Has anyone got a single trailer?

[Greyhorses]

Dreaming of options to get pony out one day

I have a small 4x4 but have never towed.

Can't afford the outlay of a 3.5t unless I buy one that's older than time itself.

Has anyone ever had an ifor 401 or similar? How did you find it to use especially if you go on your own?

Don't really have a use for a double trailer and I also think it may be easier to have the narrower one?

Thanks!

There are very few combinations you can tow with without doing your B & E. I looked into this extensively and there is a huge amount of information on the horse and hound forum.

It doesn’t matter about the weights, it is maximum authorised mass (MAM) of both your car and trailer together. So even if you downplate your trailer you still need to take into account the MAM of your car. The only ones I could find were a Skoda Octavia and a single trailer, think there is another but can’t remember. People will tell you alsorts but please be really careful with this as it catches people out. If you are towing and have an accident or anything you could be classed as driving without a licence.

I just ended up doing the B & E test and so much easier now.

If your car can tow 2.2 ton then you could just go for a double trailer. The Batesons are quite light and I really rate them. My car can tow 2ton and I have a Bateson and Just travel one with a full length breast bar.

Thankyou Hello- its HHO who have worked out the weights for me

I wish I could do the b&e but I don't think I would be able to do it in a million years! I can drive quite happily without pressure but had panic attacks in the driving tests and don't fancy that again!

That’s good to hear. It all gets very confusing. Horse and hound forum can be great for finding out what you need to know. There is a poster called ROG on there so if you’ve checked with him and he says it’s okay you should be onto a good one!

I put it off for ages and thought of every other way as I suffer really badly with anxiety. Sweat was pouring off my head when I did the test and I was shaking all the way through but managed to pass. I was practically crying at points. It doesn’t matter though as long as your driving is safe and you don’t make any major cock ups you should be okay. Hope you manage to do it one day. Makes your life so much easier x

If you don’t mind me asking as well what 4X4 do you have? I really couldn’t find any which could tow 2.2 ton along with even a single trailer downplated and still be light enough to tow without my B & E. My horse weighs around 550kgs x

It's a Tiguan, i can't remember the exact weight of the car but paired with a light trailer it means I could only travel a horse that weighed around 450-500kg to be legal so I don't think it would work for yours.

The Bateson derby trailer is only 670kg so that could have worked possibly with more room to spare than the ifor which is about 100kg heavier.

It was all worked out as okay on the towing thread which I was suprised at though!

Sorry as well sure you’re aware especially if youve been on HHO you can tow with L Plates without B & E on your licence as a provisional as long as you’ve someone in the passenger seat who passed their test before 97. They will have Grandad rights or, someone with their B & E (they’ve had to have held it for a certain amount of years and can’t remeber what but should be pretty easy to find). So even if they’ve never driven a trailer as long as they passed before 97 they have the full provision on their licence and as long as they are in the passenger seat you’re okay.

It might help to do this for a while if you do plan on doing your B & E to get some experience. I did this then did a short course with the test.

It’s daft really as my sister had the full provision automatically without doing the test yet I’m having to teach her how to tow/reverse etc.

That’s great then if you have a wee pony. It’s fab to have your own transport!

Have you looked at the Cheval trailers? I know they do a single and think it’s quite light. It has a front door.

Or you could always see what’s the difference a double Bateson is to the single and if you could get it downplated enough to still allow you to tow with just a B licence. Don’t know if this would be a possibility but something to look into. Double trailers are so much easier find. You could also make it lighter by taking the partition out and just using 2 full length breast bars. Bateson are really helpful if you email them with any questions.

Pony is around 420kg, she's a very small dales only around 13.2. There are pros to having a smaller one

So In total I would be towing somewhere around 1200kg give or take which is well within capacity of the car. I would only do short trips anyway so I'm not too worried about that aspect.

My dad has grandfather rights and I'm sure he would tow a fair amount of the time for me if I was too scared to go alone! I suppose it depends on how easy I find it and how well she travels. DH is never far away if im stuck however he has 0 interest in horses!

It's strange as my friend is rubbish at towing but has grandfather rights and is perfectly legal! I wish it wasn't an additional test though as I hate that sort of thing and it's the reason I want to go blow 10k on a lorry. It's daft though as it would just stand wasted for so much of the year probably rotting away and seizing up

I actually think the double Bateson is lighter than the single ifor...However it's only rear unload which I'm not sure would help with loading.

I've seen the cheval and Bateson online but never in the flesh so I need to find some to view (once I've saved up some money that is!)

The Bateson Deauville is a double with the front unload.

What’s the MAM of your car? The Deauville is 860kgs.

Why don’t you hire a trailer and have a go with your Dad sat with you towing and see how you find it. Some people find it okay some people just hate it. Be best to find out before you splash out on a trailer.

I really wanted a 3.5ton but just ridiculous prices for a decent one.

I have an ifor mare and foal ie single, it's internal width is only 35cm less than the regular double! So my mare loves it as she has lots of room.
I tow it with an old style kia sportage, 2l, max tow weight 2 tonnes.
Trailer weighs 770kg, mare 610kg, leaves me lots of wiggle room for water, tack etc in the car.
Tows fine, I use it at least twice a week, including a regular run up a 1 in 10 hill, fits anywhere where the car fits, and car does about 33-35 mpg on my day to day commute.
Of course i would love a little 3.5tonner but simply cannot afford one.

I will definitely be hiring before hand. It's impossible to hire singles just about but I am going to try it with some lessons.

Rosie that's the style I'm looking for! Did you find your mare was happy traveling alone and did you try her alone before you bought it?

Also do you have B&E?

She has only ever travelled alone so can't comment on that.
Am very old fart so did not need to do B and E.

I do have a sneaking feeling though that one of the reasons they are hard to find ( the ifors) is because they can be towed without B and E.

Most people I know didn't need b&e and manage fine without £500 worth of tests and lessons

I could tow a 401 or Bateson without the b&e as my pony is small and light and my car is also light enough however it would limit me to going everywhere alone.