Alltrack vs Touareg

[Julieswc]

Hi, we need to buy a vehicle which will potentially be used to tow a horse float with one horse for our daughter. Initially looked at an Alltrack but weren't sure of the towage capability (i.e. 1800) and have now also test driven a Touareg. If anyone out there owns an Alltrack and has used it to tow a horse float would be very interested to hear from you.

[Guest001]

Hi, we need to buy a vehicle which will potentially be used to tow a horse float with one horse for our daughter. Initially looked at an Alltrack but weren't sure of the towage capability (i.e. 1800) and have now also test driven a Touareg. If anyone out there owns an Alltrack and has used it to tow a horse float would be very interested to hear from you.

Basically the rules for towing are that you may not tow a loaded trailer which weighs more than the recommended manufacturers towing weight

You can tow a trailer with a higher ATM than recommended PROVIDED when towing it it still doesnt exceed the allowable weight.

Eg ATM 2000kg vehicle limit 1800kg Can only load it to 1800kg.

Ball weight is another thing that restricts the Alltrack.

I think its only 80kg which wont be nearly enough for an Aussie designed float.

This would have a towball weight probably in the region of 150kg.

It is also not advisable to tow a trailer which weighs more than the vehicle towing it.

Was a thread on here a while ago about the same thing Perhaps a search on TOWING would find it.

Personally there is only one answer The Touareg.

I wouldnt tow a horse float with my Passat and as the towbar will cost about $1500 installed, thats two reasons not to.

These vehicles being European have totally different allowable weights to Aussie vehicles.

I cant remember the Touareg towball limit but I think its up over 250kg.

If buying S/H check the brake rotors They arent cheap $1000 plus for 4 ???and dont last as long as the Toyota ones. Mine had done over 150,000k and were still ok

A second hand Toyota Cruiser is the ideal vehicle for towing I had a 100ser TD that I towed a large van for two years on a trip around Aussie and never had a moments trouble.

[FJ Steve]

Ball weight is another thing that restricts the Alltrack.

I think its only 80kg which wont be nearly enough for an Aussie designed float.

This would have a towball weight probably in the region of 150kg.

It is also not advisable to tow a trailer which weighs more than the vehicle towing it.

Was a thread on here a while ago about the same thing Perhaps a search on TOWING would find it.

Personally there is only one answer The Touareg.

Ball weight is determined by the COG of the trailer and the weight distribution within that item. You can't (IMHO) provide a blanket towball weight figure of 150kg based on the fact that it is towing a horse float with one Equine in it.

Touareg OEM towbar is rated to 3500kg, and the ball weight can be as high as 350kg.

Kg for kg, nM to nM, torques vs torques....and so on...the Touareg is the best bang for buck tug on the market.

[Guest001]

Ball weight is determined by the COG of the trailer and the weight distribution within that item. You can't (IMHO) provide a blanket towball weight figure of 150kg based on the fact that it is towing a horse float with one Equine in it.

Touareg OEM towbar is rated to 3500kg, and the ball weight can be as high as 350kg.

Kg for kg, nM to nM, torques vs torques....and so on...the Touareg is the best bang for buck tug on the market.

I fully realise all that but the Alltrack has a recommended limit which would be too light for the purpose.

The tow vehicle ball weight LIMIT is what governs what you can tow.

Trailer Ball weight changes every load but the limit allowed on the tow vehicle doesnt and was what I was referring to.

Eg Pajeros and Patrols can tow to 3000kg (Pajero) and 3200Kg Manual 3.0 Patrol.

However both of them, if load is over 2500kg have a reducing towball limit restricting them considerably to lighter towed weights.

The 150kg was a theoretical figure to demonstrate that the vehicle would be unsuited to the probable load.

The recommended ball weight for a loaded Aussie type trailer is a minimum of 10% of the loaded weight and with a full sized horse and

weight of the trailer, would probably go up towards the 150kg

If your horse and trailer combined dont weigh over 850kg the Alltrack would be Ok but it wouldnt be for me.

My Passat has a towball limit of 85 kg so I guess the Alltrack would be similar

Lightening ball weight by shifting weight to the rear is a recipe for disaster.

Personally after having a friend with a Touareg I would prefer the Cruiser for several reasons.

Lower running costs and slightly lower service cost.

Much more availability of spare parts especially in WA where the OP is

My friends needed brake rotors at a considerable cost.

My Cruiser is still running on originals and only had one set of replacement pads in over 150,000km.

