Age old question - trailer or 3.5t?

[J_sarahd]

Long story short, I am planning on getting some transport this year. Preferably before May. I thought I had a while left on my car so was looking at buying a 3.5t van conversion - nothing special, just something to get us from a to b.

I got a letter today and it may be that I can change my car sooner than I thought.

So do I change my car and getting a towing vehicle or carry on saving for a 3.5t and get another small car (currently have a corsa for reference).

I will likely only travel my pony who is only 13.2hh.

Just give me some costs and preferences please. I have driven a 3.5t box before but never towed. Also if you say trailer, recommend some good towing cars please.

 

[Northern Hare]

I had a lovely built to order 3.5t lorry (on a used chassis), and it was great whilst I used it at least weekly, but as soon as I didn't use it so often, it started letting me down and cost a huge amount to keep it on the road - insurance, tax, servicing and mending!

I then bought an Ifor Williams trailer (505) which was fantastic. Just a yearly service and insurance. It waits patiently for you to use it, and doesn't get too upset if you don't use it so often! Then when you sell it, if you've looked after it well, then you can sell it for almost as much as you paid for it 10 years before!! What is there no to love?

If you've only got to tow your one pony then you should be able to get away with a nice lightweight/single/mare and foal trailer, and an estate car which will be suitable for everyday use as well as towing. If it's a company or lease plan car it's worth checking they're ok with a towbar being fitted and the car being used to tow the trailer.

 

[Polos Mum]

While you might only plan now to go everywhere by yourself once you get out and about being able to go somewhere nice to hack with a friend or got to the beach or even to a competition (company is nice sometimes)
In a 3.5 tonne you don't have that option - while space for 2 even at 13.2 I'd guess your pony is best part of 400 - 450 kgs. Tank of diesel 80 kgs, you, tack, water (maybe dog, hay, spare rug etc etc etc) will be easily another 120kgs.
Normal payload in 3.5 tonne is 1000 kgs - if it's a lot more than this question the quality of the build materials !

 

[humblepie]

Depending on what you do and how far you travel, I would think a car and trailer may be a good route. If you do lots of car miles then you may find that a tow car with a lower miles per gallon is expensive to have and that the small car/lorry option is better. Trailers keep their value well and whilst you should have them serviced to check brakes etc, they won't cost anything like a lorry to maintain. I must admit, I have had lorries for the last (insert something like 30 years) but it does depend on what you do.

 

[Asha]

For just one pony, id go for a 3.5t all day long. its easier to store your stuff, you could even put a bed in there if you want to stay over.
Parking is easier, driving a joy. Tack up inside the box . Much much easier.

Also much less likely to get stolen

 

[J_sarahd]

The car will be on finance if I do get a car and a trailer. What cars would people recommend? That’s confusing in itself.

I will be regularly going out anywhere from 4 miles away to 70+ miles as I am planning on stepping up our eventing more this season - hence the need to get my own transport as hiring at least once a week works out very expensive and time consuming.

I will only have one car so if I do the car & trailer route, it will be my sole car. I don’t particularly do many miles. I think my main worry about a car & a trailer is that I am not the most confident driver (especially with reversing) - I am fine with a 3.5t as I’ve driven one a few times but I worry that I’ll be that person in the car park who can’t reverse their trailer. I will obviously get lessons if I do go down the car & trailer route.

 

[Squeak]

Just re your car - if you've got it on finance you can sell it to webuyanycar or an equivalent instead of handing it back. With the market the way it is a lot of the newer cars are worth more in value now than when they were bought a couple of years ago so where you might get nothing for handing it back to the garage webuyanycar might give you a bit more money for it.

 

[Littlebear]

I have had both and several versions of each over the years, I think the bottom line for me is that I am much more comfortable and therefore have a more enjoyable day driving a 3.5t, so for me irrespective of costs that is what I stick with now.
With the reversing if that is the big thing, a few lessons should sort that out.

 

[TheHairyOne]

Ive had both. With the towing rules changed I am just in the process of getting a tow bar on a much better vehicle (didnt cost anything extra on the insurance, but did need to be declared) and parts and fitting is about £500 (and thats with a friendly local mechanic).

I've been using a single horse trailer. Much easier to move about, much smaller on the outside (its nice to know where the car will fit the trailer definatley will!) but this is big enough inside to tack up in. Much more room than with 2 in a horse trailer.

I drove a lovely 3.5t that was custom built for 7 years. However, that was never cheap to keep on the road and it was only driven for 7 years as it totally died. And that was on a 56 plate body.

There is a lady at my yard who has also spend upwards of 8k in the last 2 years to keep her 3.5t running. Last thing that went was the gear box which was many £££. This was only converted to a horse box 4 years ago and was NOT cheap.

I much prefer driving a 3.5t. I much prefer the running costs of a trailer. The other good thing about the car + trailer is if you do go away you have a car. I remember one night in the depths of wales trying to find a parking space in a tiny villiage so we could get some dinner with the 3.5t - not much fun!

