The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: Womble on May 22, 2018, 06:32:20 pm
-
I'll be honest, I really don't like cars. They're basically just four wheeled planet destroying money pits. However, these days I find myself running two of the darn things - a wee Fabia estate, which does 95% of my mileage as a work car and runabout, and a Defender 90 which we use for hauling about building materials, sheep, canoes, firewood etc.
Anyway, for various reasons, I'm thinking it might be time to make a change, so the question is, is there anything out there that will do both jobs? It needs to be:
- Four wheel drive, capable of light use over fields and on snowy tarmac
- Equipped with a decent sized boot, for visits to the feed store etc
- Capable of comfortably towing 1,500kg (i.e. within the 85% weight rule)
- Still reasonably economical for circa 15,000 miles a year
I've been around a few dealers, but everything either seems to be gigantic (and still with a piddly small boot), or just a pretend 4x4 with no more ground clearance than a regular car, and which will likely get stuck the moment it leaves the tarmac.
So, any suggestions? :thumbsup:
-
A pickup?
-
I don't know? Can you get pickups that aren't both gigantic and ridiculously thirsty?
-
2nd hand Scoobie? I say 2nd hand because we hardly dare use our newer one on the fields, but then we have ancient Series Landies for that.
-
I have a shogun sport which I like - when the seats are down (default mode as I'm single!) the space in the back is equivalent to a pick up. The 4x4 can be turned on so it's not in action and using extra fuel all the time. As a 13 year old vehicle, I'm reasonably happy with about 28mpg. And it seems to tow reasonably comfortably (I've only been towing about 6 months since passing my trailer test, but it's been easy enough)
-
We have an old Honda CR-V. It tows the trailer, back seats slide forward as well as folding down, good height inside but I have no idea how economical it is or if it is a true 4x4. Ours is an AU03 reg, the newer ones don't look as suitable for smallholding but they are probably much more economical and eco friendly than ours.
Dans
-
when the seats are down (default mode as I'm single!)
:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
Not sure what I find so funny about that comment but it's made me chuckle this morning fsmnutter - thank you.
As for the OP - i use a Navara, good at the off road stuff, very comfortable on Tarmac & good towing abilities but small load area and thirsty on fuel as most 4*4's are.
-
Now, I knew exactly what fsmnutter meant. You Zac, just have a dirty mind! :roflanim:
Thanks for the tips so far folks - keep them coming and I'll check them out at the dealers :thumbsup:
-
I am not single and back seats down are the default position in both our vehicles.
-
I have a Subaru Forester estate 4x4 (2003), which I am going to need to replace soon as it's on 185k miles, so I have the same problem. I cart hay and stuff around in the back, but it can comfortably accommodate 4 people (once vacuumed!) on the very rare occasion that I need to cart 4 people around.
I have come to the conclusion that I will have to get a pickup, probably single cab, or super-cab, not double AND a small car to do the daily commute in when I'm not needing to cart hay etc. But I need the car to be able to tow my small trailer too in the event of an emergency (i.e. the pickup breaks down and I need to retrieve the trailer) - so it's not going to be that small after all.
I have spent months thinking about this and have failed to make any decisions, so every day I just get back in my trusty scooby and pray that it keeps going for just a little bit longer... ;D
-
Dacia Duster diesel 4wd ,seem to be fairly reliable ?? Boot 408 lt 56mpg 1500kg towing all for less than £15,000 new
-
[member=24813]Foobar[/member] , The Forester is already on my possibles list (we once had one as a hire car for three weeks, and I really liked it).
Can you tell me what the Forester isn't doing for you, that means you'll need to buy a pickup and car, rather than another Forester?
-
[member=2128]Womble[/member], my Forester is one of the old rectangular ones (with a low range gear box too). I don't think the new ones have as much space (of the right shape) - I can fit 6 hay bales (*big* conventional ones) in the back of my car with the seats down, with space for tools etc or some feed bags too. If I could get another of the same shape that was a lot newer I would, but you can't. Plus they are expensive to maintain, especially as they get older - parts are ££ and hard to get in some cases.
