Towing trailer help

[edgedem]

my Peugeot 206 GTi 180bhp is now £270 a yesr in tax and £70 a week in fuel!
its my stupid city car i had before i moved to country and i hate it!

now im not skint but if im forking out that much i may aswell get a 4x4 for the country lanes i now live in... and if im getting a 4x4 it may as well tow! or a hatchback diesel or something!


SO im looking for either a 4x4 or a heavy diesel car that can tow my (soon to own Bahill) horse box and my 450kg 14hh gypsy cob, think the box is 700kg-900kg kerb weight? but i really have no idea!

can anyone please offer a suggestion between £2k-5k or explain weighty laws and things!!

so what do you all use? prefer not to have something as huge as a landrover.. what is small enough i can get away with, like a Vitara or something?

thnk you!

 

[Luci07]

Hunt our ROG's posts and read all he has to say.. you will be so much better informed after that!

Broadly speaking, you want to look at the total weight of your horse (s), trailer and add on some more for a full tank of petrol, tank and passengers so if the Bahill was 900, lets say around 1800 (thinking really broadly here) and you want that to be 85% of the total towing capacity. Some of the smaller 4 x4's aren't really capable of towing so don't think that simply because it says that on the details, it will do the job. Take a RAV 4 as an example. Actually these are great, tough cars, just not strong enough for towing. It comes down to personal preference in terms of actual car. I have a Jeep which I have put a massive amount of mileage on and has been a brilliant hardwearing car. I actually have the short wheel based version but mine is 3.7l. Good luck!

 

[ROG]

Forget any mention of 85% as that is for caravans only

As long as you have a B+E licence then there are so many options open to you that it would be daft to try and mention them all

If you only have a B licence then things get a little more difficult but not impossible with one horse

What you could do is to check out the members vehicle and trailer combinations link in my signature below as over 50 responded with personal marks out of 10

 

[holeymoley]

I have a bahill. Take the partition out and you'll get it a hell of a lot lighter!

We towed it with a rav4 , but the top of the range one with high specs. Much to everyone's moans and groans that you shouldn't tow with a rav4, but low and behold it managed fine over fields, tracks and motorway.

My boy is a coloured cob x welsh c so he's more of a pony and perhaps not as heavy as yours. The rav has a max weight of 1500kg so we had roughly 200/250kg to spare.

 

[edgedem]

thank you to all your replys!

i have done some workings out!

if i was to tow just my little ponio it would look like this:

700KG bahill trailer weight
400kg Dollys weight
60kg Me
70kg O/H
50kg Tack and luggage (really not that much stuff)

total:
1280kg

Now on a B lisence i can tow a max of 3.5t as long as the trailer doesnt weigh more than the cars kerb weight? i think ive taken this all in just about..

Rog please correct me if im totally off! i picked this uber lightweight trailer in a hope i could sneak around the laws but if needs be ill take the test!

now with only 1280kg roughly in weight could i in theory use a small 4x4?

if i cant then we will go down the B+E test and get a Van converted into day living. Any recommendations to what to look for in 4x4 or Van specs.

im so sorry im dragging this on, it needs to be explained in simpleton form for me!!!

 

[ROG]

thank you to all your replys!

i have done some workings out!

if i was to tow just my little ponio it would look like this:

700KG bahill trailer weight
400kg Dollys weight
60kg Me
70kg O/H
50kg Tack and luggage (really not that much stuff)

total:
1280kg

Now on a B lisence i can tow a max of 3.5t as long as the trailer doesnt weigh more than the cars kerb weight? i think ive taken this all in just about..

Rog please correct me if im totally off! i picked this uber lightweight trailer in a hope i could sneak around the laws but if needs be ill take the test!

now with only 1280kg roughly in weight could i in theory use a small 4x4?

if i cant then we will go down the B+E test and get a Van converted into day living. Any recommendations to what to look for in 4x4 or Van specs.

im so sorry im dragging this on, it needs to be explained in simpleton form for me!!!

It is not ACTUAL weights that matter but POSSIBLE weights which is why the GVW of the vehicle and the plated trailer MAM weights are used

I have also answered you on the other thread with the actual rules and an example

 

[edgedem]

It is not ACTUAL weights that matter but POSSIBLE weights which is why the GVW of the vehicle and the plated trailer MAM weights are used

I have also answered you on the other thread with the actual rules and an example

thanks ROG! looking through your signiture tow vehicle and trailer thread and its a gold mine! Where would HHO be without you!

 

[Luci07]

Forget any mention of 85% as that is for caravans only

As long as you have a B+E licence then there are so many options open to you that it would be daft to try and mention them all

If you only have a B licence then things get a little more difficult but not impossible with one horse

What you could do is to check out the members vehicle and trailer combinations link in my signature below as over 50 responded with personal marks out of 10

Yet is has been strongly suggested on other threads that to ignore that ruling could lead to the police being able to prosecute for driving without due care and attention.

Regardless, I do not understand anyone who thinks it is safe to be towing close to the maximum towing weight of their car. One steep hill and you will be in trouble. I have seen a car stuck with a trailer, with a small TB in it on a hill that I didn't think was particularly bad and that has always stuck with me. Yes you might get away with it but why on earth would you risk this?

 

[ROG]

Yet is has been strongly suggested on other threads that to ignore that ruling could lead to the police being able to prosecute for driving without due care and attention.

Absolute load of rubbish both legally and safety wise

There is no rule or law for the 85% thing which caravanners like to go by because of the stability issues which are only pertinent to caravans due to their design

If what you state was anywhere near correct then most manufacturers would be leaving themselves wide open to prosecution

 

[edgedem]

Yet is has been strongly suggested on other threads that to ignore that ruling could lead to the police being able to prosecute for driving without due care and attention.

Regardless, I do not understand anyone who thinks it is safe to be towing close to the maximum towing weight of their car. One steep hill and you will be in trouble. I have seen a car stuck with a trailer, with a small TB in it on a hill that I didn't think was particularly bad and that has always stuck with me. Yes you might get away with it but why on earth would you risk this?

wow i think this response it pretty rude.

i am looking for the smallest car/4x4/van i can safely tow with. SAFELY tow with. now that may be miles away from the max tow of the vehicle but im not going to run a 5L something when i could run a 2L and it will do the job just as well. why you would think id risk the life of my horse or burn the life out of the vehicle is beyond me.

i am asking advice to get some economical that will do the job. thats why you ask for advice...

 

[perfect11s]

Yet is has been strongly suggested on other threads that to ignore that ruling could lead to the police being able to prosecute for driving without due care and attention.

Regardless, I do not understand anyone who thinks it is safe to be towing close to the maximum towing weight of their car. One steep hill and you will be in trouble. I have seen a car stuck with a trailer, with a small TB in it on a hill that I didn't think was particularly bad and that has always stuck with me. Yes you might get away with it but why on earth would you risk this?

The 85% thing is bulls sh even for caravans, and was just a way of trying to save muppets from themselves ..I would say you have a good point about having some capacity in reserve , however the police could not use it to "Do you" as its not a law as long as you did'nt exceed the manufacures design weights they would struggle .