What do you pull your trailer with?

Range Rover Sport now - lovely! but when we were kids we went everywhere (and I mean everywhere!) with a big old Rice towed by a Ford Granada. Probably wouldn't get away with it now but we never had a any problems!
 
A Nissan Navara pick up towing an ifor 505
I agree with the manual gearbox being better than automatic. My mum's disco is rubbish at towing there isn't the same control over which gear you are in especially when going up a hill or anything like that.
 
Sorry shameful post, but I tow mine with this...

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(any excuse to post another pic of Dolly)
 
*sniggers* I tow trailers with my rather beaten up looking Defender 110 300Tdi ex-Electricity board with a thudding great big capstan winch on the front and a whopping great big roof rack with two revolving orange lights.

If I'm taking my horses out I put them in the lorry:D
 
Splish & Masons mum said:
Legally the car has to be heavier than the maximum weight of the trailer, so the heavier the trailer, the heavier the car.
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Not true.

Legally:

The maximum authorised mass (MAM) of the trailer only has to not be more than the trailer MAM specifeid for that model of car by the manufacturer.

For example, a Land Rover Defender can tow 3,500kg because Land Rover say it can do so safely. It weighs a bit less than that. Legally, a MINI can tow 1,000 kg, because MINI say it can do so safely. The manufacturers do all sorts of tests to find the safe towing limit for their vehciles, but the most common standard is what it can pull from a 12% gradient hill start.

However:

If you don't have trailer towing licence entitlement (e.g you have a post 97 car licence). Then you can only tow a trailer if 1) the MAM of the trailer is less than the empty kerb mass of the car AND 2) The MAM of car + MAM of trailer is not more than 3,500kg. A Freelander can tow a 1,500kg MAM trailer and fit this criteria. Or you can just sit the test.

Of note:

The caravan lobby advise an 85% rule. Don't tow a trailer with a MAM more than 85% of the kerb (empty mass) mass of the car, though this is aimed mainly at non-4x4 saloon and estate cars, I'd imagine.

So a VW Golf Estate weighs 1400kg (ish) empty. 85% of this is 1190kg, compared with what VW say the safe limit as 1300kg (for most models).
 
legend22 said:
but when we were kids we went everywhere (and I mean everywhere!) with a big old Rice towed by a Ford Granada. Probably wouldn't get away with it now but we never had a any problems!
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LMAO - so did we :D Until Mum bought a Series I landrover! :eek:

I have just bought a Vauxhall Fronterera - I know, I know - they get awful write ups! But I am so pleased with it - it so much better on fuel than other 4x4's I have had, pulls the trailer easily and gives them such a smooth and easy ride even with the ridiculously hilly roads round here!

Love the one touch 4wd button but it has a low ratio gear too for really tricky areas...........but I only bought it because it has heated front seats ;)
 
In the olden days we used to tow with Volvos, an Audi, but there was not the 4x4s out there other than Landrovers or Range Rovers, now there are many affordable big towing vehicles now, so would not dream of using anything else.
 
pastie2 said:
In the olden days we used to tow with Volvos, an Audi, but there was not the 4x4s out there other than Landrovers or Range Rovers, now there are many affordable big towing vehicles now, so would not dream of using anything else.
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But as the price of road tax and fuel goes up for the biggest polluting cars, car makers will start to produce smaller and lighter vehicles: the cost of buying and owning large and heavy traditional 4x4s will be prohibative again in a generation. Even Land Rover are moving towards lighter 4x4s made from all alloy rather than heavy steel chassis with their new designs for the Disco and RR.

I imagine that new 'leaner' cars will still be able to pull at least single horse trailers, as computer-controled suspension in cars and trailers will negate the need to use heavy vehciles to "absorb" movement and momentum, as it were. The Disco already has computer controled suspension in its rear axle that has a towing setting.

Apparently in France, it is common to see a single horse trailer pulled by a family hatchback. And in Germany I saw people carriers pulling double horse trailers for the police (enourmous warmbloods).
 
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