Towing a Two Horse Trailer

[Roverlady]

I've never towed anything with my Disco (or even our RRC) but I can honestly say I wouldn't pull more than a small uhaul or pop-up with it just to be safe. The weight is not the concern for me, it's the brakes. My Disco (even with new pads and calipers) is a tough rig to stop suddenly, even just filled with camping gear or 4 people...I can't imagine trying to stop a trailer with 2 horses loaded. Not to mention the fact that i wouldn't risk my horse in that situation! If we ever tow anything it will be with our Ford truck. I'll bet on the 5.4L with limited slip over my 3.9 DI any day. I'm sure a DII with a 4.6 would pull better, but the stopping still concerns me.

Now, if I had to pull something a short distance or in an emergency, I'd do it in the Disco if I had no other choice. But for multiple trips and especially for the show circuit keep your truck!!

That being said, anyone own a Brenderup?! I love those little trailers and I've wondered if they would be an ok pull (with one horse) for the DI or RRC...

 

[BaldEagle]

That being said, anyone own a Brenderup?! I love those little trailers and I've wondered if they would be an ok pull (with one horse) for the DI or RRC...

some friends do, they pulled a pony with a jeep cherokee. they said it was ok, but after a while they bought a suburban and a 2 horse Hawk. they're just too small. i saw a honda pilot pulling a brenderup, fwiw. if my memory serves me right they have pulse brakes, like on the bigger uhaul trailers.

 

[landrovered]

My wife and I looked quite hard at the Brenderups. In Europe they are everywhere. I have seen people pull two large warmbloods in a Brenderup with a Volvo wagon.

For my taste, there is very little space between the horses and the elements. The trailers are quite compact and the horses are snuggled in with typical European efficiency. The horses don't seem to mind from what I have seen. One concern I have is the angle of the back door and the placement of the horse in relation to it. I makes me worry about the door coming open and the horse falling out. While I have never heard of this, it does cause my concern.

I have Hanoverians and Cleveland Bays and have been quite comfortable with an extra tall, extra wide steel trailer. I pulled a fiberglass trailer for a friend with one horse with my P/U and barley knew it was back there. This got me looking at lightweight alternatives of which I think the Brenderup is the best.

My main concern is not when everything goes right, but when it goes horribly wrong.

First is dealing with other drivers on the road, especially the interstate. As I am sure you know they give no respect to folks pulling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of horses down the road.

They will cut you off and don't realize that it takes you a bit longer to stop. I like a P/U with a long bumper pull 2 horse or a gooseneck just for sheer mass to keep the idiots away from you. A Disco with a Brenderup is not likely to get much attention from the ludites.

Also in the event of a crash, I want as much between my horse and the world. Aluminum trailers on steel frames are a good compromise between weight and safety. The smaller fiberglass trailers scare me in case of an accident.

I personally have never had a trailering accident but live in mortal fear of that happening. If it does, screw the gas mileage, I want metal around my horses.

 

[garrett]

Benderups are popular in the UK (whoops i see you posted the same above) where smaller cars are needed to pull single or double horse trailers.
i am sure a DI or DII would pull it just fine, but i'd still rather have a better vehicle if i was doing this consistantly.
funny.....a girl just pulled up moments ago on the farm in a VW Tourag pulling a two horse trailer. i wonder how that thing pulls.

 

[itdnwiwbp]

a girl just pulled up moments ago on the farm in a VW Tourag pulling a two horse trailer. i wonder how that thing pulls.

From my experience it probably wouldn't do too badly. But I agree with a few of the others here, not worth risking my horses. I'll use the truck.

 

[Roverlady]

I'm guessing that Toureg has a bigger engine than my DI!! AND they have a diesel option!

We are not really in the market for a trailer as I'm not showing anymore, but I'd love to have one in a few years to atleast get me to a Hunter Pace or the like. Nothing more than an hour away on average. In the meantime, I'll pay a friend if I need to take him somewhere!

The Brenderup concept is nice. I do agree that I'd rather have something solid between my horse and the world, just as I feel about myself and my family. I've seen a trailer accident involving horses before (they had to cut the thing apart to get them out) and it terrified me. The horses survived, but barely. That was in a nice little Sundowner two-horse.

My husband likes those two-horse open stock trailers, but I've always been afraid of them for the same safety reasons.

Of course, my little Morgan isn't worth thousands much less hundreds of thousands, but he means the world to me!! :victory:

 

[Justin Kurosaki]

A rover is like a swiss army knife. You wouldn't want to have to chop a cord of wood with it, but in a pinch, it can do anything. The Rover is a jack of all trades, but a master of none. If you are hauling horses regularly on our fast highways, you should probably get the master.

While they will tow adequately, and even nicely, it's simply another thing they can do, not a primary function. For everyday towing, get something that was designed for it.

I tow with my Disco, and fairly regularly. I have towed some very heavy loads, but I'm not fooling myself. A pickup is better for heavy towing on our roads.

Cheers,

Kennith

:applause: That's a good way to put it


On a similar note, I saw a motorcycle today pulling a BIG utility trailer (well about the size of my xB). It even had a ladder rack and ladders on top!

 

[garrett]

i believe the Toureg comes with a W10 cyl option, but really the engine is not the issue with the DI or DII. it's the short wheelbase and overall short length that causes most of the issues.
i really don't like the stock trailers. maybe good enough for trailering auction horses, but they don't offer much protection on the inside. no padding, not as flexible and no quarters. i'll take a Cimmeron 6 horse slant load gooseneck with living quarters and AC. haha. there are two parked out front right now. both are owned by girls that are under 21. wtf?

