Freelander - Anyone towed 2 horses

[wanderersmelody]

I have a TD4 2litre Freelander adn a Wessex Olympian trailer. I usually just tow my horse a TB type 16.2 and have had one small pony on the trailer - fine. Just wondered if anyone had towed two 16hh ish horses with a Freelander and if so, how they got on? I know its all to do with the curb weight etc but just wondered how the car performed? its just a short trip that I need to do and am trying to help a friend out.

 

[OWLIE185]

A Freelander is not sufficiently heavy to tow two horses. You will be taking it way beyond it's safe towing limit and would be asking for trouble.

Even one 16.2 you are probably over the limits.

 

[wanderersmelody]

Not over on 1 x 16.2. Checked it all out. Just wondered on performance though

 

[Ashf]

Performance is neither here, nor there - you do the same speed (apart from on the hills) it just takes longer to get there, but legality and safety have to be considered.

I'd not attempt it with a freelander on safety grounds, they are just too light

 

[Caritas]

No you will eventually kill your engine and blow head gaskets, sorry

 

[S_N]

As an aside from the towing thing, I personally will never get in a Freelander. Why? Because they are not safe. Did you see the Top Gear where they crashed tested freelanders - the front windscreen frame, where it conjoins with the door frame buckled in and would have seriously damaged the driver - esp. a tall person like me! I believe that it scored a 2 on a 1 to 5 scale for safety.

 

[KatB]

I know someone who has and it was fine. Was a 16.3hh and a 16hh in the biggest bateson. Don't shoot me down, know it is prob illegal, but horses survived, and car was fine.

 

[Iestyn]

I wouldn't even entertain the idea - I towed with a Freelander and one 16hh TB, but I would never tow 2 - you would be way overweight. You would be illegal and if you were stopped and weighed then you'd be in trouble. Plus you would invalidate your car insurance (including third party liability) and that of you horse's and your friends horse. We can all say "it'll never happen to me" but we never know when that lorry or bus that's following doesn't see you brake and slam into the back of the trailer.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

The freelander is not a good vehicle to try towing the Olympian & 2 horses in.

The maximum towing weight of the Freelander is 2000kg, most towing organisations recommend to tow no more than 85% of the maximum weight. That brings your towing weight down to 1700kg.

The Wessex Olympian weight 1020 kg, which now allows you a payload of only 680kg. I would imagine a 16h2" horse must weigh 550 or more kg which leaves you a maximum of 130kg for the pony....which clearly isn't enough.

If you have been towing regularly with the horse & pony in your trailer you are well over weight, your insurance will be void, you may well be liable to prosecution if you are stopped & you are putting the lives of yourself, passengers, horses & other road users at risk.

 

[emmajanerushton]

you can tow 85% of the kerb weight of your vehicle - This is horse/ Trailer combined, the max kerb weight of a Gaylander ( freelander ) Sorry discovery and Defender people tend to call them that ! is 2.5v v6 5 door 1650kg of which 85% is 1403kg your average trailer is 850 kg leaving you a MAXIMUM of 553 kg which would just about do 1 x 16hh , BUT if you have any care and respect of the horse / pony you are towing and respect fro other road users i would not push a vehicle to its 85% MAX, get a more suitable Vehicle ( sorry if harsh but its a bug bear just cos you can actually TOW trailer doesnt mean its safe)

 

[emmajanerushton]

Toby where did you get your weight from or is that estimated

 

[emmajanerushton]

2000 kg is the tow weight BUT NOT what can be LEGALL Y towed you need to look at the KERB weight

Freelander
3-door In production Kerb Weight KG 85% Weight KG Max Towing Weight Kg
1.8 2002 1427 1212 2000
2.0 Td4 2002 1555 1321 2000
2.5 V6 2002 1562 1327 2000


TOP Freelander
3-door In production Kerb Weight KG 85% Weight KG Max Towing Weight Kg
1.8 2005 1427 1212 2000
2.0 Td4 2005 1555 1321 2000
2.5 V6 2005 1562 1327 2000


TOP Freelander
5-door In production Kerb Weight KG 85% Weight KG Max Towing Weight Kg
1.8 2002 1457 1238 2000
2.0 Td4 2002 1619 1376 2000
2.5 V6 2002 1626 1382 2000


TOP Freelander
5-door In production Kerb Weight KG 85% Weight KG Max Towing Weight Kg
1.8 2005 1457 1238 2000
2.0 Td4 2005 1640 1394 2000
2.5 V6 2005 1650 1403 2000


TOP

 

[brighteyes]

NO! NO! NO! Illegal and dangerous

 

[wanderersmelody]

Cheers for reply. I have towed once with a small pony and must admit it was/seemed fine. Just wondered that was all. My horse is about 490kgs so makes sense then. To be fair, I think the car tows really well and have to say, I would recommend it for a one horse owner not wanting to jump up to the next bracket of car expense/running.

