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15/6/2021 at 1:18pm
Location: Midlands
Outfit: 2019 VW Arteon + 2002 Avondale Dart
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Hi KMac
It looks like you've about got there but hopefully I can clarify a few points for you.
You probably won't find a figure for 'kerb weight' in any of the information available for your Skoda, but both the V5 and the manufacturer's specifications should give a figure for 'mass in service' (which essentially is the weight of the car as it left the factory, plus an allowance for the driver and a tank of fuel). This isn't quite the same definition as 'kerb weight' but it's close enough and the two terms are often used interchangeably.
The caravan industry's recommendations - note that they have no legal basis - are that nobody should tow a caravan that weighs more than the car's kerb weight (or mass in service), and that those new to towing should limit the weight of a caravan to about 85% of the kerb weight. This recommendation is crude at best and in reality, a few tens of kg either way are highly unlikely to make any noticeable difference.
The first weight given on your VIN plate is the maximum permissible weight of the car when fully loaded. Deduct around 600kg payload which is appropriate for most cars of that size and you're looking at a kerb weight of just under 1400kg, which seems plausible. On this basis, if you look for a caravan with an MTPLM of max 1250kg you should be reasonably safe and legal.
The second weight is the maximum permissible weight of a car and trailer combined. Deduct the first from the second to get a maximum permissible towing weight of 1600kg, which agrees with what you have been told. However, this is based on the weight of a trailer - not a high-sided caravan - that the car can physically move from a standing hill start. It has no relevance whatsoever to what it can comfortably handle - for instance - on motorways to and from your holiday destinations - hence the more conservative recommendations given by the caravan industry.
Towing a twin axle caravan is really no more difficult than a single axle. There's even some argument that a twin axle should be more stable when being towed because there's effectively twice as much contact with the road surface. However, this is probably academic in your case because most, if not all twin axle caravans will be heavier than your car can manage.
I hope this makes sense but please do post again if we can be of any more help.
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via mobile 15/6/2021 at 11:49am
