4 x 4 help!!

[blushin_bex]

Hi was hoping you might all be able to help! I am looking for a 4x4 to tow a horse trailer with- at the moment I am thinking of a Freelander or Nissan X-Trail

- what are your experiences of these? It will be my 'permanent' car for day to day things as well as towing therefore I do not want a massive size engine etc however it needs to be safe and capable of towing most weekends

- I need to be able to tow a ifor w 510 and at least one full size horse however two would be a bonus but it is not a must and would not be very often

I have been told the freelander 1.8 and 2.0 will struggle pulling one horse- is this right? I am confused on the maximum they can tow as well?

Any thought would be greately appreciated, don't want to spend over £6000 really

Thanks Guys :-)

[pedilia]

I would really not reccomend a Freelander for towing, it does however depend on the type/weight of the trailer and size of horse I think there is a sticky about the legal towing limits.

You will be better off looking at a 'proper ' 4x4, for that budget you could get a Disco,Trooper etc

[montys helper]

get a landrover defender, u really cant go wrong

[MrKia+Me]

I tow with noth of the above.

Freelander tows Kia 500kg welshie and ifor 505 (905kg unladen) no bother, even towed fine right out of muddy field no bother.

I also have the Xtrail as our main towing car. Tows the same weight like a dream and handles well. Also get great milage when not towing as it goes into 2 wheel/4 wheel drive with a swtich.

Also towed heavier horse with it and had no problem either. Also had 2 x 500kg horses and towed and was fine.

Nikki xxxx

[Nookster]

Neither would be able to tow the MAM of a ifor 510 let a lone a 505 legally i'm afraid - its not if you carry one horse or two its the MAM that would need to be taken into consideration

[pedilia]

It isn't about whether ot not it can tow, it's whether it can legally/safely tow!

[MrKia+Me]

There are lots of theories as to what a car can and cannot tow and it all depends on what/who or what body of transport you talk to No website seems to tell you the same thing also people seem to go by kerb weights etc which are only a recommended weight to tow. I see people pulling horse trailers with non 4x4 vehicles and I have also seen people pulling horses with Golf TDIs

Freelander can legally tow 1800kg up to max of 2000kgs. Xtrail can legally tow 2000kgs up to 2500kgs (max braked trailer weights are the last ones) It all depends on what your towing. Trailers can be replated to suit your car therefore legal and it only costs you about 100 quid.

Nikki xxxx

[gb050573]

I know someone who towed a trailer with a Citroen BX with two Exmoor ponies - car and trailer snaked, trailer overturned, car flipped onto its roof. Thankfully ponies miraculously escaped with superficial wounds

People may tow with non 4x4s but anyone towing with something that doesn't have the pulling power is taking a chance.

[nicolaj]

There is a link on here for legal towing.

I've been told by a number of sources, and by a Land Rover dealer that the old Freelander, can't comment about the new one, is not really suitable for towing horses. Maybe ok for caravans?

I have a Jeep Cheerokee which we find does the job well.

As I understand the towing laws, the car needs to have a gross train weight which at least matchs, but ideally should exceed the gross laden weight of your trailer. For instance, my Jeep has a gross train weight of 2600kg, and my trailer a max laden weight of 2300kg, so is legally okay. I think it is a bit more complex than this explanation but, this is how I managed to get my head round it!

You will also need an engine with some grunt in as well, so in my opinon, I know others may disagree, and I don't want to get into a discussion/argument about anybody's cars that they are happy towing with, I feel a 2.5 engine helps, this is my own personal opinion.

You also need the weight in the car as well, otherwise it can become a bit like the tail wagging the dog, when pulling up hill if the trailer and load is significantly heavier than the car, this can have a detrimental effect upon the engine and also result in the car being pulled backwards in extreme cases, or the trailer pushing the car forward in the event of having to break heavily (yes I know you shouldn't break heavily when towing but we have had a few scary moments when people have been belting round country lanes and nearly had a head on, we were travelling at less than 30mph!). Also when going downhill, you get the picture.

Also there are now some lighter weight trailers on the market which might be worth looking at rather than just plumping for the Ifor.

Good luck with whatever you decide upon!

[Nookster]

Simple factor............ how much you want to risk your horse, you and other road users for the benefit of going out.

Because someone tows with a less then adequate vehicle and makes the trip ok doesn't mean that its legal or safely viable.

Since all the dicsussions that have gone on i have contacted DVLA, VOSA and my areas police headquarters for answers - i happily take there information on board with does match up with MAMs etc. But even if not i would never risk my horses or the people in my vehicle or others on the road.

Its sadly not just about having the appropriate licence anymore, its about having the vehicle to do the job. They wouldn't let a car without MOT's, Tax on the road and they are taking the same opinion on towing vehicles - fit for purpose

[Nookster]

Originally Posted by gb050573

I know someone who towed a trailer with a Citroen BX with two Exmoor ponies - car and trailer snaked, trailer overturned, car flipped onto its roof. Thankfully ponies miraculously escaped with superficial wounds

People may tow with non 4x4s but anyone towing with something that doesn't have the pulling power is taking a chance.

