Cheapest tow vehicle - suppositions, guesses and maths

[dylanwinter]

A few hypotheticals...

say I had bought a boat weighing 1043 kgs on a breakback trailer

that is a tonne for the boat and half a tonne for the trailer

all the rest of the gear can go in the vehicle....anchors, batteries, rudder, gas botles, warps

what is the cheapest legal tow vehicle bought from autotrader

can I tow it with an old volvo estate - in which case what should I avoid

a transit would certainly be legal - and empty would probably be more fuel efficient than the volvo

An old Discovery?

My guess is that I will be towing stuff around a fair bit this summer ...

I reckon a minimum of six boat and trailer movements this year but after that my plan is to not do much towing at all - a maximum of two movements a year

should I rent a tow vehicle - which I can get for £95 a day wiith the first 150 miles counted in - after that it is 45p a mile surcharge


or buy something in the hope that I can sell it at almost no loss at the end of this year

Dylan

 

[Flying Penguin]

Budget?

You could pick up a ~2000/2001 diesel Mondeo for sub £1k, they are popular as tow vehicles and have received "tow car of the year" from the Caravan Club, and despite being Fix Or Repair Daily, they are actually pretty sound cars generally.

Plenty available

 

[neale]

A few hypotheticals...

say I had bought a boat weighing 1043 kgs on a breakback trailer

that is a tonne for the boat and half a tonne for the trailer

all the rest of the gear can go in the vehicle....anchors, batteries, rudder, gas botles, warps

what is the cheapest legal tow vehicle bought from autotrader

can I tow it with an old volvo estate - in which case what should I avoid

a transit would certainly be legal - and empty would probably be more fuel efficient than the volvo

An old Discovery?

My guess is that I will be towing stuff around a fair bit this summer ...

I reckon a minimum of six boat and trailer movements this year but after that my plan is to not do much towing at all - a maximum of two movements a year

should I rent a tow vehicle - which I can get for £95 a day wiith the first 150 miles counted in - after that it is 45p a mile surcharge


or buy something in the hope that I can sell it at almost no loss at the end of this year

Dylan

If you are suggesting an all up boat and trailer weight of around 1500kgs, then many decent sized family cars would be able to legally pull it. Even a Mondeo would probably do. Once you get up near 2000kgs you need a small 4x4 or pickup but you don't need to go discovery. I had a Frontera Sport, horrible vehicle, but it was rated to 2000kgs and pulled that amount really well.

 

[northwind]

Budget?

As close to Bu$$er all as possible.

You could tow a ton with something like a Citroen Berlingo. Having done so, its hard work.

Caravan Club recommend the kerb weight of the trailer to be 85% of tow car. Given that brakes on boat trailers are not alway maintained as they should be, I'd say its sensible to have the dog heavier than the tail.

I'd suggest a 2litre turbo diesel as a minimum, - 4x4 would depend on where you intend on launching. You could use a 2wd if on a concrete slip.

Volvo sounds ok, (fyi, some automatics cannot tow as much as the manual equivalent without modification).

 

[Flying Penguin]

As close to Bu$$er all as possible.

Very true, but I'd be loathe to tow my pride and joy behind a car for which the value changes by 50% depending on how many months were left on the tax disc! At least unless I was mechanical enough to have checked it VERY thoroughly....

 

[neale]

This site is very useful for checking the rated towing capacity of most cars going back a few years

 

[Twister_Ken]

An old Landy? Would tow Dobbins horsebox as well.

 

[neale]

If it were me I would go for something semi serious, but cheap, like:

This

or

This

 

[Beyondhelp]

LWB 2.8 TD shogun. I paid £500 for mine, Ok it needed a new head but on the whole its been a great car for the last 3 years, and over that time cost has been fairly minimal for a vehicle of that size. Maybe too much overkill for you however, but I really like mine.

 

[Georgio]

I would be tempted to rent somthing suitable rather than buy, it is a lot cheaper than buying a problem on 4 wheels for £500-£1000.

Can you not borrow a suitable car from a friend/relative?

 

[dylanwinter]

My ears are open

thanks chaps - keep it coming

I am reading, learning and inwardly digesting

I would love to buy something that will not attract the attention of the police

I used to tow an eboat with a 1.6 sierra but I was young and stupid

could a mondeo really cut the mustard?

and does anyone have any experience of insurance costs for a 58 year old bloke with a clean license

no suggestions yet about going the van route given that I as a cameraman I obviously need a van for moving my camera gear around in

Dylan

 

[Lakesailor]

Caravan Club recommend the kerb weight of the trailer to be 85% of tow car. Given that brakes on boat trailers are not alway maintained as they should be, I'd say its sensible to have the dog heavier than the tail.

Despite having being aired endlessly over the years on here people are still holding onto this "guideline" and giving apocryphal advice based on what they have towed in the past.
Neale's site he linked to has this warning

85% (or even 100%) rules are not "rules" but guidelines which have no substance in law. They are designed to ensure that the outfit will be stable (all other factors being equal). Exceeding this figure, whilst not illegal in itself, COULD lead to prosecution if the driver was stopped because of (say) instability or after an accident as there is a requirement on the driver to ensure the safety of his vehicle in the Construction and Use Regulations.

