
    are impossible to source. Then, you’d
    have to put an American engine of some
    sort in it. Other than that, it just screams
    cool!

    Like 6
    • Avatar Pierre

      Just get in touch with a French person and any engine parts would be easy to source for that J7….very easy.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

    Yes that’s a cool machine. Growing up on a farm and having hauled more than my share of cattle and hogs, it could be ‘fun’ if you had one try and jump that tailgate. With that ramp it would not be easy to back up to a barn to load animals up though not impossible if you used panels to fill the gaps. One big advantage is the cattle would be less likely to try and jump the side panels if they’re a little wild.
    Having the usual farm stuff out of the way, this could be a fun hauler but as has been noted, it likely would be hard to find needed parts for it. If that was handled, take the ATV or sled out in it and enjoy.

    Like 1
  3. Avatar Wayne

    This got shipped over pretty quickly apparently, as here is an ad from the UK for this same van @ 4500 british pounds. Cool little hauler.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Wayne
  5. Avatar RITON

    On your link seller says that it came from south of France. It is from the Atlantique side of France. 17 is from La Rochelle or that area : https://goo.gl/maps/A2Ew56zCnK3bxJzNA
    That is an old black plate so it wasn’t in south of France “lately” and spent much time in the 17 (Charente Maritime) area.
    Check out the rust issues closely.
    These vans have been driven into the ground now and/or sold to african countries where they manage to keep them on the roads even when you’d think the thing is dead.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar MikeH

    “Wouldn’t work unless I lived in the southwest”—Scotty, I live in the southwest but I don’t understand that statement. As for the car, they made 336,000 of these so parts should be easy to come by. And that diesel engine is almost indestructible.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Wayne

    Charolais are very large cows. ( think the size of a Holstein plus about 30% ) I can’t imagine more than one at a time in there. So, if hauling one at a time, it must have been for breeding purposes. Lookout Sally, here comes that goofy looking truck loaded with that very horney bull again! I’m betting on a little BS still hiding in the corners! Just another load of bull that has been replaced by technology. (can you say artificial insemination? I knew you could!)

    Like 1
  8. Avatar John Gates

    I see a pretty unique food truck…

    Like 1
    • Avatar CanuckCarGuy

      Indeed, a “fresh food” truck…

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Little_Cars

    Pretty archaic design for 77, even in France!

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Donek

    Clever design, front-wheel-drive and independent rear suspension facilitating a very low, flat floor and various coachwork alternatives. Citroën also offered a bétaillère on their more advanced C35 commercial.

    Like 2
  11. Avatar mike

    This is my van ,im originaly from uk and now i live in sw France , sourcing classics, these j7 vans are mainly converted into food trucks

    Like 0
    • Avatar MikeH

      Mike—where are you in the sw? I’m in the Gironde and might like to come by and see your collection. You can pm me at mharrel2005 at the popular spot that begins with a y.

      Like 0

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