advice jeep

maesdavid

i need a jeep to pull a horse box any advise i have around 5k to spend i have a citroen c4 coupe that i need to sell or should i buy an audi a4 diesel four wheel drive ???

granturismo

Have you 5K in cash plus the trade in value of the C4?

What are you going to tow - pony or horse - 1 or 2.

Plenty of threads on this issue plus the driving license.

License;
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056372153

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68092194

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58165366

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=65172113

For Fits' link to parkers vehicle towing specs;
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=62519709

I hope to have the same quandary next year.

twomeys

I wouldnt pull a horse box with any car personally. The Gardai are going to be coming down hard over the coming years on cars pulling boxes and also about the fact that most people don't have a licence to pull a horse box!!!

For 5k you'll get a smashing Pajero or Landcruiser. Ive used both. The Land Cruiser pulls better and is stronger but we kept the Auto Pajero cause is was smoother on the Horses and they travelled more comfortably with it. Both are very reliable and easy to maintain.

Here is some info on trailers that may be worth reading before you purchase any vehicle:

What are the Trailer Regulations?

All trailers used in Ireland's public spaces must meet with Irish road safety regulations. They set out rules for trailers' weight, lights, brakes, plating, under-run, side-guards, securing of loads, etc.

There are three main pieces of legislation:

• Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations as amended—outlines the maximum weight and dimensions for trailers
• Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations as amended—outlines the braking requirements for trailers
• Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations as amended—outlines the lighting requirements for trailers

Which trailers have to follow these regulations?

All trailers must follow these regulations, but there are specific rules for the driving licence you must have and the brakes your trailer must have depending on trailer type. Trailers are classified by their weight when they are carrying a load, which is called the Design Gross Vehicle Weight (DGVW) or maximum mass.
Trailer categories:

• O1 Trailers = DGVW less than 0.75 tonnes. This includes small car trailers.
• O2 Trailers = DGVW between 0.75 and 3.5 tonnes. This includes larger trailers, horseboxes and most caravans.
• O3 Trailers = DGVW between 3.5 and 10 tonnes.
• O4 Trailers = DGVW over 10 tonnes. This includes heavy trailers and articulated or semi-trailers.

Driving Licence requirements

The licence required will depend on what type of towing vehicle you are driving, i.e., whether you are using a car, a truck or a bus.

Towing an O1 or an O2 trailer with a car, 4x4 or a small van

With an ordinary category B licence, a person can

• tow a trailer of up to 0.75 tonnes DGVW, with a vehicle with a DGVW of up to 3.5 tonnes and seating for up to eight passengers (apart from the driver). The combination weight cannot exceed 4.25 tonnes.
• tow a trailer exceeding 0.75 tonnes DGVW, provided that the DGVW of the trailer does not exceed the un-laden weight of the towing vehicle, and the maximum combination weight does not exceed a total of 3.5 tonnes.

With an EB licence, a person can

• tow a trailer exceeding 0.75 tonnes DGVW, with a vehicle with a DGVW of up to 3.5 tonnes and seating for up to eight passengers (apart from the driver) provided that the manufacturer’s rated towing capacity for the towing vehicle is not exceeded.

For towing O3 and O4 trailers

The licence required will depend on what type of vehicle is being used and the trailer size.
Brake requirements

For O1 Trailers (DGVW not exceeding 0.75 tonnes)

O1 trailers with a single axle are not obliged to have brakes provided that their DGVW is less than half the DGVW of the towing vehicle.
O1 trailers that have a DGVW greater than half of the DGVW weight of the towing vehicle or that have two or more axles must have brakes fitted.


For O2 Trailers (DGVW between 0.75 & 3.5 tonnes)

All O2 trailers must also have brakes fitted. The braking system must include a parking brake.
If the O2 trailer does not have an automatic breakaway device that activates its brakes should it become detached from the vehicle, then it must be fitted with a secondary coupling consisting of a chain or wire rope.


For O3 & O4 Trailers (DGVW exceeding 3.5 tonnes)

O3 & O4 trailers must be

• licenced for use on the public road.
• plated and undergo an annual roadworthiness test.
• fitted with brakes, a secondary or emergency brake and a parking brake, all of which are checked during the roadworthiness test.

Further details are available in the HGV Test Manual. (Link to HGV Manual)
What you can do to improve safety

Make sure that your vehicle and trailer (and all parts and equipment):

• are in good working order and correctly maintained
• are used safely and won't harm anyone
• are able to carry the load

Make sure that the load you are carrying:

• does not affect the stability of the vehicle or the trailer
• is securely attached to the vehicle or trailer

It is your responsibility to know the capacity and the limits of your vehicle, tow hitch and trailer and to make sure that you never operate beyond these.

• Please consult your owner’s handbook for all the details on your vehicle's towing limits. Many vehicles will have a higher towing capacity/limit for a trailer fitted with brakes and a far lower capacity/limit if towing a trailer without brakes.
• As a driver you are legally required to never exceed the manufacturers' design specifications for the car, the tow hitch or the trailer.

Future Trailer Regulations

Starting in 2012, all trailers will be required to comply with European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) and its related approval schemes. ECWVTA will test trailers on brakes, lighting, coupling devices, etc. A trailer must pass these tests before it can enter the European fleet or enter into service on Irish roads.
There are also new national schemes to approve trailers: both those manufactured in low volume in Ireland, and for trailers manufactured or imported individually.


