vehicles for pulling trailers

[marion95]

Hi guys,

I am looking in to buying a vehicle to tow a trailer (needs to be strong enough to pull two 16.2hh horses). Has anyone got/had any good 4x4's that they would recommend? I want a diesel and only have about £1,500 to spend, so I know it will be an oldish one, but there's so many! Have been looking at Isuzu troopers, Nissan Terrano's, Mitsubishi Shogun's etc.

It will also be my only form of transport, so hope to keep costs down as much as poss and go for the smallest I can get away with.

Any experiences?

 

[Honeybee1]

Hi there im in the same position although I only need to pull a small 14.2hh !! Just wanted to share a word of advice - was discussing 4x4 with a mechanic as ive been looking at land rover discovery- either tdi or td5 apparently both are v unreliable and have lots of 'engine' problems can anyone verify as really wanted one!! also mitsubishi shoguns are very good at towing, fab for the job intended but very very juicy- even the deisel apparently about 24/25 mpg!???

 

[Peanot]

I have a Mitsubishi Shogun 2.8 TD. A full tank takes about £65 and I fill up when I get to 400 miles. When I am running around up the yard, which is 5-10 mins away, depending on traffic, shopping, school run etc I fill up once a month. When I am doing more distances with the trailer with a big horse, it doesn`t use as much as I thought it would, it only used a fraction more when I tow. I am happy with it and I am gonna upgrade in the next few months to another shogun.
I was told that the Discos are very thirsty although they look lovely.

 

[lizzie_liz]

my parents have an isuzu trooper citation which we have used to tow 2 16hh horses all over the place including trips to yorkshire every 6 weeks when they came to school with us. the car did this easily, it has never stuggled pulling, and they have good boot space as well.
we have had this one for about 6 or 7 years.

 

[dixie]

Hi,

I use a Nissan Terrano Diesel to tow two horses around very hilly roads in Devon and it is very good. I used my mothers old Isuzu the other day and it wasn't a patch on the Terrano. This might have something to do with age though and the Terrano is only 3 yrs old but the Isuzu is an R reg.

Our hills are very steep and windy and it tows up like a dream. I also do quite a bit of motorway driivng and it feels very secure.

I fill up once a week, cost around £55 and it does between 300 and 350 miles on this, depending on how much towing I do of course.

 

[LizzieBarrett]

Hi there,

I was in the same situation as you a while back, but I now have a land rover discovery TD5 GS, its a great car to drive but if I'm really honest its just not got enough power. Its only a 2.5 and thats just not enough if u want to tow more than one horse. Touch wood I've never had any probs with mine, its a 51 plate and I've had it nearly a year now, I had to have the ball joints and radiator replaced but apart from that its been totally reliable. I like it coz its got lots of space and its a nice looking car.
But if u asked me if I would recommend it for towing I would say no, if u have lots of money to spend the TD3 is fab for towing as its a bigger engine. Although I have read lots of negative points on its reliability.

I used to have an Isuzu Trooper which was a 3.2 engine - it was superb for towing and would recommend that any day. If ur looking for a cheapy car have u looked at the Vauxhall Montereys there not v common but they look just like an Isuzu Trooper and have an isuzu engine (just like a trooper but rebadged really) - and the best part is there cheaper than an Isuzu Trooper. U may pick up a good deal on ebay.. thats where I sold mine.

I hope that helps and good luck

 

[LizzieBarrett]

Hi there,

I would totally recommend the Isuzu Trooper or Vauxhall Monterey for towing plus you can get the 3 door so its not too big to cart yourself around in whilst your not towing... Take a look at my reply I sent to westfalen gold - I used to have a Vauxhall Monterey and it was fab to drive, tow and it was pretty reasonable for a 4x4. Plus it was v reliable whilst I had it, I reckon u could definitely pick one up for the amount u want to pay. Try and make sure u get one thats got an engine over 3L, as they've just got so much more power, plus if u want to tow big horses, u need lots of power

I hope u find what ur looking for

 

[Caritas]

I have a mitsubishi pajero (an imported shogun) 2.8td and it is great for pulling altho a bit thirsty.

 

[atillathehen]

Hi
I've got a Discovery TD5 diesel (series 2) - had it for 3 years, no major problems, done 104K, get about 30m/gal, regularly tow an Ifor Williams trailer with 2 horses on board. Have had no problems with lack of power to pull - always had plenty and some to spare, wouldn't change it for a different make but that's my preference! Best to try out several different suitable cars and go for the one you feel most comfortable with - they all have their pros and cons! Good luck.

 

[marion95]

Thanks very much for all your advice - I shall go and have some test drives!

 

[Louby]

Hi, I was in the same position and bought a Diahatsu Fourtrak, that was about 7 years ago and we have since upgraded it for.... yes another Diahatsu Foutrak. They are proper work horses and will easily tow a trailer and two large horses. They can tow 3.5 ton! They are quite basic, being a farmers car but I cant fault them at all. If you decide to have a look at any try to buy the newer model as the suspension is much smoother (we have had both) Im sure you would get a newer one for your money. I think the suspension changed from about J reg onwards.

 

[lilym]

you won't get a newer 4track for £1500!!!!!!! the older ones are still going for around £2000 at the least suspension change over was on the facelift 1993 L reg, when they got the wider wheel arches and the independent 5 stage suspension, i have had both and can thoroughly recommend them as towcars.

 

[MotoGP']

all landrovers have a terrible reputation for reliability....look at the japanes import 4x4 for value for money and excellent in every way...i run a toyota landcruiser prado...thats a colorado in england

excellent engine,spacious, comfy and tremendous pulling power

 

[coco1]

My neighbour has a Discovery for towing a boat and he's had no end of problems with it it's an older model but he admits it's a complete pile of C*&p!! He had major engine problems a while ago but he's a mechanic so managed to do most of the work himself, he admitted though that the work would have cost more than the vehicle's worth if he hadn't done it himself!