Which tow vehicle ? 3 ton plant trailer
Discussion
As the topic title really 
I'll only be doing about £4k miles towing, but it'll need a decent amount of grunt on account of how heavy the trailer is. According to the lovely VOSA website I can't use a van as it's a commercial vehicle but dual purpose vehicles are OK (more research may be required, I shall probably use the van a few times in the first instance)
I saw a Mitubushi Delica and thought that might do the job, certainly got a better rep than the Hi-Lux's etc of a similar age and price (£3k ish) plus it's a much more usefull vehicle
Other hair brained ideas included putting a truck engine in a land rover 101 but might save that for a winter project
Any ideas ??
I'll only be doing about £4k miles towing, but it'll need a decent amount of grunt on account of how heavy the trailer is. According to the lovely VOSA website I can't use a van as it's a commercial vehicle but dual purpose vehicles are OK (more research may be required, I shall probably use the van a few times in the first instance)
I saw a Mitubushi Delica and thought that might do the job, certainly got a better rep than the Hi-Lux's etc of a similar age and price (£3k ish) plus it's a much more usefull vehicle
Other hair brained ideas included putting a truck engine in a land rover 101 but might save that for a winter project
Any ideas ??
Ta, I've towed big stuff with a disco before and to be honest, it's doable but not a pleasant experience. I don't know if the medium wheelbase (100) or the long overhang (or the awful trailer) was the problem but it seemed much better with a 110. The trouble is the 2.5 (200 or 300 tdi) is a bit low on grunt. That price Rangy is going to be a petrol and running cost would be ludicrous
The Mitsa-gypsy is on the short list and why I quite fancied the Delica. It's effectively a Shogun with a day van body on it.
Trawling the net and finding really good deals on lease stuff, which is a possibility. But obviously it's money I'm not going to get back
Yes £3k is pretty much the limit
Hmmmm
The Mitsa-gypsy is on the short list and why I quite fancied the Delica. It's effectively a Shogun with a day van body on it.
Trawling the net and finding really good deals on lease stuff, which is a possibility. But obviously it's money I'm not going to get back
Yes £3k is pretty much the limit
Hmmmm
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-FORD-EXPLORER-4-0-V...
The money you save buying it you can spend on fuel
Or I think there is a diesel version
Ohh theres an LPG one for under £1k, might need a headlight and a hammer.
The money you save buying it you can spend on fuel
Or I think there is a diesel version
Ohh theres an LPG one for under £1k, might need a headlight and a hammer.
Edited by s p a c e m a n on Wednesday 13th March 18:36
A Discovery would be a good choice in my experience for 3+ tonne trailers. The newer the vehicle the better it copes of course, the TD5 is very capable but the newer D4 has a lot of fancy electronics to stop snaking. A 110 is ok, but they're very rough to drive and spend any time in, noisy to boot as well. Don't forget you'll need a tacho.
Incorrigible said:
The Mitsa-gypsy is on the short list and why I quite fancied the Delica. It's effectively a Shogun with a day van body on it.
True, but it's a previous gen shogun with a van body on it. Where are you getting your info that you can tow 3t with a Delica? The shogun it's based on can't.I have a slightly newer shogun than this (same mechanical spec), and it tows really well. Plenty of power, great auto box, very stable. Short of a landcruiser, I wouldn't want anything else.
Re tacho: towing plant as part of your business you don't need a tacho unless you're towing with a commercial vehicle according to the VOSA website.
I have access to a LWB sprinter and that tows the trailer fine
If you're charging for transport then you need a tacho (as long as the rig is over 3.5 tons plated) as I understand it. Look up towing with dual purpose vehicles on VOSA. They use a bloke towing a mini digger as an example. Prepared to be put right on any of this BTW
I think I'll borrow a Disco and try it again, but the last one I tried really wasn't very nice at all, to the point where I'd prefer a 110 even on a 150 mile journey
Thanks again for all your advice
I have access to a LWB sprinter and that tows the trailer fine
If you're charging for transport then you need a tacho (as long as the rig is over 3.5 tons plated) as I understand it. Look up towing with dual purpose vehicles on VOSA. They use a bloke towing a mini digger as an example. Prepared to be put right on any of this BTW
I think I'll borrow a Disco and try it again, but the last one I tried really wasn't very nice at all, to the point where I'd prefer a 110 even on a 150 mile journey
Thanks again for all your advice
Ben, think you have mixed up tacho & O licence rules. Tacho still needed for Commercial towing with a dual purpose veh unless one of the exemptions applies, its O licence that if used for hire & reward it can do without- IF 4x4 under 2040kg unladen, however thats an old reg & very few 4x4 nowadays that can tow 3t+ are under that.
As per vosa guide, If for use in your own busines & not hire & reward & its a van towing still don't need an 0 assuming trailer sub 1050kg unladen.
As per vosa guide, If for use in your own busines & not hire & reward & its a van towing still don't need an 0 assuming trailer sub 1050kg unladen.
Yeah, probably, it's so f
g confusing
Although ULW of some crew cabs comes in under 2.2tonne (at least the old stuff I've been looking at)
Latest thing I read, is about designated HGV which don't fall foul of O licence stuff. Basically if you're taking your own kit somewhere to do a job, but not transporting hire or reward. The key point seems to be if the vehicle is specifically designed and only used for that purpose. How you prove that I've no idea
Running a tacho isn't a problem if I have to, but jumping through O licence hoops just to take a trailer out 10 times a year is a right PITA
I might just get you to do it
g confusingAlthough ULW of some crew cabs comes in under 2.2tonne (at least the old stuff I've been looking at)
Latest thing I read, is about designated HGV which don't fall foul of O licence stuff. Basically if you're taking your own kit somewhere to do a job, but not transporting hire or reward. The key point seems to be if the vehicle is specifically designed and only used for that purpose. How you prove that I've no idea
Running a tacho isn't a problem if I have to, but jumping through O licence hoops just to take a trailer out 10 times a year is a right PITA
I might just get you to do it
A good friend of mine does a lot of towing. He has used an L200 a lot. His business grew and he bought a stretched artic with a low loader body on it. He still as the L200 but also has 2 7.5 tonners. They are really cheap to buy and cheaper to run than a pickup is when you start towing with them. He has a restricted O license as he only hauls his own gear.
Incorrigible said:
Yeah, probably, it's so fg confusing
Although ULW of some crew cabs comes in under 2.2tonne (at least the old stuff I've been looking at)
Latest thing I read, is about designated HGV which don't fall foul of O licence stuff. Basically if you're taking your own kit somewhere to do a job, but not transporting hire or reward. The key point seems to be if the vehicle is specifically designed and only used for that purpose. How you prove that I've no idea
Running a tacho isn't a problem if I have to, but jumping through O licence hoops just to take a trailer out 10 times a year is a right PITA
I might just get you to do it
there aren't really any useful o licence exemptions. What you're talking about still requires a restricted licence, which is not quite as stringent as a national or international license. g confusingAlthough ULW of some crew cabs comes in under 2.2tonne (at least the old stuff I've been looking at)
Latest thing I read, is about designated HGV which don't fall foul of O licence stuff. Basically if you're taking your own kit somewhere to do a job, but not transporting hire or reward. The key point seems to be if the vehicle is specifically designed and only used for that purpose. How you prove that I've no idea
Running a tacho isn't a problem if I have to, but jumping through O licence hoops just to take a trailer out 10 times a year is a right PITA
I might just get you to do it
There are some tacho exemptions, but unless you're 100% sure you're within an exemption, safest bet is to use tachos.
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