Towing, have I got this right..???

[SatansLittleHelper]

I still don't really understand all of the towing jargon so I'm hoping I have this right...

I have a Ford Galaxy that weighs 1728kg.
It's towing capacity is 2000kg.
I 'think I have read that the vehicle shouldn't tow more than 85% of It's own weight..???
85% of It's own weight is 1468kg.....is this the amount I can legally and safely tow with this car..???

 

[MereChristmas]

Put the question here SLH
https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/welcome-to-hho-towing-clinic.490195/

 

[ihatework]

The 85% is a caravan club guideline - not law.

What you can legally tow is the manufacturers towing capacity, in your case 2000 kg.

Personally I like to build-in a safety net to account for it being a live moving load and potential deterioration of vehicle performance as it ages.

Id be working on approx 1.5T for a car with a 2T rating which should be sufficient for a standard trailer + 1 horse.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Ahh ok, thanks for that.

All I want is a light weight trailer and to be able to tow one horse at a time so I think that's doable within 1.5T..?? The car is a 2003 but has only done 76k....it's a diesel auto, I don't know if that makes any difference..??
It won't be for towing far....just so I can get my younger horse out to the odd lesson/clinic.

 

[Tiddlypom]

ROG will answer your towing questions if you re post in the link that Meredith posted above. I’d agree with ihw that I’d keep the load light on a 17 year old vehicle.

 

[holeymoley]

You also don’t want the weight of the towing vehicle and what’s inside it to be heavier than the car. If your car weighs 1728kg I wouldn’t tow 2000kg with it, I doubt it would have a towing weight heavier than the car.

 

[ihatework]

You also don’t want the weight of the towing vehicle and what’s inside it to be heavier than the car. If your car weighs 1728kg I wouldn’t tow 2000kg with it, I doubt it would have a towing weight heavier than the car.

Im rather confused! Lots of cars have a tow weight higher than the car!!

Think SWB defender towing up to 3.5T

ETA I wouldn’t tow 2T with OPs car, even though it’s legally allowed to, more due to age and general type of vehicle.

But a trailer + 1 should be ok provided the car engine and chassis in good nick

 

[Michen]

I tow with an 09 reg VW Tiguan- diesel auto. The towing capacity is 2,000kg and I occasionally take another horse which means I'm towing about 1,800kg, slightly under. I wouldn't take any more than that (so two 15.1hh horses).

I'm comfortable with this generally, I wouldn't do it in windy conditions for example. I also wouldn't make a very regular habit of it just because it's an older vehicle and the strain on the engine etc, but wouldn't think twice about it for a newer one. Though even if it was once a week I wouldn't consider that very regular I guess!

When I am more regularly taking two (when my rehab horse is back in more work), I may look to get a newer Tiguan.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Thanks everyone. I have posted in the link above also.
I don't think the car would be towing it more than a few times a month and I think the furthest we would travel would be 30ish miles away. I really only want it so that I can hire a school and have lessons on Rex, maybe do the odd clinic and fun ride. Finances will drastically inhibit any more than that x
Just to add; I'm not ever planning to tow more than 1.5T as suggested above for the reason of it being a much older car etc.....if I can work it lower I will x

 

[Gloi]

I tow an HB403 with a similar sized car no problems, though pony is only 400kg

 

[Annagain]

Batesons are generally pretty light compared to other trailers (the Derby rear unload is 675kg and the Deauville front unload 860kg) so worth keeping an eye out for one of those or a single Ifor (767kg). The 505/6 is around 900kg and the 510/11, 1000kg I'm guessing Rex would be around the 550/600kg mark so even a 510 would still be fine but if you can find a lighter one so much the better.

ETA - and the 85% for caravans guide is because caravans are often single axle and much longer than a horse trailer.

 

[Tiddlypom]

When did you pass your driving test, SLH? You are restricted as to what you can tow without taking a towing test if you passed your driving test after (I think) ‘97.

 

[SpizWiz]

My car has a 2T capacity, I tow a 506 (920kg) with 500kg horse =1420kg total. Both car and trailer are serviced yearly regardless of mileage for my peace of mind (2011 with 70k for reference).

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I’ve been looking at cars to tow over 2.5t up to 3.5t and none of them seem to weigh that much. For 2 large horses and a IW510 or 11 you are looking at around 2500kg and there are not many cars that weigh as much as that or more than that. The VW Touareg are around the 2300 -2400kg kerb weight but can tow up to 3.5t. They do seem to have some stability doo dahs which presumably help with towing.

 

[Annagain]

I’ve been looking at cars to tow over 2.5t up to 3.5t and none of them seem to weigh that much. For 2 large horses and a IW510 or 11 you are looking at around 2500kg and there are not many cars that weigh as much as that or more than that. The VW Touareg are around the 2300 -2400kg kerb weight but can tow up to 3.5t. They do seem to have some stability doo dahs which presumably help with towing.

The weight of the car isn't a factor in calculating towing capacity. The old Defender 90 weighs about 1700kg and can legally tow 3500kg whereas the Nissan X-Trail, for example, weighs about 1500kg but some models only have a towing capacity of 1300kg.

I've seen a Defender tow a broken down artic out of the live lane of a motorway to the hard shoulder - not legal perhaps and only very low speed for a very short distance but still pretty impressive!

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

The weight of the car isn't a factor in calculating towing capacity. The old Defender 90 weighs about 1700kg and can legally tow 3500kg whereas the Nissan X-Trail, for example, weighs about 1500kg but some models only have a towing capacity of 1300kg.

I've seen a Defender tow a broken down artic out of the live lane of a motorway to the hard shoulder - not legal perhaps and only very low speed for a very short distance but still pretty impressive!

