Downsizing trailer.. those with 505s

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LMR

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I currently have an ifor williams 510 with a jeep grand cherokee (2004 plate)... which is not the most fuel efficient!! I only have to travel one horse who is 16.1hh

Was thinking about downsizing trailer and getting a smaller more fuel efficient car.

Was just wandering those with smaller trailers what do they tow with and would it be possible to tow with a more fuel efficient car.
 
LMR said:
I currently have an ifor williams 510 with a jeep grand cherokee (2004 plate)... which is not the most fuel efficient!! I only have to travel one horse who is 16.1hh

Was thinking about downsizing trailer and getting a smaller more fuel efficient car.

Was just wandering those with smaller trailers what do they tow with and would it be possible to tow with a more fuel efficient car.
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Many use a basic saloon or estate car with a lightweight trailer for towing with one horse on hard surfaces without too many steep hazards and often on a B only licence with a down plated trailer so all is possible


I think one set becoming more common is some thing like a Skoda Octavia (perhaps a 4x4 version) with something like an IFOR HB401/403
 
If you are thinking about keeping the HB505 then its about 900 empty so with a horse weighing 500 you are going to need a vehicle with towing capacity of say 1500 at least to allow for other bits put in the trailer - most decent sized saloon cars etc will have that

The ford Mondeo has a towing capacity of 1800 for example
 
We are actually upgrading to a Jeep Cherokee for weight reasons. We currently tow with a Subaru Forester 2.0 which only tows just over 1500 kg. Our Rice Richardson says its 920 kg and our 16hh warmblood who we thought would be able 540 kg is actually 586 kg. Hence to change to something which can tow 2800 kg. I luckily don't have to worry about what I can tow as I passed my test back in the 70s (yes that old).
 
I tow an Ifor 401 with a 15.3hh mw horse very easily with a Freelander. I have also towed the same horse in my friends Ifor 506 with no problems.
 
We towed a 505 with an automatic Volvo XC70 diesel estate - 2004 plate. It towed brilliantly and when not towing gave us about 50mpg. Don't think they make the XC70 any more but you might pick one up second hand; not sure what its replacement, the XC60 is like.
 
I have a Ford Mondeo. The 2L engine can tow 1800kg. When not towing I get about 48mpg (more if I do a lot of motorway driving, much less if it's all urban or short journeys). It is quite thirsty when towing, I probably use about 3x as much fuel, but I've had Mondeos for years and I really like them. One small horse (as in not much bigger than a pony!) and a 505. Current Mondeo is about 18 months old (had it from new) but have had them since about 2005 in various models (company cars) so would be happy with a slightly older one if buying second hand. It feels very safe and stable when towing, even on the motorway.

I've had an estate and now have a saloon. I find the saloon version much easier to drive and park/ manouevere than the estate, and it's generally a nicer car to drive when not towing.
 
chestnut cob said:
I have a Ford Mondeo. The 2L engine can tow 1800kg. When not towing I get about 48mpg (more if I do a lot of motorway driving, much less if it's all urban or short journeys). It is quite thirsty when towing, I probably use about 3x as much fuel, but I've had Mondeos for years and I really like them. One small horse (as in not much bigger than a pony!) and a 505. Current Mondeo is about 18 months old (had it from new) but have had them since about 2005 in various models (company cars) so would be happy with a slightly older one if buying second hand. It feels very safe and stable when towing, even on the motorway.

I've had an estate and now have a saloon. I find the saloon version much easier to drive and park/ manouevere than the estate, and it's generally a nicer car to drive when not towing.
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I towed for years with a Mondeo and it was really good. Very stable on the motorway etc.
 
I Tow with a 10yr old diesel Mondeo, I have an IFOR 505. I towed my 16hh TB with no trouble at all, with my Big WB (prob knocking 600kg) in its absolutely fine except for steep hills where I prefer a run up, but it managed a hill start half way up recently.
I took the partition out and got full length breast bars to save weight and make it much easier to tack up etc inside. I haven't taken it to a weighbridge, but the partition was about 120kg. So I believe that the horse and trailer are in the region of 1600kg, well within the 1800 allowed (and within the 85% curb weight suggested as sensible) All kit is transported in the car rather than a tack pack increasing the stability of the outfit slightly.

I get 50-55mpg pottering to work and the yard (combination of city and country driving) and 30-35mpg while towing.

Thoroughly recommend this set up, I researched the towing capacity of estate cars when I bought it 5 years go and it came down to Modeo, Subaru Legacy or Volvo V70. The older legacy diesels have a lousy engine and the Volvo is more expensive to maintain than the Ford. So I got a Mondeo.

I hope this helps.
 
As Puffin says - the trailer will be lighter without partitions and TBH all of my horses have preferred to travel without them, and with just full length front and back breech bars. The only thing, besides horse, which I put in the trailer are my water containers, secured to the front with bungee ropes.
 
ROG said:
I assume from that you already have a B+E licence
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Yes I do. I'm just looking to find a car that is a bit more economical for every day driving. I am aware that when towing any vehicle is going to be thirsty!

Will have a look at all the suggestion s
 
I tow my 16.2 TB in my 505 without partitions. Up to last month I had a Mazda 6 Estate - Sport edition - had a 2.2 engine and plenty of torque and I never once struggled up hill or down dale :D Only ever needed to be towed onto/off a field once when I have been eventing - and everything without exception was also towed. I have just swapped for a Mazda CX-5 with the same engine. I've got the 2WD version (they do come in AWD) and fuel economy is great (50+). Towbar going on next week and am expecting it to be even better than the 6 as it has an extra 200kg capacity (2000kg).
 
Please be VERY careful with the towing CAPACITY of your vehicle and the gross weight of your trailer. The trailer will have a gross weight, 506's are 2.6 tonnes from memory, therefore despite what weight you are putting in the trailer, your vehicle SHOULD have the towing capacity to match the gross weight of your trailer, so 2.6 tonnes for a 506. Doesn't matter if you never tow that much with your vehicle, but as the trailer is plated to carry 2.6 tonnes, you will get in serious trouble with VOSA if you are caught towing with anything that has not got the capacity to match the trailer. Just be warned.......
 
JoshuatheGingerninja said:
Please be VERY careful with the towing CAPACITY of your vehicle and the gross weight of your trailer. The trailer will have a gross weight, 506's are 2.6 tonnes from memory, therefore despite what weight you are putting in the trailer, your vehicle SHOULD have the towing capacity to match the gross weight of your trailer, so 2.6 tonnes for a 506. Doesn't matter if you never tow that much with your vehicle, but as the trailer is plated to carry 2.6 tonnes, you will get in serious trouble with VOSA if you are caught towing with anything that has not got the capacity to match the trailer. Just be warned.......
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Absolute nonsense

There is no rule or legal requirement for the towing capacity of the vehicle to be able to accommodate the plated MAM of a trailer BUT there are a few internet myths though !!

One of those who I refer to get the actual law is a recent ex VOSA court appointed expert so what VOSA source did you get that from?
 
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