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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: Towing a 1ton caravan with 1.7 astra van Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonShaunyf
via mobile 04/5/2020 at 10:55pm
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Hi campers, just looking for some advice please. I'm new to owning a caravan and have a 1.7 diesel astra van I was planning on using to tow my caravan (1000kg), if I go ahead with this am I putting myself at risk in anyway, is it safe to tow with my van or should I scrap that idea? Any feedback would be appreciated! Thanks



Personoxter
via mobile 05/5/2020 at 11:39am
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https://towcar.info/GB/

Try the link and put in the details

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playing at tinkies


PersonColin21
05/5/2020 at 12:01pm
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Not sure about the match, but the website Oxter links to is a good one. Try that first.

There's for and against on towing with vans. On one hand vans tend to be very light on the back end when they are empty, and this can cause instability problems when towing, but on the other hand you have plenty of space to stow all your gear. As you are likely to have plenty of gear to stow when you go away, that problem is solved. The only other issue could be sites. Some caravan sites will not allow commercial vehicles of any kind, and they could see your van as such. Particularly if it is sign-written. May be advisable to check with any sites you intend to visit when you make a booking.


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Best Regards,
Colin


PersonRob and Tina
05/5/2020 at 12:55pm
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Welcome to the forum.

In order to check if your caravan and van are a good match you need to find out a few weight details. You need to know the max plated weight (MTPLM) of the caravan, the kerbweight of the van and the max towing capacity. There should be a plate on the caravan showing the weights and the van weights should be on the V5 and on the weight plate inside the door. You also need to find out the noseweight limit for the van.

The guideline for a beginner is that the caravan MTPLM should be less than 85% of the tow vehicle kerbweight and should not exceed the max tow limit if that is lower. If the combined max plated weights of caravan and van exceed 3500kg you will need a B+E licence.

The Astra van has been produced in many versions over the years with different power options, one of the lower powered versions may cope with the weight but you may find that you need a bit more power on the hills.

The towcar info website mentioned above will give you a rough idea but it is important that you check the weights of your particular outfit. That website often uses foreign spec vehicles and they also use an imaginary car weight rather than the kerbweight.

Rob


Personsvjmiller
05/5/2020 at 8:37pm
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Astra van 1.7

Gross Vehicle Weight (Kg)
1935

Kerb Weight (Kg)
1290

Towing Limit (Kg)
1400
hope this helps..

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windy


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PersonRob and Tina
05/5/2020 at 8:58pm
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As we haven't been told the year or version of the Astra van we don't know if the weights given above are correct. I have some details for 1.7 Astra estates with a kerb weight around 1300kg but a max tow of only 1200kg so it's important that the OP checks the details for their particular vehicle.

Rob


Personphilip 22
05/5/2020 at 10:24pm
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Welcome to the Forum


PersonGrampian91
09/5/2020 at 4:27am
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Is that the 1.7 diesel that produces 60bhp? Towing 1000kg with that one will be slow. Avoid hills.

As per the info posted by svjmiller. What are your figures and what they have missing is the gross train weight which is important.

Gross weight + Max tow maybe a lot less than the max train weight.



I had a Mondeo that could tow 1800kg and a kerbweight of upto 2200kg. But you could not load the car and tow 1800kg. The gross train weight was 250kg less than the combined numbers. So I could load the car and tow less or tow more with a lighter car.



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