What can my car tow???

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The Freelander tows two tonnes
Kate x

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I would check the kerbside weight of the Freelander first - I think it is only about 1 tonne - so that restricts whatever you tow to about 1 tonne, most trailers weigh at least 800kg, leaving carrying space for a very tiny pony on board!
 
Engine information for Land Rover Freelander Petrol 1.8 Xei Station Wagon 5dr
Fuel Type Unknown
Fuel Delivery MULTI POINT FUEL INJECTION
CC 1796
No. of Cylinders 4
Cylinder Layout IN-LINE
No. of Valves 16

Transmission information for Land Rover Freelander Petrol 1.8 Xei Station Wagon 5dr
No. of Gears 5 SPEED MANUAL

Performance information for Land Rover Freelander Petrol 1.8 Xei Station Wagon 5dr
Top Speed 106mph
Acceleration 0-62mph 11.8
BHP 117
Max Torque 118

Fuel Consumption information for Land Rover Freelander Petrol 1.8 Xei Station Wagon 5dr
Urban MPG (km/litre) 20.8 (7.36)
Extra MPG (km/litre) 33.3 (11.79)
Combined MPG (km/litre) 27.3 (9.66)
Fuel Tank Capacity 64 litres

Emissions information for Land Rover Freelander Petrol 1.8 Xei Station Wagon 5dr
Co2 Emissions (g/km) 248
Catalytic Converter Yes

Dimensions / Weights information for Land Rover Freelander Petrol 1.8 Xei Station Wagon 5dr
Luggage Capacity (Litres) 546
Length (mm) 4423
Width (mm) inc Mirrors 2071
Height 1708
Wheelbase 2557
Kerb Weight 1457
Towing Capacity (Braked) 1800
Towing Capacity (UnBraked) 750

General information for Land Rover Freelander Petrol 1.8 Xei Station Wagon 5dr
Insurance Group 11
NCAP Rating 3 Stars

Kate x
 
Kerb Weight 1457

That's the important one. no matter what they say about the towing capacity in the spec, it is a VERY BAD IDEA to exceed the weight of the towing vehicle with the trailer - but that weight will just about allow for a trailer carrying one
 
I have the same Freelander as you. Legally, it can tow 2000KG, kerbweight is 1619KG. I have an Ifor 510 and tow my 16.2hh without a partition - combined is 1500KG. In all honesty, I'm not overly keen using it, It has plenty power but I prefer to be in something heavier. I also own a Mercedes sprinter van which I use most of the time as it's much much heavier, and I don't feel the trailer at all on the back of it. With the Freelander, I only use it if I'm going somewhere local and it's on grass - where the van isn't so great!!

They aren't ideal but they are safe for towing one Horse. It's fine breaking down a steep hill as well with that sort of combination. I used to have a Defender which was great, but my van is the best thing I've towed with as it's bigger than the trailer and designed for heavy loads so you know the breaks will cope.

Here's all the landy weights
http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/landrover.htm
 
1457KG is a petrol, but the one in the question is a diesel and they are 150KG heavier. I too agree that you are better not to tow heavier than the kerbweight. Most 4X4 with two Horses are above the kerbweight. Even a 110 is only 1885KG and a Shogun around 2000KG yet their max tow is 3500KG.
 
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Anyone know what the maximum weight a 2004 Freelander 2 litre diesel can tow legally???

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You could just pop your minis in the back though, couldn't you?
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COMMON SENSE SHOULD COME INTO IT!! some people drive like twats when towing, and that's the main thing that causes accidents. most large 4x4's have a legal BRAKED trailer towing capacity of between 2800kg and 3500kg, these vehicles are designed for the job, brakes and shocks and suspension are of a higher spec than a normal road car, to cope with towing heavy trailers.
the 85% "rule" is actually a RECOMMENDATION laid down by the caravan club applying to towing CARAVANS with an average family car!!
i'm quite sure that if towing an ifor 510 with 2 horses up behind a fourtrack or a discovery was illegal there would be no horse trailers going anywhere as we would all be arrested!!
going back to common sense....i would assume people would check the towing capacity of a vehicle before buying it with that job in mind, many of the baby 4x4's are simply not up to the job having been designed with road car like suspension and brakes etc.....i cringe when i see people turn up at shows towing 2 large horses with a vitara, have they not done their homework??
 
