We have just bought a new caravan with a MTPLM of 1390 and now need a car to pull it.
As our budget is max 7k, we have been looking at the Peugeot 407 2lt HDI 136 which the weight matches to the 85% rule but the max tow ball weight is only 60kg.
Can someone please explain what this means and is this car ok to tow this weight of caravan?
Complete novice.
Any advice will be much appreciated
Thanks
I am sure in every other respect the 407 is a fine tow car, however the maximum towball weight is quite low and you will have to load the caravan very carefully to get down to that nose weight. To tow with more noseweight would be breaking the law. They say the ideal noseweight to get the best towing stability performance is in the region of 7% of the caravan laden weight so you can see that 60kgs is a long way off that.
Further to David's excellent reply - just don't! Other than illegal to go over 60kg the stability would be very compomised - we all know the end result in an unstable outfit. Perhaps look at a Mondeo or perhaps a Kia or such vehicle would be suitable.
So does that mean that as the caravans MTPLM is 1390 7% of this weight is 97.3 so I need a car that has a 100kg tow ball weight??
Or have I got the wrong end of the stick??
In practise it don't matter, if your car has a 70-80kg towbar weight, just set the caravan around that figure & you will be ok. 60kg might be a bit low tho. I don't actually think the noseweight(ie towbar download)is a legal requirement. Its just a nominal figure quoted to avoid a car rear axle overload which is illegal.
It will allow for some weight in the rear of the car so if there are only 2 people in the car & minimal weight in the boot you could exceed stated noseweight slightly, ie by 10kg without probs I would think. If you get stopped in a caravan check your axle would be weighed on a portable axle weigher, they ain't going to detach caravan & check noseweight.
C&CC recommend noseweight of 7% but say no less than 5%.
I find it strange that the Peugeot OP only has 60kg on towball, which limits it to 1200 kg (even based on just 5%). If you pull a van up to the Peugeot limit, which I think is 1600kg, tbc, then based on the general advice around on nosewights it would be somewhat unstable (<4%) ?
I find it strange that the 407 is only 60kg when my 406 is 75kg. I was thinking of getting a 407 next time, so this is interesting. What makes the difference I wonder?
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Topic: Help Please - Tow Ball????
