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Topic: towing

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evej

06/9/2011 at 6:46pm
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hi, just been away in caravan for first time, towbar fitted, checked tyres on caravan, loaded up car x5. and caravan and off we went. reading on here perhaps there is a bit more to it than that. although we evenly distributed weight of food clothes etc in caravan, was there more checks we should have made? we got there and back ok.

Gillian 58

06/9/2011 at 6:48pm
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posse

06/9/2011 at 6:49pm
Location: Surrey
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Not really just step back and make sure the whole thing looks level ie caravan not nose diving down which in turn is making your tow car more like a speed boat.

The amount of muppets i saw in the way to west bay a couple of weeks ago not loaded right made me chuckle .

All the gear and no idea sprung to mind lol .

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Darren

TonyC52

06/9/2011 at 6:52pm
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Do you know the maximum weight that the caravan can be loaded to, the maximum the car can legally tow and the nosewight when loaded, and is this within the maximum allowed for the hitch, towbar and car?

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Tony C

evej

06/9/2011 at 7:06pm
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hmmm don't want to be one of them posse, and no i don't know, but wasn't loaded with too much weight, will have to look into that, tony c, could feel a bit of bounce on country roads but nothing on flat roads

murano

06/9/2011 at 7:14pm
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You'll get there , all good advice above, have fun

-------------
"I'm a fool for my dogs"
Adopt a rescue, rescue dogs make great pets, don't support puppy farms.
The road can be tough and rough,but what you put in you get back 10 x more.

snagz

06/9/2011 at 7:16pm
Location: Wiltshire
Outfit: sold van so looking for a nice tent

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not forgetting the 'lights n indicators' test when you hook up to the car.

Lost track of the number of vans and trailers I've followed this summer that have had no brake lights or indicators.

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Rich

evej

06/9/2011 at 7:30pm
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yes brake lights indicators were checked and car beeped to show indicators were working on turns. just checked bmw is 6000lb and caravan weighs 840k unladen thanks all .

millermicm

06/9/2011 at 7:39pm
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Don't think a BMW x5 is 6000 lb. Don't know which model you have but according to "parkers" review they are about 2000kg
(about 4400 lbs. braked towing limit is about 2700kg.

You are comfortably inside your max. You could almost tow 2 vans.

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Steve

G7ACU

06/9/2011 at 7:59pm
Location: West Mids
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TonyC52 covered my immediate concerns regarding all important weights. You need to check these with some priority and familiarise yourself with noseweight checking too.

I'd also strongly advise checking tyres pressure on car and van to correct pressure as you'd be suprised how much influence the wrong pressure can have on the combo.

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Paul

Every day's a school day!

evej

06/9/2011 at 8:07pm
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well i checked it on bmw and thats what it said, it is a 4.8i.i checked tyre pressure too, how do you check nose weight and with what? please.

G7ACU

06/9/2011 at 8:24pm
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There are specific nose-weight guages, but to be honest the following method works just as well.

Van must be on level ground for this.

Arm yourself with an offcut off 1 1/2" timber of similar length to height between ground and bottom of your towball.
Position the timber vertically in coupling head with other end resting on a good set of bathroom scales.
Release jockey wheel so all weight is on scales and read off the registered weight.
This MUST be below the recommended noseweight for your car or approx 7% of laden van weight, providing the 7% falls below your cars limit.

Ref X5 weight, the 6000Ibs doesn't quite weigh up. I realise you say you've checked it, but is this the gross weight of the car? 6000Ibs equates to 2722kgs which can't be right for the kerbweight as the X5 averages between 2070 & 2275 depending on spec (5015Ibs max).
Kgs is generally the accepted value when discussing vehicle/towing weights.

Post last edited on 06/09/2011 20:30:54

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Paul

Every day's a school day!

neil and lena

06/9/2011 at 8:26pm
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Quote: Originally posted by evej on 06/9/2011
well i checked it on bmw and thats what it said, it is a 4.8i.i checked tyre pressure too, how do you check nose weight and with what? please.

Easiest way is use a set of decent bathroom scales and a wooden batten , then lower the tow hitch on to the batten with all the corner steadies wound up .
The length of wood should be so that the van sits level or near enough when checking the weight if that makes sense .
Not sure what the X5 is rated at but 75kg is the limit on most cars and some 4x4s have higher limits

jhsw

06/9/2011 at 11:54pm
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Hi evej, Congratulations on your first trip, glad all went well. Hare are a few more things you should know about towing legally and safely, Just a word of caution on the towing speeds, Max speed on Motorways 60mph, caravans and trailers not allowed in the outside lane of motorway, unless the inner lanes blocked. Dual carriage ways Max 60mph. All other single lane two way roads are 50mph Max. Even if that road speed is higher.

Caravan tyres should be replaced after 5 years no matter how good tread looks.

Caravan tyres are 6ply or above (commercial van type tyre).

If you click on the Features/Tips at the top of this site, and scroll down, you will get all the information regarding (before you set off/setting up on site/list of essential equipment/ loading van /towing) and lots more information to help you stay legal and safe on the road. Hope that helps.

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If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.

John

Tunstallwood

07/9/2011 at 6:07am
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
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I hope you checked the most important thing of all....the fun!

Hope you had a great time

Andi

AlanHardware

07/9/2011 at 7:48am
Location: East Devon .
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http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/redirect.asp?redir=http://www.towsure.com/static/outfitmatch#Maximum_Trailer_Weights

Please go to the above link , it is about the best available other than a day at towing school . All your questions should be covered and a few you did not know about . You now just need to sort out what your car weights are and the tyre pressures you should be running when towing . You also need to check and confirm your maximum laden weight (MTPLM) of your caravan when NOT attached to your car . It seems only half the knowledge had been passed on to you before you made your first trip , luckily you tow with a big car and have a light caravan so reducing the chance of problems . Enjoy learning and enjoy caravanning even more .

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