Hi all i am in need of some advice . I have a ABI mairuder 2 berth caravan there is a plate by the door that says 800kg in one box 629kg in another and 75 kg in the 3rd . I have recently purchased a escort 55 1.8 diesel non turbo van r reg 1997 which i need for work it has only done 87000 miles and been well looked after . Will the van be ok to tow the caravan ? . I will be haveing the tow bar fitted next week if its ok [cost £150.00] . I will only be towing on A roads & country lanes NO motorways . I will be carrying fishing tackle/ gas bottle/ clothes for 2/ cutlery small tv/ battery ect, Thanks atb Roy . Cant wait to get away !
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You can try putting in close matches to your caravan and van weights on here http://www.whattowcar.com/ ABI are not listed, neither is your van , so you will have to find out the weight of your Ford van.With a bit of maths you can choose caravan and vehicle to match your outfit but it will need a bit of searching.
Be cautious but I would think that a 1.8 diesel escort van should be heavy enough and torquey enough (?) to pull a max laden weight caravan of 850kg ?
I am sure that more expert advice will follow from others shortly and I would get a more definate response before committing to that towbar. Good luck with your plan
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The 629kg is unladen weight, so carry anything up to the 800kg max weight, 75kg is max weight on the hitch, the Escort will be a bit lower than this, 70kg so load caravan to give a hitch weight(noseweight)of 60-70kg, if you don't have a noseweight gauge, check the weight with bathroom scales on a piece of wood under hitch. The van will tow it but 60bhp won't give you much pulling power.
To comply with current regs I think you will have to fit numberplate & light to rear door because the tow ball will partly obscure numberplate in it's standard position. Usual solution to this is to fit a detatchable towbar but more expensive & probably not available for Escort van.
Ford do have a habit of giving max gross train weights that are lower than the vehicles gross laden weight added to the max towing weight, you just need to limit what you carry in the van in order to keep the train weight down.
I have spoke to 3 tow bar fitting companys this morning and the have all said that i will be ok to tow the caravan as long as i dont overload and take it easy . Thank you all for your replys . The bar will be fitted tomorro so i hope to have a practice by the weekend as i have never towed before . Thanks again ATB Roy
------------- Get out and have a go !You may enjoy it !
Quote: Originally posted by roycurwen1 on 20/5/2013
Hi all
I have spoke to 3 tow bar fitting companys this morning and the have all said that i will be ok to tow the caravan as long as i dont overload and take it easy . Thank you all for your replys . The bar will be fitted tomorro so i hope to have a practice by the weekend as i have never towed before . Thanks again ATB Roy
Don"t forget your towing mirror"s x2 otherwise you will get a fine from the Police M8
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Topic: Escort van to tow 2berth caravan
