problem towing with l200

[Digger123]

Just bought an l200 for towing. I haven't towed anything for about 10 years so feel a little bit out of practice.
I took my friend off to a show at the weekend with two horses loaded in an 510
It just seemed that the pick up was absolutely gutless had to use loads of revs to get it moving.Carried on with my journey at a steady if somewhat slower pace about 35 - 40mph.
On the way back it was better.
When the trailer isn't on it runs like a dream.

So my question- is the l200 gutless and perhaps I should get rid of it now and buy something else . Or is it because I haven't towed anything for such a long time I'm expecting it to tow easily bearing in mind my last tow vehicle was a 4ltr beast

 

[TTK]

I had one for ages and it towed very well. Also my trailer was one of those 1 million year old Rices made of steel girders with 2 heavy horse up. So, just a thought. is there a mechanical problem ( I assume its not new). If it's been used a lot for towing, the turbo charger might be a bit knackered which would affect it. or is the clutch not well? If you are not happy, it might be good to get someone who knows L200s to assess it.

BTW, 45 mph is probably max speed with a pick-up except on a motorway where you might get safely up to 50 mph. do watch out for death weave due to the length of the rig & the height of the tow bar.

L200's are not a ball of fire though at the best of times, they are true work vehicles and not like, say, a Disco. More reliable though.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Unless you were in the wrong gear all the time I can't see it being your fault. Will you often tow two horses or mainly just your own?

 

[luckyoldme]

what size engine is it?
we tow with a 3.2 ford ranger, having upgraded from the 2.9 and that makes a hell of a difference.

 

[madlady]

We've never had a problem towing with any of our L200's (we've had 3 now).

Which engine is it? We had 2.5TD which was always fine, we had to put it in low ratio to get up steeper hills when trailer was loaded but it was never a problem. Were you in 4wd or just standard?

 

[CBFan]

Check the tow capacity. I thought they were only capable of towing 2500kg, of which the trailer alone is 1300kg, then with two horses on board of (I'm guessing) 600kg each, and hey presto! You're at your limit...

 

[taraj]

I bought one new (2012) and it can tow 2700kgs, the newest model can tow 3000kgs (one model is 3100 I believe) I have never had a problem towing 2 15.2hh cobs in an ifor 505 (so slightly smaller than your trailer).

The only time I did have a problem was when the fuel filter needed changing, it wasn't "due" but as I use it as an everyday car nipping here and there apparently this sometimes happens. Same thing happened with the discovery I had before.

 

[CBFan]

Yes, worth checking servicing is up to date! I bought a disco this year that had apparently 'just been serviced'. It hadn't and all the filters were filthy, oil change and complete filter change later and Disco running sweet.

 

[smellsofhorse]

I had a 2.5TD l200 and it was great to tow and definitely not gutless!

Maybe you just need some practice?

 

[Woolly Hat n Wellies]

Ours is totally gutless and numb as a box of rocks. Like every towing vehicle we've ever had, it has some sort of minor fault on it that my dad has been 'going to fix' for about 5 years. Has yours had a health check?

 

[Digger123]

Thanks for your comments. Yep could be my driving but I'm not that bad honest. I think I will drop it in the garage and have it serviced and get the turbo looked at. I know it has not been driven much for a couple of months so perhaps needs a bit of a blast up the motorway to clear the crap out. I will also check towing weights just in case I am towing to much weight.

 

[Dubsie]

We tow a 505 with an L200. However you do need to watch the weight you're towing, we weigh our horses and know the limits - we have over 1000kg to play with (sorry can't remember the exact amount), so one 480kg horse, 2 passengers & kit isn't an issue. Creep above (add in 4 passengers - we have the double cab / full fuel tank & water/heavier horses/kit for a week away etc) and yes it is suddenly over the limit, and not such fun to tow.

 

[Copperpot]

We had an L200 for towing briefly. Found it gutless too. Had been using a Nissan Patrol prior and that was fab.

 

[Orangehorse]

With 2 horses I think 35-40 is ideal. I was advised to put something heavy in the bed of the pickup, as the rear is light, obviously.

I find that sometimes I need to go in 4th gear, rather than 5th when towing with any vehicle. But you could get it checked out, look at the air filter for instance.

 

[orionstar]

I've been towing a 510 with mine for over 2 years and I've never had a problem with it although I have had it chipped.

 

[catroo]

We tow a 505 with an L200. However you do need to watch the weight you're towing, we weigh our horses and know the limits - we have over 1000kg to play with (sorry can't remember the exact amount), so one 480kg horse, 2 passengers & kit isn't an issue. Creep above (add in 4 passengers - we have the double cab / full fuel tank & water/heavier horses/kit for a week away etc) and yes it is suddenly over the limit, and not such fun to tow.

Load in the vehicle doesn't count when calculating towing payload so extra passengers won't matter (might do from a performance point of view though!)