Towing capacity

suburban said:

just don't use a rav4

https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/ne...before-it-overturned-on-a350-near-trowbridge/

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Nothing wrong with a Rav 4 for towing little 500kg trailers.

But it isn't rated to tow a car trailer with a Roller on it.

rob1miles said:

That's a very relevant article and a lesson for all of us. No insurence on the Rolls, 2 1/2 tons high up and on its own suspension behind a Rav 4 all the way to Spain. Only got a few miles. Crazy thing is the Rolls must have ben drivable to go to the rally so it could have towed the Rav4 safely. Perhaps the answer to this whole question is "load the SWB on the trailer and tow it with the tractor.." . This sad story is probably a £5000 to £10000 loss once you account the travel and accomodation plus the direct losses and to insure and drive the Rolls would have cost a few £100. A perfect example of a "false economy". I've towed old Jaguars on car trailers, they are heavy and have soft suspension so they behave like a dymanic load (like animals too) and the CoG shifts from side to side over bumps and sets the trailer off. Once it starts you pretty much have to stop then set off again. That Rolls would be even worse to tow. I don't think I would do it now.

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With animals, you need to partition them in to the front of the trailer, so they can't walk backwards.

The longest tow I can remember making with a vehicle was from Birmingham to Surrey with a broken down 109".
We drove the 109 up on the Ifor, positioned it to get a decent noseweight, and strapped it down over the front bumper, to compress the front springs a bit. Then strapped the back axle to the trailer.
Towed it back with another 109", at night, to avoid the worst of the traffic.
No problems, drove lovely and steady all the way.

I bought a Jag Mk1 from a srappy - it was too good to see it broken up, it had been towed by the council and was nearly complete except it had no steering box. I sold it to a guy in the New Forest (about 100 miles) and decided to tow it single handed on a rigid bar with no brakes (this was long time ago). I made a hinged bar out of 3" channel with a tow hitch that fitted the front bumper bolts then set off with it behind my Mk2 so all up we were a good 4tons on one set of brakes and Dunlop disk handbrakes. Set of very early and soon found absolute safe speed was 30, at 35 it weaved so badly you were thrown around and it was hard to make the right corrections. Of course i took a wrong turn in the New forest, into a campsite, and tried to reverse but with no steering box the wheels went out and jammed. Only option was to tow it round the campsite dodging people going for a shower and keeping the speed up to avoid getting stuck. I think I sold it for £100 and wanted to save money by delivering it myself. Too young to know better...

rob1miles said:

Only option was to tow it round the campsite dodging people going for a shower and keeping the speed up to avoid getting stuck..

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I bet video footage would have been a good watch

Many tears ago, we brought a DB 30D (roughly 35cwt+trailer) back from mid wales behind a SIII 2.25 diesel - It was my Fathers idea of saving money - it was before I could drive - so it shows you how long ago it was ..... high 3rd was "it" most of the way - even on the "new" M56 .... got pulled by the bobbies, who, thankfully were only interested in the tractor ... not in any legal "stuff" - they wished us well, and sent us on our way .

I wouldn't suggest it as in any way practical, especially with modern "road manners" ( I.E. the COMPLETE lack of ) - I'd borrow a mates 90, with him/her driving and pay him in cake / beer / whatever.

I'd doubt my Father, were he still with us, would volunteer for such an adventure either .....

dag019 said:

My question had several parts to it. The first part was regarding capability, for which the the picture is relevant as it shows the vehicle is capable of pulling the required weight. Then there was the legality aspect, followed by the sensible aspect. Even if it is capable and legal it still does not necessarily mean it is good idea!

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Defender 90’s are rated to tow 3500kg and lots of people do with them. An 88 isn’t fundamentally all that different weight and dimension wise.

Apart from less power and drum brakes. If you’d tow it with a 90. Then, provided it falls within LR’s recommended spec. I see no reason why an 88 would be just as capable.

300bhp/ton said:

Defender 90’s are rated to tow 3500kg and lots of people do with them. An 88 isn’t fundamentally all that different weight and dimension wise.

