Pete1961

I guessed they were an aftermarket conversion of probably a used vehicle. Could work for me on many levels, I do some clearing of downed trees & often need to walk miles with saws, fuel & bits & bobs. Also I still drive casually for other plant owners, similar problem except I now carry tools for service & repair 5 gall tubs of gas oil etc. Above all it fits the garage -unlike big pick ups. Off away for a week now. will look into it further

I have had a look at this, towcar.info/GB/towing-advise.php & see they advise a max of 1400 Kg, + or - 50 KG, even for the 2100 Kg max manufacturers tow limit, so if I did go with one of these I would go with the lighter trailer & smaller machine giving a total towed mass of 1440 Kg, I think I may get away with this OK? I have read up on the DSG system & think a) I am too much of an old dog - passed test 1978 to get used to it. b) it is very complex & my local mechanic (good on diesel cars) would not be able to fathom it, nor would he wish to. I do know that amongst the older Cat tractors that it is always the manual drive version that lives long - the 'powershift' is too open to operator abuse & then too complex to economically repair as it gets older. I would stick to a manual 6 speed if at all. Agreed that an oil cooled multi plate clutch is a good thing in itself - if only it stopped at that I agree that it is not an ideal choice as a work vehicle, but the limitation of the garage mean that unless I find something better it would be this for now or give up on the whole thing. I have looked at all the common pick ups & they have grown over the years, they are all just too big. I see the Yeti has now been replaced by the Karoq - pity as they seemed to have sold like hot cakes round here, saw a parked Karoq - did not like it half as much. If I got one would have my supplier look out a mechanically good lowish mileage 170 PS 4x4 Outsider, not too worried about the inside trim as long as no signs of rust, think to look for one with a towbar already fitted if poss. I gather Jeremy Clarkson speaks well of the Yeti, he or one of his mates spoke well of the Berlingo / Peugeot Partner - has served me very well Have looked at http://kapsuzuki4x4.co.uk A perfect little work vehicle particularly with the 'Ifor Williams' rear top, I would only like to add some kind of roof bar on each section to allow ladders etc to be carried. Makes me consider going lighter all round with www.jmeka.fr/en/ & a lighter still trailer

Pirate, sorry I am a bit confused here, the maker says 2100 Kg max, you say a more realistic limit is 1800 kg total towed weight. I then say 1735 Kg total including the trailer's own weight, & you then seem to say this is at the very edge of what the Yeti will do. Are you saying the 1735Kg is really too much for it to be towing regularly? When you say a DSG gearbox - do you mean some kind of automatic & hence a torque converter in place of the main clutch? I have another thread on a construction related forum talking of what mini machine to run, Several of them get about the same money with an 1170 Kg machine - this can go on either the 364 Kg trailer OR the 270 Kg trailer, so I would be talking either 1534 or 1440 KG total towed mass. The ability to run a crusher bucket goes out of the window - but other's experiences seem to say this is pretty marginal work anyway so no matter - As to the unbraked 750 kg - that would be only towed occasionally very locally - if I could get the thing up & running. The fact that this has bypass hydraulic wheel motors impose an upper limit of 40mph on it, & better to stick closer to 30mph. This was once owned by an archaeologist, he used to tow it with a large Volvo estate - a V70 I think (effortlessly he said of towing it) To be honest the machines will work mainly on my own project in one place - but I wanted the means to take them out locally now & again when some paid work comes up.

I did look at pick ups including the older Mitsubishi L200 but again the 5 metre length is a bit much for the garage, (we have a door in the rear of it - through this & the front main roller door is the only access to the rear garden without walking through the house. I may look further into the pick up thing - I do not need dual cab as only two of us (I now run an 04 Berlingo Van), but lately pick ups have become much more a toy aimed at the USA leisure market than a practical work vehicle - not so 20 yrs ago. I would not be using the trailer every day, one use of the machine might see it sit on a project for some months. That said I do not want to own a piece of machinery that I am in the hands of someone else to move. Re the trailer, my council also auctions off small loads of logs in about 5ft lengths at good prices, I could then take advantage of this as both me & my dad are woodstove heated. Re the towable digger - the oilyhands site has info on the Smalley make, & many others inc Powerfab etc. I gather the max unbraked is 750 Kg but it depends also on the max manufactures recommendation (often that the tow vehicle is double the unbraked trailer weight - but maybe a get out if the vehicle is 4WD. I am a member of several plant hire / owner operator forums & the towing chestnut often comes up. I have towed before, but a general purpose large builders trailer. I would be in the good used market, & probably remove & store the rear Yeti seats - if I got one.

