Would you tow 2 horses?

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sultana

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....with a 2L? They would be under the tow weight of 2200kg along with the trailer - with 200kgs to spare but wondering if the engine would be up to it?
 
I think it would struggle. Also check your kerb weight as well as your tow weight.

Personally I doubt that I would but I am super cautious about things like that. Having been a passenger when a trailer started to jackknife, it was terrifying and I wouldn't risk it.
 
Well it depends. The VW Amarok pickup truck is 2l engine but has towing capacity of 3000kg. I had one of these as an insurance loan vehicle and it was lovely to tow with, effortless. However all 2litre engines are not equal.
 
I have travelled 2 in ifor 505 towing with 2l freelander, we were right on limit and poss bit over but were only going couple miles to move to another field, chose flat route and went slowly, it was fine but i wouldn't attempt it on hills or at speed.
 
It isn't so much the size of the engine, but the weight of the towing vehicle. I know people who used to tow with one of the 4 wheel drive Subaru pickups, but the Subaru people were pretty horrified. The engine will pull, but will the vehicle stop with the weight of a trailer and 2 horses.
 
It's not the size that's important, it's the output. Modern engines smaller enough to sit on a A4 piece of paper can pack more punch than older engines double the size.

Theoretically the car will be fine and the engine should be up to it, that's the point of a towing capacity. It will almost certainly age the vehicle prematurely as it's working close to maximum capacity.
 
Sigh. These towing limits set by the manufacturer are tested to the limit in order for them not to have the asses sued off them should anything happen. Towing over the limit specified is reckless, towing the recommended limit is safe as its been tested rigorously to that level so towing under it will be perfectly fine.

My 2l engined car has a 183hp so is perfectly capable of towing two horses up to 2200kgs. Sick of reading post of people knocking 200-500kgs off the manufacturers specs in order to keep it safe when there is no reason to. The specs are there for a reason if a car has a specific towing limit then the chassis and car has been tested as such and will not stretch or warp.
 
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My Navara pick up has a 2.3 engine and a towing capacity of 3.5 ton and you dont know its on there . Another one who says they are tested to well over their stated limits so why knock anything off ?
Modern engines are very capable beast and can be tuned for all sorts of needs its cubic capacity can be very misleading the important figures are its BHP and even more important for towing its torque output. Just to reassure people if a manufacturer claims a weight the vehicle is more than capable of stopping with it.
 
Agree that not all vehicles are created equal. What sort of car is it?

Certainly if you do much hill work brakes will wear quicker and the clutch will be under more strain too...

But no reason why it shoudln't work.
 
The engine could do it but not repeatedly. You would kill the clutch too and they aren't cheap to fix. I wouldn't do it.
 
Black Beastie said:
Sigh. These towing limits set by the manufacturer are tested to the limit in order for them not to have the asses sued off them should anything happen. Towing over the limit specified is reckless, towing the recommended limit is safe as its been tested rigorously to that level so towing under it will be perfectly fine.

My 2l engined car has a 183hp so is perfectly capable of towing two horses up to 2200kgs. Sick of reading post of people knocking 200-500kgs off the manufacturers specs in order to keep it safe when there is no reason to. The specs are there for a reason if a car has a specific towing limit then the chassis and car has been tested as such and will not stretch or warp.
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This precisely!!
 
I think only one person suggested the truck might stretch! I think the only thing you do have to make allowance for is most people not actually knowing what their horses weigh.

As everyone else, it completely depends on what the rest of the vehicle is.
 
popsdosh said:
I think you need to check that . I know of no 7.5 tonne chassis with under a 5 litre
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This is what it says on all the paperwork I have for the lorry. It has been a horse box from new and I have all the paperwork.
Not sure how to check otherwise.
 
Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply. I was fairly confident when I bought the car that it would tow 2. Brand new Kia Sportage. (the torque is 373) but then a few people said that the engine needed to be bigger for that kind of towing, so I began to wonder if they were right.
 
