Towing with a mondeo

Lancelot

Lancelot

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I'm feeling really fed up.

I'm finally at a point where, after dealing with my travelling fears, I really want to get my horse out to compete again but I have no transport :(

I can't afford my own lorry, with 2 horses to provide for there's not enough spare cash.

Locally, horse transporters are asking in the region of £100 which, for a 30 mins journey to do 1 or 2 rounds of £10 a time unaff SJ, just isn't sustainable.

I've been researching trailers and have realised that our family car, a ford Mondeo tdci has a towing capacity of 1800kg.

Would it be safe\advisable\sensible to tow, for instance, an Ifor HB506 with a single horse who's around 16hh\550kg???

Would have to do a trailer course obviously but could this be an option? If not, what sort of combination should I be looking for?
 
I'd say no don't do it. It's not just about towing capacity it's the ability to stop in an emergency with all that weight behind you. I'd imagine a car would be too light to cope with that.
But ROG in here will know better.
 
never in a million years! Just picture yourself trying to stop at a junction at the end of a very steep hill. The amount of weight pushing a car forward would be awful. Better off to buy a cheap jeep. You would knacker the car fairly quickly as well.
 
What's your local terrain like? If it's level, it should be ok for occasional trips.

We've a 56 plate 2 litre TDCi Mondeo with a towing limit of 1800kg, and have used it to tow an Ifor 510 (1000kg) with a 550kg horse up. Hill starts would be bad due to wheelspin, and would not advise towing at more than about 40mph. As long as you're doing local journeys and take your time, you should be ok. Keep off motorways (you'll be too slow to be safe). Don't try and tow onto grass.

You'll need a B+E licence, I imagine.
 
Nativelover said:
I'd say no don't do it. It's not just about towing capacity it's the ability to stop in an emergency with all that weight behind you. I'd imagine a car would be too light to cope with that.
But ROG in here will know better.
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The towing capacity will take the ability to stop in an emergency into account. It's not simply about sheer weight pulling ability. The 506 is about 920kg so that with a 550kg horse on would be 1470kg, so well within the towing capacity. You might find it a bit underpowered as it won't have as much torque as a 4x4 and of course you might well struggle with towing off road across muddy fields etc but it's doable.
 
We do it, with a 550 horse, and the car doesn't seem to struggle at all. I wouldn't fancy it on a muddy field though.
 
People seem to forget that before all the fancy 4x4s came about that towing was either with landrover (few) and the family saloon which was the most popular.
Mondeo is fine. Car is not stopping the trailer, the trailer brakes are. Only issue is possible wear on clutch if on steep terrain.
 
trailers even with brakes, can slide on slippy roads or bad terrain downhill. i wouldn't fancy only have a car in front to stop it or keep it straight. i wouldn't trust a car to be strong enough to get it off a speed wobble if the trailer was caught by wind either.
 
I have photos taken in the 80s of a horse show car park, and another at a hunter trial, and there are hardly any 4x4, just lots of rice etc trailers pulled by ordinary cars, and small vans..... but didnt the law change and its not allowed any more?
 
I had a similar issue. Daughter started pony club but can't do anything without transport! Couldn't change car and buy a trailer. So bought a trailer and had tow bar fitted on my Mazda MPV which only has a towing capacity of 1300kg. Trailer is 920kg and pony is about 220kg therefore total of 1140kg so within the capacity. We are doing a weekly trip with no issues. I checked all the figures beforehand to make sure we are within the limits for safety and insurance purposes. The gross train weight is also a consideration but as another poster said, ROG was very knowledgeable and helpful. I do check before hand that the venue for PC has hard standing for parking as I would get stuck in mud very easily 😊
 
I would be happy to tow one horse in an ifor williams type trailer.

I towed all over the place when I was younger in a 1.6l car with single IW and a 15hh on board.

We now have a lorry, but still occasionally tow a pony to Pony CLub with hubbys Octavia..

Fiona
 
If you are towing with a car, you need to drive accordingly. So no sliding on slippy roads or bad terrain, as you'd be going slowly enough to cope. Ditto no being wobbled by crosswinds, as that only happens if you are going too fast.