I didn’t say that it was someone up thread said your car should weigh more than the load it is towing - I was pointing out maybe not clearly that most vehicles Weigh less than 2 large horses in a large trailer so at that rate nobody should tow a 2 large horse trailer.

eta I meant to quote them but using phone not very competently.

 

[Annagain]

I didn’t say that it was someone up thread said your car should weigh more than the load it is towing - I was pointing out maybe not clearly that most vehicles Weigh less than 2 large horses in a large trailer so at that rate nobody should tow a 2 large horse trailer.

eta I meant to quote them but using phone not very competently.

Sorry, I know that, didn't meant to sound like I was disagreeing with you - I was backing up your point with an example of cars with similar weights having two very different towing capacities.

 

[holeymoley]

But surely there’s an element of safety there- why would you tow something heavier than the weight of your car, that makes no sense at all.

 

[Equi]

But surely there’s an element of safety there- why would you tow something heavier than the weight of your car, that makes no sense at all.

There is a legal requirement for trailers over a certain weight to have brakes that work on them. Brakes are a wonderful thing.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

But surely there’s an element of safety there- why would you tow something heavier than the weight of your car, that makes no sense at all.

They usually have a braked and unbraked weight limit. The former being higher.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Thanks....definitely wouldn't be towing two horses with the car. The car itself weighs 1728kg so I think that only towing up to 1.5T is sensible...and lower if possible.

 

[holeymoley]

There is a legal requirement for trailers over a certain weight to have brakes that work on them. Brakes are a wonderful thing.

And so is an element of common sense. Unless your car is specifically targeted as being an off road 4x4, larger towing type designed for towing there’s no way I’d go above the weight of the vehicle. The laden weight of the vehicle(train weight) will also reduce the towing capacity. Vehicle age, engine size, driver’s experience, weather will all play a part in the ability to tow over the gross weight of the car.
In reference to the original post, there’s not many cars properly fit for towing that have weight of 1700kg or thereabouts.

Shoot me down.

 

[holeymoley]

The weight of the car isn't a factor in calculating towing capacity. The old Defender 90 weighs about 1700kg and can legally tow 3500kg whereas the Nissan X-Trail, for example, weighs about 1500kg but some models only have a towing capacity of 1300kg.

I've seen a Defender tow a broken down artic out of the live lane of a motorway to the hard shoulder - not legal perhaps and only very low speed for a very short distance but still pretty impressive!

It definitely is, we had 2 Defender’s link to tow an artic out the other year. These cars are designed for towing.

Likewise if you were to tow 2 decent cob size horses you would be more likely to choose something that’s designed for towing and not your run of the mill car.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

The 85% is a caravan club guideline - not law.

What you can legally tow is the manufacturers towing capacity, in your case 2000 kg.

Personally I like to build-in a safety net to account for it being a live moving load and potential deterioration of vehicle performance as it ages.

Id be working on approx 1.5T for a car with a 2T rating which should be sufficient for a standard trailer + 1 horse.

^^^ This is what I do too: I live in Devon and there are a good few hills down here!

 

[McFluff]

I usually tow with a 16 yo Defender that weighs 1700kg. Towing up to 2.4T. Defender doesn't 'feel' the trailer at all - rock solid in every situation I have been in (wind, rough tracks, muddy fields etc.).
I occasionally tow with my other 4x4. It is heavier (1775kg), newer (3yo) and has a 2.6T limit. It has all the power I need (arguably better), but it 'feels' the trailer - so if the trailer moves at all, I'm aware of it.
It can't be as simple as the age/weight of the towing vehicle. Some vehicles just have a design that is far more suited for towing (in my experience this is inversely related to the comfort aspect for humans!).
I choose to tow with the defender (currently nagging OH to get it refurbed so it is comfier for the humans!).
I wouldn't choose to tow a single axle caravan - horrid to tow - I really am not surprised at the recommendation to keep it's weight below that of the car.
And I know that I am lucky as I passed my test last century (!) so don't have to worry about limits etc. (beyond what the vehicle is rated to do).

 

[ROG]

MANY VEHICLES ARE DESIGNED TO TOW MORE THAN THEIR OWN WEIGHT

That said, I would recommend not doing so if possible

 

[Frumpoon]

I don't like loading up to the max if I can help it

 

[Tiddlypom]

^^^ This is what I do too: I live in Devon and there are a good few hills down here!

If in Devon, definitely tow rather less than your vehicle‘s plated tow limit, it’s a whole different and very hilly world there .

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I can only afford to have (afford) one car so I've gone for something that gives me the best of both worlds as best as possible. By choice I would love a 4x4 but
A) They cost too much to run for day to day stuff
B) I'm involved in parrot rehoming etc so often lugging about big cages etc
C) I can't fit my dogs in a 4x4

The Galaxy was the best compromise I could come up with for the money available.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

MANY VEHICLES ARE DESIGNED TO TOW MORE THAN THEIR OWN WEIGHT

That said, I would recommend not doing so if possible

Given that an IW 511 plus 2 17.2hh plus hay etc. Could weigh around the 2500kg mark, what SUVs weigh as much or more than that? I reckon my 2 16.2hh weigh around 600kg and 700kg each.

I’ve been looking for awhile but taking time to decide on the best combo for the above. The ones that I think would be just about ok are the VW Touareg or the Volvo XC90. Ssangyong Rexton, Shogun or Discovery. I can’t have a big truck because it will be my only vehicle and the space outside my house is limited. Even they will be a squeeze for the space. Any other recommendations for suitable vehicles appreciated. Thanks.