I LOVE my forester, it drives wonderfully, and I have never been stuck in anything (mud, snow, ice, floods, more mud). I had to take my partners VW van to work yesterday as my battery was flat, and it was was like driving a blancmange in comparison, lol.
Putting hay in the back of a car makes a right mess, it gets everywhere, so when you do sometimes need to use it as an actual car rather than a wheelbarrow then it becomes a real pain to clean up. So for me, I think I need a pickup to do the hay in, and timber lengths can go on the back instead of the roof.
If I could afford a pickup AND newer forester, maybe I would, but I don't think my finances will stretch to that.
-
We didn't realise how much we needed a pickup until we got one. Ours is a one and a half cab, so you can take passengers (provided they've got short legs) or shopping if necessary and still have plenty of room in the back for the hurdles, hay, bags of manure etc that you just don't want inside the car. Also is tows and has 4WD. You are asking a lot to get all that plus eco efficiency.
-
•Four wheel drive, capable of light use over fields and on snowy tarmac
•Equipped with a decent sized boot, for visits to the feed store etc
•Capable of comfortably towing 1,500kg (i.e. within the 85% weight rule)
•Still reasonably economical for circa 15,000 miles a year
Is it called 'The Moon' Womble? (as in asking for the ..... )
-
I wish they made a UTE available in the UK, for those of us who need a pickup but don't need the massiveness of the pickups that are available today. :)
-
I wish they made a UTE available in the UK, for those of us who need a pickup but don't need the massiveness of the pickups that are available today. :)
WHAT? you mean we don't need a truck that would trans Australia just to go to the local supermarket? :roflanim:
-
Is it called 'The Moon' Womble? (as in asking for the ..... )
Well maybe, but until I do my research, I won't know what to compromise on.
At the moment, it looks as though it will be fuel economy, since by definition, the car is going to have to weigh about 1800kg in order to tow 1500kg comfortably (using the '85% rule'), and that's never going to be an economical drive. By my reckoning, a 5mpg difference between two cars is worth about £240 per year to me in fuel costs, so whilst not critical, it's definitely something to think about carefully.
-
Dacia Duster diesel 4wd ,seem to be fairly reliable ?? Boot 408 lt 56mpg 1500kg towing all for less than £15,000 new
•Four wheel drive, capable of light use over fields and on snowy tarmac
•Equipped with a decent sized boot, for visits to the feed store etc
•Capable of comfortably towing 1,500kg (i.e. within the 85% weight rule)
•Still reasonably economical for circa 15,000 miles a year
Is it called 'The Moon' Womble? (as in asking for the ..... )
-
Two pickups here both Isuzu 3.5 tonnes towing , a double cab very comfortable to drive and a single cab a bit more bouncy as less weight neither get more than 30-35 mpg and if towing 20-25 mpg
-
I went through the wrong door and ended up at Great Wall Motors.. who were suprised at a visitor and insisted on coffee and biccies.. anyway I needed the loo. It would have been churlish not to at least have a look and suprisingly the pickups were comfy to sit in and towing specs a suprise. This top gear review says it all: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/driven-great-wall-steed (https://www.topgear.com/car-news/driven-great-wall-steed)
-
Don't forget to allow for a) new MOT regs if buying a used car and b) the chances of diesels being banned or priced out of city centres in the near future.
Also keeping an eye on this thread, my trusty Polo currently has stable matting in the back in an effort to keep it almost clean-ish ::) :roflanim:
-
After a lot of consideration, research and headache, I deducted that, at least for what I intend to do, van would be more suitable than a pickup.
Ford transit custom can tow 2.5t which is enough to tow a 2 cow trailer, Has much more usable space inside, takes a lot less fuel!