Apart from less power and drum brakes. If you’d tow it with a 90. Then, provided it falls within LR’s recommended spec. I see no reason why an 88 would be just as capable.

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It is, just a bit slower while it is doing it.

30 years or so ago I was asked if I would trailer a tractor from Grantham to the Royal showground at Stoneleigh, (or was it the other way around?) with my petrol 2a 88". I asked: how much does the tractor weigh? About 5 tons I seem to remember was the reply. Needless to say, I turned the job down...

I to am also class one driver...no doubt in my 50 years of series ownership...2.25d I have prob pulled just as heavy a load.
I would never consider doing it on a motorway and never go faster than 40 and only in the dry...

But if your confident and take your time and the rear x member is in good nick with well inflated tyres on the rear of the Landrover and very good brakes on the trailer and as long as no fat roads I would go for it.

Prob not legal would need to read up on small vehicle towing laws.

dag019 said:

I know this is a potential minefield and has been debated many times before and there does not seem to be an official figure, but I am trying to work out if this will be feasible and legal for a one off journey.
/.../
All opinions and suggestions welcome.

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Stupid question from ringside: is the tractor in working order? If so, why not get some other means of transport to the pickup place, and then simply drive it home? However, I am sure there is a perfectly good reason as to why you want to tow it, but I thought I would ask anyway...

Riggwelter said:

Stupid question from ringside: is the tractor in working order? If so, why not get some other means of transport to the pickup place, and then simply drive it home? However, I am sure there is a perfectly good reason as to why you want to tow it, but I thought I would ask anyway...

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It is running and driving. But I do not know if it would be up for the journey. I am looking at it for a rolling project. It also has no lights and no reg plate (despite having a reg and v5) and it is about 65miles away. Which at a majors top speed of 13mph is a 5 hour drive!

dag019 said:

It is running and driving. But I do not know if it would be up for the journey. I am looking at it for a rolling project. It also has no lights and no reg plate (despite having a reg and v5) and it is about 65miles away. Which at a majors top speed of 13mph is a 5 hour drive!

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Well, if you already have a Series, I am pretty sure driving your Fordson home would feel quite familiar...

In the winter of 1947 my grandfather who was 60 at the time drove a badly needed tractor to my fathers new farm,traveling from LLandudno in the north to Fishguard in West Wales.A distance of about 160 mls.
The tractor was a Fordson E27n with jury rigged carriage lights and a top speed of 7 mph. 17hrs on the road the first day 14hrs the second. He was given a cell to sleep in at a town half way by the local bobby who took pity on him. He was arrested at Fishguard for transporting a tractor across county lines without a permit but released after a chat. With just half a mile to go he ran out of fuel but made it in the end.
I can't beat that but when young and foolish I drove a combine harvester with a max speed 10 mph home about 40 mls.Would have not been so bad but it was August bank holiday and I caused unbelivable chaos in towns along the route.
With just 2 mls to go on a narrow road I met of all things another Combine coming the other way! That took some sorting.

nickjaxe said:

I to am also class one driver...no doubt in my 50 years of series ownership...2.25d I have prob pulled just as heavy a load.
I would never consider doing it on a motorway and never go faster than 40 and only in the dry...

But if your confident and take your time and the rear x member is in good nick with well inflated tyres on the rear of the Landrover and very good brakes on the trailer and as long as no fat roads I would go for it.

Prob not legal would need to read up on small vehicle towing laws.

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Perfectly legal if you have the right licence, provided the trailer and vehicle are in good order, and the trailer weighs less than 3500kg including the load.

dag019 said:

It is running and driving. But I do not know if it would be up for the journey. I am looking at it for a rolling project. It also has no lights and no reg plate (despite having a reg and v5) and it is about 65miles away. Which at a majors top speed of 13mph is a 5 hour drive!

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It is doable, you would probably want to stop every hour or so to rest your back and eardrums, but I have driven 50 miles on the road in a tractor before.

But without lights and number plates, the risk to your licence probably outweighs any savings.

And you would have to have an orange flashing light which would drive you mad on a long journey.