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Subject Topic: Please help towing limit lightweight van
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PersonHorsemadhayley
10/7/2018 at 11:51pm
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Hi, really want to go from a tent to a caravan but am completely baffled as what to do! There will be my husband myself and 3 boys (all under 10) and 2 dogs! Had been looking for a 6 berth but appears my husbands car cannot tow much! Really struggling to figure out what weight can we could get considering the car would be carrying 5 of us two dogs and our clothes etc!
He has a Vauxhall zafira tourer (2013) 2.0 CDTI Ecoflex.
Looking at the Reg doc it says max permissible mass 2340
Mass in service 1816
Technical permissible towing mass of trailer braked 1200kg
Different tow calculation sites after bringing up towing weights of 1100-1400 but I don’t know if this takes into account a full car? Also his license is from 2001! Please can anyone help me by working out what we could realistically tow and suggest any suitable vans? Many thanks!


woodman2
11/7/2018 at 7:56am
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I think the important number here is the 1200kg max perm braked trailer.

I think it is highly unlikely that you will get a 6 berth caravan under this value, but I stand to be corrected by others who maybe know more than me on the subject.

It is a trend that cars are getting lighter and so your choice for a proposed 6 berth are getting less as the years go by.

Have a look at Lunar who have a reputation for making lightweight caravans.

What about a smaller caravan and an awning or tents at the side for the kids?

Sorry I cant be more help, but others may be along with better suggestions.


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PersonRob and Tina
11/7/2018 at 8:19am
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The important thing here is the licence because whatever the car can tow is restricted by what the licence allows you to drive.
A standard licence allows you to drive a combination with a max plated weight of 3500kg so 3500-2340=1160kg. It doesn't matter how much you load the car it's the plated weights that must not exceed 3500kg.
Rob


Personcolinlob
11/7/2018 at 8:52am
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Have you considered a folding camper such as the Pennine Pathfinder or similar which is 1000kg? Sleeps six with a toilet compartment and a huge awning. We used to tow one OK with an older 1800 cc auto Zafira.


Persontrog100
11/7/2018 at 9:48am
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Quote: Originally posted by colinlob on 11/7/2018
Have you considered a folding camper such as the Pennine Pathfinder or similar which is 1000kg? Sleeps six with a toilet compartment and a huge awning. We used to tow one OK with an older 1800 cc auto Zafira.


one of my sons has one of those for sale.. small light weight easy to tow and big enough for them and four kids in fact with the awning up its huge..

its for sale because they have moved back to a medium sized van with added bunks for the kids.. they say the penine was not ideal during the colder parts of the year..

they have gone the whole way.. first a big van.. then a big tent.. then the penine and now a modded (bunks for the kids) medium sized van.. he he

the folding camper does solve the towing weight problem though..

trog

Post last edited on 11/07/2018 09:52:38


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PersonKelper
11/7/2018 at 10:37am
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Having had a Pennine myself (Pullman ... same as a Pathfinder, but without the onboard loo and wash space) ... yes, they are a great piece of kit, and very easy to tow.

Will take longer to pitch and strike ... with full awning and other bits and pieces allow a good hour ... without awning you can be pitched in twenty minutes.

It'll sleep six, two double beds permanently made up ... so no making and unmaking on a daily basis ... but the third double is achieved by converting the table and seating area ... fairly quick, but it means making and unmaking the bed daily ... unless you have the awning up with a separate table and chairs etc so that the bed can be left permanently made up.

Be aware that to access the rear double bed you have to clamber over the seating area made up double ... so, if there were to be lots of night-time loo visits, there could be some disturbance!


Personalbee
11/7/2018 at 11:28am
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Hi, I would head off to caravan centre and have a look at 4 berths with double dinette, that makes up to double bed at each end. Our bailey ranger,s front double is big enough to sleep 3 kids sharing easily. So take the boys off to try a few for size. Our dog sleeps under bed once its set up. The first van we had was this layout and was only 890kg unladen it was an ABI marauder.