But... That's only if you don't plan to use it off road, I.e. live just of tarmac road.
-
I thought about a van, but I need 4x4 for where I live. VW do a 4x4 van in europe but you can't get them in the UK. :(
-
I ruled out the Dacia Duster because I have a P6e unbraked trailer and the Duster didn't have a high enough unbraked limit.
-
Knew a woman who used an AUDI QUATTRO estate to feed her sheep
-
Skoda yeti 4wd? can tow up to 2t, should be cheap as they have brought out a new one with a new name
-
I suspect it won't have the ground clearance for you, but we make a lot of use of an older 4x4 turbo petrol Octavia estate here. It'll pull the horse box with a Dexter bull inside, its 4x4 drive is very competent on muddy fields. It's not mega-fuel-efficient, especially when towing, but it's a really comfortable car for a long drive. The load space is very good.
A quick Google suggests the Octavia Scout has a kerb weight of just under 1300kgs but will tow 1800kgs. Doesn't quite comply with your 85% 1.5tonne, I know.
-
I suspect it won't have the ground clearance for you, but we make a lot of use of an older 4x4 turbo petrol Octavia estate here. It'll pull the horse box with a Dexter bull inside, its 4x4 drive is very competent on muddy fields. It's not mega-fuel-efficient, especially when towing, but it's a really comfortable car for a long drive. The load space is very good.
A quick Google suggests the Octavia Scout has a kerb weight of just under 1300kgs but will tow 1800kgs. Doesn't quite comply with your 85% 1.5tonne, I know.
Team Skoda here too. I don't tow etc but my Octavia will do anytihng asked and has never got stuck. Recently did a boot full of bricks one trip and 28 large paving slabs on the next..
-
Thanks everybody.
It's really hard to know what to do for the best. On one hand, I feel that I hardly justify having the Landy as well as a car, as I rarely use its full capabilities. On the other hand, on the few occasions that I've used it as a Landy, pretty much anything less would have stuggled. The trouble is, it's a very expensive toy to run for just those few occasions.
Still thinking..... :thinking:
-
I too have a Landy (Defender) as a second car, that I don't use much now. But when I do use it then I'm glad I've got it. Now that Land Rover no longer make proper Land Rovers I am planning to keep it (for ever?) as I reckon it'll keep it's price.
Sometimes it isn't just a case of how much something is costing, but about the pleasure/satisfaction you get from having it and using it at times when nothing else would be quite the same. :thumbsup:
-
Sometimes it isn't just a case of how much something is costing, but about the pleasure/satisfaction you get from having it
Yeah, there used to be an element of that, and our Landy is still in pretty good nick for its 20 year age.
However, having now spent a full day swearing at and repeatedly assembling / disassembling the door locking mechanism, I'm starting to feel that the inevitable pain and cost of ownership is eclipsing the benefits for the limited mileage I'm doing in it!!
-
Could you buy a second hand landy for the farm and a runabout for Lynda normal use, and keep the Landy on SORN until needed - you can Sorn or Unsorn almost instantly. Not sure if there's a limit on how often in a year though.
-
A Renault Master van here - takes 35 bales of hay or 15 feed bags, transports goats (they hop in and out) and tows a 10ft trailer with goats/sheep in it as well. I sleep in it during shows (like the Great Yorkshire), and I am high enough in the cab to check out what sheep the neighbours have behind their hedges. Not 4x4 obviously, but we also have a small tractor to do field work or loading in the field, then transfer the trailer to the van once on the road. When it snows we just stay at home as OH refuses to get a 4x4 (his daily commute is in a Skoda Fabia Estate, that accommodates his bike in the back for the last bit of city commute)
-
Has anyone got a car-based van - Fiesta, mini Clubvan, etc? That's sort of where I'm currently investigating. More for dog, sacks of compost, maybe a lone bale of hay or wheelbarrow.
