Can a Honda Accord pull a horsebox?

shirleyc

Just wondering if anyone knows if a Honda Accord (2.2 cdti) diesel would be suitable for pulling a horsebox? Also, has anyone heard if the law is due to change meaning that only 4x4s can pull horse boxes?

Tobyglen

shirleyc wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone knows if a Honda Accord (2.2 cdti) diesel would be suitable for pulling a horsebox? Also, has anyone heard if the law is due to change meaning that only 4x4s can pull horse boxes?

Yes, unsure about Law

MarkR

Check your owners manual, should show you the max weight the car can safely tow. It's not the power, more the braking I would be looking into.

shirleyc

Great Thanks. Will have a look at the manual.

Kournikova

yes the 4X4 law applies for double horseboxes, while cars and small jeeps can pull single boxes I believe.

That is what a girl who works in the agricultural college in Enniskillen told me cause she had to research that for a class once.

Chindato

depends on how much you like your Honda
You will rip the guts out of the clutch, engine and chassis.
And if you live in a hilly area, you're going to run out of steam halfway up hills a lot.
But most importantly, a little car just will not have enough weight to prevent it being pushed along ahead of a fully loaded double horsebox if you decide to brake suddenly - big safety issue there.

Wicked

Kournikova wrote: »

yes the 4X4 law applies for double horseboxes, while cars and small jeeps can pull single boxes I believe.

That is what a girl who works in the agricultural college in Enniskillen told me cause she had to research that for a class once.

does that mean that you can now legally pull a horse box with a 4X4 and a single box with a car?

any web links etc to back this up?

(may not need to do the test now yayyyyy)

fits

^No you still have to do the test, thats a separate issue. Just do it, its not such a huge deal really is it?

What you can tow depends on the design gross vehicle weight of the trailer, and the towing capacity of the towing vehicle.

Generally cars can only pull single horseboxes legally.

finbarrk

I used to pull a box with an Avensis 1.6 petrol, took my time and no probs. I have a 4x4 now though.
My concern with the Accord is that they seem very low to the road and I would be worried would the back of the car bottom out on unlevel roads. This was not a problem with the Avensis as they are up much higher off the road.

skink

i always thought it was anything with a double axel(sp?) required a four wheel vehicle?

fits

In fairness you can get a 1.2 litre Fiat Panda with 4wd and noone would recommend towing a box with it.

I'd say the OP's honda could definitely pull a single box. Its a big engine.

doctor evil

What would a great big volvo pull?

fits

Look up the specs of the model here http://www.parkers.co.uk/

Wicked

what are the Rav4 Toyota's like at pulling a horsebox? i'm thinking of getting a 3 dr one for a 510 horsebox

Gurgle

Kournikova wrote: »

That is what a girl who works in the agricultural college in Enniskillen told me cause she had to research that for a class once.

Thats Enniskillen... in Northern Ireland, right?

Connemara Pony

shirleyc wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone knows if a Honda Accord (2.2 cdti) diesel would be suitable for pulling a horsebox? Also, has anyone heard if the law is due to change meaning that only 4x4s can pull horse boxes?

I don't know about the law, but I know someone who used to pull a horsebox with an accord all the time, there was only a pony in the box though.

Kamili

Wicked wrote: »

what are the Rav4 Toyota's like at pulling a horsebox? i'm thinking of getting a 3 dr one for a 510 horsebox

Steer well clear of the Rav 4. They are riddled with problems even when not towing and really not suitable to pull a 510! They are not very reliable at all.

If you want a toyota maybe consider a landcruiser, good at towing and very reliable.

katiemac

I would be very careful.
buy a 4x4 to be safe.

Wicked

Kamili wrote: »

Steer well clear of the Rav 4. They are riddled with problems even when not towing and really not suitable to pull a 510! They are not very reliable at all.

If you want a toyota maybe consider a landcruiser, good at towing and very reliable.

really, are they that bad! i'm very suprised at that. every site you look on reviews says there ok and toyota are usually reliable. i prefered the rav over the landcruiser because it is more compact and i liked it better.

but obviously you must have experience with them

Kournikova

I know a lot of people who tow with a Land Cruiser and they have never caused problems. They are also really nice, well I think so anyway.

I also heard bad reports about the Rav.

fits

Rav 4s are only rated to tow 1500 kg. They're not really suitable for towing double horseboxes.

Wicked

whats a kia sportage 2.0 diesel like at pulling a box? is it economical for everyday and horsey days?

