Which 4x4?

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JoJo_

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I am looking into getting a secondhand 4x4 and a horse trailer but i'm not sure what size of 4x4 I would need. My mare is 16.1hh chunkyish ISH. Not sure how much she weighs for sure. Last time I measured she was about 580kg I think (maybe more 600kg at the mo!
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Can anyone give me ideas of which 4x4 would suit? My budget isnt that big.
 
I vote for isuzu troopers all the way.... Can pick up old ones for little money and they are great workhorses.

It really depends on what trailer you go for, your mare would quite easily go in an ifor 401 which has a maximum mass of 1600Kg so could be towed by a capable family estate etc, but if you go for an old rice huntsman trailer which are very heavy you'll need a more capable car/4x4.

If you've got the budget to get a modern lightweight trailer such as the richardson rossette? or the requisite then you have the luxury of choosing a smaller 4x4. but if you need maximum towing capacity your more limited to cars like the isuzu, mitsu, disco, landrover (not freelander), landcruiser, fourtrak etc
 
I love my disco,it is an awesome piece of kit for towing
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However i wouldnt recommend an old one unless you are prepared to fix what somebody else has knackered
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,i have 1st hand experience of this as that is what i am doing now
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The LR Discovery has one of the best reputations for gross weight towing, over 3.5 tons legally. Ours is a true workhorse and does exactly what it says on the tin, wouldn't swap it for anything else (and hubby almost did this week but I demanded we get it back!) With a saddle rack hanging on the dog guard, we can get all the tack and equipment for 2 horses in the back and still have room for 5 people inside.

Ours is 10 years old, top of the range model and we paid £2.5K for it over a year ago. We looked at older ones initially that were cheaper but weren't as smart - just beware of rust underneath - take someone knowledgeable with you. Good luck!
 
I was wanting a smaller 4x4 too as it will be my only car to drive around to work etc too. Are freelanders no good?

I'm not sure what size trailer she would need either. Was hoping to pick up an old range ifor williams. My mare is quite big and long in the back. Would a 401 be too small?
 
do not get a suzuki!
i have had my suzuki vitara 4x4 for 3 weeks (the one i had arnt any good for towing but they do models with bigger engines) and im getting rid of mine! it throws its toys out of the pram when its on a road service it doesnt like and when it has rained!!
 
A freelander I believe would be able to tow an ifor 401 which your mare should fit in as they are designed for 1 x 16.2 I think? But I've heard alot of bad reports about freelanders on here and elsewhere...

If possible find what trailer you can afford and are going to get, see what the maximum laden weight is and then go for a car or 4x4 with a maximum towing weight (braked) that will do that weight if not slightly more.

you said you were going to go for an older ifor would that be the 401 or 505? if the latter then you'll still need some towing ability as the 505 laden weight is 2340Kg. Which will rule out alot of the smaller 4x4's such as the honda crv etc..
 
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The LR Discovery has one of the best reputations for gross weight towing, over 3.5 tons legally. Ours is a true workhorse and does exactly what it says on the tin, wouldn't swap it for anything else (and hubby almost did this week but I demanded we get it back!) With a saddle rack hanging on the dog guard, we can get all the tack and equipment for 2 horses in the back and still have room for 5 people inside.

Ours is 10 years old, top of the range model and we paid £2.5K for it over a year ago. We looked at older ones initially that were cheaper but weren't as smart - just beware of rust underneath - take someone knowledgeable with you. Good luck!

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I love my Disco too, but having downsized from a 7.5 ton lorry I'm finding it hard to adjust to "travelling light".... are the dog guard saddle racks purpose made or something you've customised?
 
if you go to Brightwells 4x4 sales, there are always millions of cheap freelanders - says a lot that so many people are selling them on.

We have an old (P38) Range Rover - it's fab - will tow anything anywhere. 1998 in good mick and worth about £2-3k (not a Classic - that's a bit original even for us!) The newer ones are too expensive and are not so good at towing - too electronically complicated. We do 35mpg towing and I recently drove from Gloucester to Inverness on one tank of fuel. Not bad
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Another vote for the Isuzu Trooper, we're on our second having had Daihatsu's before that. Our mechanic said buy Japanese.
 
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I have Nissan x-trail for smaller towing jobs, ie under 2t. It does the job pretty well, is really nice car and has an added bonus of 40 miles to a gallon.
I haven't got a clue how much they cost used though as bought mine new (it's 6 yo now and hasn't gone to the dealer back in part ex, which just says how much we love it)
 
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I love my Disco too, but having downsized from a 7.5 ton lorry I'm finding it hard to adjust to "travelling light".... are the dog guard saddle racks purpose made or something you've customised?

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Not customised, no. It's the normal Disco dog guard with the small square holes, then a 2 prong saddle rack from a tack shop that has a square "hook" at the top and we just hook it through one of the holes of the dog guard. Can take it out when we don't need it but it stays in there most of the time. Works a treat. Robinsons catalogue page 161, no. 18, or search on their website for product code 44240.

Have also cable tied a couple of bridle holders to the dog guard as well
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Isuzu Trooper 3.1 turbo diesel, N reg is what I tow with, had it 5 yrs and is a fab car. Towed yesterday and havent done for a while, had forgotten how well it tows, was ifor w 510 trailer and hardly knew it was on the back. Floats along in 5th gear down motorway and economical on fuel. Ive towed with 2 big horses in and it copes very well. Good engines in them too, OH is an Rac man and he wouldnt let me have anything else!
 
Careful with Xtrail, they are actually french, think it's a Laguna engine, turbos go at approx 100,000, a friend had exactly that and fuel pump, not very impressive
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Well, I've done 130K now in my Xtrail and it still is going really well, mine is the sport 2.4(?) diesel.
Put it this way, if it dies on me, it dies on me - then I will have to get another one, won't I?
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I wonder if they make them in clean as well as red, black and silver?
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Thanks SuzySue, do you drop your jockey wheel down then so you can fully open back door?

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No we don't, can usually manage with it open as far as the jockey wheel. We have the saddles on the drivers side, and then we can access everything else easier on the passenger side. Might depend what trailer you have if you struggle with the back door open. We mainly use an Ifor Williams HB506 or my friend's Sluis trailer (similar looking to the Requisite ones). Hope this helps.
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