-
It often suprises me what you can get into an innocuous looking vehicle. My aged 200sx has amazing capacity with the seats down - even a 3m kitchen worktop with the tailgate tied down and only a few inches hanging out. I once went to Wicks to buy a load of 2.4m posts and timbers to build a pergola. Out in the carpark I was next to a builders white van and the guy was tying a similar load on his roof-rack.
I'm a bit of a pi$$ taker and opened up the back.. loaded the timbers in to the guys amazement and casually said "Ain't got time for all the mate. Got work to do." And drove off.
I have taken it over my (dry) fields but it doesn't have the clearance for ruts.
The classic workhorse used to be a volvo estate but pricey to run. I did have a berlingo van in my last business - cheap enough and OK if you don't need performance.
-
Ahhh yes, the trusted Volvo estate! We've had several and I loved every one... with all the seats down you could get all manner of things smallholding related. In the good ol days we used to take our nanny to a billy in the estate part - just a tad smelly on the return journey though!! I don't think there is a vehicle that compares these days. We now resort to a isuzu rodeo denver double cab pick up for our only vehicle - if I clean the cab it is fine for driving non smallholding folk around and the back (with canopy) carries supplies but not animals - too high up to dismount safely. It tows a small animal traler easily and fairly economically. Parts are still easy to get. Personally I prefer my old mazda b2500 which felt a bit more substantial - the isuzu seems 'plasticy'
-
Have a look at the Citroen Dispatch (there are Peugeot and Toyota equivalents too). Not 4x4 (although you can get them as 4x4 in Europe), but they have some fancy seating and stowage options, plus grip control and a work site pack etc.
-
How about this?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352298999272?ul_noapp=true (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352298999272?ul_noapp=true)
-
Hmmm, maybe a little bit too quirky to be a daily drive for work. Also only tows a tonne if you apply the 85% rule.
I could see it being a cracking smallholder car for lots of people though!
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/xtIAAOSw10han7~A/s-l1600.jpg)
-
We've got a Renault trafic van which I've fitted dog cages and rear seats to , it tows the trailers and you can put a couple of goats in the back if needs, it's also my partners everyday vehicle.
I've got a ford focus estate, I had it but it does go places and will tow smaller trailers.
I did have a defender but it had an accident and I've not been able to afford to replace it since, I miss it alot and having a 4x4 is very handy at times
-
A bit late to this thread, but some thoughts:
A view held by some is that a good set of really gnarly tyres on a 2-wheel drive will get one to most places over pretty much anything. Not tested by me, so I will not comment other than to say that I can't believe it would cope particularly well with gloopy mud no matter how gnarly the drive tyres might be.
Mention has been made of the Dacia Duster 4WD: I have a diesel Duster of 2013 vintage (made in India). Do not buy a "made in India" version would be my recommend - early rust issues. I've lost count, but I think I'm in for my 5th warranty rustiness-repair this July. Dacia moved Duster production to Europe not long after (can't remember when exactly) so check, if 2nd-hand, where it was built as I seem to think Euro' build versions much better (and they will likely have a newer generation turbo diesel 1.5 engine which, I can say, will be noticeably perkier).
That said, I really do like my early Duster and, @ 55k miles, can't see myself exchanging it any time soon. It has v good ground clearance/angles for an "SUV"; the 4WD version's 1st gear is real "bottom gear" stuff (no good for launching oneself cleanly into traffic - have to pull-out in 2nd for that). Boot is spacious, but I have still envied a friend's 2WD Saab and now Ford estate's seat-down boot length. Electronic 4WD control is off/auto/full-time + I went for traction control option (which can also be turned on/off): all Nissan based.
I'm almost always fully loaded with gardening gear and frequently with roof-bar load as well: presently I get just over 37 mpg, but I have managed some 43 mpg over extended periods with more normal use - still no where near "official" mpg figure, but still decent enough.
