Towing Advice

[Mr T]

I have a Rinker 265 which I would like to tow in the summer. I hold a class 1 HGV licence and have no worries in that respect.

Can any one advise me what vehicle I will need to tow it. The boat weights in at just over 2.5 tonnes. I am considering hiring a suitable towing vehicle.

Regards

Mark ☺

 

[CLB]

Brochure weight is, think, 2600kg. This is likely to be some way under real life weight. I would be surprised if the boat is much under 3000kg with some kit on board and a bit of fuel in the tank. You can only tow up to 3500kg with a normal car/boat trailer combo, so you will be looking for a trailer that weighs around 500kg. That means aluminium and very expensive.

Car wise, you will need one of the big 4x4s like land cruiser, Land Rover, Range Rover, etc etc. Need to have the full 3500kg capability.

 

[sarabande]

A trailer for that mass will come in at around 750kg. So jointly within the 3.5tonne limit for decent 4WD. E.g. Landrover family, plus a few Far Eastern candidates.

There are also trailer driving licence requirements

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

 

[Mr T]

Thank you again,

kind regards

Mark

 

[East Cardinal]

Use a Ford Ranger 3.2
Best towing vehicle for that job.

 

[Bigplumbs]

I tried to hire a tow vehicle once and found it incredibly difficult and very expensive indeed. I would advise buying a decent Land Rover Discovery 2 TD5 manual. No better tow vehicle in my opinion and you should be able to get one for around the £3,500 mark.

Dennis

 

[Mr T]

Good morning Dennis..thank you

 

[BartW]

The 4x4 cars that can tow the full 3500kg are Merc GL, Range Rover, and Toyota Land Cruiser,
the LR Disco is limited at 3000kg iirc (in Mainland europe..)

I have been towing a 28ft boat with 2 x 200Hp diesel engines, all over europe ... (Croatia, Sof, Uk, ..)
two axle allum trailer from "Harbeck "

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?212996-we-have-been-using-her-(holliday-pics)

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?221528-Diving-trip-in-SOF-Cassis-(pics)

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?249511-Yes!-we-made-it-to-Scilly-s

 

[gjgm]

Just to add, check the tow capacity of the particular version of any car model as they vary depending on engine,gearbox etc.

 

[PCUK]

My galvanised steel 3500Kg Bramber trailer weighs 500Kg.

 

[Corribee Boy]

It's also worth pointing out that a transit van, which is easily hireable, can tow 3.5 tonnes.

Of course it's very little use on a slipway or a beach, but then, so's my Landrover.

 

[BartW]

It's also worth pointing out that a transit van, which is easily hireable, can tow 3.5 tonnes.

can you specifie which transit Van ?
The Ford Transit can only tow 2800kg afaik

 

[Corribee Boy]

A heavy-duty rear-wheel drive transit can go to 3,500 kg, but It's pretty hard to tell from the plate. I just tried reading mine and conclude the Gross Train Mass is 5,200 Kg but I don't know the Kerb Weight.

 

[East Cardinal]

Beware the LR Discovery TD5 when towing. It doesn’t have enough low down torque to make towing easy. The 200/300 tdi versions are slightly better but getting rare to find a good one.
If hiring a LR discovery 3 or 4 would be fine, and a few of the Japanese pickups would do ( beware of tow capacity). I repeat the best vehicle for the job is the Ford Ranger with the manual box and 3.2 litre engine.
It would be legal to tow with an old series land rover or Daihatsu but also a bit scary.
If buying an old 4x4 the Landcruiser, or 4.2 litre Nissan trucks would do.

 

[MJGH]

[QUOTE=East Cardinal;6303193
a few of the Japanese pickups would do ( beware of tow capacity). I repeat the best vehicle for the job is the Ford Ranger with the manual box and 3.2 litre engine.

With regard to the Japanese pick ups the following have 3.5t tow capacity -
New shape Nissan Navara double cab
Isuzu double cab although latest version only has a 1.9 engine so possibly a bit gutless
Latest version of Toyota Hi-Lux double cab
You should be able to hire one of the above from someone like SHB Hire
The VW Amarok despite its size and 3.0 engine is only rated at 3100kg
The new Ford Ranger 3.2 double cab as said previously will also do the job.
Most of the above are also available in auto which I would prefer for towing, but they might not be as readily available on hire fleets as manuals.

 

[dpb]

I repeat the best vehicle for the job is the Ford Ranger with the manual box and 3.2 litre engine.

Trouble with the Ranger is:
Max Gross train weight 6000kg
Mass in running order ie with driver and a bit of fuel 2286kg (that assumes a 75kg driver)
Weight of trailer 3500kg
So 6000 - 2286 - 3500 leaves only 214kg for any other passengers and any gear you need to put in the truck....like stuff from the boat to keep that within weight on the trailer.

Last time I checked only the Izuzu pick up could carry its max load in the truck at the same time as towing 3.5 tonnes

Some big 4 x 4s such as the Range Rover and Grand Cherokee can also carry as much when towing 3.5T as when not.

The importance of this depends on if you are towing at or near these limits and your attitude to complying with legal weight limits of course!

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

It's also worth pointing out that a transit van, which is easily hireable, can tow 3.5 tonnes.

Of course it's very little use on a slipway or a beach, but then, so's my Landrover.

This isn't (unconditionally) correct - Transit towing capacities vary massively by model. For example my 140T300 can only tow 2000kg braked.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

A heavy-duty rear-wheel drive transit can go to 3,500 kg, but It's pretty hard to tell from the plate. I just tried reading mine and conclude the Gross Train Mass is 5,200 Kg but I don't know the Kerb Weight.

Have a look on your V5, section O, towing capacity should be there (it is on mine).

 

[CLB]

My galvanised steel 3500Kg Bramber trailer weighs 500Kg.

If so, it must be very lightly built, or missing some bits The current equivalent weighs 650kg. http://www.merseatrailers.com/produ...k=yes&prod_code=SBK4-250HD&product=SBK4-250HD

I had a 2600kg rated trailer that weighed 600kg

 

[Jim@sea]

I was given the following two pieces of advice regarding towing a boat.
A. If you can before you set off tow the boat to a local weighbridge and get it weighed, and if you are under the 3500 gross set off, so if you are over you can remove things.
B. Some of the professional boat movers specifically tow on a Sunday as the roads are quieter and the weighbridges are closed.