I’ve towed my St. Georges Imara (Euro trailer) with a Hyundai SantaFe and now a Lexus RX350. Read the trailer’s tow requirements (wheel base, HP, etc) to make sure the vehicle you want to buy is suitable. My friend happily towed her Brenderup with a RAV4 for years. My 2 horse trailer, which only carries 1 horse, puts 130# on the tongue. IF I loaded 2 horses, it would put 150# on my Lexus. It has inertia brakes, so it isn’t taxing my vehicle’s brakes. The demo videos from Europe show it being towed by Audi, BMW and Volvo cars, along with the occasional small SUV.
If you look up UK trailer sellers, they refer to the towing vehicle’s manufacturer specs on towing. For example, here’s what Ifor Williams, a very popular UK brand, has to say:
" How do I find out what weight trailer I can tow with my vehicle?
Most vehicles have a manufacturer’s maximum recommended towing weight. It’s usually listed in the handbook or vehicle specification sheet. You can also find it on the vehicle identification number (VIN) plate on the car. If in any doubt, contact your vehicle manufacturer.
When towing a trailer, the following needs to be considered:
The actual weight of the trailer and its load must not exceed the maximum towing weight permitted by the vehicle. For example, if the maximum towing weight of your vehicle is 2000kg and the trailer you are towing has an unladen weight of 500kg, then you can load up to 1500kg on your trailer providing the maximum gross weight of the trailer is 2000kg or above."
Bockmann in Ontario states:
" What Tow Vehicle Can I Use?
One Vehicle for work and play! Any Tow Vehicle with Tow Capacity of 3500lbs, V6 or Turbo 4 Cylinder can tow a Böckmann! Choose your preferred Vehicle Manufacturer and look for larger sedans, SUVs, Cross-Overs or smaller trucks as possible smaller tow vehicle options. Lower tow capacities are possible, however we recommend a V6/Turbo 4 Cylinder for the power you need for inclement weather and traversing trails and hay fields to get to your event."
Cheval Liberte says:
" Maximum Tow Weight – Check your maximum towing weight (you’ll find this in the vehicle’s handbook or by checking the chassis plate) isn’t lower than the weight you are going to be towing. To work out your towing load, weigh your horses with a weigh tape and add it to the weight of the trailer, which you’ll find on the chassis."
And Equi-Trek refer people to an independent car stats website to look up what their car can tow:
" What can my car tow?
Use Parkers reviews to find a cars towing weight. "
So I’m not sure where this idea that European trailers defy the laws of physics and can be towed by cars with a much lower tow rating that the weight of the trailer came from - none of the European / UK trailer sellers say that, and neither do car manufacturers there.
Yes, Euro style trailers have better aerodynamics, are significantly lighter and better balanced with a great many technological and design advances over US made “steel box on wheels” type trailers. But they still need to be towed by an appropriate engine, and trim levels in the US and Europe are not always identical, so what works there may not have the same capacity here.
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I must have missed that somewhere in this thread? I don’t recall anyone saying it was ok to tow more than the the tow vehicle’s capacity, just that the tow capacity needed is less than what one might think which opens up to smaller tow vehicles than monster SUVs and full-sized pick ups.
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So sweet. Thanks!
Someone mentioned towing with a Kia Sportage and as far as I can see the top trim level is rated to 2000# so unless your trailer weighs 900# and you take along nothing but one 1100# horse and are fine with maxing out your vehicle…
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I don’t mean to have any harm come to you. Nothing compares to actually experiencing something for yourself. It puts what the manufactures suggest as suitable in a new and different light.
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That is good to know for those brands, however that is not what the Brenderup tow vehicle requirements state. This was pulled directly from their marketing materials (Brenderup Trailer Specs is the name of the document I believe) and the same requirements are listed in the manual I received with the trailer. I don’t believe the trailer defies physics, but I do believe the engineers who designed and built these trailers have a much better understanding of how they work and what they need than I do.
I feel their past claims were potentially… light on commonly accepted facts. Yes, I am sure a small car can make a loaded horse trailer move forwards, so if that’s your sole definition of towing… great! But not to repeat myself, its worth considering MPG, wear and tear on your tow vehicle’s transmission, and what happens in the worst case when brakes fail and your little sedan cannot stop that thing.
Having owned and loved a Brenderup Baron for 10 years I can say that an 18h horse is not going to fit comfortably in one (my 17.2 Wb did not fit: he was too tall and too long!) despite their claims, and a 120hp, 93" wheelbase car like for example a Ford Fiesta S Sedan towing a 2000# trailer with an 1100# horse? When rated to tow 1984#? What makes a Brenderup so special that it can be towed by a smaller car than all the other European trailers? Nothing that I could see when I used mine - they share similar aerodynamics, tongue weight, braking systems etc to other Euro trailers. I also towed and/or spent a lot of time around a Brenderup Royal and a Brenderup Solo.
It’s worth noting that Brenderups are no longer sold in the USA, and horse trailers are no longer made by the company, so perhaps their claims didn’t hold water - certainly their competition doesn’t try to say that same thing, as attractive as I am sure it was.
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As far as I know, this was a financial decision by the company that bought Brenderup. I’m not aware of any quality concerns or doubts about the Brenderup claims of being a life-altering trailer that made trailering possible and enjoyable for many who couldn’t justify buying a full-size truck as well as a trailer.
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I tow my Böckmann with a Ram 1500 with extra tow package, and the higher torque engine. It’s a dream. You know the trailer is there but you don’t “know the trailer is there” if that makes any sense.
Love it.
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But nobody’s saying you need a full sized truck - I pulled mine with a V6 4Runner for 10 years, as I’ve said several times. I’m saying don’t tow with a vehicle rated to tow less than the weight of the load you’re towing.
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I have a question that I hope you all can answer. I don’t want to call Boeckmann and deal with a long hold or a sales person, and since I’m not seriously looking to buy a trailer right now, this is not urgent but I want to understand it.
How much does a Boeckmann trailer weigh? For example, on the website listed below, the specs for the Big Champion E WCF shows the following:
GVWR = 5291 lbs.
Payload = 3053 lbs.
Loaded Tongue Weight = 212 lbs.
Does this mean that if the maximum payload of 3053 lbs. is loaded into the trailer, the total weight of the trailer + payload is 5291 lbs.? This is to say that the trailer itself is 5291-3053 = 2238 lbs.?
If this is correct, then the maximum payload I should keep in mind for that example would be
5000lbs. - 2238lbs = 2762lbs., which is Toyota Highlander Max. Towing Capacity minus Boeckmann Trailer weight. Is that right?
Next question: how do you weigh your horses? Right now, I have a chunky, not obese, Thoroughbred mare who I am estimating to be around 15.2h. I don’t have a scale. I’ve always read that Thoroughbreds weigh around 900 to 1,100 lbs. but I don’t know if that generally refers to a light racing weight.
My Toyota Highlander is rated as follows:
Maximum Towing Capacity = 5000 lbs.
GVWR = 5840
https://boeckmann-northamerica.com/models/champion-series-horse-trailers#parentHorizontalTab7
I believe this is correct.
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Yes: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the most weight allowed of both your trailer and cargo and the trailer’s payload capacity is the total weight of the cargo you can add to the trailer safely.
Trailer weight is the empty weight of your trailer. Tongue weight is the amount of your trailer’s weight that transfers to your tow vehicle through the trailer’s tongue or gooseneck.
How to weigh your horse? Take it to a weigh scale, or use a weight measuring tape. Overestimate - they always seem to give figures that are light for me. But if you used 1100# for your mare that’s probably accurate.
http://towcalculator.com/ might be helpful.
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