As much as I really like my Duster (bought new, because they were very new to the market), I do wonder sometimes whether a used Nissan X-Trail 4WD with 2Tonne towing capacity might have been the way I should have gone. (The X-Trail had it's own problems - according to web searches - but, then, we all know about Land Rovers too !! )
-
Thanks both,
The research I've done so far hasn't come up with an ideal solution yet, so I'm still thinking. Small to medium 4x4s don't tend to have enough towing capacity nor boot space, whilst large 4x4s are massive, but still not as practical as the Defender on any measure except passenger comfort!
I even looked at an Octavia 4wd estate the other day, and came to the conclusion that with the right tyres, it would go just about everywhere I want it to, whilst carrying more gear than a medium SUV. The key words are of course 'just about', and I know I'd miss the Defender's capabilities. The question is, would I miss them enough to make up for the cost of running two cars? :thinking:
I totally agree with you on the tyres though, arobwk. My previous car was a 2wd Focus, and was far better in icy conditions with winter tyres on than the Defender is with its big mud and snow monsters, so I can see that the same would be true of slick vs knobbly tyres over fields. At the end of the day, what stuffs you up offroad is lack of traction rather than lack of power, and even with a locking diff, you only get power to two wheels if you're skidding.
The good news is that my Fabia had a clean bill of health at its service yesterday (not bad for having done nearly 100,000 miles). The bad news is that I still can't figure out how to fix the door locks on the Defender, and I need to get them sorted before I can either drive it anywhere much or sell it.
So, I'm afraid I'm still thinking!!
-
Look for a landy thats pre 1 January 1978 - saves tax and MOT costs.
-
We had decided to move to Herefordshire/Worcestershire borders and were advised that we ought to get a high wheelbase in case of having to drive through flooded areas or be prepared to be snowed in. We opted for a Mitsubishi Warrior pickup. We also chose the top box with opening windows for the rear to keep chickens/feed/bedding dry. So far any trips with chooks have been in the cab with me! It has 3 options to run as a 4 x 4 but I usually just drive in normal mode. I think (can't remember) that it will override into 4 x 4 if it deems it necessary - but I'm not sure - it has it's auto pilot mode button switched on just in case. We had it fitted with a tow bar for trailers/livestock transportation too. The reverse has a camera with trailer guidelines too which is very handy. I'll be going on a course to make sure I can handle it when the time comes. That was 2 years ago. I have to say it handled 2 weeks in Mull very well!
Geronimo (well it is a Warrior!) runs very well considering his size. I usually get 45 miles to the gallon (unless I have air con on down the motorway and that was 33mpg). We are now in the process of moving . . . to Devon instead. But apparently we could get snowed in there just as easily as we will be in a very remote area. I have driven through small floods and at the moment my girls are in a friends' field so I off road to get to them! Very comfy drive too - the in-laws were transported (no, not in the rear, although the thought of shoving mother-in-law in there did cross my mind) to visit my daughter some miles away - mother-in-law snored all the way home, so she was comfy enough to sleep! I hasten to add we have the double cab version.
And for those with other hobbies - I took 3 other ladies on a quilting retreat and all of our equipment and luggage fitted in really well with room to spare - in the snow and only had to use the 4x4 mode to get out of one lady's steep driveway!
Now we need to look into meadow cutting equipment etc!
-
This is a problem we had last year, when our old Nissan X-Trail died. Well, it was worth £500 and would have cost £3000 to get moving! Our solution was as follows. A 2011 Renault Scenic diesel for towing and people moving. 45 plus mpg. Tows 1500kgs which covers us, as our trailer is only rated at 1000kgs. And a compact tractor! Total cost of tractor and car £6000, which was considerably less than a similar age 4x4. We tow the pigs etc in the trailer with the tractor off road, then hitch to the car and tow that on road. The car stays cleaner, the tractor goes everywhere a Landrover will, and the mpg is great in the car. Anyway that was our solution.