Towing 4 tonne

I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would really like
to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?

If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of towing
3500Kg and which ones are any good.

Thanks

Jon

J A Kirby wrote:
>
> I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would really like
> to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
>
> If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of towing
> 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jon

Absolutely. You want one of these

http://www.unimogs.co.uk/showallstock.asp?Submit1=View+Unimogs

They are very good. Only get to borrow one rather than own one, but will
do what you want no problem.

"J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would really like
> to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
>
> If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of towing
> 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jon
>
>

Several machines are claimed by their manufacturers to be capable of this. I
am sure thye are, but for how long? The Unimog mentioned elsewhere will do
it, but perhaps a lorry might be better, designed for the load.
Range rovers are regularly used by the Police to haul heavy lorries onto the
hard shoulder when broken down, but they don't have to pay the repair bills.
A contact actually used his Rangie to plough fields in low transfer, but the
strain messed up his gearbox bigtime. As I said above, maybe better to use a
vehicle designed for the job.

roddytoo wrote:
>
> "J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would really like
> > to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
> >
> > If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of towing
> > 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Jon
> >
> >
>
> Several machines are claimed by their manufacturers to be capable of this. I
> am sure thye are, but for how long? The Unimog mentioned elsewhere will do
> it, but perhaps a lorry might be better, designed for the load.
> Range rovers are regularly used by the Police to haul heavy lorries onto the
> hard shoulder when broken down, but they don't have to pay the repair bills.
> A contact actually used his Rangie to plough fields in low transfer, but the
> strain messed up his gearbox bigtime. As I said above, maybe better to use a
> vehicle designed for the job.

A Landcruiser 100 will definitely do it, as I dare say will a Rangey,
but I'm pretty sure you're limited to towing 3.5 tons with a PLG
registered vehicle in the UK.

On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 13:19:15 +0000 (UTC), "J A Kirby"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would really like
>to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
>
>If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of towing
>3500Kg and which ones are any good.

Here is a 1998 list, posted on an equestrian group, IIRC from an
original published by indespesion. You can only legally tow 3.5 tonnes
on overrun brakes, even then you may be liable for operators license
and almost certainly tacho regs if commercial activity. The LR
products need a braking kit to work in conjunction with the service
brake for 4tonnes.

Braked trailer
Ford Mondeo 1.8 930Kg
Daihatsu Fourtrak 2.8DL 3500 Kg
Ford Scorpio 2.9 Auto Est 1235 Kg
Isuzu Trouper all models 3000 Kg
Citroen BX 1.9TXD 835 Kg
BMW 316i Saloon 955 Kg
Audi 100 2.0E 1125 Kg
Audi Quattro 2.8E 1275 Kg
BMW 525i 1250 Kg
Land Rover 110 2.5TDI 4000 Kg
Discovery V8i 4000 Kg
Range Rover all models 4000 Kg
Mazda 626 2.0i 1025 Kg
Mercedes 190 E 990 Kg
Mercedes 250 D 1175 Kg
Mercedes 300 TD 1325 Kg
Mitsubishi Galant 2.0i 1045 Kg
Nissan Primera 2.0i 975 Kg
Peugot 405 1.8i 930 Kg
Renault 19 1.8 955 Kg
Renault Espace 2.0i 1120 Kg
Renault Espace V6 1180 Kg
Rover 418 SLD 985 Kg
Rover 620i 1065 Kg
Rover 820i 1135 Kg
Rover 827i 1205 Kg
Saab 9000 2.0i 1110 Kg
Subaru Legacy 2.0i 1080 Kg
Toyota Landcruiser all models 3500 Kg
Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0i 980 Kg
Vauxhall Carlton 2.0i 1115 Kg
Frontera all models 2000 Kg
Monterey (Isuzu) 3000 Kg
Volvo 850 Est 2.0 1235 Kg
Volvo 850 Est 2.5 1240 Kg
Volkswagen Passat Est 1000 Kg
Commercials
Train weight
Ford Transit most models 3000 - 5000 Kg
Vauxhall Midi most models 3500 Kg
Volkswagen LT28 5180 Kg
Volkswagen LT35 5500 Kg
Volkswagen Transporter 4500 Kg
Toyota Hiace 1800 Kg
Vauxhall Brava pickup 2.2D 3495 Kg