Like PM, I towed for years (25+) with various cars, including Cheshire-Devon-Cheshire, and to competitions within a 1.5 hour drive. Yes, the Shogun we have now is better, but it is perfectly possible to tow with a car as long as you are realistic and sensible. Eg, there is a steep hill at traffic lights in Congleton town centre that I would not attempt towing with a 2WD drive car in case I had to do a hill start, I'd re route to avoid it.
 
I would need the exact Mondeo model for its weight info but if the GVW is say 2200 kg with a towing capacity of say 1500 kg then with an HB 401/3 down plated to 1300 from its original 1600 you could legally and safely tow a horse weighing 500 kg on a B licence

Using a lighter trailer such as the Bateson Derby down plated from 1700 to 1300 you can tow a horse weighing just over 600 kg on a B licence

To tow on your B licence you follow this guide -
1 - Vehicle plated GVW added to trailer plated MAM must not total more than 3500 kg
2 - Actual weight of empty trailer + what is put into trailer must not exceed vehicle towing limit
3 - Actual weight of empty trailer + what is put into trailer must not exceed trailer MAM

The towing limits on vehicles are designed to tow certain weights when the vehicle is at its empty weight but it is recommended that the trailer should not actually weight more than the vehicle to prevent a situation where the trailer starts to control the vehicle = tail wagging the dog

More info can be found in post number 2000 of the HHO TOWING CLINIC - see link below in my signature
 
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I agree with those who say its do-able (assuming you are right about the vehicles towing capacity). Years ago before we all swanned around in trucks and 4x4s we used to tow an archaic and very heavy wooden trailer with my dads family car (which were things like sierras and rovers). With the combined weight of both my ponies,, it would have weighed more in aggregate than what OP is planning on towing. We never had a problem on the roads and lived in a hilly area. We did however often get stuck in muddy fields and would have to be towed out.
 
Lancelot said:
I'm feeling really fed up.

I'm finally at a point where, after dealing with my travelling fears, I really want to get my horse out to compete again but I have no transport :(

I can't afford my own lorry, with 2 horses to provide for there's not enough spare cash.

Locally, horse transporters are asking in the region of £100 which, for a 30 mins journey to do 1 or 2 rounds of £10 a time unaff SJ, just isn't sustainable.

I've been researching trailers and have realised that our family car, a ford Mondeo tdci has a towing capacity of 1800kg.

Would it be safe\advisable\sensible to tow, for instance, an Ifor HB506 with a single horse who's around 16hh\550kg???

Would have to do a trailer course obviously but could this be an option? If not, what sort of combination should I be looking for?
Click to expand...
Having had a trailer accident with using a similar car, I say don't do it. A mondeo is not a heavy enough car IMO. We used a BMW and that did not cope with our situation on the M4, luckily horse survived.


I would save up for a decent car - and until then either hire a horsebox or phone a friend.
 
PaddyMonty said:
Have you actually towed with a car at all?
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yep, my family towed with various cars all the way through the 80's most weeks to various shows and hunts. Usually with fairly chunky saloons and then mercs with good engines.

And along the way we had various hairy experiences of the wind blowing the trailer and jack knifing us across road. we also slid down a very steep hill when trailer wheels slid on mud, even with the trailer brakes kicking in. We also had the heart breaking journey of trying to rush horse into vet hospital following a serious injury, while unable to get up to any decent speed that was safe.We went through a load of clutches trying to get out of mud or do hill starts. We took wrong turns and ended up trying to drive up steep hills praying the car could do it. I also missed shows if the car parks would be muddy.


So as an adult 30 years later I feel much safer and secure driving a jeep (which is an absolute cheap banger of a trooper!) as I know it can deal with any situation better than a car.
 
OP can you not club together with other like minded local riders and share the hired lorry? Easier, cheaper in the long run and more fun and help on the day.
Some of our best days out have been on shared transport, great days, great company and sharing a celebratory bottle of wine in the living on the way home too! (Provided you can arrange a lift home from the yard!)
I appreciate it may not be as convenient as having your own transport but I bet there are plenty of people in the same situation as yourself who would be grateful to share the cost of a hire lorry.
 
I drove all over with a Vauxhall Cavalier1.6 with a Bahill (lightweight double, rear unload only, no partition) and had a 15.2hh.

We did have a stabiliser on though, I think Towshure fitted it for around £100 (1986). The stabiliser made all the difference,we had a few hairy journeys before that, not helped by the sleek (for its time) car and the flat front trailer.

