What are you pulling your Boeckmann (or Bockmann or Böckmann) with?

[Xanthoria]

@MegBackInSaddle

I’ve never put two horses on my trailer behind my Sante Fe (though I did attend a horse trials for a 3-day weekend, and I had two bales of hay, two bikes, a couple of bags of shavings, and some other crap in the second stall and didnt notice a difference). But your experience is what I’d worry about. I’ve never felt unsafe hauling with my current setup, but there’s a definite limit on my acceleration. Very short on ramps take some awareness. My Sante Fe handled the very steep gravel entrance to one event quite well, but that was at very low speed with one horse.

well let me clarify. My V6 4 Runner towed everywhere, but driving up to Tahoe in the mountains with 2 horses over 16h and a weeks worth of hay and camping gear was pushing the limit of the 5000# towing capacity and on some hills the rig was doing 40mph on a 4 lane highway. Like all the other rigs climbing that mountain!

4Runner are some of the highest rated SUVs for safety and reliability, and have been around for many generations so parts are cheap. I’ve had 4 of them and they usually go far over 200k miles before the engine dies - my last one at 260k miles IIRC.

So I highly recommend this for towing. I got a V8 because my new trailer is 3000# and I’ve been enjoying having the extra power for about the same mpg.

If all you ever do is drive on flat land, go ahead and get a tow vehicle with less power but bear in mind that when you get near the towing capacity of a vehicle it’s gonna put strain on the engine.

Towing isn’t yet an area where you get 30+ mpg easily, if at all. Even if you think your vehicle gets say 27 mpg, add a trailer and watch it drop. So I would let that idea go at this stage in automotive history. It’s far more expensive buy a new car after blowing your engine overloading it by towing than you’ll save on gas.

[Xanthoria]

@mroades

I just spent a week in the Netherlands, . Almost everyone had bockman trailers and most were pulled by subarus and jeeps.

Yes! The Netherlands - one of the flattest countries in the world. On hills, YMMV.

[mroades]

@Xanthoria

Yes! The Netherlands - one of the flattest countries in the world. On hills, YMMV.

True that! I am from the low country of south carolina/ga so it just seems :normal" to me lol. I would think hills would add a whole other dimension to what one would need.

[SBrentnall]

I tow a Brenderup Baron SL with a 2007 Acura MDX. Tow rating is 5000lbs. Even with two horses (and 171k miles on the odometer), it hauls like the trailer isn’t even there.

[demidq]

MegBackinSaddle I think you were referring to me? I towed my Boeckmann Comfort 2h trailer with my husband’s turbo Passat sedan. The manual transmission was a pain tho.
I now use a Hyundai Tucson (V6 with 4 wheel drive) and don’t notice the trailer unless I am going up a really long hill. The Tucson doesn’t get great mileage, at least compared to my old Honda Fit, but better than some of the bigger SUVs .
You do have use a V6 or Turbo V4, and pay attention to the wheelbase of your vehicle to pull a Boeckmann. If you check out Maple Lane Trailers (Ontario dealer) they have a good explanation of vehicle specs needed.

[MegBackInSaddle]

@demidq

MegBackinSaddle I think you were referring to me? I towed my Boeckmann Comfort 2h trailer with my husband’s turbo Passat sedan.

Yep! Hello again. I knew I’d remembered a VW sedan.

[Horse_Rider]

Thanks, everyone! Lots to think on.

[173north]

Reviving this thread! My little hybrid hatchback is showing its age and I am thinking my next vehicle will be something practical for daily driving that I can also tow a Euro trailer with eventually. Would love to hear what everyone is using these days.

[rulex]

I went for a midsize truck, the Nissan Frontier. Also considered the Chevy Colorado and Ford Ranger.

[kaya842]

We very recently bought a RAV4 Hybrid to tow our Baron with. Admittedly, we haven’t had a chance to hook it up yet (we’ve had it just over a month and pony 1 is retired and pony 2 was VERY recently purchased so hasn’t gone anywhere yet). But prior to that we towed it with a Kia Sportage and TBH I loved it. It was a slice dicey when we loaded it up for a week long horse show with two passengers (+ all our stuff), our dog (+ her stuff), Show horsey, tack, hay, shavings, and alllll the other stuff we bring to overnight shows - the only issue was the rear suspension isn’t really meant for that so it sat low but drove fine. I wouldn’t recommend doing that on the regular just because I’m sure it wears on the car. But for regular trips around (1-2 hrs) it was great.

[173north]

That’s great intel, a hybrid RAV4 is super high on my list right now!

[Xanthoria]

I still have my V8 4Runner and it’s still towing that 3000# EquiTrek all over the place. I’m actually camping in the trailer right now at a show 3h from home!

