For those of you with trailers

[Kelly1982]

I am looking into getting a trailer next year, i cant afford a box and i only have one horse so dont really see the point. I have loads of questions so wondered if you lovely people could help me

I am looking into getting a Mitsubishi SWB Shogun, i have been told that i cant have anything under 2ltr for towing so was thinking of getting a 2.8 diesel. My horse is a 16.3 Han x TB and am looking at getting an Ifor Williams 510 as well so do you think this will be able to cope ok??

Also how much is it to tax and insure a 4x4?? I will be 25 by then and have 3 years no claims and i want to get one thats around an R reg. I will ring the isurers nearer the time but just want some rough guidlines of what people pay to give me an idea.

I also want to know how much more expensive it is to run a 4x4 rather than a normal car, i appreciate they are dearer but from talking to people on a month to month basis they dont seem that much more!!

And one last question, how much is a trailer test??

Does this all sound like a good idea or am i living in a dream world

 

[Sooty]

No, it sounds very sensible - you want to get a car that is capable of towing a trailer and a decent trailer! The 510 is an excellent trailer to tow. I don't know the mpg for a Shogun, but we have Discos and the combined is around 28mpg (diesel). Tax is £190 or £195 I think, and the trailer test was £80 for a weekday one when Troggy took hers earlier this year, but may have gone up. When buying a 4x4 watch out for things like big alloys with low profile tyres - these cost a great deal more to replace than regular tyres on smaller wheels. As for insurance, try somewhere like confused.com where they get prices for lots of different companies. So much depends on where you live, how many miles you do, alarm system etc etc.

 

[lizzie_liz]

No idea about cars, apart from my parents use Isuzu Troopers and they love them. They have just bought a W reg citation for £6500 off ebay at the buy it now price. It pulled 2 16hh horses over 200 miles in one go every 6 weeks and has served the family well for the past 6years

Ifor Williams trailers are good, we have an old 510 which has a new aluminium floor put in and we have also bought new partitions for it. However we took them out as the horses travel soo much better when the partitions are removed, does mean we can only put one in at a time but thats fine for us. We have had ours for about 7 years, and it was old before we got it!!

But your idea sounds like a brilliant idea

 

[Kelly1982]

I was going to ring an Ifor Williams dealer and find out what type of 4x4 would be the best to tow a 510 with as i want to get all the info now so i can seriously think about it and work my finances out etc.

The car i have now is only a little 1.4 clio but i have to wait til my finance is paid off before i sell it.

I do about 12 miles on an average day and put in £30 petrol a week. My friend has a 2.8 diesel and she said she does a lot of driving and only puts £40 in a week which i was pleasantly suprised at although she never said how many miles she done.

I was expecting to pay about £200 tax so am happy about that as for a normal car its about £165 anyway so a 4x4 will only be £30 a year dearer.

I dont want nothing flashy so was just going to get a bog standard one but that was in good condition as i know the tyres etc will be more than a normal car. How much do you pay for a tyre??

Glad about the test to as i thought it would be a lot more than that!! I haven't been put off yet LOL

 

[Kelly1982]

Oh wow thanks for that, never thought about the Isuzu Troopers, think i will look into that as well as i do quiet like them and it sounds like they tow really well too.

I think i would take the partition out for my horse too just to give her more room as she is so big.

Glad everyone is thinking its a good idea

 

[flyingfeet]

Just to chip in

I am 27 and have been getting quotes on 4x4's before buying a Kia

Even at my age the Shoguns cost more to insure because they are quicker. Also my family used to have Isuzu troopers and they are also much quieter than Shoguns with better MPG.

One thing you could consider if on a budget is getting a crew cab pickup, these can tow almost as much, but are generally cheaper.

 

[Sooty]

Troggy just had four new tyres for her Disco, she paid £86 each. Not low profile ones, and that included fitting, balancing, valves and VAT. As long as you get something reasonable heavy with enough torque it should tow just fine! Troggy had a Clio before the got the Disco, didn't find any problem with the change.

 

[Kelly1982]

Thank you thats really helpful

How much was your insurance quotes if you dont mind me asking??

 

[Kelly1982]

Thanks Sooty

Tyres for my car are over £60 so i dont fine £86 too bad, its all sounding pretty good at the mo

I'm glad you said Troggy didn't find the change too drastic. I have been driving my OH's Freelander which i love but i haven't tried parking it yet

 

[flyingfeet]

They ranged from £350 to £600 depending on vehicle / insurer (they liked the Hyundai Terracan - too ugly to steal??)

