Those who tow trailers...

Paint it Lucky

Paint it Lucky

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Please could you tell me what vehicle you use to tow them with? What it's towing weight is and how happy you are with it?
Thankyou
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Didnt have much money to spend when we first got a trailer years ago so bought an old Diahatsu Fourtrak and loved it that much we upgraded it to a newer model a few years ago. Hubby wont part with it now! Think its max towing weight is 3.5 ton. More of a farmers car, no fancy stuff but definately does the job and is reliable and not as thirsty as some 4 x 4s

Now weve got the car and a new trailer and damn horse wont travel in it
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I tow with a Mercedes 4x4 and can pull 3 ton. we tow an old ifor williams trailer that we borrow so has the old wood heavy floor,
 
I have a 6 Litre Dodge Ram truck and it weighs 3,000 kgs (3 tonnes). I have it licenced to tow 4,400 kgs (4.4 tonnes) although I rarely have to tow this weight. The heaviest I've towed with my truck has been on the farm and the weight was 9,000 kgs and it towed it just fine....however I would never ever have gone out on the road with this weight behind me as I found that the brakes were not up to stopping the trailer because of the weight; that combined with the hay wagon not having a breaking system, it wouldn't have been safe on public roads. However I know plenty of people who do tow this sort of weight with their trucks!
 
I use my Mercedes sprinter van which weighs 2880KG. Towing weight will be higher but I'd never ever tow anything heavier than the vehicle itself, it's just not safe. I also have a Landrover Freelander which I can use as well but I tend not to as I don't feel it's heavy enough. It weighs 1640 KG max tow weight they say is 1800KG. I have an Ifor 510 and tow one Horse only so combined weight is about 1600KG so as you can see is about the same weight as my Freelander.
Max tow weights are recommendations by maufacturer and you must stay under them or you will void your insurance. However, most towing experts will recommend you don't go over 85% of your vehicles Gross weight unless you are an experienced towing driver in which case it increases to 100%. To me, your vehicle is in charge of the combination so why risk towing something heavier than it. Horses are not the most stable of 'cargo' to pull!
Anyway....my van is fine, you don't feel the trailer at all. Lacks a bit in the power department but doesn't struggle. Freelander has more power but you can feel the trailer on it. I used to have a Defender and it was great to tow with, the 110 is the best.
 
We tow with a Jeep Cherokee 4ltr Auto, and its BRILLIANT..!

The max towing weight is 3250kg (Jeep weighs 2250kg) and to be honest you cant feel any difference when towing, it copes brilliantly pulling two 15.2hh+ horses in an Ifor 505. I prefer the Auto as its smoother, the engine pulls well and, most importantly, it stops well too..!

Having been behind my friend who was towing Ifor and two with an estate car I would never tow with anything less than the Jeep again.

I use it as my daily driver too, it gives me 25mpg (the same as my old Audi) is well spec'd with all the usual luxuries, incredibly comfortable and <touches wood> its been reliable too. Its also very practical and is happy being my mobile tack room.
 
I use a vauxhall omega 2.5 litre which can tow 1750kg so I can only take one horse which is a pain sometimes. Its my OHs car as I do a lot of driving for work so can't afford to run a 4x4 and he doesn't want one.
 
I have a Defender 90. Not sure if towing weight (OH would know but is out having an indian!) It tows 2 horses no probs in the big Ifor Williams and is in constant 4x4 mode with option for low box and diff lock if it gets a bit boggy! I love it because i dont have to worry abou it getting filthy with dogs and mucky boots as a bit if a scrub and its as good as new again!
 
I'm with you 6103claire, Defender 90, fab, will pull anything, including 400 bales of hay yesterday - just stacked the barn full! Have also towed with Land Rover Series III (never again), Freelander TD4 sport auto, which was the best of the lot and P reg Discovery auto.

Automatic box makes for a very smooth ride for the horses if you live/travel in hilly areas, there is no change of speed on the gear change.
 
Isuzu Trooper, kerbweight is 2080kg with apparently a towing capacity of 3500kg.
Working on 85% of kerbweight I am comfortable towing 1768kg and my trailer weighs 800kg unladen, leaving me 968kg or thereabouts for horses, extra rubber matting floor and stuff. All mine are quite chunky so I only tow one horse at a time, or two ponies.

I know many people would happily carry two horses with this set up, and call me overcautious if you like.
 
I'd just say get something well up to the job, don't push your luck with a borderline vehicle like a Rav4 or Freelander. I know people get away with all sorts of vehicles, but it's your life and the life of your horses you're playing with isn't it?
I had an Isuzu Trooper 2.8 TD which could pull the side off a house. Which is probably why some local travelling folk stole it one night... and left it wrecked by the side of their site up to it's roof in mud where they'd obviously used it to pull something very large out of a very boggy field.
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[ QUOTE ]
Automatic box makes for a very smooth ride for the horses if you live/travel in hilly areas, there is no change of speed on the gear change.

[/ QUOTE ]

As there shouldn't be on a manual box if you match the revs on the gear change, and anybody who tows should learn to do this
 
I HAD a 3.2 Isuzu Trooper until some JACKASS totalled it the other week!!!

It towed like a dream, was fairly thirsty as a general car tho but it was a petrol model. I pulled my Boyfriends car out of a ditch a few months ago ( in my PJs I hasten to add) It never struggled with a Equitrek, loaded with a 16.3, and 17+ and two water canisters. I miss her so much, we have a hire car which is a Mitsubishi Shogun Sport model, which barely towed the unladen trailer 10mins down the road..

RIP Shebeast
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This is all from a passenger's POV (and the things my parents and friends have said about towing):
We have a LR Discovery (god knows what it is though, I don't "DO" cars!) and tow a 600kg horse in an Ifor. It's towing weight is apparently 3500kg. It's an automatic and is a bit pathetic for hills and things, and is forever changing gears when it has to do some real pulling (we also foudn this with our last auto). However we used to have manual Discos and they were fab.
We also have a LR Defender 90, also 3500kg towing weight. Have only ever towed with it once (same horse and trailer) and it just felt SO stable, and hardly felt like anything was on the back at all (apart from the fact that the trailer is so close behind you it felt like the horse was in the back seat!). Much better than the Disco IMO.
My friend had a Mitsubishi Warrior (petrol V8 auto) which cost her a bomb to run, let alone to tow, but towed just beautifully. Very smooth, all very easy with just over a tonne of horses and probably another half of gear!
Another friend tows her Equitrek and one horse with a Toyota Landcruiser auto, she loves this combo and says the car finds it easy to tow her huge Equitrek.
Yet another friend has a LR Freelander and tows her 500kg horse in her Ifor, she says it's fine although I reckon she'd be seriously stuck on bad ground at a show. Everyone I know that has towed with a Freelander has refused to tow more than one horse, and never on bad ground - only to places with hard-standing parking.
 
Daihatsu Fourtrak 2.8 TD. Old but I love it. Regularly tow 2 in an Ifor on long treks. Bit of a rough ride - like a Land Rover with a bit more comfort. Can barely feel the trailer on the back and never get shunted down steep hills.

Drive it across a field twice daily to get to my horses and never get stuck. Also use it to harrow and roll my fields, tow hay and it's got tons of boot space. Have had it 3 yrs and it's a K reg, so hope it lasts a good few years more as you don't see many around this way any more.
 
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