So I've a Peugeot 308 S Auto 2011 the plate on the car has 4 numbers
1835kg
3085kg
1, 1100kg
2, 930kg
Looking at the V5 it says for the technical permissible maximum towable mass of the trailer -
Braked - 1500kg
Un braked - 690kg
So what's the max weight of caravan I can tow
1835kg is the maximum gross weight of the car
3085kg is the train weight ( maximum weight of car and trailer)
1, 1100kg is the maximum weight of the front axle of the car
2, 930kg is the maximum weight of the rear axle
All the above weights MUST NOT be exceeded
If you subtract 1835kg from 3085kg you get 1250kg. You may find that you do not have the capability to fully load the car if you want to tow 1500kg. It happened to me with a previous tow car. Hope this helps and makes sense to you
The first weight is the max gross weight of the car.
The second weight is the max gross train weight (the weight of car and trailer added together).
If the car is fully loaded you can tow 3085-1835=1250kg.
If the car is not fully loaded you could in theory tow up to 1500kg providing that the GTW of 3085 is not exceeded.
However, you should not tow a trailer heavier than the kerbweight of the car and for novice towers the advice is not to tow a caravan with an MTPLM greater than 85% of the car's kerbweight. Therefore you need to check your kerbweight which will be in your handbook and possibly on the V5. You also need to check the max noseweight the car can handle, some Peugeot models have very low noseweight limits.
The max tow of 1500kg is the max trailer weight that the car can handle on a hillstart, it is not suggesting that it would be safe to tow a caravan of that weight at motorway speeds hence the 85% guideline.
Hope this helps rather than adds to your confusion, Peugeot and Citroen often publish weights like this which are very confusing.
Rob
Edited due to my rubbish spelling/typing/proof reading.
These are the only figures I can find on the plate below
1835kg
3085kg
1, 1100kg
2, 930kg
Then looking at the V5 it says for the technical permissible maximum towable mass of the trailer -
Braked - 1500kg
Un braked - 690kg
Heaviest seems to be around 1400kg so towing 1500kg is a no.
1400 x 0.85 = 1190kg thats the max figure for the highest powered diesel. If its the petrol the towing experience maybe less than ideal. Less low down torque = lots of gear changes.
Choose something way less than 1190kg if thats the case.
Mass in service is 1382
Car variant 4C5FS
Version 4C5FS9
So I'm thinking it's the
1.6 VTi 120hp 4 speed Automatic
Braked trailer within GTW limit on 10% or 12% grade 1250kg
Braked trailer with load transfer within GTW limit 1500kg
All I'm looking at is a 2 birth basecamp or Elldis xplore lunar Ariva, even a freedom lol
Referring back to the first couple of replies that say the train weight is total of car and trailer, which is correct, but just add that’s inclusive of everything carried within them too, including people.
Fortunately it’s pretty rare for Vosa to actively pull outfits to check, but looking around some camp sites I’d be surprised if half of all outfits fall within the max figures.
I see so many outfits with std mondeo and vectra tow cars pulling big 20’ vans that are probably ok on paper if you just use the makers brakes figure, but have completely ignored the gross figure, then you see all the other gubbings they’ve piled into them😱😱
As long as your van is below 1400kg , thats all you need to know , some on here are still stuck in the dark ages, if the log book says the max weight, always go around 100KG or more below , then you will be ok, and when driving on the motorway, don't hold up the HGVs by driving to slow , so they have to overtake you, and don't be afraid to go past them