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We love the freedom of our motorhome and as we love to wildcamp where possible so a motorhome for us, is the ideal choice. We toured Morocco last winter and we towed our little Smart car behind us and we had an absolutely fantastic time and it was an experience of a lifetime. By towing our Smart car we were able to visit places that were hard to reach via a 24 foot long motorhome.

If we decide to go away for a few days at the last minute we dont have to plan it or worry about booking or finding a campsite first, we can just up and go at a moments notice and when we arrive at our destination we simply find somewhere peaceful and convenient to park and we just camp there for the night. Obviously we stay on campsites too when we need or want to but because a motorhome is so self contained we have so much more freedom and we have wildcamped in the most fantastic locations with views to die for. Obviously this would not be so easy with a car and caravan and I know if I could not enjoy this freedom I would not be happy. If we are doing a very long journey we drive until we have had enough and then stop somewhere enroute and carry on our journey the next morning. We have an onboard water and waste tank and I am also lucky enough to have an Oyster satellite system installed so wherever we pitch we get perfect tv viewing (unless we are under trees of course)  Like I say when we feel the need, we tow our Smart car on a specially designed trailer or we take our electric bikes with us but most of the time we just take the bikes. A lot of people with motorhomes carry bikes or mopeds and so if you park on the outskirts you can use these for getting from A to B. To be honest we do not find we have too many problems parking our motorhome if we are travelling around and I always telephone the local council of the place we are staying in or wishing to visit before we set off and explain that we are visiting the area in our motorhome and would like go into their town, village or city and ask them if there is anywhere suitable to park our vehicle and most of the time I am directed to a car park near to the town, village or city centre where they can accomodate vehicles such as lorries or coaches and we very rarely encounter any problems.

If you fancy the idea of touring around and the ability and freedom to wildcamp then choose a motorhome but if you prefer to settle in one place for a few days at a time and have the use of a car for getting around in then I think a caravan might be a better option and of course a caravan is a lot cheaper to buy too. There are advantages and disadvantages to both vehicles but whichever you choose just enjoy it and I hope you have as much fun in your chosen vehicle as we do in ours. Please keep us all informed and let us know which you decide on.

PS You say you hate setting up well if this is any help we fill up our onboard water tank before we set off (my hubbby has found it doesnt make that big a difference when it is full to the fuel consumption so unless it is a very, very long journey he fills our water tank prior to us leaving home or at least puts in enough water for the first night and a shower the next morning). When we arrive at our destination we literally either hook up or if we are wild camping switch on the 12volt and we are set up! It's as simple as that! No water tank to fill no waste bucket or carrier to position no nothing! Does that sound tempting?

Post last edited on 30/09/2006 01:25:07

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SONESTA'S MOTTO IN LIFE ..... LAUGH AND THE WORLD LAUGHS WITH YOU. CRY AND YOU CRY ALONE!

See here for the rules re towing behind a motorhome.  The Renault was on an A Frame, this is deffo not legal!!!!!

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=18

http://www.ukmotorhomes.net/a-frames.shtml

have a motor home and want to tow a Fiat Seicento behind it using an A-frame. This car has a kerb weight under 750 kg so am I legal with this outfit? Sorry no is the answer. The law regards this as an unbraked trailer and you are allowed to tow up to 750 kg Gross Trailer Weight, not a car’s kerb weight. The figure you have to use is the car’s Gross Vehicle Weight or Maximum Permitted Weight. This is usually at least 300 - 400 kg more than the kerb weight. We have no knowledge of any car sold in the UK that has a GVW under 750 kg. The only vehicle we know that is completely legal to tow with an A-frame is the French Aixam small "car". This is a full four seater and details can be obtained from Aixam UK on 01926 886100. An A-frame or dolly can only be used to recover a broken down vehicle to a place of safety. Transporting a car is, therefore, illegal. A-frames may be offered with a braking system that applies the car's brakes. These do not conform to the law as the car then becomes a "braked trailer" and has to conform to European Directives contained within the Construction and Use Regulations. It does not conform to the European Directive 71/320/EEC and amendments regarding braking requirements in any way. The use of this A-frame for transportation is illegal. It is still OK for use to recover a vehicle to a place of safety.

