done before, but which 4x4?

Rache

Rache

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Hello
im after a 4x4 and a trailer to start me on my way, i havnt got big bucks but heres what im looking for

£3000, for the 4x4
pull a trailer and 2 16.2hh tbs, one most of the time but would like to take on short trips 10miles max
car like in side, ie ele windows, not a shed on wheels
a big-ish boot, so i can fit saddles in.

Trailer £1500
take 2x16.2hh tbs
easy to handle and is safe


What do you think i should go for, i was thinking of a vauxhall fontier? I dont have any idea on towing weights yet as got to do research so thought you lot would be a good place to start

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../radius/1500/page/8/postcode/hr14jx?logcode=p
 
As nobody else has replied I'll jump in-
Please don't get a Frontera, if you tow a trailer with an average-sized horse on board you'll be over weight.

http://www.caravanningnow.co.uk/caravanning/faqweight.htm

I know this site's for caravans but the same principle applies. The tow vehicle MUST weigh more than the combined weight of trailer and contents....

If you are going to transport your horse you would be better off getting a 'serious' 4x4 - Landrover, Rangerover, Toyota Landcruiser, or even one of the bigger pickups like a Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200.

It's frightening how many people tow illegally overweight without realising..
 
I've always used Nissan Terranos to tow and an Ifor Williams 510 trailer, mostly for one horse but occasionally for two horses.

Its a very good tow car and easy to drive.

I've also heard good things about Kia Sorento's but not sure how cheap they are yet.
My mother tows with an Isuzu Trooper which is a great tow vehicle not more agricultural than say the Terrano. However her trailer is a Bateson which is lovely.

I think my ideal would probably be something like the Kia Sorento with a Bateson trailer.

Good website for suitable towing vehicles
http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/towing_vehicles.htm
 
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used to tow with pajero 2.8td auto which was great and cheap to buy £5k but only did 23 to 25 mpg and it was my only car so diesel bill was £500+ a month, so sold it and borrow my dads nissan navara aventura double cab which is also auto and tows brilliant.
 
LittleBlackMule said:
As nobody else has replied I'll jump in-
Please don't get a Frontera, if you tow a trailer with an average-sized horse on board you'll be over weight.

http://www.caravanningnow.co.uk/caravanning/faqweight.htm

I know this site's for caravans but the same principle applies. The tow vehicle MUST weigh more than the combined weight of trailer and contents....

If you are going to transport your horse you would be better off getting a 'serious' 4x4 - Landrover, Rangerover, Toyota Landcruiser, or even one of the bigger pickups like a Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200.

It's frightening how many people tow illegally overweight without realising..
Click to expand...
I think you mean the towing capacity must be more than the combined weight of the trailer and its contents ...
 
perfect11s said:
I think you mean the towing capacity must be more than the combined weight of the trailer and its contents ...
Click to expand...

No, the weight. Otherwise in a situation where you swerved or braked suddenly you could end up with the trailer dragging the tow vehicle out of control.
The towing capacity for each vehicle, which should be stated in the manufacturers handbook, will have it's weight factored into this.

A perfect, though horrible, example of this I was unlucky enough to witness; on a motorway ahead of me was a trailer with two horses being pulled by a big estate car, not going too fast.
A moron overtook them then cut in sharply, I think aiming for an exit sliproad. The estate car braked hard, the momentum of the trailer spun the back of the car round and yanked it into the air and they both turned over. The horses didn't survive..:(:(
 
I love my isuzu trooper, maybe a big 4x4 but has all the luxury of a car!! But a beast that can tow up to 3.6 tonnes!! Also you still see loads of old ones still working hard on the roads so they last!! The 5 door has a huge boot too!

Trailer wise for your budget you'll get an ifor williams quite easily just make sure you get the aluminium floor not a wooden floor and look for rot at the base of the side panels by the floor, they are the most common problem areas.

For £1950 I managed to get a lovely 6 year old richardson supreme and love it as it's more airy than the ifors. But it's all down to personal preference.
 
I am in a similar situation to you although I already have the trailer. I spent ages last week drawing up a table of all the possible tow cars, their maximum towing capacity, fuel consumption and rating on the What Car website (I lead a very sad life!).

My conclusion, a Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe came out on top. The Sorentos are still a bit new to be under my £3,00 grand budget so I think I'm going to end up with a Santa Fe. I posted on here asking who tows with them and everyone gave good feedback. The maximum towing capacity is 2,300kg so that would be more than enough for one horse but I'm not sure if you would be pushing it with two. Depends how light your trailer is I suppose.

Let us know what you end up getting, its always good to hear feedback.
 
Hi, Not sure how the prices stack up now, but I have a Hyundai Terracan and love it. It is just like a car inside, but will tow 2 horses easily. Ooh, edited to say, it has a huge boot!
 
