I'm thinking of returning to caravanning again and would like a tow bar fitting on my car, but I want my husband to help me tow this time as I did all the driving last time. Problem is he didn't pass his test till 2003 so hasn't got Cat C on his license.
Can someone advise me of what weight we can go up to for a caravan, I think its a van under 1250kg to make sure its legal for us both to drive.
Car is Renault Kadjar 2016, Diesel auto 1461cc.
Plus if you can advise on lightweight caravans that would be great, would prefer 4 berth with single fixed bed, but open to ideas.
you need to check using your v5, it will have the info on that or look on your vin plate but from a very quick look you would be ok to around 1400kgs but check your vin plate
Without a cat E licence one is limited to a max of 3500kg. This is calculated by adding the max plated weights of the car and caravan together.
You need to check the weights of your vehicle from the handbook, V5 and weight plate on the car. The max towing limit may be less than 85% of the kerbweight. Come back with the kerbweight, max weight and max towing limit and we may be able to offer some useful advice.
Caravan choice will also depend on your budget, have a look on Caravanfinder for layouts you like and check price and weight suitability.
Would this mean I’m looking at something less than 1200kg to keep within the correct limits and enable the husband to tow on his license issued in 2003?
The first weight is the maximum permissible weight of the car when fully loaded. The second weight is the maximum permissible weight of the car and a trailer combined (note that this only need be the actual weight of the trailer, and not necessarily the MTPLM).
Subtract the first figure from the second to get the towing limit. As you say, for this car it's 1200kg. So that is the maximum that you can legally tow, irrespective of your licence category or the 85% guidance.
------------- "Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect."
It's very light for the length so possibly a fairly flimsy construction.
If it's a twin single bed model, think about a 2 berth instead. This will give a much roomier feel by day. Trouble with fixed beds is they take up a lot of room by day making the living quarters feel cramped. Using sleeping bags and the front beds as singles really doesn't take much time to set up.
Has to be a 4 berth I’m afraid as I’ve got older kids and they would be o large for bunk beds. So was thinking this was the next best thing. I’ll have a read of the reviews though. Thank you
Hi all looks very nice but remember those figures given only make 182 Kgs for possessions etc, it does not include, stuff like motormover approx 30 Kgs, battery 20 - 25 Kgs etc.
These substantially reduce your loading weight. Be careful.