Just one example. Also depends on whether you are talking about the smaller motored Touareg or the almighty V10.

I guess reading your sig its the V6

[Julieswc]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful comments and advice. Having never towed more than a trailer of mulch previously with our 2001 Verada Mitsubishi we found ourselves in unknown waters when trying to choose a new vehicle. We will also be towing somebody else's horse as our daughter is leasing rather than owning. So trying hard to purchase wisely. The difference between a new Alltrack and 6mth old 180 V6 Touareg is about $25k so a decision not to be taken lightly. Looks like the Touareg is the best for the job between the two though as we hadn't taken into account tow ball download. On the Alltrack it's 90 on the Touareg it's 280. This is something none of the dealers offered advice on, but then we didn't ask either. Also needed a car with interior space as we are both tall with children expected to reach or pass our heights within a few years. Preferred a car which was economically to run the kids around in, possibly take up to Karijini, and tow a horse. The Touareg seems to meet all our needs.

[Transporter]

The Touareg will tow your horse like it would be a trailer of mulch behind your Verada, even at the steepest hill.
...and still will return a good fuel economy.

[Guest001]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful comments and advice. Having never towed more than a trailer of mulch previously with our 2001 Verada Mitsubishi we found ourselves in unknown waters when trying to choose a new vehicle. We will also be towing somebody else's horse as our daughter is leasing rather than owning. So trying hard to purchase wisely. The difference between a new Alltrack and 6mth old 180 V6 Touareg is about $25k so a decision not to be taken lightly. Looks like the Touareg is the best for the job between the two though as we hadn't taken into account tow ball download. On the Alltrack it's 90 on the Touareg it's 280. This is something none of the dealers offered advice on, but then we didn't ask either. Also needed a car with interior space as we are both tall with children expected to reach or pass our heights within a few years. Preferred a car which was economically to run the kids around in, possibly take up to Karijini, and tow a horse. The Touareg seems to meet all our needs.

Yes there is a lot more to towing than most realise I have spent several years towing vans and try to stay legal.

I made the mistake of buying the vehicle first and then the van. Bought one too heavy for the vehicle and had to trade up to a Cruiser.

Cost me $23,000 to not research things enough.

If you are going to Karijini you will need something that will handle corrugations and I wouldnt take a Passat where we were when we went touring.

In fact I didnt take the Cruiser through the gorges tour as I figured the day trip for 2 in the bus was less than the cost of blowing a tyre.
Corrugations were so bad you needed headlights on to see over the tops LOL.

We got 17L per 100km towing a 2850kg van as an average On its own it did 11 L per 100km.

You probably should fit an elecric brake controller as well as the horsefloat will be of a weight which requires either override or electric brakes.

If electric a Tekonsha Prodigy or P3 is the most suitable model to use. It is a proportional type which means that the harder you apply the car brakes the harder it brakes the van. Other types such as a Redarc apply a set pressure regardless which may or may not suit the application at the time.

All things found out by experience

[FJ Steve]

if ever you had doubts about a Touareg's ability to hold it's own.....

As for Landcruiser being better than a T'reg....I'm not sure the mods here would like to see an e-penii comparison, however....a 100series 100HDJR 4.2Lt TDV6 vs a Touareg 3.0Lt TDV6....??? I know where my money is going to be.

Don't let the 3000cc V6 fool you.

[Guest001]

if ever you had doubts about a Touareg's ability to hold it's own.....


As for Landcruiser being better than a T'reg....I'm not sure the mods here would like to see an e-penii comparison, however....a 100series 100HDJR 4.2Lt TDV6 vs a Touareg 3.0Lt TDV6....??? I know where my money is going to be.

Don't let the 3000cc V6 fool you.

Dont want to be picky but I couldnt find a V6 motor in mine It had all 6 in a line LOL. The 200 ser has a V8

I didnt doubt a Touaregs ability at all but in remote parts of Australia the vehicle of choice has been a Landcruiser or Prado.

Why, well the mines use them and if you need parts they are most always available.

Wouldnt like to break something serious on a Touareg at Marble Bar or Exmouth for instance.

Neighbor in van park in Kununnura blew a tyre in a Prado and had a problem getting a matching one.

The only one he could buy was about $400 as well, and that was a Toyota.

Both vehicles would be admirable but the 100 ser can be bought for under $50,000 all tricked out with under 200,000k on it

A 200 ser v8 Diesel is under $70,000 with low K's as well.