 

[rara007]

For up to 100 miles each way I like our 506 for the pony With a decent tow car and a tack pack you have comparable storage to a 4.5tonner (never had a 3.5!). I have done further by trailer but if the norm is around 70 miles each way I’m not sure the expense of a lorry is worth it, IMO.

 

[Polos Mum]

Most venues - especially larger eventing venues you can be strategic and drive in a loop so you are facing the exit before you stop - and avoid reversing.
Reversing can then be for parking it up at home (in privacy !!) with help from someone on the ground.

I tow and when I arrive - where to park to make the least messy exit is first thing I look for!

 

[ihatework]

With a 13.2hh you could get yourself a good cheap(ish) towing set up with one of the small SUVs/estates that have capacity in the 1800-2000 range with a lightweight single/mare & foal trailer.
This would undoubtedly be cheaper than a 3.5T set up.
But you wouldn’t be able to offer lifts.

The beauty of a lorry is you can leave kit in it.

So I suppose it depends how much disposable you have and whether the convenience of a 3.5T is worth more to you than the cost saving of towing.

As for tow cars the one that springs to mind is the Skoda Octavia Scout. But there are other estate crossovers - I think there is a Passat etc. Maybe Subaru, Volvo sure there are others.

 

[Northern Hare]

Hi OP, just in case you haven't already seen it, there's an excellent thread on the Competing & Training Section which covers everything related to towing horses in trailers, so you will find some good recommendations for creates on there. It is run by Forum member ROG who is very helpful and knowledgeable. Here's the link:

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/...o-towing-clinic.490195/page-136#post-14811274

 

[Annagain]

There are a few things to consider. How much mileage do you do from day to day? Generally a trailer and car is cheaper to buy and run (only one set of MOT, insurance, tax etc) but if you do a lot of miles, the costs of a larger vehicle could outweigh the savings you make. This could be mitigated somewhat by getting a fairly lightweight trailer and maybe a smaller SUV rather than a big tow car but it will still be more than something like the Corsa you have now. A friend tows an IW 406 (770kg approx) with a Skoda Yeti that is very reasonable to run on a day to day basis. An estate car that gets a good MPG would be another option. If you go for something with a capacity of about 1800kg, even a 506 (about 900kg) would be an option. Your pony probably weighs about 400-450kg so that would give you a total weight of about 1350kg. You need to choose your models wisely though, different models of the same car can have very different capacities.

Will you use a lorry enough (at least once a week, I'd say) to make it worth it? As others have said, a trailer is much more forgiving if it's sat for a while. Servicing costs me about £120 a year and I've probably spent about £1500 in total on other maintenance work (3 sets of tyres, 2 sets of brakes and a few bits and pieces) in the 17 years I've owned it. It will need a fairly big job soon but it's still in far better condition, with far less care, than a lorry of its age would be.

The rest is personal preference, really. I've always towed but drive our 3.5T camper van as well and I'm actually happier towing but it would be handy to have somewhere to keep all my stuff without having to load and unload the car all the time. If you're only travelling one though, you could use the other side of the trailer to (securely, of course) store things you need to take with you all the time.

I didn't have to do the test but did have reversing lessons which were invaluable.

 

[Northern Hare]

I think my main worry about a car & a trailer is that I am not the most confident driver (especially with reversing) - I am fine with a 3.5t as I’ve driven one a few times but I worry that I’ll be that person in the car park who can’t reverse their trailer. I will obviously get lessons if I do go down the car & trailer route.

Don't worry about reversing the trailer, it is so easy! ? When I got my trailer, I booked half a day's lesson with an HGV instructor just to get my confidence, and it was money really well spent! Btw, I'm not sure how old you are but the rules have changed recently wrt younger drivers having to taking a test to tow a trailer, and it might be that you don't need to take the test now.

Anyway, the easy way to reverse the trailer is to sit facing forwards, adjust the wing mirrors so you can see the trailer clearly.
Here's the important bit: place both hands together at the bottom of the steering wheel.
Pop the car into reverse, and start reversing very slowly. If you want to see the trailer come around into your right hand wing mirror, move both hands gently towards the right wing mirror, and vice versa for the left. Have a good practice, but before you know it you'll be reversing your trailer into spaces with just a few cm's space on each side!

 

[Annagain]

Don't worry about reversing the trailer, it is so easy! ? When I got my trailer, I booked half a day's lesson with an HGV instructor just to get my confidence, and it was money really well spent! Btw, I'm not sure how old you are but the rules have changed recently wrt younger drivers having to taking a test to tow a trailer, and it might be that you don't need to take the test now.

Anyway, the easy way to reverse the trailer is to sit facing forwards, adjust the wing mirrors so you can see the trailer clearly.
Here's the important bit: place both hands together at the bottom of the steering wheel.
Pop the car into reverse, and start reversing very slowly. If you want to see the trailer come around into your right hand wing mirror, move both hands gently towards the right wing mirror, and vice versa for the left. Have a good practice, but before you know it you'll be reversing your trailer into spaces with just a few cm's space on each side!