Toyota Surf. It's an estate version of the Hilux pick up. UK version is a 4-runner but difficult to find and more expensive, so worth finding the Surf which is a Japanese import. The 2.4 would be a bit gutless for towing, but the 3.0 should be fine. HUGE boot, 5 doors, plenty of room front and back, good both on and off road. Not economical, but I love mine to bits. And as it's basically a Hilux, it's pretty indestructible too (*touches wood fast*). Mine's a 1994 (L) and cost me £1750 so your £3k budget would be fine - as always, low mileage is good, but mine has done 166km and a mate has seen them with over 250km on them, so if it's been well maintained, don't worry too much about it!
 
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FREDTHEGREAT said:
Hi, Not sure how the prices stack up now, but I have a Hyundai Terracan and love it. It is just like a car inside, but will tow 2 horses easily. Ooh, edited to say, it has a huge boot!
Click to expand...

Me too. me too..... I have a Hyundai Terracan, I have had it for about a year and it's great.... It is a 2.9 TDi and can tow 2800 kilos and is quite good on fuel does about 32 to the gallon on a long run..... Good size boot too....

The only snag is you may not get one cheap enough as I don't know when they started making them but highly recommend... My brother tows with an Isuzu Trooper and you can pick those up quite reasonably at the moment....

good luck with your car and trailer hunt....

Izzy
 
LittleBlackMule said:
No, the weight. Otherwise in a situation where you swerved or braked suddenly you could end up with the trailer dragging the tow vehicle out of control.
The towing capacity for each vehicle, which should be stated in the manufacturers handbook, will have it's weight factored into this.

A perfect, though horrible, example of this I was unlucky enough to witness; on a motorway ahead of me was a trailer with two horses being pulled by a big estate car, not going too fast.
A moron overtook them then cut in sharply, I think aiming for an exit sliproad. The estate car braked hard, the momentum of the trailer spun the back of the car round and yanked it into the air and they both turned over. The horses didn't survive..:(:(
Click to expand...
Ahem, an IW trailer has about 2.7t MAM, know of any cars/4x4s that weigh that much?
 
What LittleBlackMule said was entirely correct. Under braking, when you have 2 tons, trying to push 1.5 tons, you're going to have a problem. We've all done it, but it needs a degree of caution.

Generally the shorter the wheel base, then the safer you are. Probably as good as you will get would be a Land Rover 90. The problem with that is that with a budget of £3k, you'll probably end up with something which is too old. Isuzu troopers? terrific, but they have an appalling reputation for engine longevity. They blow up at between 70-90k miles, regularly...

I'm not really being mucH help, am I? If you can lever your budget upwards, that would help.

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
What LittleBlackMule said was entirely correct. Under braking, when you have 2 tons, trying to push 1.5 tons, you're going to have a problem. We've all done it, but it needs a degree of caution.

Generally the shorter the wheel base, then the safer you are. Probably as good as you will get would be a Land Rover 90. The problem with that is that with a budget of £3k, you'll probably end up with something which is too old. Isuzu troopers? terrific, but they have an appalling reputation for engine longevity. They blow up at between 70-90k miles, regularly...

I'm not really being mucH help, am I? If you can lever your budget upwards, that would help.

Alec.
Click to expand...
nothing wrong with the old 3.1 troopers however the 3 liter ones can be a nightmare and are costly to fix... wheelbase has little to do with it... it is about how far back the tow hitch is from the rear wheels its better the closer they are for stable sway free towing...
 
i have a fourtrak (they don't make them any more, but they're great little workhorses, and there's still plenty around 2nd hand aroung the £3k mark).

Personally I'll never have another discovery as they just rust too quickly, although they are quite good at the job. The freelander IMO can't do the job, unless you're towing ponies. the iszuzu, and the mitsubishi, and the nissans are all pretty good too but IME you'll struggle to find a good one for £3k.
 
Alec Swan said:
. Isuzu troopers? terrific, but they have an appalling reputation for engine longevity. They blow up at between 70-90k miles, regularly...

I'm not really being mucH help, am I? If you can lever your budget upwards, that would help.

Alec.
Click to expand...

What a load of cr*p. Trooper 3 litres are fab AS LONG AS THEY HAVE HAD THE RECALL WORK DONE ON THE DIESEL INJECTORS.Ignore the recall and yes the engine will pump diesel past the faulty injector seats into the sump oil and kill the engine. Isuzu fecked up big time when they failed to recall all the 3 litres the minute they realised the fault with the Caterpilar supplied system.The work takes a day and is done free of charge along with replacing the ceramic filter. We have one thats now done 160,000 miles with no big bills and its just romped through another MOT...A service kit of all the filters (2xoil,fule and air) needed is £12.50 from milners. tyres are £90,brake pads £30, the new exhaust was £100, road tax £185 and fully comp insurance is £300 so what big bills would you have as long as you service the car properly?

OP do look at the shoguns as well as troopers -there are many bargains to be had or even a Diahatsu fourtrak. the toyota landcruiser colorados are a good buy. it depends how much mileage you do
 
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