I am looking to buy a caravan, I have towed a folder in the past and never worried about towing limits as it was so light. We are now looking at trading up to a 2 berth caravan.
The problem is that I am not sure what weight van I can tow, not a lot I expect, I have a Vauxhall Meriva 1.7 CDTI, what is the max I can tow? or where could I find out?
Get a 2berth caravan less than a tonne all up weight & you will have a good match with reasonable hill climbing ability. The caravan you want will be an older model of about 12ft body length.
What year is the Vauxhall Meriva and is it a diesel manual or automatic gearbox?
Auto and manual gearboxes plus different year models can have different towing limits that's why I asked. Once given this information I can check to see what the towing limit is on that specific vehicle.
What year is the Vauxhall Meriva and is it a diesel manual or automatic gearbox?
Auto and manual gearboxes plus different year models can have different towing limits that's why I asked. Once given this information I can check to see what the towing limit is on that specific vehicle.
On a 2006 manual 1.7 diesel Vauxhall Meriva, the minimum kerbweight is 1405 kgs. with a maximum towing limit for a braked trailer of 1200 kgs. The engine power is 100 BHP with engine torque of 177 lbs./ft. but the downward towball weight limit is only 50kgs. which could cause a problem trying to reduce the noseweight of the caravan. Working on these figures the outfit match would actually be 85% which is ideal so you would need to be looking for a caravan with an MTPLM of 1200 kgs. maximum. According to my findings it doesn't look like they manufacture a fixed flange towbar for models between 2003 - 2010 so you may have to have a detachable or slide in bolted towbar so double check this with your local towbar supplier first as the price will however be more expensive for either of these towballs.
Thanks, I already have a tow bar fitted. From what I have seen I can actually get a 4 berth van at that weight not many of them so it will take a bit of research.