Hello and a Happy New Year To All,
My old ford focus estate is nearly ready for retirement and whilst checking out a possible alternative, i went online to check out towing weight limits for some other cars. I have been towing my cotswold windrush with no problems, going on the 85% rule, BUT... I have now read several articles, including the AA's site that says the weight limit for an unbraked trailer is considerably less than 85%.
Now, as far as I am aware, apart from the breakaway cable on my van, and I presume most other smallish caravans, being attached to the handbrake on the van, the van does not have brakes. I am confused by this and hope someone can enlighten me about this.
Kind Regards, Mark.
Your car handbook should list a max tow weight for braked trailers and a different weight for unbraked trailers.
if your caravan has brakes fitted, they must work. Normally they are of the over run type and will be applied automatically when you go down hill. On an old van there was usually a lever you flipped over to stop them being applied when reversing up hill. Now they are auto reverse.
The max tow weight is the maximum weight you can legally tow to comply with the manufacturers figures probably under the construction and use act.
It is a weight which the manufacturers feel will not damage the car if you pull away on a steep hill, typically 1 in 8, or going down a steep hill while towing an unbraked trailer.
The 85% rule is a recommendation to make sure your car is heavy enough to be in control of the caravan rather than the other way round. It's to stop snaking.
The max tow weight may be a lot less than the 85% weight. My old metro diesel was only 460kg for a braked trailer. A lot of older non turbo diesels were like this.
When your lovely old Windrush was made there probably weren't any laws covering towing weights. My old Dad always said you can tow 1-1/4 cwts (hundedweights) per 100cc engine capacity or horse as he called it. Back then cars and caravans were a lot lighter than now.
So how many years have you been towing not realising your caravan has brakes?.
Depending which van you have running weight between 820 kg and 920 kg with max weight between 1000kg and 1200 kg
Hello again and thankyou for the replies.
I have been towing my windrush for 5 years !!!!
I guess quite a few people out there must think i'm pretty stupid. Oh well i'll just have to learn to live with it !
The confusion in what passes for a brain in me was that it seemed to me that if a van/trailer was braked, then it, and the towing car must have some sort of linkage that would apply the brakes on the van/trailer each time the brakes were applied on the towing car.
So , now I know something I didn't know before and once again, Thank you for putting me straight.
Kind Regards and safe towing, Homer Simpson,( only joking), Mark.
yes the linkage does have "some sort of linkage that applies the brakes" when you attach the towhitch to the ball, that part with the black concertina rubber cover is the part that applies the brakes, can you move yours? it should push towards the caravan very slowly and then once let go return back again on its own
I take it you do get your caravan serviced by a workshop every couple of yrs at least? If this the case then no worries, plenty of people don't understand mechanics.
To explain how caravan brakes work, you will notice rubber bellows behind hitch which can be compressed by pushing in hitch? when you apply car brakes, caravan pushes forwards compressing hitch which pulls rod & operates brakes. Look underneath caravan & you will see.
Caravan running gear does need proper servicing, wheel bearings/brake shoes can all wear out & hitch dampers can also wear out & eventually fail.
Hi Mark,
you deserve praise for coming on here and asking questions. It's one way of learning which we ALL have to do, one way or another.
Towing a caravan can be a "can of worms". You need lots of background knowledge to keep you, your passengers (family) and other road users safe.
Many people use this site to improve their overall knowledge of towing. It's a great way to find stuff out and should be without embarassement. Hope this helps!
------------- cramming for my finals in the twilight zone
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Topic: braked vs unbraked towing limits