roddytoo wrote:
> "J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would
>> really like to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this
>> legally?
>>
>> If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of
>> towing 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Jon
>>
>>
>
> Several machines are claimed by their manufacturers to be capable of
> this. I am sure thye are, but for how long? The Unimog mentioned
> elsewhere will do it, but perhaps a lorry might be better, designed
> for the load. Range rovers are regularly used by the Police to haul
> heavy lorries onto the hard shoulder when broken down, but they don't
> have to pay the repair bills. A contact actually used his Rangie to
> plough fields in low transfer, but the strain messed up his gearbox
> bigtime. As I said above, maybe better to use a vehicle designed for
> the job.

The Land Rover warranty covers a LR for towing up to and including the
maximum allowed weight as often as you like. Many farmers do so regularly.
The vehicle is up to it or LR's lawyers would downgrade it - it is
invariably the driver, not the vehicle that cannot cope. My personal towing
rule is that whenever the trailer weighs more than the tow vehicle, I do not
exceed 40mph. Never had a problem in nearly 20 years.

--
Julian
---------
= Pretentious Sig required =

"J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would
really like
> to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
>
> If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of
towing
> 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jon
>
>

I tow an Ifor Williams 16ft triple axle cattle and 16ft twin axle drop
side trailer so one of them sometimes weighs around five tons [on
private roads of course] when fully loaded. The Land Rover 110 and
Land Cruiser Amazon have no particular difficulty handling this load
at up to 30mph. Up to 3.5 tons and 40mph, then my personal favourites
are the Discovery with uprated rear springs and the Isuzu Trooper five
door, which is a surprisingly good tow vehicle. The caveat with the
Trooper is that, due to the nature of the load carried, the drawbar
vertical load is sometimes exceedingly high, and the Trooper rubber
helper springs/bump stops tend to break off at regular intervals.
Land Rover 90 or 110 is a great towing vehicle and the utility along
with the towing limit is why it is so popular. Almost all of the new
fangled crew-cab pick-up trucks have towing limits of less than 3.0
tons. Without four or five 50kg bags in the back, I would hesitate to
tow more than 2.5 tons with any of them.


You should know that 3.5 tons is the maximum allowable towed load in
the UK unless coupled [air, vacuum or hydraulic] trailer breaks are
used. Also, anyone taking their driving test after a certain date
[1998?] needs to take a supplementary towing test to gain a valid
towing license for a load grater than the towing vehicle, and that a
tachograph has to be installed and used, along with all records and
rules, unless the towing is for an exempt purpose.

I would not regard anything without a chassis as ideal for towing, if
only because all the bangs and noises associated with big, heavy
trailers come straight through to the cabin. My X5 BMW can tow up to
three tons but I draw the line at two and towing an empty trailer is
exceedingly noisy compared to proper four wheel drive vehicles. I
cannot comment on the chassis-less Range Rover because I have not
towed with one yet.

Huw


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In message <[email protected]>, Andrew Heggie
<[email protected]> writes

>Here is a 1998 list, posted on an equestrian group, IIRC from an
>original published by indespesion. You can only legally tow 3.5 tonnes
>on overrun brakes, even then you may be liable for operators license
>and almost certainly tacho regs if commercial activity. The LR
>products need a braking kit to work in conjunction with the service
>brake for 4tonnes.

As I have stated before my 110 Defender is 'plated' at 8.5 tons, 'BUT'
it is fitted with a vacuum braking system and unless you are prepared
for the repair bill if anything goes wrong with it, stay clear!

--
Graham Jones

J A Kirby posted ...

> I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would really
> like to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
>
> If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of towing
> 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jon

A lot would depend upon how far and how regularly you tow. Maybe the 'best'
option would be a 'proper' truck, with a suitable body style and load
carrying capacity.

