Quote: Originally posted by Jimmy1980 on 10/8/2015
Ha ha the converted van would be within weight but I like the ability to detach my tow car and leave the van!!!
I probably would take my B+E but my wife really doesn't want to, and we both want to be able to tow.
I'd be interested to know whether anybody out there has a nicely matched tow car with 4 berth van within the 3500kg limit? It just seems to me that it probably makes people less safe as you really need to opt for a lower weight tow car and ensure the van is within the towing ability of that tow car. My ideal tow car would be a Vauxhall Antara, or a Ford Kuga but sadly these would limit my choice of van too much, yet their weights are excellent for towing.
I'm bang on 3500kgs if I wanted to be with out outfit....
LWB Shogun (2200kgs) and the caravan plated to 1300kgs max.
We've not been at the total weight as we don't take loads of 'extra' stuff...
I'm lucky though, I passed my test in '95 so I'm able to a higher weight, hence buying the Shogun. It's giving me peace of mind when we change our van to nearly anything and not worry about matching weights etc.
Quote: Originally posted by iscacamper on 11/8/2015
Quote: Originally posted by Baileyjake on 11/8/2015It's crazy isn't it. The 3500kg limit is set for goods vehicles and clearly not caravans. To my mind it's encouraging less than perfect outfit matching. Which is the opposite of which it aims to achieve. However. It certainly doesn't exclude anyone from owning a caravan. Just heavy cars and heavy caravans.
Agreed. I also have the Ranger 550/6 (1280kg) so I am restricted by my B licence to towing with a vehicle under 2220kg gross weight, even though a heavier towcar would be safer. Crazy, really.
Hi Iscacamper as a fellow 550/6 owner, how do you find it tows? what do you tow with?
i have a mitsubishi outlander which weighs in at 1700kg kerb weight empty so 75% ratio (accrding to whattowcar, 70% with driver and fuel)but. I always carry the awining in the car and indeed load the car up as much as i can with food, drinks, cadac, bikes etc... However i never feel the outfit is stable. on single track roads never a problem but on motorways it can feel a bit twitchy whether its cross winds or ruts in the road. i also have an Alko stabilizer hitch. i have only been carvanning for 2 years so it may well be that all long caravans are like that.
i also struggled to get the nose weight down. i find i have to load a lot of items under the rear bunk to get the weight down to 60kg.
i have a digital gauge now as i suspected the spring balance type i had was overreading.on my next trip in a couple of weeks i will try to put a bit more weight on the nose.
Quote: Originally posted by Jimmy1980 on 10/8/2015Ha ha the converted van would be within weight but I like the ability to detach my tow car and leave the van!!!
I probably would take my B+E but my wife really doesn't want to, and we both want to be able to tow.
I'd be interested to know whether anybody out there has a nicely matched tow car with 4 berth van within the 3500kg limit? It just seems to me that it probably makes people less safe as you really need to opt for a lower weight tow car and ensure the van is within the towing ability of that tow car. My ideal tow car would be a Vauxhall Antara, or a Ford Kuga but sadly these would limit my choice of van too much, yet their weights are excellent for towing.
I'm bang on 3500kgs if I wanted to be with out outfit....
LWB Shogun (2200kgs) and the caravan plated to 1300kgs max.
We've not been at the total weight as we don't take loads of 'extra' stuff...
I'm lucky though, I passed my test in '95 so I'm able to a higher weight, hence buying the Shogun. It's giving me peace of mind when we change our van to nearly anything and not worry about matching weights etc.
it doesn't make any difference to you GCMS2012 but the max gross weight of the shogun is 3030kg so your combined GTW is 4330. if you had passed your test after 1997 you would be towing illegally. its crazy that the rules are so complex and difficult to understand.
i only raised an eyebrow at the statement because i know that my smaller outlander would be way out if i passed my test post 97. its 2310kg
Quote: Originally posted by Baileyjake on 12/8/2015
Quote: Originally posted by iscacamper on 11/8/2015
Quote: Originally posted by Baileyjake on 11/8/2015It's crazy isn't it. The 3500kg limit is set for goods vehicles and clearly not caravans. To my mind it's encouraging less than perfect outfit matching. Which is the opposite of which it aims to achieve. However. It certainly doesn't exclude anyone from owning a caravan. Just heavy cars and heavy caravans.
