I have recently become interested in purchasing a folding camper or convertible caravan, problem is our Xsara Picasso only has a Gross Trailer Weight of 900kg (with brakes) and 650kg (without brakes) and i passed my driving License in 1998 so missed out on the before 97 rule.
Now i understand that i can tow a combined car and trailer weight of 3500kg and as the cars Gross Vehicle Weight is 1790 we should be ok as all that comes in at 2690, am i correct on all this so far?
Now the campers we have been looing at are 820kg and 1000kg maximum gross, now sorry to sound uneducated but does this mean that if we store nothing in the trailer we could tow it and that the 1000kg is the maximum it can hold, with or without people?
I have searched and searched for the answers to my rather unknowledgable questions, both on here and on the web in general and have come up with many confusing answers so i thought i would ask people that have experience based on knowledge....you guys.
The gross weight is the loaded trailer. Manufacturers are often optomistic with the luggaga allowance as the weight of the trailer is given without anything else - leisure battery, some furniture, gas bottle etc in. 1000Kg would be the maximum the suspension is rated at, & is really pretty generous for a camper. The only true measure of what carrying capacity you have is to take the trailer to a weigh bridge when you get it & see what it actually weighs in at. You are still well under the 3.5 Tons your driving licence restricts you to.
Thank you Steve, that is very helpful, why cant they word it like that on the websites lol, so legally we can tow that but think the car probably isn't up to the job hmm :(
Your Picasso should be fine I would think. We tow a Pennine Fiesta with my 1.4 Fiesta and have no problems at all. I think the Fiesta (car) can tow up to 1000kg if I remember correctly, and the Fiesta (camper) is approx 900 laden and 650 unladen (again, if I remember correctly!!) Selina
I have recently become interested in purchasing a folding camper or convertible caravan, problem is our Xsara Picasso only has a Gross Trailer Weight of 900kg (with brakes) and 650kg (without brakes) and i passed my driving License in 1998 so missed out on the before 97 rule.
Now i understand that i can tow a combined car and trailer weight of 3500kg and as the cars Gross Vehicle Weight is 1790 we should be ok as all that comes in at 2690, am i correct on all this so far?
Now the campers we have been looing at are 820kg and 1000kg maximum gross, now sorry to sound uneducated but does this mean that if we store nothing in the trailer we could tow it and that the 1000kg is the maximum it can hold, with or without people?
I have searched and searched for the answers to my rather unknowledgable questions, both on here and on the web in general and have come up with many confusing answers so i thought i would ask people that have experience based on knowledge....you guys.
Thank you for any help :)
You say 1000kg maximum it can hold with or without people??? The 1000kg refers to the maximum weight it can be loaded to for towing Not when its set up
I tow a Pathfinder (so about as heavy a camper as you can get) with a 1.6HDi Xsara Picasso. The only problem is sometimes forgetting the camper is there!
I'm guessing though that you have an early 1.6 petrol model? If so you are limited to 900kg as you say. Opinions seem to vary a lot whether that means you can tow a trailer with a heavier max weight provided you only load it up to the weight for the car, or not.
Either way though I think you'd stuggle to keep the larger camper within the 900kg.
The driving license issue only comes in to play with large vehicle & trailer combinations so you don't need to worry about that.
Thank you all very much, i knew i'd find the answers here
Unfortunately yes, we do have the earlier petrol model as so the camper it would seem would probably have to be unloaded, might have to look for a smaller camper, shame as i had my heart set on the Pathfinder and the washroom is ideal for our little kids.
Thanks again everyone, your info and links have been most useful.
Did you tell us what size family you have?
The pennine fiesta mentioned by Simba Cat is really quite roomy for beds and awning and comes in under the 900kg weight.
We have two children, it was really the washroom that was appealing (saves spending our whole camping trip running too and forth to the site toilets lol) but we could always use a portapotti seeing as i haven't come across a FC with washroom under that weight.
You could be lucky and find a Pennine Sovereign out there, they have a bathroom and are 900kg max. I have seen a few for sale but they are snapped up fast
Some info on the Sovereign, and other campers HERE
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Video of my folding caravan *Click Me*
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Advice needed please, towing a FC.
