Appropriate towing vehicle - talk to me;)!!!

BonBon85

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Dec 17, 2012
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So I have realised I now need to be mobile with kitty, to be able to continue our lessons through winter months, as I just don't have facilities and to be able to travel to shows( eventually!!!) or anything else we may need/fancy doing etc etc,so I'm starting my B+E training and test in new year but since looking into it properly the towing regs/ legislations and what veh is ok or not is mind boggling:/!!!
I have worked out what I think I need for what- I want to pull kitty, shes approx 600, it's normally going to just be her,but another mare I may need to take is 650 and my cob prince if I need to take him and kitty is 550- so I'm thinking cargo wise! I need to account for 1250 at least plus weight of box say another 1000 so that 2250, but I don't wanna push whatever 4X4 I do get to its absolute limit and, sadly, I'm on a budget so I've narrowed my new veh
( second hand, but new to me!!) choices down to a Kia sorrento or a jeep Cherokee for my budget £5-6 k??? What do you reckon??? Anyone got any experience of towing with these cars or indeed a better suggestion!! Thanks everyone:)
 
I haven't tried the Kia's.

I haven't heard good reports on the Cherokees.

I am not really up to date on towing vehicles as I had to sell mine due to fuel prices but I found the best where: Isuzus, Shoguns and discoveries:smile:
 
Thanks Tina2011- that's good to know re the jeeps and ill look in to others you mentioned :) it's seriously a mine field when it comes to getting a trailer:/ but fingers crossed it'll be ok in the end!! ... x
 
Unsure of their towing capacity but a friend with two small ponies has recently bought a Sorrento and is pleased with it. My preferred choice are Shoguns or the HiLux. There is a website which gives lots of good information regarding towing capacities. If my brain fog lifts and I remember the name I will post it for you.
 
My towing vehicle at the moment is a Mitsubishi Warrior L200 but prior to this i had a pajero, this pulled like a train and you didn't even know there was a box on the back.

Wouldn't go with Cherokee as they are terrible on fuel, Kia's are a good vehicle of choice though.

I would look at the following;

Isuzu trooper
Mitsubishi Shogun/Pajero (2.8TD not the 2.5TD) More car than pick up too!
Mitsubishi L200
Mitsubishi Sport
Isuzi Rodeo (fantastic and good on fuel, but go for the 3.0L)
Challenger
Toyota Hilux/Surf
Challenger
Subaru Forester
Diahatsu Fourtrak
Ford Ranger
Nissan Navara (terrible on fuel)
Landrover Disco but go for the Tdi not the Td5

I'm sure other members will be along with other suggestions.
 
I love love love my sorento.

I bought it 2 years ago for £4500. It's a 53 plate. Max towing capacity 2800kg.

I regularly tow a 15.2 and a 17.3 in an ifor 510 with no problems at all.

With it being older I have had some costs: new clutch, new handbrake, 4x4 driveshaft bolts broke. But tbh I don't think they are massively ridiculous for an older car that's been used for towing all its life. Now though its running wel, have done about 100k miles

I love it so much when I can change it I want another!

My insurance is about £800 a year which is double my previous Focus insurance cost. Also tax is £267 or something a year, tyres bout £120per tyre. I've worked out when not towing it costs me about 20p per mile fuel wise
 
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Oh thank you! That's great to hear as the more I look into it the more the sorrento is clear winner for my budget and the insurance bracket ( it's a 12 which my rav4 I have now is also, but the jeep is a 15 and shogun 16a, Arrghh!!)
Will keep having a nose around but I think my hearts set on a sorrento :) now just need to get my B+E test done:) thanks for all your comments and suggestions much appreciated:)
 
I to have a Serento 56 plate and I too love it. I tow two 16.2 both around 520kg with water and full comp kit in an ifor 505 and it does not feel it.

I will also change it for a newer one in a year or two.
 
Oh thanks ObC- that's great to know esp as you tow two and I will need to at times- also good to know what you actually tow trailer wise-again I need to get the trailer too!! thinking IW as I trust them to be solid and robust.. However I know there are some lighter ones on the market which is good to cut back on GTW, so more margin left to work with but because of their lightness I'm a bit apprehensive as to how 'safe' they actually are?? Anyway I'm sure ill post again soon asking about trailer advice once I've got something to tow one with;) oh and the license to pull one!!!! Ill get there anyway, but thank you for your advice, really helps:))
 
Best yard mate has a Kia and she loves it although she only ever tows 1 horse in her trailer.
I wouldn't be without my Shogun - 3 litre V6 automatic though.... I love that truck and yes it's a thirsty vehicle but will tow my trailer with two neds in and all the gear without you even knowing it's there.
With regard trailer I think most go for the Ifor as they are a very well respected make, I ended up with a Bateson which I actually prefer, just feels more spacious - not that i need it with my little Haffy - also i like the fact that the front ramp opens kerbside rather than into the road, I know it's unlikely that it will ever matter which side you unload but I just thought from a safety point of view if I ever had to get horses out on the road somewhere it would just be safer to lead them out away from the traffic as opposed to directly into the road.
 
For capacity I would personally be looking at the 3000kg range of capacity - 2250 plus people, tack, water, rugs I would want closer to 3000kg to be safe.

