Message Forums

Hi folks,

looking for advice. Just bought a brand new caravan and thought car was up to the job of towing it....but maybe not. The van is a brand new Bailey Ranger 620/6 MTPLM 1540 kgs MiRO 1281 kgs. The sales pitch is that it is a lightweight tourer and it should tow no problems with a 4 x 4. However the 4 x 4 is a Honda CRV 55 plate with a kerb weight of 1661kgs. In the manual it states the max towing weight with brakes is 1500 kgs. Where do we go from here? Can I tow if I dont load it up to the MTPLM. What is the legal position if I ensure van is kept below MTPLM?

Any help greatly appreciated ASAP please.

did the suplying dealer do a towcar match for you before your purchase or at least ask what towcar you have ?

other than that i wouldnt like to go into the legal aspect but any dealer worth his salt should be sure the van they sell you is safe to be towed with your vehicle at the time of purchase.

sure someone will have more info but thats my take on it , poor dealership imho

The 85% rule has already been quoted.

The legal position is, to the best of my knowledge, you can tow up to a max. of 1500 Kgs., but no more. However, with the CR-V, a whole can of worms can be opened up here, because if you look at the small print in the brochure, it states that any loading within the car, over and above the kerbweight, or unladen weight, must be deducted from the tow-weight.

Just wondering if it's ok for me to tag along on this post as I have the same problem,possibly worse  My Toyota Corolla Verso can tow 1200 according to the manufacturers' handbook, although I have been told that it could be a bit higher than that and still be within the 85% rule, but definitely no higher than 1300. Add to that the fact that I am a complete novice (planning to go on the CC towing course asap). However, I have just brought home my lovely new (to me) caravan which I was assured was 1130kg - which it is, but that's the unladen weght, the MPTLM is 1400!!! I've just read it in the documents that came with the 'van... I had told the dealer my maximum tow weight and he checked the plate on the side first...

So where do I go from here? I am waiting with interest to hear if you can offset the towing weight by placing the heavier items in the car itself, as mentioned in Eddie's post... will that help matters?

I really don't want to have to take my lovely caravan back, but can't afford to change my car either

Hi Eddie, and thanks for the help... I've been checking out various websites and making a couple of phone calls in the last hour or so and it confirms what you've said, that basically this is not a great match! The unladen weight is 1130kg (this includes the spare wheel thankfully which was standard on the ABI's), and toyota's max towing weight is 1200, so we'll be travelling with a very lightly loaded van (I'll be getting out the weighing scales soon!) until we swap the car for something tougher, probably the newer, diesel, version of the Verso.

The dealer was extremely apologetic, but I've decided not to take the 'van back because it is so perfect for us  and took so long to find... time to look at toyota's website again!

Thanks again, Heather

Remember you have to add in the weight of the battery and the gas bottle(s) as well before you start counting all the other stuff you put in the van.Your total payload of 270 kg is therefore not as much as it may sound at first.

And a manufacturer's max tow weight is exactly what it says, even though it may be considerably less than the kerbweight.

With a MTPLM of 1400 kg your ideal kerbweight is1647 kg, and your max tow weight must be at least the 1400 kg.

Thanks jennifer, will take note of that as I look round and consider a more suitable tow car

heather

Quote: Originally posted by Eddie12 on 12/2/2007

---

The 85% rule has already been quoted.

The legal position is, to the best of my knowledge, you can tow up to a max. of 1500 Kgs., but no more. However, with the CR-V, a whole can of worms can be opened up here, because if you look at the small print in the brochure, it states that any loading within the car, over and above the kerbweight, or unladen weight, must be deducted from the tow-weight.

---