I wasn't criticizing anything just pointing out mine and others experiences in remote places.

Your video is of a 4wd against a 2 wd so not rarely fair.

I have no doubt either vehicle will do the job Its where you want it to do it that may make a difference as to the suitability.

Any way I no longer go vanning and am quite happy tootling around in my two VW's. LOL

[AdamD]

Your video is of a 4wd against a 2 wd so not rarely fair.

According to this version of the same video, the Chevy is running in low-range 4WD, and its steering tie-rods break almost immediately due to the hopping (as it's unloaded presumably).

[Guest001]

Ball weight is determined by the COG of the trailer and the weight distribution within that item. You can't (IMHO) provide a blanket towball weight figure of 150kg based on the fact that it is towing a horse float with one Equine in it.

Touareg OEM towbar is rated to 3500kg, and the ball weight can be as high as 350kg.

Actually according to the latest brochure they are only rated to 280kg on the towball.

Even if your towbar has a ball limit of 350kg as you say, you can only have 280kg on it unless your model is rated different to the latest.

The ADR rule states that you may tow up to the limit of the towbar or the manufacturers limit WHICHEVER IS THE LESSER.

Lots of people with early 80 ser got caught as some towbars were 3500kg tow with 350kg ball limit but the vehicle only had 2500kg tow with 250kg ball limit

Likewise early 100 ser had 350 kg ball limit but for some reason HR rated the towbars at 250kg. These were later allowed to be restickered by HR up to the higher limit as they were identical bars

[FJ Steve]

Actually according to the latest brochure they are only rated to 280kg on the towball.

Even if your towbar has a ball limit of 350kg as you say, you can only have 280kg on it unless your model is rated different to the latest.

The ADR rule states that you may tow up to the limit of the towbar or the manufacturers limit WHICHEVER IS THE LESSER.

you better refresh yourself with the specs of my Touareg. It's a 2008 model (not the latest MY13).
VW Compliance specs for my VIN state 3500kg towing capacity (braked) and 350kg ball weight (and yes...I have the Factory supplied, factory fitted towbar)

Also...point of order:
I wouldn't be taking a Toyota L/C up into the NW of WA and expecting the mining companies to provide assistance in respect of a mechanical breakdown. It's just not going to happen, unless there is a risk of life or endangerment at the time. Most mining companies lease their fleet of LVs from Perth, which include a servicing regime conducted in Perth (yes, they return the LVs to Perth for servicing)...or...the mining company will fly up a tech tpo do 1000 km service on site...then ditch the vehicle to the auctions when it has 20k kms on it. (no services in between). The mighty dollar has a HUGE say in running costs.

And why do I know this? I was a project manager at various minesites for 13 years.

Also...my apologies for referring to the Tojo HDJ100R as a V6. You are quite correct. Straight 6.

[Transporter]

IMO, also the ability of the outback workshop to repair 1-2 year old 4x4 maybe very limited, no matter what you buy, because if they need a part most likely they wouldn't have them.

[tigger73]

My parents/sister were in the same boat a number of years back in that my sister rides horses and they needed something to tow a horse float. They ended up buying an "old" 80 series Landcruiser as a dedicated tow vehicle which certainly does the job. Depends what you want/need to use the vehicle for in addition to towing the float and whether you have space to have another vehicle in your driveway.

One thing I have to say is that the interior of this vehicle has been a bit trashed as it's been used for picking up feed, carrying all sorts of horse gear, getting in/out with muddy boots from paddocks, etc etc. Basically it's been used as a farm vehicle.

So I'd be thinking twice about buying a new/near new car for this type of work.

Or if you do go for a new vehicle, make sure you get some heavy duty rubber floor mats that you can take out and wash down after each horse event.

[Guest001]

you better refresh yourself with the specs of my Touareg. It's a 2008 model (not the latest MY13).
VW Compliance specs for my VIN state 3500kg towing capacity (braked) and 350kg ball weight (and yes...I have the Factory supplied, factory fitted towbar)

.

Also...my apologies for referring to the Tojo HDJ100R as a V6. You are quite correct. Straight 6.

Fair enough but you didnt say your model and the OP is looking at a 6 month old one.

When I was in Newman there was a large cluster of 4x4's sitting in a service centre. I asked the local tour guide what were they all there for.

She said thats where they get their service done.

While I dont doubt you it seems strange to drive two days and 2300km return to get a 2 hour service done.

Anyway enough about all this. Hope the OP gets what he wants.