[Xanthoria]

The RAV4’s towing capacity varies:

Towing capacity of up to 1500 lbs with LE, XLE, XLE Premium
Towing capacity of up to 1750 lbs with LE Hybrid, XLE Hybrid, Premium Hybrid
Towing capacity of up to 3500 lbs with Adventure and TRD Off-Road

Bearing in mind a Brenderup Baron weighs about 2000# with nothing onboard, and a horse about 1100# you’re at 3100# with one horse and no tack, feed, water, bedding, passengers etc. That’s a bit close to the top rated RAV4’s 3500# limit for my comfort… even if the car can stop the rig, it’s putting a lot of strain on the engine.

(My previous rig for 10 years was a V6 4Runner rated to tow 5000# and a Brenderup Baron)

[sascha]

@Xanthoria

even if the car can stop the rig

No car/truck should be stopping a trailer. The trailer should be stopping independently of the tow vehicle by using electric (activated by the tow vehicle brake controller which can work independently and by receiving a signal through the brake controller when the tow vehicle’s brake pedal is applied) OR by mechanical braking system which engage before the brake pedal is even touched - “lift” off the gas pedal and the trailer brakes automagically engage as the tongue pressure increases. IIRC, another name for this type of braking system, that might be more familiar to some, is “surge braking.”

Böckmann has mechanical braking. The trailer never pushes on the tow vehicle.

Böckmann trailers are also designed that they are balanced very well, with a very small percentage of weight on the tongue. They are designed to be pulled by mid-sized SUVs <- caveat, not all mid-sized SUVs are the same and you do need to check that your car has the appropriate towing package/capacity.

Editing to add for @Horse_Rider and anyone else who wants to know, the way to type an o with an umlaut is to hold the alt key down while you type 0246

[candyappy]

@sascha

No car/truck should be stopping a trailer. The trailer should be stopping independently of the tow vehicle by using electric (activated by the tow vehicle brake controller which can work independently and by receiving a signal through the brake controller when the tow vehicle’s brake pedal is applied) OR by mechanical braking system which engage before the brake pedal is even touched - “lift” off the gas pedal and the trailer brakes automagically engage as the tongue pressure increases. IIRC, another name for this type of braking system, that might be more familiar to some, is “surge braking.”

Böckmann has mechanical braking. The trailer never pushes on the tow vehicle.

In a perfect world you are right. What happens when despite maintenance and checking over before every use , that something goes wrong and the brakes( for whatever reason) suddenly DO NOT WORK ??

All things mechanical can fail at any time. No matter how well maintained.

That happened to me and I can tell you I was hauling well under my limit. 2 HBP with 1 mid sized horse and a new Ford F-250. Getting it stopped was extremely difficult and I was so thankful I was alone on the road.

No way would I ever recommend or haul with what people routinely are using today.

We have passenger cars and we have tow vehicles. For a reason.

[sascha]

Much of Europe would argue with you. I can’t be bothered. Keep your trailer tuned up.

FWIW, mechanical braking systems are not going to fail as easily as electrical. They don’t depend on anything fancy that can easily fail.

[candyappy]

@sascha

I can’t be bothered. Keep your trailer tuned up.

That is pretty thoughtless advice to anyone towing their horses. Maybe you will be fortunate enough to have something fail even though you keep things maintained as they should be.

[173north]

Yup, that makes me nervous too… good to know!

[Xanthoria]

I grew up in the UK, and I’ve towed a Brenderup for 10 years and an Equi-Trek for the last 5 years so I’m very familiar with inertia brakes. I’ve also had electric brakes fail and be pushed all the way through a red light at a busy intersection by a 2000# Featherlite trailer with 2 horses inside which was nothing like fun, so take it from me when I say don’t outstrip your towing vehicle’s capabilities. I don’t care what the trailer dealers say.

At the very least dragging almost twice the towing capacity of the tow vehicle around as some appear to is going to send that vehicle to an early grave and make your fuel consumption go through the roof on the way there. Expensive and environmentally bad news, if not actively dangerous.

[kaya842]

I am of a similar sentiment as Sasha - I bought the trailer so I wouldn’t need a big suv that may as well be a truck to tow it. My Kia Sportage I used to tow had an even smaller tow capacity and less HP and wheelbase length, but it towed perfectly fine and was well above the manufacturers recommended specifications for vehicles (as well is was rated to tow twice as much in EU). We are purchasing a truck to tow with as well for when we want to take both horses some place for an extended amount of time (camping or for when we move) but otherwise the Rav will be the main tow vehicle and I have no reservations about it.