What cheap & reliable 4x4 to tow a 2 1/2 ton horsebox?
Discussion
Hi all, not really an off roading thread but here goes.
I have a horse & i have a horsebox trailer but i need something cheap (£1500), economical, spacious (5 door) & reliable to tow it with.
Im guessing as the trailers gross weight is 2500kg & i'll at some point be pulling it across a soden field that my only option is a 4x4/off roader.
The shortlist seems to be:-
Frontera,
Discovery,
Range Rover,
Maverick,
Terrano II,
Hilux/surf/4-runner,
Shogun/Pajero,
Trooper,
Delica.
Have i missed any??
Id like for & against for each if poss.
Many thanks
CC
I have a horse & i have a horsebox trailer but i need something cheap (£1500), economical, spacious (5 door) & reliable to tow it with.
Im guessing as the trailers gross weight is 2500kg & i'll at some point be pulling it across a soden field that my only option is a 4x4/off roader.
The shortlist seems to be:-
Frontera,
Discovery,
Range Rover,
Maverick,
Terrano II,
Hilux/surf/4-runner,
Shogun/Pajero,
Trooper,
Delica.
Have i missed any??
Id like for & against for each if poss.
Many thanks
CC
sirhc said:
Hi all, not really an off roading thread but here goes.
I have a horse & i have a horsebox trailer but i need something cheap (£1500), economical, spacious (5 door) & reliable to tow it with.
Im guessing as the trailers gross weight is 2500kg & i'll at some point be pulling it across a soden field that my only option is a 4x4/off roader.
The shortlist seems to be:-
Frontera,
Discovery,
Range Rover,
Maverick,
Terrano II,
Hilux/surf/4-runner,
Shogun/Pajero,
Trooper,
Delica.
Have i missed any??
Id like for & against for each if poss.
Many thanks
CC
Research says max gross towing weights are:I have a horse & i have a horsebox trailer but i need something cheap (£1500), economical, spacious (5 door) & reliable to tow it with.
Im guessing as the trailers gross weight is 2500kg & i'll at some point be pulling it across a soden field that my only option is a 4x4/off roader.
The shortlist seems to be:-
Frontera,
Discovery,
Range Rover,
Maverick,
Terrano II,
Hilux/surf/4-runner,
Shogun/Pajero,
Trooper,
Delica.
Have i missed any??
Id like for & against for each if poss.
Many thanks
CC
Frontera 2400
Discovery 3500
Range Rover 3500
Maverick 1700
Terrano II 2800
Hilux/surf/4-runner 3500
Shogun/Pajero 3300(LWB)
Trooper 3300(LWB)
Delica Inconclusive but as its Pajero based about 3300.
I can speak for Landrovers where you can pick up a Disco or Range Rover Classic for that money and will tow no problems. They are cheap to maintain too, Worst problem will be rust, chassis or structural panels. You could get yourself a nice V8 on LPG but a diesel is more suited probably.
The Jap motors have a good reputation my only problem with them are the cost of spares.
Does your gross trailer weight include the weight of the horses, tack and other stuff?
for towing on a budget , landrover or range is the way to go, maybe not better or more powerfull than jap rival, however, you can get pads for a range rover for a tenner, i bought 3 steering ball joints for 15 quid brand new!! or should a diff let go its a fifty quider secondhand special, diff lets go on jap rival, you better brace youreself, i have had land rovers and mitsibushis etc, landies/rangies are just a mile cheaper to keep going, hope this is some help
Liszt said:
TVR Moneypit said:
If it aint got a green oval, it aint worth bothering with.
A bit elitist but I would narrow search to:Discovery
Range Rover
Shogun
Trooper
,
,
As the word "RELIABILITY" was uttered,
We should be be crossing off the Disco and the Rangy !
Toyota, love them or loath them.
[/quote]
Research says max gross towing weights are:
Frontera 2400
Discovery 3500
Range Rover 3500
Maverick 1700
Terrano II 2800
Hilux/surf/4-runner 3500
Shogun/Pajero 3300(LWB)
Trooper 3300(LWB)
Delica Inconclusive but as its Pajero based about 3300.
I can speak for Landrovers where you can pick up a Disco or Range Rover Classic for that money and will tow no problems. They are cheap to maintain too, Worst problem will be rust, chassis or structural panels. You could get yourself a nice V8 on LPG but a diesel is more suited probably.
The Jap motors have a good reputation my only problem with them are the cost of spares.
Does your gross trailer weight include the weight of the horses, tack and other stuff?
[/quote]
Thanks for the info but im confused as to why the diff tow weights for the Maverick & Torrano II??
Aint they the same vehicle with the badges swapped??
I was getting my info for the max towing weights from the tech sections on vehicles for sale on Autotrader. Is this not accurate?
The gross trailer weight is the max weight of the fully laden trailer (2500kg).
The unladen weight of my trailer is 1000kg.
The Disco has never really apealed to me & having peered in the back of a few they seem short on space behind the rear seats!?!?