PersonMitchamitri
11/7/2018 at 2:43pm
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It could be worth seeking professional advice (maybe even join the C&C club) as I understand there are recommendations around towing weight that say something like you should avoid going above 85% of the car's maximum towing weight. I'm no expert but it does seem an area where getting it right is very important!!! And, just a thought, a caravan would be a long term purchase it may be worth getting a bigger caravan and spending out on a new car - those boys aren't going to stay under 10 forever :-)


PersonHorsemadhayley
11/7/2018 at 3:21pm
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Thanks so much for your replies! We are going to look at a pathfinder tomorrow. However we viewed a lunar Venus 6 berth today and it was suggested to us that my Audi A5 2.0 TDI could tow this with ease. I’ve checked it on towcar outfit matcher and it came back as a good match does this seem right to you?


PersonRob and Tina
11/7/2018 at 3:27pm
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We need to know the weights of the car and caravan to work out the towing ratio. This combination might still be over the 3500kg allowed by your licence.

Come back with the max weight of the caravan(MTPLM) and the kerbweight, max towing weight and max loaded weight of the car and we can work it out.
Rob


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PersonHorsemadhayley
11/7/2018 at 3:48pm
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Hi, The Van we preferred was the Lunar Venus 590/6
MRO 1188kg Payload 207kg MTPLM 1395kg

My car is Audi A5 S-line Sportback 2.0 TDI. On the vehicle reg it says maximum braked 1600kg unbraked 750kg.
On the cars weight plate the figures are 2065kg and under that 3745kg.

Sorry if too much info, I'm unsure what it is you need exactly.


PersonRob and Tina
11/7/2018 at 3:58pm
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Ok you have 1395+2065=3460 so could be driven on a B licence from 2001. However you need to know the kerbweight of the car and aim to have an MTPLM of less than 85% of the kerbweight. The kerbweight of the car should/might be on the V5 listed as mass in service.

Rob


PersonHorsemadhayley
11/7/2018 at 4:00pm
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Hi, thanks again for the quick reply, I have the V% in front of me and it says the mass in service is 1590?


PersonRob and Tina
11/7/2018 at 4:10pm
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That's an 88% match so that would be ok and you would be under 3500kg to keep within the licence restrictions.
You would have to pack the caravan carefully to keep within the weight limit because your equipment such as battery, cooking equipment etc is going to eat into that 207kg payload very quickly before you put in clothes and kids stuff. Would there be enough room in the car for 5 of you plus dogs?


woodman2
11/7/2018 at 4:32pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Horsemadhayley on 11/7/2018
Hi, The Van we preferred was the Lunar Venus 590/6
MRO 1188kg Payload 207kg MTPLM 1395kg

My car is Audi A5 S-line Sportback 2.0 TDI. On the vehicle reg it says maximum braked 1600kg unbraked 750kg.
On the cars weight plate the figures are 2065kg and under that 3745kg.

Sorry if too much info, I'm unsure what it is you need exactly.


My understanding is that the 2075kg will be the total weight of the car and the 3745kg will be the max total weight of car and caravan/trailer combined.

This gives 3745 - 2075 = 1680kg as the max weight of caravan to be legal.

It's a minefield trying to get this correct, but as already stated it would be worth joining a club to get it sorted correctly.

If the dealer say's it's ok, then get them to put it in writing to you as part of the deal. That will concentrate their minds.


PersonDecto
11/7/2018 at 6:11pm
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Hi,

Lots of conflicting info above.
In summary there are 3 rules to comply with.

1) the caravan should not exceed the maximum tow weight. There is an exception to this in the if the car is not fully loaded then you can add the extra to the towed weight. i.e. you must not exceed the Gross Train Weight / Gross Combination weight.
I see this quoted incorrectly all the time, but it's clearly on the DVLA that is is permitted in section 7.3.

DVLA Max Tow Weight


2) If you have a B licence then the combined maximum weight of the car (Gross Vehicle Weight) and the maximum weight of the caravan (MLTP) cannot exceed 3500kg

DVLA Licence Towing

3) It is recommended that the Caravan Max Weight (MLTP) is not more than 85% of the Car Kerb Weight / Mass in Service for the V5. Usually Car with fuel + driver but no other load.

Looks like the A5 will be OK if you can all fit inside!



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