Otherwise almost any Landrover product, but not Freelander, with a linked
braking system. ie the trailer uses electronically controlled brakes,
linked to the vehicle braking system, normally very simple via the brake
light circuitry ..


--
Paul

"Graham Jones" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In message <[email protected]>, Andrew
Heggie
> <[email protected]> writes
>
> >Here is a 1998 list, posted on an equestrian group, IIRC from an
> >original published by indespesion. You can only legally tow 3.5
tonnes
> >on overrun brakes, even then you may be liable for operators
license
> >and almost certainly tacho regs if commercial activity. The LR
> >products need a braking kit to work in conjunction with the service
> >brake for 4tonnes.
>
> As I have stated before my 110 Defender is 'plated' at 8.5 tons,
'BUT'
> it is fitted with a vacuum braking system and unless you are
prepared
> for the repair bill if anything goes wrong with it, stay clear!
>

That will be the 'gross train weight' or MAM 'maximum allowable mass'
though, which includes the weight of the towing vehicle. 4 tonnes will
still be the maximum allowable towed weight. Above this some type of
'heavy goods vehicle' status is needed and AFAIK Land Rovers are not
eligible.

Huw


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Yeeees, was really trying to avoid another tractor type vehicle, our other
option is a tractor with suspension to do 35mph, or a 7.5tonne truck,
neither of which are ideal

Thanks anyway

Jon


"Rob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> J A Kirby wrote:
> >
> > I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would really
like
> > to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
> >
> > If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of towing
> > 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Jon
>
> Absolutely. You want one of these
>
> http://www.unimogs.co.uk/showallstock.asp?Submit1=View+Unimogs
>
> They are very good. Only get to borrow one rather than own one, but will
> do what you want no problem.

The IW trailer is similar to what I was thinking of. At the moment we are
borrowing a 12ft double axle Graham Edwards with Landy type wheels on, its
OK but my uncle did manage to 180 it at only 30mph, with over 2 tonne of
live beef in the back! Try explaining that one to the cops when they have to
close a dual carriageway to let you turn round! We find its generally OK up
to 40mph behind his LR 90, but it is near the limit. Did you have the 16ft
trailer built specially? I've not seen them on the website. How do you find
it for turning and reversing?

Several people have asked about how frequently I intend to tow. The vehicle
would be used at least once a week to do a 17mile jouney loaded, often on
ungritted roads in winter.

Any more info on those trailer braking systems would be great

Jon


"Huw" <hedydd[nospam]@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would
> really like
> > to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
> >
> > If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of
> towing
> > 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Jon
> >
> >
>
> I tow an Ifor Williams 16ft triple axle cattle and 16ft twin axle drop
> side trailer so one of them sometimes weighs around five tons [on
> private roads of course] when fully loaded. The Land Rover 110 and
> Land Cruiser Amazon have no particular difficulty handling this load
> at up to 30mph. Up to 3.5 tons and 40mph, then my personal favourites
> are the Discovery with uprated rear springs and the Isuzu Trooper five
> door, which is a surprisingly good tow vehicle. The caveat with the
> Trooper is that, due to the nature of the load carried, the drawbar
> vertical load is sometimes exceedingly high, and the Trooper rubber
> helper springs/bump stops tend to break off at regular intervals.
> Land Rover 90 or 110 is a great towing vehicle and the utility along
> with the towing limit is why it is so popular. Almost all of the new
> fangled crew-cab pick-up trucks have towing limits of less than 3.0
> tons. Without four or five 50kg bags in the back, I would hesitate to
> tow more than 2.5 tons with any of them.
>
>
> You should know that 3.5 tons is the maximum allowable towed load in
> the UK unless coupled [air, vacuum or hydraulic] trailer breaks are
> used. Also, anyone taking their driving test after a certain date
> [1998?] needs to take a supplementary towing test to gain a valid
> towing license for a load grater than the towing vehicle, and that a
> tachograph has to be installed and used, along with all records and
> rules, unless the towing is for an exempt purpose.
>
> I would not regard anything without a chassis as ideal for towing, if
> only because all the bangs and noises associated with big, heavy
> trailers come straight through to the cabin. My X5 BMW can tow up to
> three tons but I draw the line at two and towing an empty trailer is
> exceedingly noisy compared to proper four wheel drive vehicles. I
> cannot comment on the chassis-less Range Rover because I have not
> towed with one yet.
>
> Huw
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
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>
>