Agreed. I also have the Ranger 550/6 (1280kg) so I am restricted by my B licence to towing with a vehicle under 2220kg gross weight, even though a heavier towcar would be safer. Crazy, really.
Hi Iscacamper as a fellow 550/6 owner, how do you find it tows? what do you tow with?
i have a mitsubishi outlander which weighs in at 1700kg kerb weight empty so 75% ratio (accrding to whattowcar, 70% with driver and fuel)but. I always carry the awining in the car and indeed load the car up as much as i can with food, drinks, cadac, bikes etc... However i never feel the outfit is stable. on single track roads never a problem but on motorways it can feel a bit twitchy whether its cross winds or ruts in the road. i also have an Alko stabilizer hitch. i have only been carvanning for 2 years so it may well be that all long caravans are like that.
i also struggled to get the nose weight down. i find i have to load a lot of items under the rear bunk to get the weight down to 60kg.
i have a digital gauge now as i suspected the spring balance type i had was overreading.on my next trip in a couple of weeks i will try to put a bit more weight on the nose.
Hi. I tow with a Skoda Octavia Estate, kerbweight measured at a weighbridge as 1525kg (giving an 84% ratio). I find the van tows very nicely, except for occasional buffeting when being passed by fast vehicles on the motorway. I think this is par for the course with a long van, and not noticeably worse than the small 4-berth van we had previously. I achieved a 75kg noseweight with one Calor Light bottle in the front locker plus a few bits and pieces. I moved the spare wheel to an Alko spare wheel carrier behind the axle to reduce the noseweight. I also carry some bits and pieces under the rear bunk (levelling ramps, hook-up cable, wheel lock, etc.). The awning sits on the floor just above the axle (somwehere between the fridge and the oven). Camping chairs, table, pots and pans, bedding, TV etc are all packed into the van. Bikes go on the car roof and clothes, food and toys go in the boot. Clothes and food stay in the van on the journey home. I also have the Al-ko stabiliser hitch fitted.
If you're loading most stuff into the car, maybe the van actually isn't loaded enough? I certainly tend to find a fully laden van feels more stable than an empty one. Hope that's of some help.
jeep patriot 2007 * 2010
Weight and Capacities
Minimum Kerbweight 1685
Gross Vehicle Weight 2010
Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres) 51.1
Max. Towing Weight - Braked 1500
Max. Towing Weight - Unbraked 450
Max. Loading Weight 325
Luggage Capacity (Seats Up) 536
No. of Seats 5
Luggage Capacity (Seats Down) 1357
Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb 10.8
pulls like a train £225 a year to tax the 2.2 version is even cheaper and more powerful
Quote: Originally posted by cuz62 on 13/8/2015jeep patriot 2007 * 2010
Weight and Capacities
Minimum Kerbweight 1685
Gross Vehicle Weight 2010
Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres) 51.1
Max. Towing Weight - Braked 1500
Max. Towing Weight - Unbraked 450
Max. Loading Weight 325
Luggage Capacity (Seats Up) 536
No. of Seats 5
Luggage Capacity (Seats Down) 1357
Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb 10.8
pulls like a train £225 a year to tax the 2.2 version is even cheaper and more powerful
I will agree with that because I had a jeep compass ltd 2.2CRD 4x4.
It's the same platform as the patriot.
It could take a nose weight of 100kg and still sit level.
Towed my ranger 550/6 on motorway, on cruse set at 60 in 6th gear up hill and down. Even though less torque than my outlander by comparison I must change down to 5th on hills. Compass towed at 28mpg. Outlander 25mpg. Only problem with compass was the tiny boot. I think the patriot gas a larger boot though.
The jeeps are far tougher than the Japanese variants. I find the outlander more car like than the jeep.
The jeep compass had a max tow weight of 2000kg. But the fwd version was 1500kg.
I bit the bullet and went and did the B and E test in the end. I was aware of the laws regarding total MAM for a while but made the mistake of changing from a MK3 to a MK4 Mondeo estate what has a higher MAM me over the 3.5 Tonnes rule so different models and years needs to be check if your running close weight wise.
Just recently towed a 1200 mile round trip into France and was very impressed especially after having it remapped last month. It now has 224bhp and 470nm of torque but still managed to average 33mpg over the distance with a heavily laden car and 1450kg caravan on the back.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Post 1997 licence holders safety