Mondeos maximum towing weights ranging from 900Kg to 2000kg according to this site. So just buying a Mondeo without knowing which model to aim for would be a fool's errand.
To undertake long journeys in an outfit at or near it's maximum. (and loading the gear into the tow vehicle could still take it over it's Gross Train Weight) is taking a big risk.

 

[maxi77]

thanks chaps - keep it coming

I am reading, learning and inwardly digesting

I would love to buy something that will not attract the attention of the police

I used to tow an eboat with a 1.6 sierra but I was young and stupid

could a mondeo really cut the mustard?

and does anyone have any experience of insurance costs for a 58 year old bloke with a clean license

no suggestions yet about going the van route given that I as a cameraman I obviously need a van for moving my camera gear around in

Dylan

Apparent car size can be misleading, manufacturers rate their vehicles for max tow weight and that figure along with the max weight the trailer can carry are used by mr plod to determine whether you are or are not breaking the law. To keep out of their clutches you need to do proper checks on the trailer and it's load and what the vehicle manufacturer states, do not rely on forum guess work.

ps the CC suggestion of only towing 85% of the rated tow weight for the vehicle is not that stupid once you have tried a bit of towing.

 

[neale]

ps the CC suggestion of only towing 85% of the rated tow weight for the vehicle is not that stupid once you have tried a bit of towing.

The trouble is, although their advise might be sensible, it is designed for lightweight caravans. When it comes to boats if you stick to the 85% rule you limit yourself to some fairly lightweight boats. A 2001 Range rover weighs around 2000kgs and is legally allowed to two up to 3500kgs. At 85% you are stuck at 1700kgs. About 400 of those will be the trailer leaving just 1300kgs for the boat.

 

[dylanwinter]

experience

I used to tow my one tonne eboat on a four wheel trailer behind my company 1600cc sierra

it only got a shake on if I exceeded 45 mph

in those days the police never stopped cars towing boats

nowdays I assume they are a bit more switched on

I have to say that a Modeo sounds close to the edge

but the boat has been towed up to Wales behind a Passat estate and the police did not intervene

Dylan

 

[aquaplane]

When I was looking to upgrade from my 406 110HDi (1500 Kg max towing weight) I looked at Ford Galaxys, some rated to 2000Kg.
I ended up with an S reg Discovery 300TDi for £2500 just over a year ago. I blew the head gasket and had a £270 repair bill 2 months into ownership but now the water leak is cured and I keep an eye on it it's fine. I had £70 to pay for work to get it through it's MoT.
I only get half the MPG I used to with the 406 which does add up over 12,000 miles a year, but I like climbing up into it and am chuffed to own a Landy. Towing the 20' Copland Harrier (910Kg + trailer + gear= about 1500Kg maybe a bit more) is a doddle with the Discovery.
Considering the 406 cost about £1000 a year in depreciation and repairs I recon that the Disco won't owe me much if it makes it to the next MoT and most of the stress is removed from towing.

 

[neale]

I've towed my boat around a bit. It's about 3000kgs all up. I have always towed with a big 4x4, range rover, land rover etc. never had any trouble with the police even though the boat looked huge and dwarfed the big car.

I think as long as the 'rig' looks reasonable you are left alone. A tatty trailer or an obviously underpowered car will grab their attention and probably get a closer look.

 

[gjgm]

L/sailor makes a good point.. car mags usually quote the max for that model, but it varies alot by engine,gearbox etc.. so check the exact details of a specific car, not the generic number often given.
Are you just moving the boat? I have seen small vans disappear into the marina and sink on a slipway.
The old square Jeep cherokee (the green ones!) are pretty cheap and good tow capacity;petrols are of course thirsty at 4litre, but I was told the diesels were appalling !

 

[mattnj]

A few hypotheticals...

say I had bought a boat weighing 1043 kgs on a breakback trailer

that is a tonne for the boat and half a tonne for the trailer

all the rest of the gear can go in the vehicle....anchors, batteries, rudder, gas botles, warps

what is the cheapest legal tow vehicle bought from autotrader

can I tow it with an old volvo estate - in which case what should I avoid

a transit would certainly be legal - and empty would probably be more fuel efficient than the volvo

An old Discovery?

My guess is that I will be towing stuff around a fair bit this summer ...

I reckon a minimum of six boat and trailer movements this year but after that my plan is to not do much towing at all - a maximum of two movements a year

should I rent a tow vehicle - which I can get for £95 a day wiith the first 150 miles counted in - after that it is 45p a mile surcharge


or buy something in the hope that I can sell it at almost no loss at the end of this year

Dylan

a tax exempt old land rover ?

super simple and easy to fix and will probably tow anything (but hopeless on the motorway and slow) oh and probably going up in value if you find a decentish one, and super cool too IMO!

I guess it depends how far you are towing....

I just sold mine, road tax = £0, annual insurance was £94

something like this?

 

[Lakesailor]

The old square Jeep cherokee (the green ones!) are pretty cheap and good tow capacity;petrols are of course thirsty at 4litre, but I was told the diesels were appalling !

Next door neighbour has a diesel of that model. What a noisy beast! The yanks didn't really want to offer a diesel but the European market needed one so mainly the Italian VM 2.5l motor was fitted until 1996. Very agricultural.
I had a 4 litre petrol one, which did 14 mpg most of the time. Electrics very poor. Water leaks a bit of a problem.
An older Shogun or Pajero makes a good tow car. 25mpg. Jap engineering. Just make sure the chassis has no rot.