hi all,
hoping to take our first small trip in our caravan soon,it is a silverline/silvercrest/gt/10/2.it says in handbook maximum permitted weight 750kg.on the hitch it is stamped:aks 1300 s 100 kg
:ga 1360 kg
:g min 180 kg
i have a freelander 1.8 3dr petrol,it says in the handbook nose weight not to exceed 140kg.also i passed my test after 1997 so my questions are,from the figures stamped on the hitch can you say what the caravan weighs?
how much could i load the van?
would i be inside the legal weight train limit for car/van?.i cant seem to get my head round it ,it seems so confusing and i want to be safe/sure.as we our a couple coming up to our sixty,s i wonder if i have bitten on more than i can chew?.if any one can give advice ,help it would be most gratefully welcomed.
best regards jimbow
the 1300 can be used to tow a van up to 1360 kgs.see www.al-ko.co.uk .to be safe the caravan needs to be 85% of the kerb weight of the car,so no problem there.the nose weight of your car is a max of 140kgs.you can load up the van nose to this weight but not over.with a van max weight or MPTLM of 750 kgs,unless loaded silly will not get to 140kgs.as a rule the nose weight of the caravan is measured at 7% of MPTLM. see
michael,
many, many thanks,tomorrow i will weigh the nose and see,is there a thing as being to light?. if i am feeling brave we just might go to a pub with a field and the landlord is a friend and see how i get on towing only about twenty miles away! and to practice the dreaded reversing.
sorry to seem a bit slow, but is there among those figures a weight of the caravan,once again many thanks jimbow.
yes ,if your nose weight is a max of 140kgs on the car aim for 90 - 100kgs,better slightly nose down.you can use a bathroom scale and wood to do this weight check.
the only silverline in my book has a max weight of 15.7cwt/unladen weight 11 cwt ,this is for a silverline nova vanden plas 1987.hope this helps.if not you could take it to an industial weigh scale.
Hi, I might be nissing something, but if you passed your test after 1st Jan 1997 you are also restricted by the combined weight of car and trailer to only very light loads. See:
Michael,
have got 75kg nose weight,to get that i have had to put a few things up front/aqua roll/waste container/ awning.do you think it will be ok?.
also had a look at my tyres,they read:Goodyear steel belt radials/145 sr13 74s:max load 920lbs at 36 psi.920 lbs is 417 kgs does that mean each tyre,so times two max load will be 920 x2=1840 or 834 kgs.if not looks like the wrong tyres on?.hopefully were nearly there?.many thanks for help /advice jimbow.
hi tony c,
i think i can tow so long as the total weight of car and van does not exceed three and a half tons.thanks for pointing it out,best regards jimbow
james the loading on your tyres is for each tyre so for a van as light as yours normal car tyres will be fine,as far as nose weight you should aim for 7% of vans weight so you will be ok with a reading of 75kg.Just take it easy the first few times and dont let your self be pressured into driving faster than you are comfortable with.
as far as reversing goes the slower you do it the easier it is to control your unit. good luck and enjoy your self
David, many thanks for your reply.
it has given me the confidence i need.as i have said in a earlier post ,i was going to go to a pub with a large field and stay over,but my concern over tyres etc i waited till i knew i was safe.so looking forward to next weekend and i will tow for the first time to the said pub(good beers/food/company)i have a folk band and we play there.
will try and remember not to be pushed along faster,looking forward to it in one way,but a bit daunting in another as i have lost my confidence due to a severe illness but i am determined to carry on and show the mrs what a cracking country we live in.all the very best to you ,jimbow
Michael,
many thanks for the link it was very easy to understand,i have checked it and does seem ok.once again many thanks for aiding me get on the road,best regards jimbow.(cant wait til the coming weekend).
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Topic: towing weight puzzle
