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 Topic: Elldis Avante 482. Year 2004
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05/8/2021 at 10:20pm
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I don't know how much towing you have done, but it sounds like you do not have a lot of experience. If that is the case, I would do a 1/2 or full day trailer training course, mainly to get the hang of reversing and manoeuvring in tight spaces. When towing there are a few weight limits you need to be aware of as exceeding them can result in a fine or points on your licence: The obvious ones are the tow vehicle's max towing weight, max gross weight, max train weight and the caravan/trailer max gross weight. The max train weight is usually the tow vehicle's max tow weight plus the max towing weight, but not always, on some cars it is lower than this. The ones that people often miss that you must always stick within are the vehicle's max axle load and the maximum vertical tow hitch load (noseweight).
A lot of people mention the tow vehicle's kerb weight, but this has no legal relevance when towing, although some do recommend that you limit your trailer weight to 85% of your vehicle's kerb weight, this is only guidance, I tow commercially and usually my trailers are around 100%-160% of my Land Rover's actual weight.
When loading your caravan try to load it so that you are as close to maximum noseweight as possible, never tow a trailer that is heavier at the back than the front and try and put the heaviest items as directly above the axle as possible.
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06/8/2021 at 6:24pm
Location: Midlands
Outfit: 2019 VW Arteon + 2002 Avondale Dart
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Hi Margaret
I can see that some of the replies above might seem a bit alarming, particularly if you are new to towing. The first thing to say is don't panic. Legally, the position is not quite as clear cut as some have made out. The key is ensuring that your gross train weights (the combined weights of the car and that of a trailer it can tow) are not exceeded. For almost all cars, the max towing limit assumes that the car itself is fully loaded. If that was not the case, and you were to tow the caravan close to empty, it may be legally possible for you to tow, or have towed it with your Citroen.
However, just because something is just about within legal limits does not automatically mean it should be recommended. I do agree that your Citroen is not really suitable for towing your caravan. You really are asking a lot of a 1248cc petrol engine to tow 1.2 tonnes of caravan in addition to the weight of the car itself, and the low 1000kg towing limit is almost certainly down to this.
The good news though is that there are a lot of cars that can comfortably tow 1225kg. You absolutely don't need 4x4 unless you're planning on doing a lot of towing in snow, mud or soft ground. Sensibly, you should look for something with a both a kerb weight (or mass in service, which isn't quite the same thing but is close enough) and a towing limit of around 1400kg. This includes a reasonably powerful version of a small family car such as VW Golf or Ford Focus, a small MPV such as VW Touran or Ford C-Max, or a small SUV such as Nissan Qashqai or Peugeot 3008.
Diesel is generally better suited to towing heavy weights than petrol. Ideally look for 1.8 to 2.0-litre and 130-150bhp for a good compromise between comfortable towing ability and low running costs when you're not towing with it.
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via mobile 05/8/2021 at 3:59pm