"J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Yeeees, was really trying to avoid another tractor type vehicle, our
other
> option is a tractor with suspension to do 35mph, or a 7.5tonne
truck,
> neither of which are ideal
>
> Thanks anyway
>
> Jon
>

A Fendt 716 Vario on 20.8R42 tyres sounds ideal to me ;-)
Second best would be a MF 7490 with the same transmission.
Some way behind would be a Deere 6920S CVT.
All 50kph and capable of towing a few more than 4 tons on red. The
Vario's actually do 50kph then the revs fall according to load while
automatically maintaining speed. Depreciation will be low. Average
laden journey speed will be higher than any Land Rover type vehicle.
Maintenance and running cost will be vastly lower than a truck.
Versatility vastly higher. Superlative driver environment and
satisfaction.
Possible passengers above the second need to follow in an old mini
minor for maximum effect.



Huw


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"J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The IW trailer is similar to what I was thinking of. At the moment
we are
> borrowing a 12ft double axle Graham Edwards with Landy type wheels
on,

Yuk! Not yuk because it is a Graham Edwards but because it is a narrow
body with wheels outboard.


its
> OK but my uncle did manage to 180 it at only 30mph, with over 2
tonne of
> live beef in the back!

Woops! He could not have been paying attention or the animals had too
much room to play around.


Try explaining that one to the cops when they have to
> close a dual carriageway to let you turn round! We find its
generally OK up
> to 40mph behind his LR 90, but it is near the limit. Did you have
the 16ft
> trailer built specially? I've not seen them on the website. How do
you find
> it for turning and reversing?

The 16 footers are standard build. Triple axles are not uncommon. It
is OK for manouvering but does scuff a wee bit but no more than the
twin which has a greater distance between the axles.
So as not to break any laws, four big cattle are enough and still 3.8
tonnes laden. That's two either side of the partition. If two are
carried then one goes each end. Six cattle will fit at a squeeze,
which weigh up to four tonnes. The box weighs over a ton empty. This
weight is only legally pulled behind a tractor.
Best not to buy a triple axle because it is more prone to instability
than a twin of the dame length. I wish someone had told me this before
I bought it.



>
> Several people have asked about how frequently I intend to tow. The
vehicle
> would be used at least once a week to do a 17mile jouney loaded,
often on
> ungritted roads in winter.
>
> Any more info on those trailer braking systems would be great
>

Your LR dealer should have information. You would be best to avoid
these things IMO.

Huw


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"Huw" <hedydd[nospam]@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > The IW trailer is similar to what I was thinking of. At the moment
> we are
> > borrowing a 12ft double axle Graham Edwards with Landy type wheels
> on,
>
> Yuk! Not yuk because it is a Graham Edwards but because it is a narrow
> body with wheels outboard.

Are the inboard wheel type stable? how does the extra drag area affect
performance? the extra internal space would be great for the 700Kg+ animals
like the three I had in this morning, with a 550Kg in the back.

