Can you tow a trailer with a 'normal' car?

Hi G_G, this kind of question always gets a range of responses!!!

I have recently found myself in a similar position, never thought I'd really want to get out and about, always been happy in the past to be a "happy hacker", but have recently had the urge to get out and enjoy takig my girl places.

However, we can't afford the upkeep/running costs of a big 4x4 (hefty tax. insurance etc as well as low mpg) and a lorry was a no-no for the same reasons. The compromise we found was a Ford Mondeo, 2004 reg 2.0tdi 6-speed gearbox 130bhp engine. This has more than enough power in the engine for pulling a single horse trailer and horse and the car has a long wheelbase/heavy kerbweight.

In our case;

Car kerb weight = 1505kg,
Manufacturer's max. towing weight stated as 1800kg,
Trailer unladen weight = 770kg (IW401, 3 yr old),
15.2 LW cobX weight = 550kg (generous guesstimate),

So the total weight in the trailer (being a single, there's no room for tack etc in it, so it's literally just horse, trailer and haynet!) is 1320kg or thereabouts. This is well within the car's kerb weight and with the powerful engine/lots of diesel torque, it tows really nicely and smoothly.

It also gets reasonable mpg around town for commuting etc (44mpg) and isn't too high a tax/insurance group. I'd really recommend considering this as an option. As someone else has mentioned, we do have to watch the parking conditions of places we want to go to, but as long as you're sensible about that, it should be fine.
 
It should be legal and safe - the safe tow limits appear to allow it weightwise -I've towed with a peugot 406 estate HDi, which should be similar. No problem with one average weight (550kg) horse on board
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Wouldn't have done two, or a real heavyweight, though
 
You are not allowing any weight for people, tack, water etc. Also, the recommended towing weight is 85% of the car's kerbweight. Your figures are under this, but as I say, you have things missins. Unless the car drives itself! Towing a caravan for example is a lot different from towing a 'live' load like a horse, and you really do need more weight. IMHO.
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Thing is, I have seen an estate car flipped over by the caravan it was towing. I would hate to see the carnage of a car flipped by a trailer, and the potential consequences for the horse inside. Personally, if I couldn't tow with a car which was well up to the weight, I'd stay put. But each to their own! Towing a horse is a lot different from towing a dead weight, stable load.
 
You can tow with some cars but may need to look at a very lightweight trailer such as the Cheval Liberte single one. I think Robinsons do a lightweight single as well. The car manual will have all the appropriate information in it.
 
Sooty- was that reply to me or G_G?

Surely additional weight in the car (in the form of driver + passenger) is only helpful, as it makes the car's weight even heavier over the trailer's weight? Plus the additional weight in the car plus the towing weight is still well within the car's stated capability.

Also, the 85% is bandied about all the time and yes, the heavier the car is in relation to the towing vehicle, the better, but it's not a legal requirement and was actually published as a "rule of thumb" by the caravan club about 20+ years ago, relating to single axle (horse trailers are double axle) not-very-aerodynamic caravans which are not likely driven with the same caution and care as a horse owner transporting their precious cargo.
 
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Surely additional weight in the car (in the form of driver + passenger) is only helpful, as it makes the car's weight even heavier over the trailer's weight?

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Please tell me that is a joke.
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The towing capacity of a car is what the engine is capable of moving from A to B. More weight in the car reduces the ability of the engine to tow more behind the car. The car does not know where the weight is; it just has a finite ability to cope. As, perhaps more importantly, does the braking system. And the suspension. But if you think you are within the car's limits, go ahead. I am not the enemy, just pointing out some facts.
 
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Thing is, I have seen an estate car flipped over by the caravan it was towing. I would hate to see the carnage of a car flipped by a trailer, and the potential consequences for the horse inside. Personally, if I couldn't tow with a car which was well up to the weight, I'd stay put. But each to their own! Towing a horse is a lot different from towing a dead weight, stable load.

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Definately each to their own but in the 10 or so odd years i was in pony club everyone towed with cars (like I said big volvo's and the like) and i never ONCE heard of a car flip over.................
 