I would not do it with a saloon type car again without a stabiliser.
 
PaddyMonty said:
People seem to forget that before all the fancy 4x4s came about that towing was either with landrover (few) and the family saloon which was the most popular.
Mondeo is fine. Car is not stopping the trailer, the trailer brakes are. Only issue is possible wear on clutch if on steep terrain.
Click to expand...

This.

stormox said:
didnt the law change and its not allowed any more?
Click to expand...

Not this.

Of course it makes life easier to have a 4x4, but if you're within the limits and car and trailer are both looked after properly, you'll be fine. Just avoid muddy grass (which lots of boxes can't cope with) and very steep hills (which lots of boxes also can't cope with) and crack on and enjoy it.
 
I used to tow a large-ish caravan with a Mondeo some years back. It was fine although occasionally the clutch would cook a bit, but worse was when stopping on a hill at traffic lights and the handbrake wouldn't hold the vehicle because of the weight behind it, although legally it was within the vehicle's towing capacity. Hills could be a struggle as well.

I was then in a similar situation to you in that I didn't want to buy a 4-wheel drive, but knew the Mondeo could not tow my Ifor Williams 510 with my 17hh mare. So, I borrowed a friend's single Ifor Williams (old 501) and whilst my horse loaded well into it, and the vehicle could tow it, it was extremely unstable and I simply would not have done it again. I drove it around a quiet industrial estate but couldn't wait to get back to the farm to unload her, although she was unfazed by the whole episode. However, perhaps it would be more stable with a smaller horse, but after my experience I would be reluctant. I would worry a bit about emergency stopping as well.

I also suspect you may be more likely to be stopped and spot checked on weight.
 
I'm in a similar scenario, where I'm looking to downgrade from a clapped out lorry to a car and trailer. I've been researching Ford XR6 utes. They have a towing capacity of 2.3t, IF the tow hitch has level rides. It's also been recommended to get a heavy duty auto transmission cooler added. I only want to tow a trailer with one horse, coming to a total of 1.5t, all gear will be in the tub of the ute. I want the safest tow set up I can afford, and unfortunately, that doesn't accommodate a 4x4. My trailer will have electric breaks on both axles, and will have a nifty gadget called the Dexter anti sway system. This monitors the trailer sway and will apply the breaks on one side to straighten the trailer. The ute will have beefed up breaks, a heavy duty tow hitch, level rides etc. 4x4's are superior on wet terrain and do have a higher towing capacity, BUT they are certainly aren't they only vehicle capable of towing. with the safety features found on most modern sedans far outstripping cheaper makes of 4x4, I know which vehicle I'd rather be in to try and avoid an accident, or be in during an accident. If I could afford a Range Rover hell yeah! But I can't, so I have to set up what I cam afar, to be as safe as possible.
 
I tow similar to what you would be OP - A Bateson Ascot (actually one of the lightest trailer you can get) with a 16hh horse, and I tow with what I believe is the lowest you'd want to go for towing happily - A Freelander 2. It tows no problem, but I wouldn't want anything below it definately not. Something broke on it the other day and the 4x4 garage actually said to my OH that its not really "designed" for towing and it'll destroy it... WTF, I thought Freelanders WERE meant for towing?!

We used to tow with an estate car many years ago when I was a kid, but that was towing a very lightweight Sinclair trailer and a 14.2hh pony. As soon as I got something bigger, we got a proper 4x4.
 
Thanks so much for all the replies, really appreciate it :)

The other half isn't keen on me using the car, I think he's worried it will cause too much wear and he doesn't fancy the idea of me bumping across fields with a trailer in tow!!

As suggested, I am going to arrange a friend to share hired transport with. It's nice to have company and we can always go separately in a car with all the kit which would keep weight to a minimum.
 
Hi there, I tow with a mondeo and I find it pretty good. My car is a 54 plate mondeo 2litre tdci, my trailer is a ifor Williams 505 and my horse is approx 550kg. I have never had any problems but I wouldn't be happy in muddy fields but only because it's not 4x4. Having said that in the summer it pulled us out a field that trucks were getting towed out of so that's pretty good. It's very good on fuel consumption for the size of engine though obviously uses more while towing.
 
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