Theponylady

The big problem with trying to haul a horse box with an Accord, or any other lightweight small car or jeep with a short wheelbase is not whether the motor is up to it or not. Motor size is actually not terribly important. It's whether the transmission and clutch are heavy enough to handle it, along with having a cooling system that is up to the extra heat that is going to be created by a hard working motor. Pulling something too heavy is a quick way to burn out the clutch or blow up a motor.

That and the fact that if a vehicle has a short wheel base and is lightweight, it's a LOT easier for the trailer to pull the vehicle off the road and cause an accident. Most crashes involving trailers that I know of were caused when the driver of a short wheelbased vehicle either had to brake hard and the trailer pushed the vehicle forward or yanked the tow vehicle off to the side), or the trailer caught a stone or pot hole or something, and again, yanked the tow vehicle into the air so there was total loss of control. These kinds of accidents are much less likely to happen if you are towing with a vehicle with a long wheelbase and that is heavier.

Wicked

looking at kia sorento's now.

anyone any experience?

fits

^ They're brilliant. A real good solid tow-er. I have an automatic and I just couldnt fault it.

Hyundai Terracan is also worth a look. they're a bit cheaper but very good tow-ers too.

aujopimur

I think the question should be___can a honda accord stop a horsebox.

Theponylady

I don't know anything about the Sorrento specifically. What I do know is, stay away from any cute little short wheel based vehicles. A diesel motor with a 2.5 or better motor, and a long wheel base, with a tow rating a bit higher than what you intend to tow, is the type of vehicle you want to be looking at.

Lots of people tow with 2 liter motors-they also get stuck going up steep hills, burn out clutches, and end up selling and buying something more suitable.

Short wheel base vehicles like the two door Pajeros are highly unsafe for towing a horse box. Yes, lots of people do it. But lots of people also end up in wrecks when the horse box hits a pothole or something, and yanks the jeep in the air or jack knifes it. This is much much much less likely to happen with a long wheel base vehicle. Partly because of the better stability of the long wheel base, partly because the lwb vehicle is usually heavier as well. 4 wheel drive is not necessary to have in a tow vehicle, but it certainly is handy, particularly since people towing horse boxes are so often going out into fields when they are parking at shows etc, and it's easy to get stuck. With a 4wd, it's a lot easier to get out.

fits

My Sorento is rated to pull 2800 kg (2500kg for a manual) and it weighs over 2000kg afair.

Its brilliant. Pulls (and stops) a 510 with my two in it with ease. Its won towing car of the year recently too. I think the new Sorentos might have smaller engines though so get an older one. I think they've changed the standard diesel engine from 2.5 to 2.2.

746watts

The requirement for the towing vehicle when you present for the EB licence towing test is either a 4x4 or a vehicle which is more than 4.25m long (eg Accord is 4.726m).
I have pulled both with a Passat and a variety of jeeps both SWB and LWB.
A car is okay if you pull a 505 with 1 horse. There is a difference between LWB and SWB, and LWB can resist box fish tailing better.
If you intend to pull a 510 with 2 horses, I would suggest a LWB with at least 150bhp. The downside of this is fuel consumption (my landcruiser does 31mpg without box and 21mpg with box and horse). If you are going to use the jeep day to day for work then you may have to compromise pulling power for economy and choose a 2L.
One thing I've noticed a lot is people don't inflate box tyres enough, the recommended pressure for a 510's tyres is 65psi, I reckon most people have about 35psi in them judging by eye. This leads to higher fuel costs plus it makes the box more prone to fish-tailing effect.
There's no perfect answer to your questions, just depends on what you can compromise on. Safe pulling with whatever you choose.

silverfox88

i've been reading a few of these threads on different sites, and what i've gathered is you seem to be ok pulling one horse with a car? anyone know anything about the volvo estate cars - i think they're the v40, v50 and v70? they seem to start at about 2.0l and 170 horsepower and as far as i know they have 4wd. theres a good few ive seen for sale as well going fairly cheap, as in less than two grand for a 1998/1999 one with towbar etc - anyone know what the catch would be, i presume there HAS to be one!! wouldnt be my day to day car, i have a toaster on wheels for that just wanted something to pull one horse (a lightweight 15.2) to shows every other weekend - boswell etc have car parks so i wouldnt be trying to haul a box out of a muddy field with it either! anyone have any experience pulling with volvos? cheers!!

nbrady20009

The 2.2 accord can pull a maximum of 1500kg, and with 251lb/ft it should move along swift enough. I would recommend looking for a second jeep to pull the box though. A decent Isuzu Trooper or Land Rover Defender would be ideal, both solid work horses and will put up with a lot of abuse.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/land-rover/defender/