THe only flip I have ever seen was a long wheel base defender.

I have no idea how that happened and luckily all was empty and waiting to be towed when I saw it.

A huge part of the saftey is down to the driving but you do have to make sure that the numbers add up.

I have also towed with an Austin Princess and a Ford Sierra 4x4.
 
Actually fig, the car's kerb weight includes ONE 60-70kg driver and 7kg of luggage. Any additional passengers or luggage must be deducted from the car's towing capabilities. This is regardless of the 85% kerb weight guideline. So if your car can tow 3t like mine, but you have 2 80kg passengers and 40kg of luggage, then you need to deduct 200kg from the tow limit, which means you can only then legally tow 2.8t, which for my car is fine, because my horses and trailer are less than that. However, just thought I'd say that sooty is correct, that is how it works!
 
But my point was that a lot of the issues over safety/stability come from the car weight:trailer weight ratio being too close to each other. Therefore more weight in car = more difference in weight between car and trailer and so less chance of "tail wagging dog" which causes the accidents you are talking about?

As I said, the car is more than capable of towing the weight we tow and the engine most certainly does not struggle, even on uphill stretches. The power and towing capability is an unrelated issue to the car vs trailer weight issue as far as I can see.
 
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In Sweden hardly anyone has a 4x4 and everyone tows with "normal" cars - obviously big ones, up to weight

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Maybe that is why the UK has one of the best and most enviable road safety records in the world.
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Surely you are contradicting yourself, though, because on one hand you say that the 85% rule was a rule of thumb for caravaners (because they are unbraked), which I agree with, but on the other hand you are saying adding to the car's weight makes towing safer. So on one hand you say the weight of the car in relation to the trailer is irrelevant and on the other you say that more weight in the car should make towing safer!

That is not the case. As sooty said and as is outlined on many a towing website, any extra baggage in whatever form in the car, must be deducted from the towing limit because the towing limit includes what the car can carry as well as what it can pull.

Carrying AND pulling to and above the car's kerb weight becomes more and more dangerous the higher you go towards and over the limit. It is fine to pull to your car's tow limit regardless of kerb weight, but don't add any passengers because they are included in the tow limit.
 
Again, I mentioned that my car's stated towing capability is 1800kg. We tow ~1320kg, so still well within the stated maximum, even with additional passengers/tack etc. The MAM of the trailer is only 1450kg, so still well within the 1800kg capacity of the car. I did plenty of homework and maths on the combination.
 
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Surely you are contradicting yourself, though, because on one hand you say that the 85% rule was a rule of thumb for caravaners (because they are unbraked), which I agree with, but on the other hand you are saying adding to the car's weight makes towing safer. So on one hand you say the weight of the car in relation to the trailer is irrelevant and on the other you say that more weight in the car should make towing safer!

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I don't think I am contradicting myself. I said the 85% towload compared to kerb weight wasn't a legal requirement, but did agree that the bigger a difference there is between the two the better. Just that the 85% "rule" is a rule of thumb, not a law.
 
And I agree with you about kerb weights not being the law. I think the closer you can stay to them the better, but on a braked trailer it's not really THE issue. All I was saying is that what sooty said is correct. I'm not saying that what you are towing is illegal or unsafe or out of your limit; I'm saying that sooty was correct when she said that the passengers and extra luggage are included in your tow limit. This was in response to your post in which you said that the more weight in the car the better it would be. Simply pointing out the facts as they stand.
 
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That is not the case. As sooty said and as is outlined on many a towing website, any extra baggage in whatever form in the car, must be deducted from the towing limit because the towing limit includes what the car can carry as well as what it can pull.

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Also, I've just checked a photo my husband sent me of the chassis plate on our car and the gross train weight stamped on it (max. weight including load in car + tow load) is marked as 3750kg for our car. I promise you, this is what is stamped on the car.

The amount of research I've done into this, usrely make my towing combination far safer on the road than many of the Freelanders you see out happily towing IW510s etc?
 