With the Kia I pay £390, however that insured for £19k, with 9 years protected no claims, £150 total excess and kept off the road in rural village.

 

[Kelly1982]

Thats actually really good, i was expecting to pay much more than that and my excess is more than that now

My car will be kept on the drive or in the garage so i think that would help too.

I also want something quite old so i am hoping that will get the quotes down too.

 

[MarthaRodman1]

I'm 30 and have a new Jeep Cherokee 2.8, I'ts £600 to insure, but I am old and I do have 7 years no claims (sad!).

Anyway, when looking to buy a 4x4 what you need to look at is the technical info for towing a braked trailer. ie if you go onto a manufacturers website (jeep for example) it will show you how much the car can pull with a braked trailer. I think mine is something like 3600kgs. Then if you go onto the Ifor Williams website, it will show you how much a 510 is (about 1200kg I think from memory, could be wrong though). Then if you allow 1000kgs for your horse (and thats more than generous) you are still way under what the Car can legally toe. Does this make sense? I have a small lorry at the mo that I share - but I bought the Jeep as a fail safe if the woman that owns the lorry ever decided she don't want me to share it anymore!

Re diesel, I do about 25 miles a day and easily do £50 a week! Sorry..... I know that doesn't help!

Tax, £185 a year I think, Tyres well mine are a good £150 a time I think!

Get a trailer though, def cheaper than a lorry, less to insure and generally less to worry about - hope this helps!

 

[Kelly1982]

Thanks thats a great help

I do 13 miles a day less than you so i will probably be doing £35-£40 roughly then??

Thats a good idea about the websites, i am definatly going to look into that as i have no idea about how much a 4x4 can tow etc.

My dad had a cherokee and i know his was more expensive to run than a normal 4x4 but not sure what ltr he had.

Will i need to say on my insurance than i will be towing horses??

 

[MarthaRodman1]

Yes def tell them that you'll be towing. Would imagine that could increase it slightly, not sure by how much though. Call them and ask the question, then you can start planning out your finances - and no doubt get excited about suddenly having transport and being able to go where you like and when and not relying on other people - a nice feeling!

Also, make sure you get a 4x4 diesel and not petrol - juice drinker!

You can pick up some relatively cheap and reliable 4x4's and if you find yourself the right trailer, you're away! E-bay good place to look for trailers - can sometimes get a bargain!

Good luck!!

 

[Kelly1982]

Thanks

I have been looking on ebay already and getting ahead of myself ha ha

 

[SilverSkye]

Hello giving you an idea on insurance i am just 26 had 0 no claims ( had a company car for last 3 years and apparently noclaims expires after2!!) and have bought a 4.7 v8 jeep grand cherokee it costs me £700 to insure with Churchill. Although it guzzles petrol it towes like a dream! in terms of trailers i always had ifor williams but after a lot of shopping about bought a cheval liberte 2003 xl and it is roomier towes better and my horse travels better in it than the ifor and the added bonus it has a tack storage locker and brand new cost £3000 so was cheaper as well!!
Your car insurance automatically covers you for 3rd party liability (i.e if the trailer bumped into someones car they would pay repairs to the car) but it does nt cover repairs to the trailer or any damage to the horse inside or if its stolen i took an extra policy for this with SEIB is around £11 a month and also took different breakdown as AA will tow the trailer but not take a horse this was £88 and covers just the car or when the car is towing and will take the horses.
Other than than cant think of any extra costs apart from petrol! Is worth driving a few 4x4's as they all feel very different and you have to bear in mind if it will be your everyday car you might need to take it in multi stories car parks and tight spaces. Think if i hadnt have had the jeep i would have had a terrano drive very like a car not to big and from what i hear tow very well ( a few people on here reccomended them when i was looking!)
Good luck with it and sorry for waffling!!
xx

 

[Scarlett]

Hiya!

I am currently out looking at 4x4's and trailers and am planning to buy as soon as my current car sells.

its all personal preferance however I am going for a short wheelbase Shogun as this will be my daily car and I will be happier with it being a bit smaller for parking (plus our driveway is tiny and I need it to fit) plus I have had several friend who have had them who highly recommend them for towing and never had any probs, they are also reasonably reliable and easy to work on (I always try to do any work my cars need myself)... I am expecting to get 25mpg ish from it which is about the same as my current car....

I did have a 2.5td Jeep Cherokee before however and it was a great car! I never towed a horsebox with it myself but i did have to pull a mates frontera complete with empty trailer out the mud once and it done it with ease - however it wasnt the most comforatable, hence why i am going for the more 'car-like' Shogun this time. The cherokee never let me down however and I'd doffo have one again.

