Having launched ourselves into the world of caravans last year OH has always done the towing - he has a Navara which I'm not too comfortable driving and therefore would never even consider trying to tow.
I said that if we changed my car for something which would tow I'd happily take the towing course and be able to do some of the driving on long trips. Yesterday we took the plunge and ordered my a Honda CRV which is more than capable than towing our van. Now I've got to keep my end of the bargain and do the course!
Is towing that difficult or is it just a case of knowing what to do and having confidence? Luckily I won't have to manoevre too much as we have a mover fitted.
Towing is easy. Just keep going straight. If you come to a gap where you think you cant get through, just close your eyes and keep going. Works for me everytime lol
I did the course and now tow on my own quite happily. I do tend to stick to main roads and motorways as much as I can but it's not that scary once you've made the first move.
Good luck - you'll probably enjoy it. The course I did was good fun, too.
Having launched ourselves into the world of caravans last year OH has always done the towing - he has a Navara which I'm not too comfortable driving and therefore would never even consider trying to tow.
I said that if we changed my car for something which would tow I'd happily take the towing course and be able to do some of the driving on long trips. Yesterday we took the plunge and ordered my a Honda CRV which is more than capable than towing our van. Now I've got to keep my end of the bargain and do the course!
Is towing that difficult or is it just a case of knowing what to do and having confidence? Luckily I won't have to manoevre too much as we have a mover fitted.
Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Midge the CRV is an excellent towcar however the Pageant Loire with a MPTLM of 1642 kg means you will be towing at
99% match assuming you have the ES model and if you have the EX model your still at 97% , The Honda has a 2000kg tow limit so while legal a poor match especially if you are new to towing
I'd be rather wary towing at the mptl in the honda...even with 20 years experience behind me ..the weighbridge is a must for both car and fully loaded caravan ..get a ticket for both...then you can load the caravan to 85% of the honda's kerbweight...
loading out the caravan is a critical part of caravanning so by no means go about this in a hap-hazard way...
give it some responsible consideration with your hubbys help and weigh everthing going into the caravan ...if you don't use something heavy in there ..take it out for the next time you use it as the weight will creep up over time with stuff you buy and put in drawers cupboards boxes ect ...i know because i've done it too ...when changing the caravan this year we emptied it and were amazed at how much stuff was accumulated over 6 years it was piled up in the living room for 3 days ..
Quote: Originally posted by clanjones on 16/11/2009
Hello Midge 21
I'd be rather wary towing at the mptl in the honda...even with 20 years experience behind me ..the weighbridge is a must for both car and fully loaded caravan ..get a ticket for both...then you can load the caravan to 85% of the honda's kerbweight...
loading out the caravan is a critical part of caravanning so by no means go about this in a hap-hazard way...
give it some responsible consideration with your hubbys help and weigh everthing going into the caravan ...if you don't use something heavy in there ..take it out for the next time you use it as the weight will creep up over time with stuff you buy and put in drawers cupboards boxes ect ...i know because i've done it too ...when changing the caravan this year we emptied it and were amazed at how much stuff was accumulated over 6 years it was piled up in the living room for 3 days ..
Concur 100% i tow with a new CRV at 1500 kgs with an upgraded MPTLM on my van which works out at 90% and would not consider towing any heavier than that . A weight advantage is a must with your towing vehicle even the most stable correctly loaded van can start to mis-behave .
Thanks for the good wishes and advice. We realise that we calculated the weight ration incorrectly and have gone back to Honda to check. They got it wrong too. We've therefore cancelled the order, got our deposit back and have gone back to square one.
Thanks to your good advice we've avoided making a huge and expensive mistake.
Hey relax, go for it, you will soon get the hang. After a couple of trips, you will find you have to look in the mirror to see if the beast is still there.
get a real 4x4 for towing, 16000 for the honda would get you a 3-5yo toyota Landcruiser with all the toys, will tow anything no problem and if regularly maintained will still be going when your dead n gone. H
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Topic: What Have I Done?........................
