Cars for towing trailer

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shadowboy

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After viewing a number of horseboxes round the country - OH suddenly states he would rather have a trailer as there would be more room on the drive and he could spend the money on a nice car for himself insted!

Sooooo what cars can you reccomend for towing that are not 4x4 (as OH will be using the Motorway driving 70 miles a day so a 4x4 is just a touch too fuel inneficient) Are there any larger estate type cars that could tow a new lighterweight box with one pony- and that obviously will also have enough breaking power.

Thanks
 
This is already in a another thread


http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=467914


yess Nissan terrano I have one for my pleasure its gr8



as the bmw is crap off rd

try the Honest john website

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/
click the make in left and he will tell you good and bad points about vehicle

I was told the Terrano will get you out of anything even muddy field

i did pay more than 3k 4 it depends on year you would want an AA exception which will be £ 250 for a 4x4 its worth it i had a terrano and a ford maverik which is the same car both failed AA

I FIND NO PROBLEM ON RD or the corners






Nissan Terrano II (1993 - 2005 )
Robust old-school 4x4. Capable off road. Long-wheelbase models seat seven.
Not that good on the road, especially in corners. Patchy build quality so watch for broken or missing trim.

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Introduction

Unbreakable, simple, old-fashioned 4x4 with high/low range, etc.

Vastly improved in July 1996, especially 2.7 litre diesel which gained intercooler and 25 more bhp. (This is the same engine as most London taxis.)
 
shadowboy said:
After viewing a number of horseboxes round the country - OH suddenly states he would rather have a trailer as there would be more room on the drive and he could spend the money on a nice car for himself insted!

Sooooo what cars can you reccomend for towing that are not 4x4 (as OH will be using the Motorway driving 70 miles a day so a 4x4 is just a touch too fuel inneficient) Are there any larger estate type cars that could tow a new lighterweight box with one pony- and that obviously will also have enough breaking power.

Thanks
Click to expand...
nothing that will tow SAFELY will be good on fuel so its a sensible lorry
or a tow vehicle that will do 30 ish to the gallon and a wibly wobley trailer........take your pick...
 
perfect11s said:
nothing that will tow SAFELY will be good on fuel so its a sensible lorry
or a tow vehicle that will do 30 ish to the gallon and a wibly wobley trailer........take your pick...
Click to expand...

So does that mean non of the larger estates can't tow safely? I have no idea - genuine question-he's the one with the ability to tow on his licence (I can't) What we are looking for is something that not a huge 4x4 (we used to have a Nissan Nevaro) and that was pants on the motorway but his brother has one of those skoda crossover type cars and takes a third less fuel than a 4x4 just wondering what sort of vehicle would be able to pull and brake safely.

The problem was with horseboxes-for our budget we were struggling to find enough payload and one that was of a reasonable condition floorwise (some of them once you lifted up the rubber matting were awful)
 
shadowboy said:
So does that mean non of the larger estates can't tow safely? I have no idea - genuine question-he's the one with the ability to tow on his licence (I can't) What we are looking for is something that not a huge 4x4 (we used to have a Nissan Nevaro) and that was pants on the motorway but his brother has one of those skoda crossover type cars and takes a third less fuel than a 4x4 just wondering what sort of vehicle would be able to pull and brake safely.

The problem was with horseboxes-for our budget we were struggling to find enough payload and one that was of a reasonable condition floorwise (some of them once you lifted up the rubber matting were awful)
Click to expand...
Yes as previous threads yes one horse and a light trailer a big estate will be fine you need to work out how much horse and trailer weighs and compare with car specs just go for something thats a little over so if say horse and trailer is 1500kg look for a car that will tow about 1800kg so there is a margin of safety, volvo v70 or a e class merc would maybe do you ok ....
 
Some of the smaller 4x4 aren't that bad on fuel when not towing.
I have a Nissan X-trail, admittedly getting on a bit now and not too brilliant on fuel, but when it was new and shiny it used to do about 40-45 miles to the gallon when driven well.
It has a towing limit of 2t, which is plenty enough for me as both my trailers have MAM around the 1500kg mark.
 
What about a discovery with LPG conversion? Cheaper to run, good to tow, more than capable of motorway speeds comfortably with the right engine and loads of space for your stuff.
 
I tow an Ifor single horse trailer with 15.2hh horse in it safely and legally with a Vauxhall Vectra 1.9dti - chosen because I travel quite a bit in my job, as well as towing. There aren't many double trailers I could tow with it, even with just one horse. A friend tows a VERY light trailer with a highland pony in it with a 1.8 petrol fuelled Vectra. So it's definitely possible, with the right trailer and the right vehicle.

If you look at the car's towing capacity in it's handbook, then reduce it to 80% of the capacity stated, that is what it can safely tow (trailer + horse, rounded up to include tack, a passenger? etc.)

p.s. There's a web site that gives info on the towing capacities of cars - try googling 'towing capacity' - I think that's how I found it.
 
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I have a caravan that weighs 1780kg fully loaded and tow with a 57 plate Mercedes E class estate 220 (2.2 litre diesel)

It returns around mid-upper 30's commuting and driving around, and about 20-22 when towing.

It's maximum braked towing weight is 2000kg, but this will be above 100% car-trailer ratio which is not recommended but is possible.

We are pretty much in the same boat having just bought an 2nd hand Ifor Williams 505 trailer which weighs 820kg empty then there is the horse(s) plus tack etc.

We are looking at some 7 seaters as we need it with our family, and some of these like the Kia Sedona also have a maximum of 2000kg braked towing, but weigh more then the Merc so would be better to tow, and no boot overhang and with the big body makes it more efficient when pulling a box.

Hope this helps
 
perfect11s said:
nothing that will tow SAFELY will be good on fuel so its a sensible lorry
or a tow vehicle that will do 30 ish to the gallon and a wibly wobley trailer........take your pick...
Click to expand...


that's what a stabilizers are for.. anti snaking device

trouble is with a lorry more up-keep
tax
insurance
maintenance
plating
diesel too
 
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