>
> its
> > OK but my uncle did manage to 180 it at only 30mph, with over 2
> tonne of
> > live beef in the back!
>
> Woops! He could not have been paying attention or the animals had too
> much room to play around.
>
>
> Try explaining that one to the cops when they have to
> > close a dual carriageway to let you turn round! We find its
> generally OK up
> > to 40mph behind his LR 90, but it is near the limit. Did you have
> the 16ft
> > trailer built specially? I've not seen them on the website. How do
> you find
> > it for turning and reversing?
>
> The 16 footers are standard build. Triple axles are not uncommon. It
> is OK for manouvering but does scuff a wee bit but no more than the
> twin which has a greater distance between the axles.
> So as not to break any laws, four big cattle are enough and still 3.8
> tonnes laden. That's two either side of the partition. If two are
> carried then one goes each end. Six cattle will fit at a squeeze,
> which weigh up to four tonnes. The box weighs over a ton empty. This
> weight is only legally pulled behind a tractor.
> Best not to buy a triple axle because it is more prone to instability
> than a twin of the dame length. I wish someone had told me this before
> I bought it.
>
>
>
> >
> > Several people have asked about how frequently I intend to tow. The
> vehicle
> > would be used at least once a week to do a 17mile jouney loaded,
> often on
> > ungritted roads in winter.
> >
> > Any more info on those trailer braking systems would be great
> >
>
> Your LR dealer should have information. You would be best to avoid
> these things IMO.
>
> Huw
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.556 / Virus Database: 348 - Release Date: 27/12/03
>
>

A couple of farmers round us have got Fendts and they rate them, we're
Massey men ourselves and the 74 series is on the list, we just need to win
the lottery first. Trouble is our local dealer who we've been using for 4
generations has shut and the nearest MF dealer is about 50 miles away, no
good if it breaks down during harvest and the baler has to stop working!

Jon


"Huw" <hedydd[nospam]@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Yeeees, was really trying to avoid another tractor type vehicle, our
> other
> > option is a tractor with suspension to do 35mph, or a 7.5tonne
> truck,
> > neither of which are ideal
> >
> > Thanks anyway
> >
> > Jon
> >
>
> A Fendt 716 Vario on 20.8R42 tyres sounds ideal to me ;-)
> Second best would be a MF 7490 with the same transmission.
> Some way behind would be a Deere 6920S CVT.
> All 50kph and capable of towing a few more than 4 tons on red. The
> Vario's actually do 50kph then the revs fall according to load while
> automatically maintaining speed. Depreciation will be low. Average
> laden journey speed will be higher than any Land Rover type vehicle.
> Maintenance and running cost will be vastly lower than a truck.
> Versatility vastly higher. Superlative driver environment and
> satisfaction.
> Possible passengers above the second need to follow in an old mini
> minor for maximum effect.
>
>
>
> Huw
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.556 / Virus Database: 348 - Release Date: 27/12/03
>
>

"J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> A couple of farmers round us have got Fendts and they rate them,
we're
> Massey men ourselves and the 74 series is on the list, we just need
to win
> the lottery first. Trouble is our local dealer who we've been using
for 4
> generations has shut and the nearest MF dealer is about 50 miles
away, no
> good if it breaks down during harvest and the baler has to stop
working!
>
> Jon

I have to declare an interest. I have a 7490 on order for early March
delivery. Your dealer is only an hour away and in an emergency only a
phonecall. Farmers are buying from ever further away.
Anyhow, these things are more reliable than ever before. The Fendt
drivetrain is fairly bomb proof while the Sisu engine is simple,
reliable and a mega performer. These things are available as MF from
120hp [7465] and therefore less power than a TD5 Defender ;-)
If you need help justifying one, I can help. LOL.

Huw


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"J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> A couple of farmers round us have got Fendts and they rate them,
we're
> Massey men ourselves and the 74 series is on the list, we just need
to win
> the lottery first. Trouble is our local dealer who we've been using
for 4
> generations has shut and the nearest MF dealer is about 50 miles
away, no
> good if it breaks down during harvest and the baler has to stop
working!
>
> Jon

I have to declare an interest. I have a 7490 on order for early March
delivery. Your dealer is only an hour away and in an emergency only a
phonecall. Farmers are buying from ever further away.
Anyhow, these things are more reliable than ever before. The Fendt
drivetrain is fairly bomb proof while the Sisu engine is simple,
reliable and a mega performer. These things are available as MF from
120hp [7465] and therefore less power than a TD5 Defender ;-)
If you need help justifying one, I can help. LOL.