This, but the way it was described to me (which really clicked and stuck in my brain) is turn the bottom of the wheel the way you want the back of the trailer to go.

 

[J_sarahd]

Thanks everyone! I am definitely thinking that a car and a trailer is the better bet. I am planning on full loaning my pony out in a few years and hopefully getting something bigger so makes even more sense.

I am going to ring my car dealership tomorrow to talk through changing my car early. Fingers crossed it won’t cost me an arm and a leg.

In terms of cars, I have seen Tiguans being mentioned a lot on Facebook pages as towing cars. Do people rate them for towing?

 

[[59668]]

The only thing I would say is that it is FAR easier to move on a car and trailer than it is a 3.5 tonne.

I tow with an Isuzu dmax, which I LOVE. 3.5 tonne capacity, and the truck bed is super useful for stuff like haynets etc so the actual truck interior isn't messed up. Then the back seats for tack etc when I am off out and about.

 

[Lamehorses]

Op, go & have some towing lessons before you make your decision.
I've tried lots to be confident with a trailer, but just can't. We have lots of narrow lanes & I struggle, luckily my husband is happy to drive.
If i had to drive I'd have a 3.5 tonne, but the car & trailer is definitely more versatile

 

[Squeak]

The only thing I would say is that it is FAR easier to move on a car and trailer than it is a 3.5 tonne.

From what I’ve been hearing recently the 3.5t are selling ridiculously quickly and holding if not gaining value so I’d be surprised if you’d have problems selling one.

 

[Northern Hare]

Thanks everyone! I am definitely thinking that a car and a trailer is the better bet. I am planning on full loaning my pony out in a few years and hopefully getting something bigger so makes even more sense.

I am going to ring my car dealership tomorrow to talk through changing my car early. Fingers crossed it won’t cost me an arm and a leg.

In terms of cars, I have seen Tiguans being mentioned a lot on Facebook pages as towing cars. Do people rate them for towing?

My BIL wanted to end the Lease Plan on his car so he was expecting a big bill for the early cancellation, but in fact I think they offered him £5k for him to give it back early, as used car prices are so high and there's a general shortage of them.

 

[J_sarahd]

Update: my car has been valued at around £5k and my finance is around £4k so going to start looking for a new towing vehicle.

As mentioned before, any help on good ones would be greatly appreciated. So far, my list is:

• Ford Kuga
• VW Tiguan
• Mazda CX5
• Jeep Cherokee
• Land Rover Discovery

This is collated by talking to people who tow. As I said before, I will only really need it for one 13.2hh. Maybe an additional 14.2hh as well for short journeys.

 

[ihatework]

I’d remove Mazda and Jeep from the list, and prob the Ford too. Of those I’d go VW or Land Rover. The latter is more likely to be more expensive to run.

 

[NR88]

A kia sportage has a 2200kg towing capacity (the 2 litre manual model) and is cheaper to buy, insure and run than the others that you have listed.

 

[Annagain]

Do you mean a Discovery or Discovery Sport? The Sport will be plenty big enough for your needs and much cheaper to buy and run. It's basically the new Freelander so has a towing capacity of around 2,000kg (depending on model, some go up to 2250kg) the Discovery has a 3500kg towing capacity.

I know few people who tow with a Honda CRV and are very happy. Also have a look at Skoda SUVs - there are three, Karoq, Kodiak and the Kamiq. I can't remember which is the big one and which are the smaller ones but they are basically the same as the VWs and the Seat Ateca is the same as the Tiguan underneath although the models are different.

ETA - just had a look and the Karoq would be the Tiguan equivalent but there are only a couple of models that have a 200kg towing capaicity and a couple with 1800 or 1900kg so you'd need to choose carefully. Basically the 4x4 diesels are the models you'd want.

 

[J_sarahd]

A kia sportage has a 2200kg towing capacity (the 2 litre manual model) and is cheaper to buy, insure and run than the others that you have listed.

Ooh thank you. Just had a quick 2 min search and found one in my price range with all the luxury features I would like but thought I couldn’t afford! So definitely adding to the list

 

[J_sarahd]

Do you mean a Discovery or Discovery Sport? The Sport will be plenty big enough for your needs and much cheaper to buy and run. It's basically the new Freelander so has a towing capacity of around 2,000kg (depending on model, some go up to 2250kg) the Discovery has a 3500kg towing capacity.

I know few people who tow with a Honda CRV and are very happy. Also have a look at Skoda SUVs - there are three, Karoq, Kodiak and another K. I can't remember which is the big one and which are the smaller ones but they are basically the same as the VWs and the Seat Ateca is the same as the Tiguan underneath although the models are different.

Friend just said Disco so I am assuming not the sport version. But that’s interesting that the sport version is 2000kg.

Great thank you! Yeah VWs are quite pricey! One of my friends tows with a Tiguan and adores it and my family love VWs but if I can get basically the same but for cheaper then great!!