Does towing ruin your car?

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littlen

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Sorry another towing post- seem to have been going around in circles for yours about this as I can't decide between a 3.5t and a trailer. It will only be used once/twice per month so a box seems such a waste.

With the help of the towing clinic I have found out my car combo would be okay.
2200kg towing limit. Two ponies max 500kg each and a trailer of 950kg. This would leave me some room to spare in theory but it's close.
I would be getting a B+E as I can't manage with just a B.
The car weighs 1688 so I'm out of the 85% rule but I heard that's rubbish anyway.

However my husband is concerned about the strain on the car as it's a small 4x4 not a huge one.

Will a few short journeys make much difference to the lifespan of the car? Is my clutch going to die with the strain?!

I know I would rather have the lorry but it's lots to maintain for not much use!
 
I'm glad you replied ROG!

I think he's read the caravan thing about 85% rules and is worried about the strain on the engine and clutch with it not being a 'proper' 4x4!

Its two ponies but that's taking us close to the weight limit?
 
littlen said:
I'm glad you replied ROG!

I think he's read the caravan thing about 85% rules and is worried about the strain on the engine and clutch with it not being a 'proper' 4x4!

Its two ponies but that's taking us close to the weight limit?
Click to expand...
Design says ok so its ok
 
Differ slightly......it should be "OK" but the strain on brakes, clutch, suspension bushes will be higher.

Especially if you do lots of hill work.

But overall the increased maintenance cost against getting a bigger car is probably worth taking a punt on.
 
Some vehicles are much more suited to towing IRL than others, no matter what the 'official' tow limit is. As Turnbuckle says, if you're in hilly terrain the strain on the vehicle is much greater. If you're just doing infrequent trips on level ground, then the demands are much less, and you can get away with a less beefy tow vehicle.

What vehicle do you have now? Folk on here may have first hand experience of towing with one.
 
I used to tow a horsebox with one horse in it using my A4... yes it used more fuel, needed to use the brakes more but that's just general wear n tear... towing won't "ruin" a vehicle it just places more demands on it while you are towing.
 
clutch wear will be dependant on how you drive not on the factit is towing so I would guess towing only damages a car more than normal if you are worried about it and drive differently to the way you normally do
 
I'm not familiar with your current vehicle. Are you in level terrain or in hilly country? To give a good steady ride to your equine passengers, then you need to 'feather' the clutch (when pulling away (which will wear it out more quickly), and brake much more gently (but with a much increased load) than in normal driving.

If you have any tricky hill starts at junctions on your intended routes, then it is a good idea to have a very beefy tow car. (I'm a poacher turned gamekeeper , who used to wing it in underpowered vehicles, NOT recommended).
 
Yes, my husband would say - his car is now full of dried on mud and horse hairs. The bumper is also rather scratched where I've tried to hitch up! Engine is fine though as its VW Touareg.
 
Ive borrowed my mums automatic Tiguan before and it pulled a 15.3hh in a Bateson Ascot easily. I wouldnt do it very often though to be honest just because I feel better in a bigger sturdier 4x4! However my vehicle which I tow with most weekends is a Freelander so probably the smaller of the towing vehicles. Itll tow my 15.3hh no problem, and I will stick my sons Dartmoor in too sometimes (although I maybe wouldnt do that every weekend). It did struggle slightly with my 17.1hh inside but he was a very big horse. My land rover dealership are always moaning about how towing ruins them... but IMO isnt that what they're designed for?
 
It won't 'ruin' it at your level, but it will wear slightly faster - it's doing more work, and that doesn't come for free ;) I think you'll be fine with a couple of short trips a month though; my car gets absolutely battered, offroading a lot and towing right up to the limit all over the shop - I'm on my 3rd clutch at 200k miles but someone I know with the same car who drives like a vicar (no towing) so to speak got 300k out of the original clutch.
 
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