Or do they come in different lengths cos the post 97 models seem to look longer behind the rear wheels??
Im sure for all you LR followers this may sound like a stupid question but what is the differance between a 200TDi & a 300TDi??
Heard reports that the Shogun/Pajero/Delica 2.5-2.8 diesels are quite thirsty, is this true?
Think im swayed towards a diesel, but not sure of the pros n cons of an auto or manual???
Id presume the autos are more juicey??
Many thanks
CC
P.s What about the Ssanyong Musso? Up side has a Merc diesel, down sides its not a turbo & other parts are tricky n expensive to get hold of.
True or false?
not going to infuluence you to a particular vehicle, but having towed a horsebox with several different cars/4x4's, do make sure that the vehicle you choos is substantial itself, a too light tow vehicle doesn't help the job run smoothly.
the only reason for choosing a 4x4 is to get you off those muddy showgrounds more easily: there are many cars that will tow far more economically and have more room in them!
each marque has its own merits/disadvantages, you will juast have to drive a few before you find the one that suits you.
the only reason for choosing a 4x4 is to get you off those muddy showgrounds more easily: there are many cars that will tow far more economically and have more room in them!
each marque has its own merits/disadvantages, you will juast have to drive a few before you find the one that suits you.
tazbabe said:
not going to infuluence you to a particular vehicle, but having towed a horsebox with several different cars/4x4's, do make sure that the vehicle you choos is substantial itself, a too light tow vehicle doesn't help the job run smoothly.
the only reason for choosing a 4x4 is to get you off those muddy showgrounds more easily: there are many cars that will tow far more economically and have more room in them!
each marque has its own merits/disadvantages, you will juast have to drive a few before you find the one that suits you.
Im happy to to be guided Tazbabe as only gettin a 4x4 cos i have to, not through choice.the only reason for choosing a 4x4 is to get you off those muddy showgrounds more easily: there are many cars that will tow far more economically and have more room in them!
each marque has its own merits/disadvantages, you will juast have to drive a few before you find the one that suits you.
Will b havin to replace the family Focus for it. So will be kissing goodbye to cornering, easy parking & 35+MPG
for none of the above
Towing with a Merc sprinter at the minute but its a work van n im dreading the day i get it stuck.
+ it only has 3 seats which is no good for a family of 4 n a dog
.Thats a lot of the reason i dint just buy a horsebox n be done with it.
CC
at your price disco will be a 200 or 300 tdi. The later being a later development. Both good enginei and simple. Should get 27-30 mpg. You can tweak fuel pump for a bit more go. Good for 250000 miles. Boot space is not bad. You have a lot of height rather than depth. Just need to learn how to pack it. Also cheap to insure
Still on the hunt for me 4x4.
Gonna up the budget now though as 1-2k is dog territoy
Looked at so far:-
K plate Trooper, rusty n things not working £1400.
M plate Discovery (test drove), sluggish & wallowy £2000.
K plate 3.0Litre 4-runner (test drove), lots of go but poor driving position £2250.
P reg Terrano II (test drove), bit of a dog, cracked windscreen, headlamp, elecy window not working, perfume da la anti freeze inside! £1500.
S reg Maverick (test drove) was best so far felt nice to drive but had strange cleaner applied to the rubber bumpers & suspect rust areas £3000.
V plate Daewoo Musso (test drove)was a bit low on quality n umph £2400 but would drop the price.
So the search goes on.
CC
Gonna up the budget now though as 1-2k is dog territoy
Looked at so far:-
K plate Trooper, rusty n things not working £1400.
M plate Discovery (test drove), sluggish & wallowy £2000.
K plate 3.0Litre 4-runner (test drove), lots of go but poor driving position £2250.
P reg Terrano II (test drove), bit of a dog, cracked windscreen, headlamp, elecy window not working, perfume da la anti freeze inside! £1500.
S reg Maverick (test drove) was best so far felt nice to drive but had strange cleaner applied to the rubber bumpers & suspect rust areas £3000.
V plate Daewoo Musso (test drove)was a bit low on quality n umph £2400 but would drop the price.
So the search goes on.
CC
I regularly tow horse trailer [Ifor 505] with two horses [warmblood 16.2hh] with my 1996 Terrano 11 2.7 SE TD lwb. Superb, hills no problem, goes forever, as economical as your going to get. Apparantly has same engine as London Gold taxi so good for a million miles. Owned mine for 7 years and spent money on it for the first time today, new tips on injectors. It has done 165,000 miles and never missed a beat, still running fair with knackered injectors. Was quoted only today by a leading company specialising in diesel repairs what fantastic engines they have. We also do the green laning thing with ours and it does its fair share on the land. Within the family also have Frontera 2.2 petrol, reliable tower, copes well enough but hills do tend to slow it up, and also have Discovery's good towers, parts are cheap, easy to find specialists for them but always need something doing which is great if you like aquainting yourself with them, but if you just want to load up and go I have no reason to not recommend the Terrano [IMO] that said there are good and bad in every model and I suppose another contributing factor is how they have been looked after previously!
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