Regards,

Eoghan

MidlandsM

Kia Sorento 2.5td.......great, relaible, cheap tow 4x4.

job done.

maesdavid

how about a subaru forester

maesdavid

whats the tax and insurance like on the sorento

MidlandsM

maesdavid wrote: »

whats the tax and insurance like on the sorento

same as any 2.5cc vehicle, round €900 or 1k ish a year.
If you buy a commercial one and have a vat reg no, company no or have a herd no if you or your other half was a farmer, it'd be €288 per annum.

if you need seats for passengers, consider a crewcab.

charlieIRL

i use a nissan xtrail to pull our box. 90% of the time its just pulling with one pony in it. Perfect for the job and not too hard on diesel.

I'd only buy a pre 04 one though - later ones suffered turbo failure on nearly all of them.

melsk1

MidlandsM wrote: »

Kia Sorento 2.5td.......great, relaible, cheap tow 4x4.

job done.

MidlandsM: Do you use your Kia for 2 large horses and a large ifor trailer? I'm interested to know as also looking into other jeeps...

Thanks!

MidlandsM

melsk1 wrote: »

MidlandsM: Do you use your Kia for 2 large horses and a large ifor trailer? I'm interested to know as also looking into other jeeps...

Thanks!

I used to tow a large towvan with mine and a 16ft williams and mini digger, no bothers to it.

I have an X5 now, and the kia was a better tow vehicle.

The kia is a much over looked 4x4, but very capable. They're cheap now, get one with all the kit, leathers etc, and they're decent inside (for a korean):D

make sure trhe 4x4 system works, the turbo pulls well and no oil leaks, if your going for an auto, make sure it goes thru' the gears right.

JDPhotography

Land cruiser
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2611982

Pajero
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/commercials/2640422


two great work horses

melsk1

You could get a Landrover Discovery TD5 for under 5K- probably around 10 or maybe less years old.
Fantastic towing jeeps. I use mine to two two large horses in 510 ifor williams. no probs.

maesdavid

how about a mitsubishi outlander or nissan xtrail or subaru forester for pulling horse boxes

fits

towing specs for all can be seen on parkers.co.uk. They need to have greater towing capacity than the payload of the trailer they're towing which would be about 2200kg for an IW 505.

silverfox88

Have a 2.0 litre diesel one of these, and there are three others in my yard as well used for pulling horses between 15.2 and 17.2.

Really wouldnt advise using a car for pulling, also as far as I'm aware its illegal now? (Could be wrong on this but I'm pretty sure!)

Tax on mine is around 650 per year, and I spend about €40 a week on diesel (and I do a lot of driving) and then a bit more if I'm going to a show. Has pulled my 15.2 sport horse mare no bother and I've also pulled two 15.2's and you literally barely feel the box on the jeep. A friend of mine also owns one and has pulled her big 16.2 and another big horse as well, and she competes regularly and has had her Santa Fe nearly 9 years now.

Most Santa Fe's take generic parts as well, so they're cheap to fix if anything does go wrong. Got 4 new tyres recently for mine and was pleasantly surprised as well at the price!
this one is less than 5k, have seen a few others as well that are in around that price range. Diesels seem to be harder to get and seem to be snapped up quickly as well.
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Hyundai/Santa-Fe/5DR-51/1213274197010380/advert?channel=CARS

Eshaness

I wouldn't recommend using anything less than 2.5l engine, or one that has significant torque and decent body weight, unless you're just towing one pony. I've a 2l suzuki grand vitara at the moment and it does the job fine with one horse- wouldn't dream of putting two horses behind it- trailer could end up pushing the car around once you drive up and down any steep hills. If you have the option of paying motor tax commercially, get one of the big workhorse vehicles named above- izuzu's , pajero's, landcruisers.
you don't want to take risks either with your horses, or on the road- best to have the power and a bit more to get out of trouble.

silverfox88

I do agree with Eshaness - I know I said in above post that the 2.0 I have CAN pull two, and I've done it a few times and seen others doing it, but personally I try to avoid pulling more than one horse. Went for the 2.0 because its cheaper for tax/insurance/fuel, but I hadnt intended it to be for pulling more than one horse at a time. That said, I dont agree with it only be capable of pulling one pony, its a fairly substantial jeep! It has a braked towing capacity of 2000kg, so its perfectly capable of pulling a 505 with one decent sized horse or two ponies. Obviously you're better off to err on the side of caution and not load up towing to max capacity, but you're clearly not going to pile two 17.2's into a 510 on the back of a 2.0 litre jeep

Eshaness

I probably wasn't clear in my earlier post- I meant that your average 2 litre is suitable for one horse, but it really depends on the vehicle. A suzuki (what i have), tho' the same engine size; is lighter than the santa fe- it can cope with one horse (all journeys), or two ponies (once there's no steep hills). Having towed up into the wicklow mtns the engine has struggled with one full size horse behind when we hit any steep inclines- foot to the floor and only reaching at 20mph! The santa fe is a bit bigger and heavier, but again, when i have to replace what i have, I'll be looking for something more powerful than both from a safety point of view and also to have the option of bringing a friend!