I feel so so sorry for people that have to go through something like that. We did it while towing are drift car and as the police said lucky to walk away and should have been in body bags - why i preach so much. Sadly people just see it as trying to ruin their fun rather then trying to protect them.

Accidents can happen anytime - but best to be fully prepared

[blushin_bex]

I had read that Freelanders can only tow up to 2000 but no one website seems to contain the same information! So if my trailer is roughly 1ton, my horse is 750 and i travel just him this should be legal- maybe a bit too near the boundaries though!

I am prob best looking at a bigger 4x4 I had tried to avoid them as I want it to be used daily, my friend is actually selling her isuzu trooper but is 3litre and a fuel eater, also only 3 door and I had been under the impression that a long wheel base is safer?

All thoughts are appreicated, I am only in the early stages of thinking but want one asap!

Becky

I own a Discovery, which IMO opinion is the best car for towing, plus its legal to tow an 510, whereas I dont think a freelander or x-trail are (could be wrong).

My discovery is the 2.5lt automatic model. I previously owned a 2lt Rav 4. The discovery is more economic on fuel than my RAV was, really very surprised how much a tank of diesel lasts me in the disco.

Ifor Willaims 505R = 2600kgs
Ifor Willaims 510R = 2700kgs

So you need a car with a maximum towing weight of 2600kgs or over.

Freelanders is 2000kg
X-Trail is 2200kg
Discovery is 3500kgs

[Nookster]

Originally Posted by blushin_bex

I had read that Freelanders can only tow up to 2000 but no one website seems to contain the same information! So if my trailer is roughly 1ton, my horse is 750 and i travel just him this should be legal- maybe a bit too near the boundaries though!

its not the unladen weight you need to calculate of the trailer. You might only have trailer 1000g and 750kg for horse, but the trailer fully loaded (MAM) could take say 2500kg (check your plate for this info). Its this 2500kg figure you need to take into consideration even if you are not carrying that the tow vehicle you match it too has to be able to tow the MAM and vice versa if that makes sense. So say freelander is 2000kg its well below the 2500kg

[MrKia+Me]

Originally Posted by gb050573

I know someone who towed a trailer with a Citroen BX with two Exmoor ponies - car and trailer snaked, trailer overturned, car flipped onto its roof. Thankfully ponies miraculously escaped with superficial wounds

People may tow with non 4x4s but anyone towing with something that doesn't have the pulling power is taking a chance.

This is why when I see things like that it makes me want to cringe. I pull my trailer with my car and find it brill to use, drive and tow with and I feel safe in the knowledge that my car will do it. People going on the roads towing like that guy in the golf (who I see frequently on the same road but dont know where he hails from) makes me wonder why the hell we have these rules when they obviously dont mean squat to them.

I am just glad that I have my trailer insured, my horse insured and my car insured. Hopefully I never will have the need to call on it for an accident involving the trailer.

Nikki xxxx

[Ernie Pants]

We have a Terrano 2.7 which is very legal to tow a large weight (can't 100% quote it without going back to it's literature) but it guzzles diesel for fun!:-)

[montys helper]

Originally Posted by faralaa2803

I own a Discovery, which IMO opinion is the best car for towing, plus its legal to tow an 510, whereas I dont think a freelander or x-trail are (could be wrong).

My discovery is the 2.5lt automatic model. I previously owned a 2lt Rav 4. The discovery is more economic on fuel than my RAV was, really very surprised how much a tank of diesel lasts me in the disco.

Ifor Willaims 505R = 2600kgs
Ifor Willaims 510R = 2700kgs

So you need a car with a maximum towing weight of 2600kgs or over.

Freelanders is 2000kg
X-Trail is 2200kg
Discovery is 3500kgs

now i would say my defender is the best for towing but my bf just said an automatic is best for towing???

Originally Posted by montys helper

now i would say my defender is the best for towing but my bf just said an automatic is best for towing???

Yep, I have towed with a manual and an automatic, the latter is much better for towing as the gear changes are more smooth, therefore less bumping around for the horse.

[Fabio's Filly!]

We were debating selling our Discovery and getting a newer Freelander as the Disco is a 4litre and eats fuel! Glad we didn't though - didn't even consider the towing weight and a Freelander can only do one big horse if you've got an Ifor 510. We've only one horse at the minute but will be getting another in the next year or so, so made the right choice!!

Also - my partner normally drives if towing and he has said that he wouldn't want to pull the same weight in anything less than the Discovery as it would feel more like the trailer pushing along rather than being towed.

Also - if you do go with a Freelander, make sure it's an 05 plate or above. When we were looking at changing there are so many complaints about the older models which is why they are so cheap at the minute!

[Micawber]

Weight and suitability issues aside as Land Rover (all different types) person of some decades I personally would avoid the 1.8 engine in a Freelander and go with the TD4 instead.

Regarding the automatic issue. Auto's can provide a smoother ride for both vehicle and trailer but fuel economy and amount of engine braking is on over-run is usually less than on a manual.