those that tow with estates or economical 4x4

[spamiad]

Hi all,

after contemplating converting my partners van into a 3.5 tone horse van, it can be done, but I'm looking at other options also

I have 2.0 liter diesel automatic Mondeo, titanium x edition, is this safe and capable of towing one horse in a trailer ? is there other estates i could look at ? parking is a little tight were i live so buying a bigger car 4x4 wise would be a bit difficult, plus getting my older dogs in the back of one on the odd trip to the vets could be a task on my own seen as they weigh over 40 kilos each.

I don't have my b.e license yet, I am prepared to take it needed, but if i go down the trailer route, i also don't want to be buying a fuel drinking 4x4 as i do quite a few miles a week to and from the yard work etc.

also does anyone know if i tow under 3.5 tone MAM do i still need supervision or does that just apply to over 3.5 tone on L plates

so much to get mu head round with towing

 

[holeymoley]

You need to check the car’s weights for towing capacity. I think Mondeo’s can vary from 1600kg to 2000kg towing capacity but it really is model specific.

If you tow combined under 3.5t you can do this on a B license and don’t require supervision. You would have to have a single trailer and a small horse though.

 

[Widgeon]

For the money it costs, I would take the trailer test, as it just takes one more complication out of the equation if you know you can legally tow anything - it future proofs your setup! I don't have much experience as I've only just bought a trailer, but I have a single trailer (IW 401 old model), a 550kg cob, and a 2.5l 2006 Volvo XC70 all wheel drive. The Volvo tows well, it's lower to the ground than the newer, bigger cars so I can't park on really lumpy bumpy verges or I'd take bits off the bottom, but other than that it seems perfectly adequate. I drive it as my everyday car and it doesn't use too much diesel, and the boot is low to the ground, so you'd have no problem getting a large dog into it - you could always use a ramp if the dog was really stiff or heavy. Everyone now seems to tow with massive cars but it is perfectly possible to tow with something smaller. So if your car will tow the weight (surely the handbook will tell you?) and you can find a small trailer, I wouldn't worry about having to buy something massive to tow with.

 

[spamiad]

You need to check the car’s weights for towing capacity. I think Mondeo’s can vary from 1600kg to 2000kg towing capacity but it really is model specific.

If you tow combined under 3.5t you can do this on a B license and don’t require supervision. You would have to have a single trailer and a small horse though.

thanks, my model shows 2000kg towing capacity for a braked trailer, horse is around 480 to 500 kg

 

[Birker2020]

I tow with the Insignia, its a 1.9L and its max towing weight can easily tow single horse, lightweight double trailer and have around 350KG to spare.

 

[holeymoley]

Also check your horse power too, thats a big part of the pulling power when towing!