Trailer questions for new "tow-er"?

kerryflower

kerryflower

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I have booked in to do my trailer test mid June eeeek! Then will b lookign to buy a 4x4 in order to tow.

Any advice for a good towing vehicle. Have been looking at Mitsubushi Shogun/Pajeros. I want something that could tow two horses but also that isn't unnecessarily too bug. I ams till a student and don't want to spend more on running a car that is "bigger" than I need if that makes sense?

Alos, with regard to insurance, do I need to state that I will be towing or am I covered with normal fully comp car insurance?

I won't have my own trailer trailer straight away so will be looking to borrow/hire one. When borrowing a friend's what happens with regard to the insurance? Is it illegal to tow without the trailer being insured?? Sorry if these seem stupid but I have no idea! lol.

Finally my horse is a 16.3 KWPN who travels very well. I have access to a 505 and 506. Do you think he would be ok in that??
 
shoguns are good...i love my kia sorento...one of the best towing capacities out there and nice and heavy.....and about 1/3 the price of a range rover :)
 
505 will be tight, 506 ideal, my 16.3 ears touched roof of 505 so got 506 and love it, good luck.
 
thankyou mon. all luck needed! lol. My little saxo is like a toy car compared to a big jeep. Watch out all road users!

ANd thanks or the advice jump2it. will def look into them :-)
 
Your 4x4 needs to be capable of towing the combined trailer and horse load. Look for something with a towing weight of 3 tons. Most manufacturer websites will have this detail. Also check out the caravan club website which apparently has recommendations of good vehicles to tow with, together with weight details.

Personally, I would never go out without insurance - you never know what might happen. When I had my trailer I found that there weren't many insurance companies who did trailers, most only do horse boxes. I found Shearwater to be the best. They also offer recovery cover for horses in case of breakdown.

Happy towing!
 
Goodluck on passing your test. i did mine about a month ago now, so if you want any advice pm me (I passed)

With regards to two vehicles, I cannot recommend enough a Kia Sorento. I did exactly as you are doing now and researched on here (as well as other places) and it really did come up trumps. Not only that but they are reliable - When I accidently put petrol in my Kia the car guy said he never see's these cars as they are so good. (i.e never in the garage to be fixed)

Great to tow with and they are the cheapest to buy and they are worth it. Really.

Goodluck.x
 
I haven't done my trailer test but am planning to do it this summer!

With regards to insurance, we insure our trailer on my horse's policy with pet plan. When other's have towed it our insurance still covers the trailer itself, but it might depend on the policy!
 
I would also recommend the kia sorento. They are quite economical for a 'full size' 4x4. I think mine can tow 2800kg, so plenty for trailer +2 hosses. I had a SWB shogun prior to that, which towed just as well as the kia, but was more gutsy & being a SWB, had rubbish boot space. I would also suggest an automatic, they are easier to find and make towing in the town much easier too.

Regarding your vehicle insurance, you should be covered with a fully comp policy, but best to check to make sure you have liability cover for the trailer being towed (like if it swings out and hits another vehicle, or you reverse it into something.

The trailer insurance policy will need to allow for other people to tow with the owners permission. My policy with Scottish Equestrian allowed anybody to tow our 505 for damage etc, but didn't cover any liability, so if it wasn't on the car and someone fell over the hitch or it rolled out of it's parking space and hit something, we wouldn't have the cover.

Our new policy with NTTA allows for immediate family & other people only in an emergency. However, it does cover liability for the trailer while it's unhitched (the car policy takes over when it's hitched) and it was cheaper too!. I share a trailer, so we worked around this by naming both of us as policy holders, so we & both our OH's can tow it.

Your horse is technically a little large for a 505, but if he travels well, then I have seen it done plenty, it just lacks headroom a little. See how your horse reacts, a 510 or 511 would be better if you were looking at getting your own.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE TEST!.
 
I have a Shogun. Lovely car. Very comfortable for long journeys and good to tow with. I can't feel my trailer behind me when I tow with it.
 
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