Car transporter trailer advice.
Discussion
I am looking to buy a suitable vehicle to tow a car transporter trailer (which i will also be looking to buy).
I was using the premise, if the trailer + car & equipmemt weighed in at a max of 1.5t then I could consider large estates or SUV's with towing capacities of say 1800 to 2000 kg, I dont have to worry about license restrictions as im an old bloke.
However, whilst doing my reserch I spoke to a trailer hire company, to enquire about trailer weights and was told regardless of the weight of trailer or car on it, I must use a vehicle capable of towing 3.5t minimum.
Is this correct?
Any help would be appriciated.
I was using the premise, if the trailer + car & equipmemt weighed in at a max of 1.5t then I could consider large estates or SUV's with towing capacities of say 1800 to 2000 kg, I dont have to worry about license restrictions as im an old bloke.
However, whilst doing my reserch I spoke to a trailer hire company, to enquire about trailer weights and was told regardless of the weight of trailer or car on it, I must use a vehicle capable of towing 3.5t minimum.
Is this correct?
Any help would be appriciated.
What a load of nonsense from the hire company.
Assuming your licence allows you to tow the weight then so long as your car can tow the weight then that's fine.
However you may like to have enough grunt to pull the trailer as that'll make things more pleasant when driving.
There's more to the above and I'm sure there's a sticky somewhere with more info
Assuming your licence allows you to tow the weight then so long as your car can tow the weight then that's fine.
However you may like to have enough grunt to pull the trailer as that'll make things more pleasant when driving.
There's more to the above and I'm sure there's a sticky somewhere with more info
As Trevor says the hire company is talking crap and you'll be limited on vehicles that'll tow 3.5 tons anyway, Land Rovers, big Landcruisers and Shoguns and that's about it. You need to find something that has a towing capacity for the weight you want to tow, it doesn't have to be for the plated weight of the trailer, so you could for instance tow a trailer plated to say 3500kg max with a car that'll only legally tow 1800kg provided the actual weight doesn't go over 1800kg
I used to tow my race car and trailer (about 1600kg) with a Monedeo diesel effortlessly but any vehicle in that sort of class or bigger will fit the bill, the only downside is they are nearly all FWD which can be a pain to pull away in the wet. Also ignore all the doom mongerers that prattle on about the 85% rule.
I used to tow my race car and trailer (about 1600kg) with a Monedeo diesel effortlessly but any vehicle in that sort of class or bigger will fit the bill, the only downside is they are nearly all FWD which can be a pain to pull away in the wet. Also ignore all the doom mongerers that prattle on about the 85% rule.
Edited by jagracer on Sunday 23 August 09:17
You don't need this but if I were buying a towing car right now then I'd be wanting something like 530D Touring. There are plenty of other cars out there (I'm actually considering the Volvo V70 2.4D for £2-3k) but that's an example of what I'd consider to be a good towing car.
My current Volvo V40 1.6D can legally tow my racing car plus trailer but it really does struggle when I also have a boot full of gear.
My current Volvo V40 1.6D can legally tow my racing car plus trailer but it really does struggle when I also have a boot full of gear.
GAjon said:
I was using the premise, if the trailer + car & equipmemt weighed in at a max of 1.5t then I could consider large estates or SUV's with towing capacities of say 1800 to 2000 kg
The important figure's the MAM, not the actual kerb weight.A 2t-MAM trailer might only weigh 500kg empty, but that doesn't mean you could tow it empty behind something with a sub-ton towing limit.
If their rentatrailers are 3.5t MAM, then they're right about needing a big 4x4.
TooMany2cvs said:
The important figure's the MAM, not the actual kerb weight.
A 2t-MAM trailer might only weigh 500kg empty, but that doesn't mean you could tow it empty behind something with a sub-ton towing limit.
If their rentatrailers are 3.5t MAM, then they're right about needing a big 4x4.
Not true and I'm sure Rog will be along soon to confirm...or of course put me in my place if he thinks I'm wrong.A 2t-MAM trailer might only weigh 500kg empty, but that doesn't mean you could tow it empty behind something with a sub-ton towing limit.
If their rentatrailers are 3.5t MAM, then they're right about needing a big 4x4.
rewc said:
The OP said "if the trailer + car & equipmemt weighed in at a max of 1.5t then I could consider large estates or SUV's with towing capacities of say 1800 to 2000 kg"
I can't see anything wrong with that. Under what circumstances would it be a problem?
All he needs is something with a towing capacity of at least 1500kg regardless of the plated weight (MAM) of the trailer.I can't see anything wrong with that. Under what circumstances would it be a problem?
My father drove across much of Europe some years ago with a great big american caravan which I forget the name of, he wasted far too much time, effort and money fixing many 4x4 vehicles he had bought including the Range Rover which gave him grief, broke down, or were just too damn thirsty to run over the long distances involved, before he finally bit the bullet and invested in a used Toyota Land Cruiser diesel, which totally transformed the whole travel experience. No more break-downs, decent fuel economy, fantastic visibility, and no wagging of the tail.
Just do yourself a favour and buy a diesel Land Cruiser, it's not the fastest vehicle in the world, but towing a trailer you are speed limited anyway.
Just do yourself a favour and buy a diesel Land Cruiser, it's not the fastest vehicle in the world, but towing a trailer you are speed limited anyway.
What type of vehicle are you planning to put on the trailer OP?
Not many modern-ish cars are less than 1000kgs so you may struggle getting the total weight under 1500kgs.
Most MPVs have quite high maximum tow weight limits.
Our Alhambra (03 reg 1.9Tdi 130) had a towing limit of 2000kgs.
We towed a caravan with a max weight of 1500kgs and it coped really well.
Not many modern-ish cars are less than 1000kgs so you may struggle getting the total weight under 1500kgs.
Most MPVs have quite high maximum tow weight limits.
Our Alhambra (03 reg 1.9Tdi 130) had a towing limit of 2000kgs.
We towed a caravan with a max weight of 1500kgs and it coped really well.
In general, the heavier the tow vehicle, the more stable the rig will be - with less chance of the tail wagging the dog. But then you need more power to compensate. My Range Rover Sport has been a fantastic, effortless and totally reliable tow vehicle frequently pulling about 2 tonnes. You do need to be able to put up with the occasional negative comment from people who are either ignorant, prejudiced or jealous, but then I guess that applies to pretty much any vehicle ;-)
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