Talk to me about towing

[shittingthreeeyedraven]

What cars would people recommend to tow a doible trailer with at the mo, one smallish Shetland? Probably will have 2 ponies to tow in the next 5 years or so, but still ponies rather than warm bloods etc.
Does it HAVE to be a disco etc? Or do the smaller 4 wheel drives cope? I do a lot of miles commuting so if I can avoid anything too heavy and thirsty that would be great as I can’t afford to keep a car just to tow now and then.
Or, long shot but do places hire cars for towing??
No issues with the trailer and taking a test, and realistically wouldn’t be towing til next summer but I could do with a nee car this year so am starting to think ahead.

This is difficult. Small 4x4s aren’t up to the job & hence are not safe. I tow with a diesel Yeti, which can handle 2000kg. Tourans & Tiguans can, some Range Rovers, not all. Need to look at technical specs of the auto to find out. 4x4 is not essential, but very few non 4x4s have the power/torque

I have a kia sorento. I really like it. It would easily tow what you have said.

Be careful. Their are numerous models in all brands - different engine sizes, etc. There are at least 10 different variations on a Yeti, some can tow a horse + trailer, some cannot. I researched it & found that about half of the Range Rovers are underpowered for this.
Google 10 best towing cars or similar.

This is what worries me, that I’ll buy something assuming it can tow safely and the find out it can’t. Maybe I need to shelve the idea of towing for a bit, as I can’t really run a big 4x4 everyday at 40 miles commute round trip.

I suppose while the kids are little I’ll have to put up with hiring transport, it would just be so much easier if I had my own.
Thanks all

I tow with my Ssangyong Rexton. We have two onboard - a 15.2 and a 14.1 and it's got plenty of power and also plenty of boot space to put everything in. I also do the school run with the Rexton too and although it's a big car it's not as thirsty as my old Disco was. Having your own transport is definitely a game changer if you are wanting to get out and about and compete.

It’s about the weight of your trailer plus horses and your vehicles brake weight.

I think almost any car could tow a Shetland.
My SUV has a 1.5 tonne towing capacity and that would be fine for your current needs.

I towed two small horses with a freelander easily. I took my trailer to a local weigh bridge and had it replated - your car should be able to tow your trailers plate weight - that is the maximum load your trailer is capable of.

I think my ifor was 2.5 tonne original plate weight, but my car only had a towing capacity of 2 tonne. The trailer weighed 1 tonne so I knew I could tow two horses of 500kg or less.

If you have a big standard trailer (no mods) you can google it’s unlaiden weight. Then think about what you’re going to put in it and you have your figure and what you need your car to tow.

You do not need to run a massive disco for two small ponies!

I’ve just looked and even my husbands Audi A6 estate has 2 tonne towing capacity.

A Shetland weighs 300kg and an ifor 510 1tone. That’s 1.3, add a pony even up to 500kg (and that’s a small horse too) and you’re still below...

Thanks! I had the impression from here and elsewhere that a massive car was needed. I’ll have a look and see what I can come up with.

Sorry for jumping on your thread but I would like to tow, but ideally with a hybrid electric vehicle. The only ones I can see are very expensive. It seems as a general rule lots of the 4x4s are no longer suitable for towing.

@FreedomFromLockdown
I’ve done all the research on this, as we also wanted a hybrid or electric car for towing. Unfortunately the few that have the capacity are still super expensive.

We’ve ended up going for a Volvo XC60 D4, as it’s a very efficient Diesel engine, but has decent towing capacity (see my other post on this for numbers) for a single horse/ two ponies. We will carbon offset the mileage each year.

Hopefully in 5 years the technology will have come down in price, and there’ll be second hand hybrids on the market within our price bracket.

@fluffysocksgoodbookwine thank you, I had only had a quick look so wondered if I had missed something. It’s a shame it isn’t financially possible to do the right thing for the environment. My husband has an electric car and I envy him going out to a fully charged car every day whereas I have to plan in visits to the petrol station. Our nearest in 10 miles away and it’s always a special journey as I rarely go past.
As you say in 5 years the car market will have moved on and hopefully there will be more choice.

I’m surprised there isn’t a hybrid that can tow atleast whilst running on fuel and not a battery.

I’m sure the technology is around the corner!

@Shittingthreeeyedraven

Thanks! I had the impression from here and elsewhere that a massive car was needed. I’ll have a look and see what I can come up with.

I think people feel safe with a big car, but don’t actually look into the logistics and figures. Towing is all about weight!

DD tows a TB and a middleweight with her Tiguan in a new IW trailer which is lighter than the old IW. They researched before they bought and it tows 2.2 ton. There is very useful info on towing on one of the caravanning sites. Just remember it’s not just the trailer and ponies - remember to include tack, water etc. as this all adds up. I had a rav which towed 1600cwt so it was capable of towing the trailer and tb but even just with the trailer on it was pretty useless as too high geared. Before buying any thing I would do my research and read reviews as it’s a lot of money to get wrong.