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29/1/2025 at 4:30pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Quote: Originally posted by AlisonH76 on 29/1/2025
Hey we’re looking to buy our first caravan and have seen a Bailey Grande Bologna Se, it is a large caravan at 7.863 long and I drive a Kia Sportage Gt line, the plate says my cars MAM is 2250kg and the maximum tow weight is 1900kg..am I allowed to tow a caravan that long as I’ve read something about a 7m rule..thankyou
I have just looked it up and the maximum towable length is indeed 7 metres unless the towing vehicle weighs more than 3,500kg. Basically therefore you can only tow a caravan 7.863 mtrs long with a commercial vehicle, not a car. I would not recommend towing even a 7 metre caravan unless you are very experienced at towing.
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Best Regards,
Colin
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29/1/2025 at 6:21pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Like almost every towing limitation/statistic associated with caravans, nothing is quite as straightforward as it seems!
The MAX legal length for a caravan towed by a car of maximum authorised mass (MAM) of 3,500kg or less is indeed 7m, BUT that is the body length excluding the A frame! Bailey quote a 'SHIPPING' length (that includes the A frame) of 7.863m, but not as far as I can see, the actual body length! It MAY be legal, you'd need to check the body length.
Legalities aside, I and probably most people with responsible attitudes to towing would strongly advise against that HUGE van (it's 8ft wide as well as long!) as your first caravan towing experience! If you've got towing miles under your belt on other sizeable heavy trailers (horse boxes etc.), then that's a bit different, albeit with a few caveats!
Towing is a whole new set of driving skills in itself to learn over and above basic driving, caravans are a LOT different to most other trailers too, they have a huge 'sail' area that catches the wind (and that includes bow waves from HGVs, Coaches and even some large vans!) that pushes them AND the tow car around, A LOT in some cases (I've seen them move half a motorway lane or more with unstable setups)! You need training and experience to know how to deal with that safely! - Get it wrong and you're upside down in a ditch or into an Armco barrier in a flash! Basically, the bigger/heavier the caravan is, the more effect it has on the tow car. Then of course safe accelerating into traffic flows, and safe braking, all to be learnt when you're outfit now weighs twice as much as the solo car! A long wide trailer needs a different path to a solo car when negotiating corners and bends too.
I've towed a lot of different trailers types over 50 odd years, and have no qualms about towing, but I have significant respect for caravans above all other trailers, they really are a different beast! I'm blessed (and with some knowledge of best way to load to get good handling) with my outfit it tows like a dream, has never given me any 'change of underwear' moments, and I can push it hard, but I NEVER forget I need to be mindful and respect it under some conditions.
Sorry if you have decent towing experience, and I'm over stating the potential issues, but many new caravan owners go into it with little knowledge of towing one. If needed, a towing tuition course (both camping/caravan clubs offer them for a reasonable fee) are a good investment.
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30/1/2025 at 7:04am
Location: Worcestershire
Outfit: Buccaneer Cruiser
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Our twin axle is 8.16m shipping length and perfectly legal to tow with an MTPLM of 1656kg. The Kia will have no issue towing that caravan, but its kerbweight is a bit low so you would be towing at over 100% and some caravan insurance companies do not like this!
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30/1/2025 at 9:21am
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Quote: Originally posted by AlisonH76 on 30/1/2025
Thankyou all for your responses, this has made our mind up to go for a single axle for our first caravan as I have never towed before, the thought of towing anything is a little daunting, the caravan and camping tow courses unfortunately don’t cover our area so this isn’t an option which is a shame as I think I would benefit from it
I think that is a wise decision. I would think a caravan of that sort of size would be best suited to someone with considerable towing experience. Towing something like that with no previous experience would be a bit like jumping into an articulated truck having never even driven a van before. You could very easily find yourself in difficulties through no fault of your own. I have been towing trailers of all kinds since the 1970s and caravans can be some of the trickiest. Huge slab sides can be very susceptible to crosswinds, and manoeuvring something that size in a confined space can be very tricky. Far better to start with something much smaller and get some experience before moving on to a large caravan.
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Best Regards,
Colin
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30/1/2025 at 12:40pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Quote: Originally posted by AlisonH76 on 30/1/2025
Thankyou all for your responses, this has made our mind up to go for a single axle for our first caravan as I have never towed before, the thought of towing anything is a little daunting, the caravan and camping tow courses unfortunately don’t cover our area so this isn’t an option which is a shame as I think I would benefit from it
Probably very wise to start with a smaller lighter van to cut your teeth on. Simply laws of physics that dictate that the bigger/heavier a trailer the more influence it has on the tow vehicle, and the more towing skills become an essential safeguard.
Once you know what you are doing, towing really isn't so difficult, you mostly just have to take account of driving a much bigger, heavier vehicle, which doesn't accelerate or stop anything like as quickly as the solo tow car, has a few 'size' issues like clipping the inside wheel/body on too tight turns, and the fact you have a long overhang behind the axle that needs space to swing during manoeuvres. Smooth, well anticipated and timely driving style is what works, erratic, sharp actions can get you into trouble!
Fitted as standard to a great many caravans these days, but worth having, or having retro fitted, is ATC (Active Trailer Control), which automatically and independently applies the caravan brakes if it detects the beginning of a 'snake' (where the caravan starts to veer side to side in a often ever increasing manner until it drags the tow car off the road!), it will go a long way to stabilising the van before it gets out of hand. Think of it in the same light as Anti-Lock brakes on your car, you don't want to be using it as a routine, it's a last resort to keep you out of REAL trouble!
The caravan/camping clubs are not the only towing courses available, there are other independent courses available, so worth a bit of Googling to see if one convenient to you. The club courses for sure cover far more than just the driving aspect, also safe/correct hitching procedures, pre-journey safety checks etc., and correct loading (luggage and possessions etc.) of the caravan which can be very literally be the difference between a dream tow and a near death trap!
Both of the big clubs have heaps of online advice that is feely accessible to non-members, and really worth reading, you'll likely learn a host of things about caravans and towing that never even occurred to you! https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/advice-for-beginners/
Enjoy you caravan, it's a great lifestyle.
Don't be shy in throwing more questions at us if needed, and no question is a daft question if YOU don't know the answer!
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30/1/2025 at 1:35pm
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Quote: Originally posted by AlisonH76 on 30/1/2025
Thankyou all for your responses, this has made our mind up to go for a single axle for our first caravan as I have never towed before, the thought of towing anything is a little daunting, the caravan and camping tow courses unfortunately don’t cover our area so this isn’t an option which is a shame as I think I would benefit from it
Are there not any training course companies local or near to you.
Think HGV as those instructors close to me also do trailer towing courses.
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XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
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Topic: First caravan
via mobile 29/1/2025 at 6:13am
