pick ups for towing

[odd1]

my jeep is dead and we are thinking on selling the horsebox and getting a trailer and a bigger jeep, to be practical we are thinking along the lines of a pick up
which makes are good for towing and which should we avoid

 

[landyandy]

hi, we have a 3ltr Toyota hilux, it is a dream to tow with, we have an ifor 505.

 

[nix123]

I have a Warrior with a 511 Ifor trailer and 2 x16hh horses without any problems.

 

[gingernut81]

We had a Ford Ranger - bloody brilliant! Was gutted when OH sold it. :0( would definitely get another when finances allow. Towed like a dream.

 

[Charlie007]

We have a Ford ranger and IFor 505. Tows fabulously.

 

[ROG]

Check out the last link in my signature below - may give you some ideas

Assume you have B+E on licence?

 

[odd1]

yes I am old enough not to need the trailer test (unfortunately)
just looking for some advice on what makes to avoid
previously I have towed with a frontera & also a dihatsu but looking more for a pick up this time OH suggesting a defender though but I think I would rather have a pick up
we looked at a Nissan naravna which was nice to drive and we are going to try an izusu automatic not sure I will like the auto though as I have always had manuals

 

[EventingMum]

We have a HiLux which tows our 511 with no problems and feels well built. Son has a Ranger, automatic with all the toys including an electronic towing stability feature (sorry not sure of the official term!) which stops the trailer swaying / snaking. He found using the sports mode gave better flexibility with the gears when towing. Again it tows well. We tend to use our lorry most of the time but if needed we're happy to tow with either pick up. Both are as economical as any other tow vehicle of that size and pick ups have the advantage of being classed as commercial vehicles for road tax so are significantly cheaper than other big 4x4's plus they have loads of storage space as long as you don't object to clambering over the tailgate!!

 

[debsandpets]

We have a 56 plate nissan navarra and it is fantastic to tow with.
Your best bet is to do a search for the type that you like the best to see what problems they have at various ages and make your decision on that really. Many puck ups have problems, ie the older Mitsubishi pick ups have engine problems, the older ford rangers are a smaller engine than the newer one and aren't quite as good to tow with (think big hills both up and down and serious lack of power), the nissans have rear axle problems - but nissan refuse to acknowledge it .............
The list is pretty much endless on the fault front. We want a new Isuzu Denver max, but won't spend that sort of money so took a gamble on a cheap nissan and travelled down to Cornwall from Rugby to collect it. It had a rear axle problem and consequently spent 3 weeks in the garage while everyone scratched their heads over it, and it cost another £2k to fix. However for the price we paid, and the fix it job it is still cheaper than buying one around here with the mileage that it had on it.
We paid £4,500 for the truck and then the £2,000 to fix it with only 60,000 on the clock and couldn't be happier with it. They are all a risk, but you just have to be prepared for the risks depending on which one you take on.
That said the newest models don't seem to have harboured quite as many faults "YET" !!!!!!

 

[el_Snowflakes]

We have a navara for towing & it's fantastic......rate it highly

 

[SuperH]

We have a Hilux and an L200. Both tow fine, nice and stable. Power wise more is better, our Hilux is better towing than the L200 but it has far more power so it isn't comparing like for like. Turning circle on the L200 is awful but again it is longer than the Hilux. Generally the Toyotas are reliable and trouble free, our local independent garage said if we couldn't get another next best was Mitsubishi L200 and then the Ford Ranger but obviously you get good and bad ones of everything!

We tow a lot of cattle and the vehicles take a fair amount of hammer and both have been good. L200 slightly better off road.

I usually tow the horses with the L200 as it has a back seat for saddles. Not been stuck anywhere so far.

I would avoid Nissans, there is an engine rebuilding place near here that has a special phone number just for Nissan engines so that tells me they have issues.

 

[Hairy Old Cob]

We have run Navaras costly unreliable not helped by the Nissan dealer (Based at Tamworth) who was unhelpful at best to just down right rude, I found the dealer at Leicester brilliant for trying to keep my 08 Adventura Dog of a Truck on the road. we run 6 Hi - Lux at present lower spec vehicles and they are not the bullet BOMB proof vehicles they once were. At present I run a L200 11 plate Barbarian 85K so far some niggles with hard top fitment its on its third
air con compressor fitted in a place that it gets full of water and mud 3 to date carpet under foot rest worn through in under 2 years but it does have Barbarian that lights up in blue by the tread plate when you open the door "How useful is That".