We have always had a truck for travelling horses but now down to only one horse so a truck seems a bit over the top.What vehicle would you recommend for towing two horses,diesel or petrol,car or small truck. I don't really like the thought of downsizing as have never towed a horse float as we have always had trucks
jason_247,
Jun 22, 3:52am
We have a 2005 3.0 subaru outback. all we did was install a towbar and good trans cooler.
Tows great with a single horse even in a double float.
though we usually only go about 15kms at a time. Id be a little dubious on how much pressure the trans is under on long trips or with lots fo hills
3tomany,
Jun 22, 3:57am
how much do you want to spend? Ford ranger would be best
chas10,
Jun 22, 3:57am
Ford Ranger Diesel. I use mine for towing heavy trailers and its fantastic. Contrary to other comments on here mine is 6 speed manual and Ive had no problem with it being over geared.
mm12345,
Jun 22, 4:32am
Yo'll need a serious two vehicle for a tandem float. For the modern turbo-diesels, I'd get an auto these days. I hear too many horror stories with failed dual-mass flywheels / clutches when manual trucks have been used for heavy towing. It is not cheap to fix. You probably don't need 4WD, but most dual-cab 2WD utes have much lower tow rating than the 4WD versions, an exception being Mazda BT50 (including the older 3 litre diesel), and the new Navara.
bwg11,
Jun 22, 5:20am
Prado or Disco for me. Must be auto, talking to a friend 5 minutes ago, who has just replaced the clutch at 30k in his 2014 Hilux. I don't believe dual-mass flywheel will stand up to heavy towing with the power delivery of common rail diesels. I am making a assumption here, that the Hilux actually has a dual-mass flywheel.
midnight42,
Jun 22, 5:30am
Thanks for your help,need to sell the truck first,! That Landrover looks rather nice
tweake,
Jun 22, 5:44am
even for just two horse a truck is nice. handy to have somewhere to get out of the rain or camp in.
you can tow a horse float with a car but its probably not legal. we had a 2wd hilux tested towing the empty horse float, it almost failed the brake test !
i would get a 4wd. so much easier getting in/out of those wet paddocks. even the smaller trucks have trouble. avoid short wheel base.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 22, 5:48am
I would go VW Touareg or Landrover/Range Rover IF it's late enough to have tow stability control. Tow stability control is absolute gold for what you are doing and increases safety by a huge margin. Look it up on youtube and you will see the landrover video demonstrating it. The Touareg also has this feature.
A Touareg or Range Rover will also make for a very nice every day vehicle so you needn't have another car costing you money. In diesel they are very economical, safe, comfortable and well featured.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 22, 5:51am
Hilux's are a pathetic tow vehicle compared to what else is available, even in 4WD.
tamarillo,
Jun 22, 5:51am
Volvo XC70 will tow horse float very nicely, have 4 wd when needed, good ground clearance but not an SUV, and be a fantastically safe family car.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 22, 6:04am
So long as it doesn't have the Toyota subsidiary built 5 speed auto. Ruins the reliability of the whole car, especially when towing.
msigg,
Jun 22, 6:42am
Yes the late model trucks are a good option, the older landcruiser/prado combo are still the most common out there, something with a decent chassis is what you want, what do your friends use, look to whats out there doing the job now, that's your best bet. Take to other owners for their experiences, these keyboard warriors may lead you astray.
tweake,
Jun 22, 6:49am
how so? all the utes have roughly the same weight, braking, and wheelbase. its still going to be better than most of the cars people use which are lighter and smaller.
msigg,
Jun 22, 7:22am
Yes you are correct tweake, a good chassis is what you want, the trucks like Hilux are excellent, the Toyota has one of the best auto boxes ever made, the power is great, good truck, most of the other brands are also good, I used to tow with half the power these things had and still managed to get there with everyone else. "Horses for coarse's as they say".
tweake,
Jun 22, 7:47am
just having a look at the volvo above, i wouldn't write crossovers off. at 2 ton and over, they are not light. as long as wheelbase and tire size is ok and have a decent 4wd system they should be ok. they tend to drive onto the flat stuff anyway so don't really need the clearance the utes/suv have.
3tomany,
Jun 22, 8:21am
It is my understanding the Toyota hilux chassis and running gear can not tow the loads of the latest utes, they are just a pretender until maybe the new model ups the game.
two9s,
Jun 22, 8:54am
They want to tow a horse float, not spend their whole life with the car in the mechanics! (an ex three x Land Rover owner here)
brapbrap8,
Jun 22, 9:08am
As far as I know, all 2wd utes are rated to tow the same as their 4x4 counterparts, unless Toyota is the exception? Don't go for a Toyota OP, get something modern and nice to drive! Any of the vehicles mentioned here will do the job fine, and the Ford Ranger ute in automatic would definetly be my pick, we tow an 8m fibreglass hardtop boat with ours (3.5ton+).
mm12345,
Jun 22, 9:36am
No way. D40 Navara, VW Amarok, Hilux etc - most of the 2WD versions may be 2T rated, vs 3T+ for the 4WD versions. Mazda BT50 and the new Navara are exceptions.
ETA - some 2015 (old model) Hilux 2WD are 2750kg rated.
mm12345,
Jun 22, 9:55am
But for three decades, and with every new model though every new owner of the "English Patient" corporation, the same news comes out - "the reliability/quality issues of old are solved". If you want an Indian truck - buy a Mahindra.
mm12345,
Jun 22, 10:01am
. despite the fact that the Touareg and the Range Rover both feature at the very bottom of almost every long-term reliability survey published.
smallwoods,
Jun 22, 10:04am
Forget the rest, get a dodge, end of story. Also what ever you get to tow in the lighter utes, get electric brakes installed on the trailer. No getting the trailer jammed up your arse in the corners.
tweake,
Jun 22, 10:34am
nah just the D4 injector seals cause issues and the motor blows. but there is earlier models.
tweake,
Jun 22, 10:42am
the problem with trailer jamming up their arse is because people buy crappy under sized brakes. overrides work perfectly fine at that weight. just check the hydraulic dampener in them (they are better for horses than the spring ones) as they can fail. and brakes on both axles means the trailer won't lock up on the gravel or overheat the typically undersized brakes most have.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.