Was that aimed at me??? I didn't say it was illegal (I even pointed out the max tow weight was 3500KG). I was simply pointing out that 2 Horses in a trailer are heavier than the kerbweight of most 4X4's out of interest. I was also pointing out that I'm not keen on using my Freelander (even though I tow less than its kerbweight) as it's not a very heavy vehicle. I only use it for under 10 miles on fairly level country roads. I use my van about 90% of the time, which actually is designed totally around carrying/towing heavy weights and you can tell.
I am a very experienced tower and lorry driver as well, and have towed glider trailers before which are very temperamental (long and thin). I have seen an accident happen, not the drivers fault at all caused by a snake when an articulated lorry passed the trailer too close on a dual carriageway. Fortunately, it was an empty trailer, but was being towed by a Shogun (not the sport version). So it shows that even with sensible driving and the right vehicle, accidents can happen.
I see 2 Horses being pulled with estate cars all the time - suicide if you ask me.
All you can do is use the best vehicle you can and like you say, within the max tow weight as shown by the manufacturer. Sorry if it sounded like I was implying it was illegal, I definately wasn't.
 
According to charts the Freelander can tow up to 2 tonnes....to actually try & tow that is suicidal in my view. The kerbside weight of a Freelander is approx 1600kg. To tow more than that is unsafe. I know the caravan club recommend no morte than 85% of the kerbside weight & that would be around 1350kg. An Ifor Williams 505 weighs 905kg so that leaves you about 445kg left to allow for your horse,or pony. As can be seen the Freelander is not really powerful or heavy enough to tow & carry a 16h2" horse, let alone 2.
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A Defender, Discovery, Shogun as a tow vehicle are a totally different story.
 
Safety of your horse and other road users should be of prime concern.

One thing to consider is that towing a horse is different to towing a dead load. Horses will move and therefore shift their weight thus reducing the peformance characteristics of the vehicle and trailer concerned.

It is in emergency situations such as when suddenly having to brake or avoid another vehicle or obstacle is when problems occur.

My advice would be not to tow a horse or pony with a Freelander as they are not of sufficient length or weight to safely tow a horse or pony.
 
I used to have a Freelander and used to tow an Ifor with one horse in it and found it struggled tbh. The wear and tear on the car for one was immense and I went through tyres and things a lot faster than I should of. Also the towing capacity of the vehicle is calculated on a flat surface and doesn't take into account the increased forces on the vehicle pulling up or down hill and thats where the Freelander really struggled. I was a bit naive when I got mine - I'm not sure even the salesman really knew that much about towing and just gave me the kerb weight/towing capacity details and that was that.
I now have a Defender and believe me I can now see the difference between the Freelander and a vehicle built for the job! The Defender drives exactly the same whether I am towing or not. It trugs along up and down steep hills and through some hideously deep gateways like nothing was behind it. Also I noticed when I got the Defender that the actual towbar itself sits much higher off the ground than the Freelander and that gives a much smoother ride for the horse. When I think back the trailer must always have been sloping very slightly downhill towards the back of the car as the tow point was so low on the Freelander and I'm sure that must have affected the braking of the car when towing.
If you are just going to be towing a small pony every now and again you might just get away with it but if you are going to be pulling anything heavier or more regularly then I would think about something else.
Hope that helps.
 
1800kg. I had a 2002 Freelander and towed a trailer with one light 16hh TB in it. It did the job fine and I loved it as a car - could do with a little more kerbweight to tow on the motorways to make the load a little more stable but I just watched my speed. Nice cars and would love to have one again!
 
not aimed at you! i just get fed up of this 85% weight thing being banded about as being law
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and the fact there are alot of nutters out there who tow like they are driving a sports car, no wonder the horses won't load!
 
Quite agree. The 85% thing was introduced by the caravan club because of the amount of people towing with saloon cars etc. The Freelander, despite it's lower weight has all the mechanics of Land Rover - the chassis, gearbox, etc, etc. so is far more capable of towing than say a Ford Mondeo that has actually got the same towing limit and a similar kerbweight.
 
As I've said before, when people shout the 85% towing "rule", if you HAD to stick to that for towing horses in your 4x4 then there is absolutely no reason to build two horse trailers! Even the heaviest of Land Rovers would be over the 85% "rule" with two horses on board.
 
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