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And I agree with you about kerb weights not being the law. I think the closer you can stay to them the better, but on a braked trailer it's not really THE issue. All I was saying is that what sooty said is correct. I'm not saying that what you are towing is illegal or unsafe or out of your limit; I'm saying that sooty was correct when she said that the passengers and extra luggage are included in your tow limit. This was in response to your post in which you said that the more weight in the car the better it would be. Simply pointing out the facts as they stand.

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Fair enough, I was relating it to my set up specifically, rather than a general view. Hope that makes sense. I'd love a big posh, brand new 7.5t lorry, but need to wait for my lottery numbers to come up, so my current arrangement is the best way for me to get out and enjoy my horse for now.

I guess I get a bit defensive on the topic, because I feel I've done so much research into it that it's frustrating when it feels like people are saying "oh you don't tow with a Navara/Warrior/Landcruiser, it's can't possibly be safe at all" or similar!

I probably put my horse more at risk when hacking out on the roads around the yard than I do when travelling.
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mine is a 3ltr BMW estate and it can tow quite happily but it is not nice, it is too low where the tow bar is and the suspspention is so low i feel every little stone and the trailer just doesnt feel right like it does with the 4x4 - i only take one small horse with a Ifor Williams 505 and the kerb weight is 2 ton so i am well under - i can not go on soft ground at all either as it is rear wheel drive and just slips everywhere - there is no way i would use a smaller car than mine! and indeed with new bigger horsey i havnt towed
 
You could tow a single trailer with a normal car but what people fail to understand is that they'll knacker the car in the process.
 
I know- but car drivers and hacking are a whole different can of worms to open another day!
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Actually, since having had a tow bar fitted, I've become much more aware of how many cars do have tow bars and just how scary some of them look, I can only hope they're only towing a teeny little box trailer or trailer tent! You joke, but I have seen a metro with a tow bar!!!
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Your vehicle will (somewhere) tell you what the maximum braked trailer weight is and that's what you should go by....legally anyway. As for the 85% rule....from a safety point of view ideally you shouldn't tow anything heavier than the vehicle itself. However, if you stuck to that rule (85% rule) very very few (of the large) 4X4's would be up to towing 2 big Horses in a trailer, if any for that matter.

If you are towing almost at the limit then consider the drivers experience, the roads you are on, and how far you are going. 4X4's are good but they aren't the be all and end all! I tow mainly with a Mercedes Sprinter van which is bigger than my trailer. I've towed with many vehicles (certainly most of the big 4X4's) and the van is a better towing vehicle. I towed out of mud not so long ago that had bogged down a Nissan Terrano and Mitsubishi Shogun.....and my van is rear wheel drive only!! I don't even feel hills (up or down). Mind you, it is the extra power model and I tow one Horse. Funnily though, I sometimes tow short distances (mainly to avoid wear) with a TD4 Freelander. They get slated on here but mine tows really well. I only go max 10 miles with it but then that's what I mean about considering other things.
Some big cars should be fine for the job......I'd want at least 200KG left on top of the weight of what I'm towing in terms of legal tow weight, and ideally towing no more weight than the vehicle. Both my vehicles (yes including the Freelander) adhere to this.
Hey, if you want scary....I saw someone towing a Batesaon Deauville with a Horse about 16hh in it with...............a Renault Clio (yes....a Clio, I know for 100% sure as my Mum used to have one) not so long ago!!!!!!!
 
GG,

The best thing I can suggest, which will save all questions, is too try and borrow a trailer, so long as your car has towbar and take to your local weighbridge to get the accurate weight of car and trailer it only costs about £5 per weigh, which isn't far from you, then get your weightape and measure george and from that you will get his weight, you will know your weight and you can weigh you tack then you will know how you stand with weights, speak to your local dealers who sell trailers, IW are very good on advice.
 
We were planning on towing a single trailer with my 400kg horse in with our VW touran. It has a towing weight of 1500kg, so we would have been ok with a single trailer i think. Just got to persuade my dad to let me have a trailer....
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Also the cheval liberte trailer is lightest I think and about 600kg.
 
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