As you'll be over 25 your insurance shouldnt be much more than you pay now. I am 26 and expecting to pay between £300-£400 for shogun.

I'd love and Ifor trailer, however my budget wont stretch to one- hoping to save up for a 505 one day....

good luck!

 

[Peanot]

Hi,
I have the shogun 2.8TD but it is a LWB. More room for kids, saddle, tack etc. Lovely to drive and easy to tow. I have a 16.3hh DWB and a new Richardson/Rice supreme trailer and I love the combination. I get 400+ miles to the full tank. It costs me around the £65 to fill up. I use mine for the school run, to and from the yard, shopping etc and I do about 400-500 miles per month. Insurance is approx £350 with 8 yrs NCB. IMO the shoguns are the nicer of the 4x4`s. I call mine the monster. I am updating her next year for another shogun!

 

[Snowberry]

I have a Mitsubishi LWB Pajero exceed and it pulls anything

I absolutely love it for towing etc.. and its been a really reliable car but mine is an import and the insurance was horrific when I first got it. fully comp my insurance was over £1k per year!!!

Now its about £280 per year but lots of insurance companies wont touch it cos its an imported car.
Fuel wise I get through about £30 per week and do about 200miles. Towing the trailer I get throu LOADS more - it usually costs me £30 a trip!!!!
I love my pajero though and I am looking to get another one this year as mine is getting old

Repairs cost a fortune as bits are hard to source (or so my garage kept telling me). Now I take it to a mitsubishi importer and get it fixed up for half what a 'normal' garage would charge!!!

Trailer wise, imho I think Ifor Williams are the dogs wotsits. Each one I have had has been perfect and they hold their value so if you need to sell it on you know you'll get a good price.
Good luck with taking your test

 

[Halfpass]

I am looking into getting a Mitsubishi SWB Shogun, i have been told that i cant have anything under 2ltr for towing so was thinking of getting a 2.8 diesel. My horse is a 16.3 Han x TB and am looking at getting an Ifor Williams 510 as well so do you think this will be able to cope ok??

It will be fine we had one that towed a heavey old rice with two 16hh horses in.

Also how much is it to tax and insure a 4x4??

Tax is £96 and it costs me £360 for fully comp on my terrano i'm 18 with 8 years no claims.


I also want to know how much more expensive it is to run a 4x4 rather than a normal car, i appreciate they are dearer but from talking to people on a month to month basis they dont seem that much more!!

I put about £70 every fortnight into my car thats a full tank and i do about 400 miles on this.

And one last question, how much is a trailer test??

Sorry hon have no idea passed my test before this came in.

 

[icestationzebra]

I have a 2.5 SWB Shogun. Max tow weight 2.5 tons - should be plenty for what you need. Mine tows very well.......

 

[Caritas]

I have 16.2 warmblood, pajero/shogun and ifor trailer, no probs, best car for the job

 

[madabout2]

We have just sold our trailer. Suggest you contact leek trailers and see if they are doing a farm sale - can pick up some excellent deals from them

Current 4x4 (which will be going on sale) is a SSangyong Rexton tdi and it is SUPERB for towing - can tow up to 3.5 tonn. Not many available 2nd hand but they depreciate quickly as aren't known so depending on your budget may be good value.

Previously we had old diahatsu fourtrak (cost £1k from a farmer) which we loved. But it did have the added bonus of a garden in the boot!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I have a Mitsubishi Pajero 2.8 LWB. I can't help you on insurance. Go to various websites and input your details and that will give you some quotes. Most insurance companies will not insure the car without a Thatcham approved alarm/immobiliser fitted. You must produce a certificate of fitting to obtain cover.
They are thirsty, normal driving 25mpg, possibly less. When towing it will be under 20 mpg but they tow very well. Like all 4x4s they are expensive to service. I had a Discovery that also cost a fortune to service. Parts are easy to locate for Pajeros via the internet. Car Tax is £195 per year, more if it is registered after 2001.
Tyres are reasonable because they are not high speed rated so depending on size £65-£80 each.
Trailers..Ivor Williams 510 are fine but I believe Bateson Deauville is a far superior trailer. They tow very well, very well built, & retain their value.
These are the facts, a 4x4 is very expensive to run, don't do short journeys & ideally when you go to a show take someone with you who can share the fuel cost with you.
As I say I run a Pajero & trailer, for the cost of the pair I could have bought a Lorry & would have a little runaround for normal journeys. With the mikles I do I think it would be cheaper! Good Luck & welcome to the poverty line!!!!!