Thanks, Pirate & all, I have looked up the SWB Shogun, sadly width wise just too tight through the garage doorway , otherwise an ideal choice all round. That leads me back to the Yeti, good to have some real world input on this. The trailer I saw is quoted for up to 2000 Kg all in but I could happily go with an actual fully loaded weight of 1735 Kg. As the tow vehicle is good in theory for 2000 / 2100 Kg dependant on age the plated max weight of the trailer is OK. This machine will do all I need if the weight is OK as you seem to suggest. Otherwise I could go lighter if I had to - but not so credible then. On this page there is a chart of I think current model towing capacities /www.yetiownersclub.co.uk/forum/9-newbies/7853-help-towing.html it quotes two figures for each e.g. 750Kg / 2100Kg - I am guessing the 750 Kg is the unbraked figure? I only ask because I have another machine (not currently working) that is its own built in unbraked trailer weighing just under this fig. If I could also legally move this locally it would be a bonus. Called a 5 Star Gopher, can be seen at the bottom of this page www.oilyhands.co.uk/gopher_towable_diggers.htm

I am guessing this is about the so called VW diesel 'scandal'. (Skoda being part of VW group) As far as I know the 'improvements' in general mean less MPG & less grunt all round. I see there is a register of those vehicles having had the 'improvement'. Even if I found one that had not, could this record be used to force me to do so in the future. Resale value if not done does not worry me as I tend to keep vehicles pretty well down to the end if I like them. On the subject of trailers there is also an Ifor Williams single axle trailer 1500 Kg gross, 270 Kg tare, so 1230 Kg load

Thanks, I have found a trailer (Bateson 2000MD) weighs 364 Kg empty, is designed to take up to 1636 Kg when laden - is designed to comply with 2WD towing max for Transit vans & similar, I can be flexible with what load I actually put on there. I wondered what a comfortable practical max might be for a 4x4 Diesel Yeti, either 2000 or 2100 Kg max manufacturers tow weight. Eg a load of 1371 Kg, 1170 Kg, 1130 Kg. I really wanted to know the purpose of the 6 speed Yeti box? Does it give a crawler 1st gear or a higher 5th, or somewhere in between? I will study the Shogun SWB when I get a chance as an alternative. I doubt the tow vehicle or trailer would ever leave the hard road of tarmacadam, I only need the 4WD for its towing weight ability. Also I have been told the Jimny is a poor long distance cruising car without a trailer, likewise the Defender, is the Yeti useable in this way

Thanks Offski, To be fair they did say I would only need the Low box to ascend very steep hills (one is momentarily 1 in 4 here) & that generally the Jimny would do the 1300 Kg & more in high. In fact one guy towed 2000 Kg illegally without harm to the Jimny. I do wish to be legal though & machines of size that can earn me £220 per day would need the Yeti. With the Jimny I would be limited to the smallest machines that do not dig that well & bounce (eg the Kubota 008 I hired last week) I more wondered how the Yeti might perform at or close to its 2 tonne / 2.1 tonne legal max. I would be within a 20 mile radius of home & could stay off motorways if need be. I would go for a Defender but cannot fit it in the garage, My area is just too rough to leave the car outside permanently, too many chav footballs kicked at car headlights, real answer is to move (if only I could). Thanks again for the interest

I need something that will fit in the std garage, & able to tow 2000 Kg total weight small plant trailer. Yeti 4x4 would in theory do this. The 85% rule might not matter so much as the load is compact & low centre of gravity - not much wind area, unlike a caravan. Journeys would only be local. I gather the 4x4 is a 6 speed box. I did speak to the Suzuki Jimny crowd re towing a smaller set up - 1300 KG max. They said no problems BUT the Jimny Hi / Lo box only really gave a lower 1st as the gears otherwise overlapped ie 1st hi became 2nd in lo - so you only gained one extra gear, Hence the 6 speed on the Yeti rather than a Hi / Lo range box? Or is the extra gear to give a 70 mph cruising speed @ 2000 rpm, rather than a lower first. Any thoughts on using a Yeti in this way? I am impressed by the huge boat & trailer pulled by Pirate Syrett.