Huw


---
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"J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Huw" <hedydd[nospam]@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > The IW trailer is similar to what I was thinking of. At the
moment
> > we are
> > > borrowing a 12ft double axle Graham Edwards with Landy type
wheels
> > on,
> >
> > Yuk! Not yuk because it is a Graham Edwards but because it is a
narrow
> > body with wheels outboard.
>
> Are the inboard wheel type stable?

Yes. I have used them in 12 14 and 16ft versions for twenty years. No
heavily laden trailer is idiot proof though, so due care and attention
is needed along with anticipation of road conditions ahead so that no
heavy braking is needed. This is why livestock lorries carrying cattle
are so slow on the road. Standing cattle do not appreciate hard
braking or cornering. They will move and upset the balance of the
vehicle. Did you see that ship capsized in the Fiord the other day?
That is what could happen when the load shifts.


how does the extra drag area affect
> performance? the extra internal space would be great for the 700Kg+
animals
> like the three I had in this morning, with a 550Kg in the back.

Drag is only apparent when unladen. The wind drag at 50mph is
substantial but is exponensial so the drag at 40 is not too bad. The
trick is to balance the load. so four animals would be best. It is
essential that they are reasonably tightly packed, perhaps with the
aid of the partition, so they don't jump around too much.




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"Huw" <hedydd[nospam]@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "J A Kirby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm looking to buy a 4x4 for towing a cattle trailer and would
> really like
> > to tow 4000Kg, has anyone any experience of doing this legally?
> >
> > If not, does anyone have a list of vehicles that are capable of
> towing
> > 3500Kg and which ones are any good.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Jon
> >
> >
>
> I tow an Ifor Williams 16ft triple axle cattle and 16ft twin axle drop
> side trailer so one of them sometimes weighs around five tons [on
> private roads of course] when fully loaded. The Land Rover 110 and
> Land Cruiser Amazon have no particular difficulty handling this load
> at up to 30mph. Up to 3.5 tons and 40mph, then my personal favourites
> are the Discovery with uprated rear springs and the Isuzu Trooper five
> door, which is a surprisingly good tow vehicle.

I second this, my '88 Bighorn (Jap spec trooper) LWB with the 2.8TD has done
3.5 tons quite comfortably with a non-braked trailer, stopping within the
LTSA's max allowable difference on it's 31.5x10.5 R15 tires. with a braked
trailer I've done 5 ton one time and regaurly done 2.5 ton loads for long
distances without any complaints.

the laws here are a bit different than in the UK tho, pay attention to the
UK posters with their max legal load stats....

rhys

> The caveat with the
> Trooper is that, due to the nature of the load carried, the drawbar
> vertical load is sometimes exceedingly high, and the Trooper rubber
> helper springs/bump stops tend to break off at regular intervals.
> Land Rover 90 or 110 is a great towing vehicle and the utility along
> with the towing limit is why it is so popular. Almost all of the new
> fangled crew-cab pick-up trucks have towing limits of less than 3.0
> tons. Without four or five 50kg bags in the back, I would hesitate to
> tow more than 2.5 tons with any of them.
>
>
> You should know that 3.5 tons is the maximum allowable towed load in
> the UK unless coupled [air, vacuum or hydraulic] trailer breaks are
> used. Also, anyone taking their driving test after a certain date
> [1998?] needs to take a supplementary towing test to gain a valid
> towing license for a load grater than the towing vehicle, and that a
> tachograph has to be installed and used, along with all records and
> rules, unless the towing is for an exempt purpose.
>
> I would not regard anything without a chassis as ideal for towing, if
> only because all the bangs and noises associated with big, heavy
> trailers come straight through to the cabin. My X5 BMW can tow up to
> three tons but I draw the line at two and towing an empty trailer is
> exceedingly noisy compared to proper four wheel drive vehicles. I
> cannot comment on the chassis-less Range Rover because I have not
> towed with one yet.
>
> Huw
>
>
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