So after a short time with a trailer tent then going to a static, I have managed to sell the great idea to my wife that having a Pennine Pullman in our life would be in our best interest hehe, We have both agreed that we will wait until after the fat man In the red suit has been at the end of December. So we will be looking to buy early 2017 and looking forward to it, we are a young family with 2 growing boys (8 & 10). I have a couple of questions regarding towing car, We currently have a 2008 Vauxhall Zafira 1.8 Sri petrol, would this be OK as a towing vehicle? And another question is, we would have to remove the front fence to get the FC in the garden going across the kerb, can a FC be reversed using a car as I would have to get it up the high kerb, although I would be using ramps of some sorts, cheers Paul
Not sure about the car, but there are minds finer than mine who will be along with wisdom on that shortly.
On reversing, yes I reverse mine over a kerb to get it onto the parking area I have for it. When you are looking for your FC, you may come across one that has a motor mover fitted, or you could look into getting one fitted though you's want somewhere between £800 - £1,000 I would guess. I have seen front mounted towballs on the internet too, which might be useful.
Firstly, apologies, but I don't think I'm going to be able to make it at the end of December now.
We need very specific information to be able to advise you, properly, on this, but we can give you some general advice. Firstly, the only way to be sure of your car's towing capacity is to check it on the VIN plate and / or V5 document. That said, all of the information I can find, online, shows a towing capacity, for your car. of 1,200kg.
Unfortunately, without knowing what year of Pullman you are going to end up with, again, we can't be specific. Pre 1996 models had a maximum gross weight of 700kg. Post 1996 models, however, saw a quite significant jump to 900kg. This is, still, only 75% of what your car can tow, even when the camper is loaded to its absolute maximum.
A camper can be reversed into place, without any problems, but I would definitely agree that you need to use ramps. Reversing at a steady pace is fine, however, any sharp movements, or pushing back too hard to bump the trailer up the kerb, could compress the hitch, and engage the over run brakes. Other than that, no issues at all.
------------- The one good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others..
Hi thanks for your replies, on the year of the camper that we are looking at, I would be looking to get post 1996 and ideally be one with gas struts, the reason I asked about going over the kerbs as I wasn't sure about the over run brakes being fitted to FC's. I think the main problem I would have with a 1.8 petrol is going to be mpg, but don't think it's enough to warrant a car change lol
The last time I tried to reverse uphill with the FC attached a lot of blue smoke came out from under the bonnet! I hadn't taken in to account the braking system on the FC so beware. It can come on if you hit an obstacle or if reversing up a slope. So, if using ramps make sure they are not too steep!
Although I can reverse a tractor and trailer with ease - in a straight line and around sharp corners - I have never found reversing the FC at all easy . It is not helped by the longish overhang on my car (Mondeo) but it should be much easier with your Zafira.
If you could get a pathfinder with a motor mover I would go for it. Mine has been a godsend.
I had to reverse our pathfinder onto our slightly uphill driveway, and likewise, lots of blue smoke and unpleasant smell from the clutch (manual diesel Tiguan). It's fine if you can confidently do it in one go, but I am not that good and the back and forth trying to get it in position was too much for the clutch.
Realised that a set of movers (£600 fitted) was cheaper than a new clutch, so went with that option.
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Topic: Fc and towing car
