4x4 Hire to tow boat ??

[Ecosse120]

Anybody know if it is possible to hire a 4x4 for the day so that I can tow my boat about 10 miles for winter storage and then back again the next spring ? I am currently looking at company cars and a 4x4 or big estate for twice a year seems a bit silly. Boat plus trailer weigh about 1250 and I am based on the Essex/Suffolk borders. Any suggestions much appreciated

 

[cliff]

YES /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
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"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
sailroom <span style="color:red">The place to auction your previously loved boatie bits</span>

 

[Lakesailor]

Loads of family cars will legally tow 1250kgs. Check in the technical specs.
As long as you're accurate about the all-up weight. All the kit on the boat may weigh more than you think.

4x4 hire is possible. The guy who bought my Mini hired one with a trailer to take it to Anglesy. Not cheap though.

 

[Will_M]

My little Citroen Berlingo van is good for 1100kgs gross tow, 1250kgs really isnt a great weight...

But, if its what you want, you see this lot all over the country, hire'able 4x4's.

 

[shmoo]

There is a little place just by the station in Stowmarket that does "specialist" car hire. They certainly had a Shogun a couple of years back. Sorry don't know the name.

 

[Nigel_Ward]

The last time I needed to tow 1400kgs I hired a Ford Transit with a tow bar. Each commercial vehicle hirer seems to keep one or two vehicles with a 50mm tow hitch, and it is probably cheeper than 4x4 hire.

 

[davidpbo]

If you haven't got a friend with a suitable vehicle and tow hitch to do it for you for a few pints, I second the van option, also some people carriers can tow near 2000Kgs.

My M reg. Renault Espace Turbo Diesel towed my boat (2250Kgs) well with as much weight as possible shifted into the vehicle e.g. battery, fenders, warps, boom, food etc. so probably a bit less than 2250Kgs. It was a known route with no serious hill starts. However, when I weighed the boat and trailer it was apparent that regretfully a 4X4 was required.

Hiring a 4X4 to tow my boat was not easy, cost a fortune and they inspected the fragile plastic in the load space minutely, it was a new Mitsubishi. I could not find anyone nearby that would hire a pre-dented LR Defender or similar.

Question the hirer about insurance for towing. I think I had to insure it on my own policy (which was for a 4X4).

 

[DRANNIE]

You could try these guys. http://www.shb.co.uk/about.html about £300 for a weekend for a SWB landrover pickup. You have to organise your own insurance. In the end my trailer wasn't road worthy and I had it transported by Ray loveland at dauntless yard for about the same cost. (suffolk to essex). Might be worth giving him a call he might do it for the same cost as vehicle hire if its short tow job.

 

[asj1]

A frioend of mine used to regularly hire a transit van to tow a 26' boat from the Solent to N wales. A w/end hire was enough time to do the job and return the van. He claimed that teh large size of the van helped the stability.

Regards

Andrew

 

[MASH]

It is a strange misconception that you need a 4x4 to tow a heavy load, or for any other normal purpose, come to think of it. It might have an advantage on a slippery slipway but unless you're going to be towing across a ploughed field there is no advantage whatsoever in using 4wd. For 10 miles a mini would do fine if it was allowed to tow the weight. Just use a suitable car, or a Transit which you can chuck all the gear in at the same time.

Ban Chelsea tractors!

 

[Lakesailor]

I watched a guy in a frontwheel-drive Citroen van sliding backwards into the Walney Channel on Sunday whilst trying to recover a Shetland. He was saved by a group of skiers who ran over and sat on his bonnet, giving him a bit of grip.

 

[akirk]

1250kgs is not a lot for the average car etc - manufacturers websites would have details.

As an example, an Audi A3 1.6 can tow up to 1500kg with a braked trailer (it legally has to be braked above 750kg), though that is clarified as only being on certain inclines - i.e. don't try it on the steepest hills...

if you are on the Essex / Suffolk borders and are only towing c. 10 miles - just slap a towbar on any reasonable family car and hey presto - pull it along.

The only caveat to that would be - don't use that same combination to pull trailer & boat up slipway out of water, or car could end up very wet /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[rob2]

kerbweights

The above will give you towing weights for most current production vehicles. Remember to add the weight of the trailer into the Gross weight!
Rob.

 

[KeithH]

I hired a Terrano to do just that - and it was not too expensive. The company was Affordable Rentals, biut that will be too far from you. I do think a 4x4 is a good idea for boat recovery. Agree that the towing does not need the 4WD, but getting the boat up the slipway may do.

The problem with towing up the slipway or- worse- up the beach, is that you dont know how much grip you have in hand, until it slips. I towed my 1 tonne boat without a problem using a VW Sharan, but it did struggle to pull the boat up the beach, as it is front wheel drive.

So my vote is to go for a larger 4WD unless it is just for the road towing part.

 

[akirk]

Quite a few places will have a vehicle on site which may be able to help on the slipway (for a fee undoubtedly), but that may still be cheaper than having to rent a 4x4...

My rangerover, which at 2.7 tonnes unladen weight, and with its superb 4x4 system, is a pretty competent vehicle has certainly creaked a few times hauling a 16ft motor cruiser and trailer out from the Thames (on grass admittedly), and yet on the flat it can pull up to 7 tonnes at slow speeds and quite happily 3-4 tonnes at speed.

So best not to underetimate the pull-out, I have seen a car pulled back into the water by a boat (he put the hand-brake on and got out - loss of weight and no-forward motion = car in water!), and seen clutches burned out by the effort.

So - something tough to haul out (and put in preferably), but anything normal for the bits inbetween...

 

[Alfie168]

"As an example, an Audi A3 1.6 can tow up to 1500kg with a braked trailer "

Wouldn't like to try it much with a 1.6 though. My previous car was a 3.0 24valve Alfa 164. Oddly enough it also had a tow weight of 1500kg, and towed my Dehler 22 more than happily.

Slipways were a different matter and now I have a Kia Sorento which makes it a breeze.

I recall the Dehler Promo info having a D22 launched by a Mk2 Golf. I wasn't convinced..except the seperate launching dolley originally supplied probably made this a practical solution avoiding putting the car on the slipway to some extent.

Tim

 

[Kylora]

Just be careful when hiring a tow vehicle that their insurance will cover you. The 'normal' hire outlets may have a Transit with a tow ball, but if you mention that you want to tow, then they will tell you that the insurance isn't then valid.

ash

 

[billywilliams]

Friends recently towing a 24 footer from Cardiff to The Hamble had booked a 4 x 4. When collecting the vehicle discovered no tow hitch and were told vehicle was not to be used for towing. Were eventually given a cheaper Transit tipper, which still had some tarmac in the back, piled all the kit in, and off to go.

 

[fontmell]

RENT A TRANSIT TIPPER WITH TOW BAR!!1 aVAILABLE EVERYWHERE AND MUCH CHEAPER THAN 4X4