Bordercaz if the caravan is a lot wider than the car, your towing mirrors by law can only stick out so far, i.e. caravan is 7'2 and car is only 5'10" wide you cannot then see down the side of the caravan. The Corsa is too small to tow a normal caravan safely.
Anyway as they can upgrade the motability car I don't really see an issue as they don't have to stick with the Corsa.
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The Law states that the towing mirrors cannot stick out further than 20 cms from the width of the caravan, and must be removed when not towing (unlike the car that came out of a junction in front of me this morning).
Also, you must be able to see clearly down both sides of the caravan, and see 4 meters either side of the caravan at a distance of 20 meters behind the rear of the caravan. This can be achieved using large towing mirrors.
Nowhere can I find any mention of a maximum distance they can stick out from the car when towing.
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
The law applies to the vehicle reagrdless whether it is towing or not.
Imagine if you are towing a wide Hobby and trhe mirrors are sticking out even further. I think there will be a real danger.
I tow a Fisher Holivan with my classic Mini - they were actually desigend and built in the 60's and early 70's specifically for the Mini to tow them. There was a feature in Practical Caravan a couple of months ago which featured small lightweight vans from the 60s which were all very lightweight to be towed by small vehicles.
Check places like eBay as these lovely classic vans do trun up and would be well within budget.
We tow a Fleurette Tamaris 31T poptop with a 1.5 Micra diesel, before the 1.5 we towed it with a 1.4 petrol. We changed the car to upgrade to a newer one & the diesel was available at a good price. The van is a 2 berth with a loo & washroom (no shower), hot water, fridge, hob & an awning. Have a look at my gallery. Can recommend it, we love it!
------------- Harvey 15.8.1995 - 18.11.2010. Run free, sweet boy x
The law applies to the vehicle reagrdless whether it is towing or not. Imagine if you are towing a wide Hobby and trhe mirrors are sticking out even further. I think there will be a real danger.
Please can you tell me where to find this Law?
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
Apologies I did get mixed up and Jim is correct, but where would you get mirrors that stick out allowing you to see past and down the side of the caravan if the car is a lot narrower than the caravan?
Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 14/6/2010
Only options really are Eriba Puck, next size up Eriba Pan or a Freedom. ie max weight about 750kg. Otherwise look around for older small UK built 2 berth like ABI Maurauder. Towing 1 tonne with a 1.4 petrol won't really give adequate performance for todays' road conditions.
For £2k you would be lucky to find even an 80s Eriba in good nick so that really leaves a 90s Freedom or light weight low spec UK built 'van. Have they considered tow bar cost? An '09 Corsa requires a detachable towbar due to low numberplate & possibly dedicated electrics so budget possibly £300 for that.
Our 91 marauder 450ct 4 BERTH weighs less than 800 kg unladen.