 

[Roverlady]

i'll take a Cimmeron 6 horse slant load gooseneck with living quarters and AC. haha.

Well yeah Garrett, who WOULDN'T want one of those? I love going down to Lexington and seeing the 15-horse trailers roll in pulled by brand new Chevy 4500 trucks (or similar)!!

there are two parked out front right now. both are owned by girls that are under 21. wtf?

You're not married yet...what are you waiting for?

 

[garrett]

even that is a tad young for me. these girls are among the elite in eventing. they train with Rolex riders every day and ride with the O'Conners. they are way out of my league for sure.
their net worth in horses makes me look like the white trash of Middleburg that i am. they look at me like some hillbilly in a rednecked up Land Rover. i just can't compete with the boys in Astons and pink V neck sweaters.

around here it is all Chevy or Ford quad cab dually diesels. the Dodge trucks are for the "other" folk.

 

[MarkP]

Let's see - 2500 lb trailer + two 1200 lb horses + stuff = 4000 lbs with a 100" wheelbase - Mmmmmm, no.

But the real story is - 5.9L diesel - 460 lb.-ft. @ 1,600 rpm vs. 4.0L gas - 233 ft lb @ 3,000 rpm :rofl:

 

[lordkenyon]

around here it is all Chevy or Ford quad cab dually diesels. the Dodge trucks are for the "other" folk.

I love going down to Lexington and seeing the 15-horse trailers roll in pulled by brand new Chevy 4500 trucks (or similar)!!

Some of those tow rigs I've seen at AQHA Congress are just absolutely amazing. Makes pulling so effortless. Nice having Congress in my backyard. =)

 

[garrett]

the best part is that these $100K setups plus another $500K+ in Thoroughbreds is that they are driven by cute moms.
the crazy thing is that the polo teams use livestock trailers to haul their horses around. they squeeze them in as tight as they can and off to the fields. i had a team haul a few of our horses a few weeks back and when they arrived all their cross ties were broken, etc. those guys and gals are nuts!

 

[landrovered]

The big HJ rated circuit comes to Atlanta a couple of times a year. I go to watch the gran prix jumpers. There was one of those 100K busses parked by the barn and the had a MK III range rover on a trailer behind it as a 'run about'.When I used to ride the event circuit, I slept in the two horse trailer or next to the stall. I guess I got the poor gene!

 

[garrett]

yeh we don't get the "circuit" events around here. but we do have the Upperville show that is the oldest in the country. very nice event with lots of big names all over. we've got lots of steeplechase races too. those are always lots of fun. and just down the road from our house is Great Meadow, which is where Gold Cup is held. no longer a true enthusiasts event as it is composed mostly of wanna be DC socialites and drunk frat boys. still fun to watch all the white sun dresses running around and the people that bring their butlers.
we get to google over the farms around here. the Fout's (ex Olymic riders) live down the road about a mile and have their own flat track for training. how cool would that be to go flat out on a sand track. Jackie Mars (M&M-Mars) lives right next door and owns most of the top 10 eventers in the US.
it's just not fair! haha

 

[Ted]

We pull a two-horse slant load trailer (with two horses) with our '02 Disco II and it SUCKS!!!

I am searching for a 3/4 Ton for just this purpose.

You can do it - but be prepared to go no more than 40mph uphill. Also, be prepared to go through discs and rotors like crazy.

As has been mentioned, the relatively short wheelbase can make handling a bit squirrely.

Cheers,

 

[az_max]

We pull a two-horse slant load trailer (with two horses) with our '02 Disco II and it SUCKS!!!

I am searching for a 3/4 Ton for just this purpose.

You can do it - but be prepared to go no more than 40mph uphill. Also, be prepared to go through discs and rotors like crazy.

As has been mentioned, the relatively short wheelbase can make handling a bit squirrely.

Cheers,

I can do no more than 40mph up u-haul hill in my RRC without a trailer, I can't imagine towing horses up. I might put the horses to work and have them tow the truck up .

 

[Diesel]

But the real story is - 5.9L diesel - 460 lb.-ft. @ 1,600 rpm vs. 4.0L gas - 233 ft lb @ 3,000 rpm :rofl:

And that just the 235hp 24V ISB rating. Mine was 610 lbs when it was stock.

 

[BaldEagle]

speaking of horse trailers, as i was getting off i285 onto i75 north this morning, i came upon an accident. a 4 horse slant pulled by a 1 ton chevy dually had jack-kniffed into the concrete barriers, blocking 3 lanes. the truck was beyond totaled. amazingly/luckily the doors were open and i noticed the 2 horses standing up inside. there was an oldsmobile in the grass median on the other side, so i dunno whos fault it was. it had happened earlier as there were already 3 HERO trucks and cones set up. but thats gotta be one of the worst situations you could be in, IMO

 

[garrett]

i hate seeing any accident of course, but accidents involving horse trailers are pretty sad. when we were living in MD last year a 6+ slant load truck and trailer rolled a few miles from the farm on route 95 heading south. we heard the choppers from the news and saw it shortly afterwards on TV. two horses were killed and i know at least one of them had to be put down on site. the others were running all over the place.
we get a little paranoid when we have people hauling out horses and always make sure we are at least following them. we've had good luck with professional haulers in the past. we are moving three or four this week to a new farm. *knock on wood*