No idea on vehicles!
 
What I dont understand about towing is peoples ideas that towing close to the limit of the car is dangerous :confused: this is the manufactureres spec and it has been tested to be able to have this weight limit placed on it, if it werent capable of comfortably towing that limit then the manufacturer would be liable for any accidents if the car struggled with that weight.

If your towing a maximum weight of 2250 then you need a car able to tow that. The old understanding that you have to have a car able to tow the plated weight of the trailer regardless of what is in it is false. It is what your towing that has to be no more than the max tow weight of the car not the plaiting on the trailer.

So if towing a max weight of 1500kgs then the car has to be legal to tow that regardless of what is on the trailer plate, this is just what the trailer is capable of carrying :smile:

I have towed with a number of 4x4's from freelanders to pickups all have merits, HHO has a towing expert call ROG great answering questions and giving out proper advice :smile:
 
What I dont understand about towing is peoples ideas that towing close to the limit of the car is dangerous :confused: this is the manufactureres spec and it has been tested to be able to have this weight limit placed on it, if it werent capable of comfortably towing that limit then the manufacturer would be liable for any accidents if the car struggled with that weight.

If your towing a maximum weight of 2250 then you need a car able to tow that. The old understanding that you have to have a car able to tow the plated weight of the trailer regardless of what is in it is false. It is what your towing that has to be no more than the max tow weight of the car not the plaiting on the trailer.

So if towing a max weight of 1500kgs then the car has to be legal to tow that regardless of what is on the trailer plate, this is just what the trailer is capable of carrying :smile:

I have towed with a number of 4x4's from freelanders to pickups all have merits, HHO has a towing expert call ROG great answering questions and giving out proper advice :smile:

My concern is not that it is dangerous to be close, it is

A) dangerous to risk being over when the calculations are often guess figures

B) illegal to tow heavier than allowed
 
My concern is not that it is dangerous to be close, it is

A) dangerous to risk being over when the calculations are often guess figures

B) illegal to tow heavier than allowed

The Legal limit the car can tow is in the manufacturers spec of the vehicle, so it cant be guess figures?

It is illegal to tow heavier than allowed yes that i do agree to and havent contested but having seen this argument before on car forums the manufacturers specs are the legal limit of the cars capabilites :smile:
 
The Legal limit the car can tow is in the manufacturers spec of the vehicle, so it cant be guess figures?

I think what PFB was meaning was the weight of the loaded trailer not the vehicle spec figures. By that I mean the legal limit the car can tow is often guesswork for example without a weighbridge we can't know for certain what our horses weigh and how many of us know the actual weight of saddle/tack, water, haynets etc... might be wrong but that's how I read it. :)
 
Ah ok. Maybe I just keep an eye on too many things when calculating weight that I assume everyone does. :biggrin: :giggle:

I weightape cob to keep eye on weight then all tack etc goes in the car which doesnt add to the weight of the trailer, If I carry water then its in a drum that weighs approx 30kgs full. Plated trailer says 900kgs empty so i add 100kgs for hay, water and breast bars/partitions then add cob so my pulling weight is normally 1500kgs for my towing car. When towing one when i add my friends horse its normally around 2050kgs maximum. I tow with a Mit Warrior so well within the limits of this vehicle :smile:
 
Having people and tack in the car does add to the weight afaik? Whether its in the car, or behind the at, the vehicle has to be able to move it?

Weightapes can be unreliable - the only way to know is to weigh bridge the horse on the day - like us weight fluctuates etc with water etc - that's why I would prefer to have some "margin for error" than be close to the line as its not feasible to weigh everything everytime you go out! :)
 
Trailer is independant of car in regards to weight limits, there is a separate weight limit for car as for trailer towing weight :smile: MAM is load of trailer and GTW is max weight of all included as far as vosa explained on their site, I saw on another forum a very informative letter written by vosa explaining everything, bet I cant find it when I go looking :eek:

I have been to a weighbridge with my combo (wasnt as expensive as I would have thought :smile:) of one horse, water me and tack and hay and I wasnt very far off what I had calculated. I tend to estimate high then you arent going to go over your limits as even going to a weighbridge twice in one day the weights can change between the first and second time :smile:

If your cars limit is 2500kgs and your rounding figures up then the likeyhood of going to a weighbrdge and being over is slim. local vets here did a weight tape checker ie you weigh with the weigh tape then they pop horse on the weighbridge and it was found that the one I was using was out by around 20kgs on both shettie friend and cobby.

I do agree the point you cant be spot on but estimating up means that the likelyhood is minimised :) I like these topics very informative, I got a bit anal before we got the bigger car as I had a single lightweight trailer and a freelander, due to the weights of both I didnt need my towing licence but when we got bigger car I needed it and I got a bit obsessed as to what it would cover me to tow before I spent the money on both bigger trailer and licence :redface: :redface:

Cant find the letter BUT found this by the person on HHO who does the towing clinic and answers all questions :smile: - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1100356
 
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Yeah estimating up is always my choice too... My hesitation is it seems most people don't estimate up and it's "what I can get away with" - which I understand the point of - afterall for my 11hh an 8hh a little lightweight trailer and 4x4 or even a regular car would do and much cheaper than say your set up.
 
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