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I have asked you clever lot before, but can anyone clarify that if i buy a Mitsubishi Shogun 2.5 td Warrior sport with a kerb weight of 1840kg a gross weight of 2510kg, will it be man enough to tow a Buccaneer with a mtplm of 1900kgs.

 Thanks for your patients

Hi

It's not illegal but I'd certainly recommend 85% of the cars kerbweight (not gross weight) as the absolute limit, especially for a novice.

I've been towing (around 4000 miles per annum) for 30 plus years and still regard 85% as my absolute limit.

Tyreman

Well  GSF09, I have asked a similar question myself recently and really wondered if the 85% guideline was just well "overcautious".

My existing towcar is not heavy enough to tow my new caravan when laden, and I am changing it.  However, just to try out my new van, I piled all my stuff in the boot, and took the cvan away for the weekend last weekend.  Weather on leaving was clear and calm, only went 70 miles away on a route I know like the back of my hand.  Weight ratio between car and caravan was about 90% and the car was towing 200kgs LESS than its maximum towing weight.  The van was carefully loaded and balanced.

I have never, ever been so frightened in my life as when, coming back home on Sunday, we got caught in high winds on the cheshire plain.  Leaving Wrexham with no wind we drove into a windy area unexpectedly going over Thelwall bridge on the M6. I had to slow right down to about 30mph to keep the car and van in a straight line (with my hazards on, of course) and the caravan was just sliding and taking the car with it.

Admittedly these "gusts" were a one off, but I did not feel in control of the car and the caravan was definitely the "tail wagging the dog" Not a nice feeling.  I towed my other caravan to France and back last year without incident and have now felt the difference between towing at 80% and towing at 90% and it wasnt nice!.

The maximum towing weight is the maximum weight your car can physically shift.  This could be in a trailer, for example.  When towing a large tall object such as a caravan which will get caught by the wind and sucked by large lorries thundering past, then you need to be at 85% or thereabouts.  Its definitely not the maximum weight of caravan you can pull.

Good luck, be safe and keep asking questions on here, you'll get all the help you need!

We always used to base the towing weight as being what we now regard as 100%.

This was the law in most European Countries and I assume the 85% advice only appeared in the 80s through the Caravan Club. I spent all the 60s and 70s on the Continent so my dates may be out?.