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   Caravans and Caravanning -  Caravan Towcars and Towing Advice 		Share   Post on X / Twitter  Share on Facebook  Email  Printer Friendly Version Print
Subject Topic: 85% Towing Rule Post Reply Post New Topic
Personjosel
27/6/2007 at 8:47am
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Hi all,

I am very new to caravans and never had one before. I have a Renault Grand Espace 2.2 diesel Kerb weight 1702KG. The caravan ABI AWARD NIGHSTAR 1998, MTPLM 1450KG.

The caravan dealer stating my car will easily tow this caravan and it reaches 85.19% KERB/MTPLM.

My questions are -

What is the 85% rule?

What is kerb weight?

What is MTPLM?

And finally how do i work out how much weight i can load the caravan to?

Thankyou for your time and patience. josel


katharita
27/6/2007 at 9:53am
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Found this sound info put in by Dirtydisco

 

For cars......

Kerbweight  = Unladen weight of tow car

Max Tow weight = Max weight the car can move from a standing start up a set incline.

Max gross train weight (GTW) = maximum combined weight of car and trailer

Kerbweight and Max tow weight are NOT generally the same figure (well they could be by a coincidence) and are not the same concept

For trailers/caravans

MTPLM = maximum weight of trailer & contents

MIRO = Mass in running order, weight of trailer with a basic loadout (gas, battery etc)

ULM = unladen mass, weight of trailer empty.

 

 

If you passed your test after 1/1/97 the MTPLM of your trailer must not exceed the kerbweight of your tow car, and the MTGW must not exceed 3500kg (this rules out many large car/mpv/4x4 & caravan combinations

 

Also check "what towcar.com"


Personmichael
27/6/2007 at 10:02am
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here too.......

http://www.practicalcaravan.com/legal/index.html

the difference between the MIRO AND MTPLM is your loading weight you can use,ie.awning water , barrels,ect



-------------
the only silly question is the one you do not ask.


simonm65
27/6/2007 at 10:04am
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Hi, the 85% rule is what is generally accepted to be a safe towing combination, ideally your caravan fully loaded should weigh no more than 85% of the car. You can tow upto 100% legally but this is not advised unless you are experienced.

The kerb weight is the weight of your vehicle with all essential equipment i.e. fuel, spare tyre etc. It doesn't include the weight for passengers. Your handbook will tell you the maximum train weight, be careful as this can sometimes decrease the towing weight when you include the passengers and luggage in the vehicle. The maximum train weight is the weight of the vehicle plus the weight of the caravan, you need to ensure you don't exceed this.

Maximum Technical Permissible Laden Mass - the total weight your caravan can take. The caravan will have a plate somewhere stating the MIRO (Mass in Running Order), this is generally around 250KG less than the MTPLM, so basically you can load your caravan with 250KG of equipment this includes the battery as most manufacturers don't include this in the MIRO, check in the hand book or the plate on the caravan to get the exact figures.

Hope this helps.


Personjosel
27/6/2007 at 12:42pm
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Thankyou all.

 


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Persondirtydisco
27/6/2007 at 3:23pm
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Quote: Originally posted by simonm65 on 27/6/2007

Hi, the 85% rule is what is generally accepted to be a safe towing combination, ideally your caravan fully loaded should weigh no more than 85% of the car. You can tow upto 100% legally but this is not advised unless you are experienced.

 

You can tow over 100% of kerbweight if you passed your driving test before 1/1/97 or if you take an additional +E test



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