What unbraked trailer can I tow? You can tow a maximum of 750 Kg with an unbraked trailer but you cannot exceed half the kerb weight of the towing vehicle. You can tow a trailer with a Gross Weight higher than your car’s towing limit as long as you only load it up to that limit. It is illegal to exceed the car’s towing limit.

Ali

The trailer we use to tow our Smart car is legal and it was designed by Bantam Trailers specifically for towing a Smart car. http://www.bantamtrailers.co.uk/ I dont know the legalities for other trailers and other makes of cars but for those wishing to tow a Smart car you would encounter no legal problems as far as I am aware if you towed it using one of these excellent trailers. Obviously you have to check out weights and things like that but I know we do not exceed the legal limit with our set up.

Hope this helps those who are interested in towing a little Smart car.

A proper trailer is legal but the majority that you see are on A frames or dollies and are definitely not legal.  I would definitely not want to be in an accident with one because your insurance would be invalid.  The Laguna we saw was not being recovered at 40 mph that's for sure!

Ali

Yes Ali I have heard that other kinds of trailers are not legal so anyone thinking of towing a car must take proper advice first and find out the ins and outs of towing a car etc. Like I say, I can only speak about our particular set up as I am no expert on the matter and I just know that our particular  trailer does not contravene any laws. 

Once again if I can help anyone who is interested in towing a Smart car or who would like some further information on the Bantam trailer I will do my best to help by sharing our experiences with you and if I cannot answer your question myself I can always ask my hubby and see if he can help.

Yorkie1

re  "colin bess are you selling your motorhome privately if so can you give me some details"

Hi Yorkie1

Yes!  I am selling privately.  We have just returned from a few days in Derbyshire in Lily Laika.  There is so much to tell about her and I do not have the time at the moment. I will try to do so tomorrow.  Why don't you e-mail me at cmb at hightreck.co.uk and I'll pick up your e-mail address and send the details to you that way.

Cheers from Colin

We dithered

I have towed a small (10ft) caravan ......years ago.......

Have camped in tents .... and... intend to keep on doing so as I am a Guider.

We took the plunge and our 1 year old 4-berth Lunar Champ with 5000 miles only cost us £19,500.

Have just come back from an overnighter near Edinburgh to find out how everything works........

.....GREAT...............

We pulled into a layby and bought lunch from the burger van. Used our own plates and cups, used our own loo, could wash up afterwards.

If we'd had a caravan we would have had to climb over the awning and equipment stored on the floor.

I'm not going backwards.

"have a motor home and want to tow a Fiat Seicento behind it using an A-frame. This car has a kerb weight under 750 kg so am I legal with this outfit? Sorry no is the answer. The law regards this as an unbraked trailer and you are allowed to tow up to 750 kg Gross Trailer Weight, not a car’s kerb weight."

I think Ali is wrong with this - in the note from the DOT it says "When an "A" frame is attached to a vehicle (e.g. a motor car) and towed by a motor vehicle (e.g. motorhome) we believe the "A" frame and car become a single unit and as such are classified in legislation as a trailer".  It then goes on to say  "Trailers having a combined axle mass not exceeding 750kg are not required to have brakes fitted. However, if the trailer (regardless of mass) is fitted with a braking system, then all brakes in that system must operate correctly."

What this seems to say is 'A' frame + car = trailer;  Car has brakes, therefore even if under 750kg those brakes must operate correctly - i.e. brake servo must operate.  So, unless there is a car out there which doesn't use a brake servo then every car on an A frame is illegal, irrespective of weight.  Unless of course you leave the engine running in the towed car to operate the servo or unless there is some other way to get the servo to work while being towed!  The web site below is pretty good at explaining this.

http://www.ukmotorhomes.net/a-frames.shtml

Westmorland

Hi John,

You could be right, the question would be whether or not the braking system on the 'trailer' is up to spec if servo is not working - I wouldn't want to be the one to test it in court!

Westmorland