 

[wanderersmelody]

Having just read all of the posts, and having seen some atrocities on the road towing, I'd say that considering the car and trailer are new (car 03) trailer brand new, its probably a heck of a lot safer than a lot of things on the road. I WON'T be towing two gees but I'll stick to the one knowing that I do have the spare kilos..... I thought I had done my homework when I boughtthe car not wanting to go over 2litres, wanting diesel for economy etc. but if there are better suggestions I'd love to know - don't like the RAV 4 or Honda one which come in the same 'category'.

 

[Iestyn]

Actually that's incorrect - the LEGAL towing limit of any car is the stated max trailer weight in the book. The kerbweight is important but nothing to do with LEGAL towing capacities. The 85% rule (of the car's kerbweight) is a recommendation given by the caravan club and not a legal requirement. E.G The legal twoing weight of the Discovery is 3500kg - the kerbweight is about 2000kg.

 

[Iestyn]

I agree - I loved my Freelander and it was ideal for what I wanted at the time. Now got a Disco and love that too!

 

[wanderersmelody]

Thats my next car.....once the government decide wht they are doing about this stupid 4 x 4 tax. Then, if its too dear, I'll just get a lorry and pollute the hell out of the countryside. Thats what they want isn't it????

 

[Ashf]

The legal definition of the maximum you can tow is the 'gross train weight' of the vehicle, Also to be included in this is the maximum stated weight of the braked trailer being towed which is stamped onto a plate on the trailer chassis which must not be exceeded regardless of whatever the towing capacity the tow car has.

In the case of the Freelander TD4, it is as follows

[ QUOTE ]
Weights: gross vehicle weight rating (kg): 2,080, gross vehicle weight rating (lbs): 4,586, kerb weight (kg): 1,555, kerb weight (lbs): 3,428, gross trailer weight braked (kg): 2,000, gross trailer weight braked (lbs): 4,409, gross trailer weight unbraked (kg): 750, gross trailer weight unbraked (lbs): 1,653, gross train weight (kg): 4,080 and gross train weight (lbs): 8,995

[/ QUOTE ]

Taken from the spec of the facelift model, but still basically the same car.

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:cry...t=clnk&cd=1

 

[Mooch]

I had a 1.8 3 door petrol Freelander up until recently.

It towed anything and everything. I have only changed car as I know it was illegal for me to tow with it now.

I never had any engin problems what so ever caused by the towing and even tho the 1.8's are slated for all their problems with head gaskets, I swear I did so well with mine because it was used and used off road. (Mine had done 130,000 miles when I changed it!)

The only word of warning I would have for you is.... if you exceed the towing weights on a regular basis, then the bushes will go on the back of a Freelander. I don't know if they are the same on the TD4 or not, but mine went twice because of my towing. lol

My understanding of the law is that the towing car has to have a towing limit that exceeds to total laden weight of what you are towing, even if it is empty. That is why I have changed to a car that has a 3.5 tonne towing limit. That way I can have my 510 on it and 2 17hh horses in it and still not be breaking the law.

 

[emmajanerushton]

we have a disco, had 2 until recently, we have found the tax at present to be the same as the Peugoet 307 sw estate, about 180 per year, i think if you have a valid use for a 4 x 4 the tax should not apply ( the future tax) Lets face it most 4 x 4 never go off road, but we decided to opt out of the company car scheme and take the cash optionenabling us to pay 1 lots of insurance etc on our own car rather than having a company car. We used to tow for miles with the Peouget, BUT only welsh mountains, so we were WELL with in the legal weights even with our new Requiste trailer, only time we may have slightly over ladened it is transporting all stuff to my show ( paperwork and equipment) and with feed and shavings, BUT slightly less of an issue when nothing live in there, tho was never on a regular basis

 

[merlinsquest]

My husband reckons that Freeloaders...er sorry...Freelanders are great for towing.....


...as in towing them away with a proper land rover