Well, it's about within limits (provided you've weighed the horse and box total correctly) so why not give ti a go and see how it feels. If you're in hilly country, you may be pushing it too far....

But a clutch complete fitted by Kia would cost about £750, so not the end of the world (against taking a loss and buying a new car now) if it does give out...

Popsdosh, I hate to say.... Renault Midlum, 4116cc, 60mph at 1800rpm :)
 
I am starting to wonder the same. I have always been cautious of taking two (VW TIguan 4WD with 2000kg capacity) towing a 905kg trailer with 500kg horse. I put another similer sized horse on the other day and car felt no different. I just worry about towing close to my max limit but maybe that's silly!

Black Beastie said:
Sigh. These towing limits set by the manufacturer are tested to the limit in order for them not to have the asses sued off them should anything happen. Towing over the limit specified is reckless, towing the recommended limit is safe as its been tested rigorously to that level so towing under it will be perfectly fine.

My 2l engined car has a 183hp so is perfectly capable of towing two horses up to 2200kgs. Sick of reading post of people knocking 200-500kgs off the manufacturers specs in order to keep it safe when there is no reason to. The specs are there for a reason if a car has a specific towing limit then the chassis and car has been tested as such and will not stretch or warp.
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Michen said:
I am starting to wonder the same. I have always been cautious of taking two (VW TIguan 4WD with 2000kg capacity) towing a 905kg trailer with 500kg horse. I put another similer sized horse on the other day and car felt no different. I just worry about towing close to my max limit but maybe that's silly!
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that's very interesting Michen - maybe I should just bite the bullet and do it! after all its a brand new car so everything must be in tip top condition on it!
 
sultana said:
that's very interesting Michen - maybe I should just bite the bullet and do it! after all its a brand new car so everything must be in tip top condition on it!
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Mine is brand new also and a lease car so I don't particularly care if the clutch goes ;)
 
As long as the car is in good order ie gearbox okay, reg serviced with good brakes and tyres then it should be okay, your not up to the limit so you still have a bit to play with
 
The max towing capacity is set by the manufacturer who have done extensive testing to ensure the vehicle can cope - if that was not the case then hundreds if not thousands of drivers would be suing them in court !
 
turnbuckle said:
Well, it's about within limits (provided you've weighed the horse and box total correctly) so why not give ti a go and see how it feels. If you're in hilly country, you may be pushing it too far....

But a clutch complete fitted by Kia would cost about £750, so not the end of the world (against taking a loss and buying a new car now) if it does give out...

Popsdosh, I hate to say.... Renault Midlum, 4116cc, 60mph at 1800rpm :)
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The smallest they do now in that size range is 5l or 7l that must have been a right oddball as indeed you are aware. Still not getting down to 2.5l
Isuzu do have a 3l derivative of its 7.5t truck that is designed for city deliveries but a shopping trolley would out perform it out of town so maybe not for a conversion. All the rest of theirs start at 5.1 l
 
I'd try it cautiously and on local routes with level roads. Avoid tricky junctions with hill starts.

Bigger, heavier and beefier is best for towing as a general rule. I winged it for many years towing with various cars (Montego, Rover SD1, Peugeot 406 etc) and the improvement in overall stability since upgrading to a Shogun is incredible.

Re the tow limits. I'm afraid I take them with a pince of salt. Our gutless 1.4l petrol Clio, bought for the cheap insurance for our lads to learn to drive in, has a tow limit of 1200 kg. Would I put 8 bales of shavings in my Ifor 510, hitch it up to the Clio and then tow it at 60mph on the M6? Not a chance!
 
ROG said:
The max towing capacity is set by the manufacturer who have done extensive testing to ensure the vehicle can cope - if that was not the case then hundreds if not thousands of drivers would be suing them in court !
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you mean there is limited market for stretch 4x4s!? :D
 
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