Hi , we have 1990 cotswold celeste 2 birth caravan and are going away for the first time and just want to be 100% sure that our vauxhall vectra estate 1.9 cdti will tow her.
Thankyou
To check the towing capacity of a vehicle you need to know the kerbweight of the vehicle and the max towing limit. You then need to check that the max weight of the caravan does not exceed the lower of these weights. The advice for novices is that the caravan should not exceed 85% of the kerbweight.
If you come back with these figures we can check the suitability for you.
That's about 78% match and well under your limits so you should be fine. Don't forget to check the nose weight is under the towbar limit and don't forget to fit your towing mirrors.
Take it easy, keep to the towing speed limits and allow more time and space for manoeuvres.
Enjoy your first trip.
Quote: Originally posted by Rob and Tina on 14/9/2022
To check the towing capacity of a vehicle you need to know the kerbweight of the vehicle and the max towing limit. You then need to check that the max weight of the caravan does not exceed the lower of these weights. The advice for novices is that the caravan should not exceed 85% of the kerbweight.
If you come back with these figures we can check the suitability for you.
Rob
That is not true. The only weights that cannot be exceeded are the maximum towing weight and the maximum gross train weight. The vehicle's kerb weight is no longer relevant to towing and there is nothing legally to stop you from towing a trailer that is heavier than the tow vehicle's kerb weight as long as it is less than the maximum towing weight and the out fit does not exceed the plated maximum train weight. The 85% limit is only advisory. I regularly tow trailers that are heavier than the actual weight of the tow vehicle, the kerb weight of my land rover 130 is not even shown anywhere as the unladen weight was never legally relevant. Only the max gross weight of 3500kg, the max towing weight of 4000kg and the max train weight of 7500kg are shown.
Having said that, I would not advise towing a trailer that is heavier than the towing vehicle unless you are experienced at towing and have undertaken some form of formal towing training. I tow in excess of 10,000 miles per year and a condition of my business and employers licence is that anyone towing a trailer, including myself, undertakes a recognised training course, at most, every three years.
It is correct that from a purely legal perspective, there is nothing to stop you towing up to the maximum towing capacity of your car, even if this exceeds the kerb weight. However, part of the problem is that there are no towing laws specific to caravans. They refer only to 'braked trailers', and a car's towing capacity is based, largely, on the weight of a trailer that the car can physically move from a standstill on a repeated hill start. It has absolutely nothing to do with what the car will comfortably manage, or what will remain stable, on motorways at speeds of up to 60mph.
Compared with most other types of trailer, caravans are taller, probably longer, have a higher centre of gravity and are inherently less stable. They also tend to be towed for longer distances and at higher speeds. It is for this reason that the caravanning industry recommends that you should not tow a caravan weighing more than the car's kerb weight, even if is legally permissible to do so. Given that the car will almost certainly weigh considerably more than it's kerb weight (essentially the weight of the car when empty apart from the driver and a tank of fuel), this recommendation is almost certainly conservative but is nonetheless sensible in principle.
A ratio of about 85% is a very crude recommendation for drivers that are new to towing, and needs to be viewed accordingly. It's so old that it has become more myth than sound advice, and certainly a few 10s of kgs over or under it is highly unlikely to make any discernible difference. It's also probably less relevant to a large commercial vehicle (such as a Land Rover Defender) than it is to a small family car.
Your company and/or its insurers may well have a policy that its drivers undertake a towing course every 3 years, and I agree that this is no bad thing. However, there is no law that says you must do this.
The good news for the OP is that all of this is academic in their case, because their lightweight caravan is well below both the towing capacity and the kerb weight of their Vectra.
------------- "Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect."
Quote: Originally posted by Triaxle on 22/9/2022
I also don’t agree. We regularly tow trailers at 3500kg capacity, with no insurer rules regarding training.
I don't know what type of insurance you have or what sector you work in. In the agriculture sector, many insurers require that anyone operating vehicles or machinery are adequately trained and qualified to do so, this includes towing any type of trailer with any type of vehicle including tractors, quad bikes and road vehicles. As the normal UK driving licence does not cover towing trailers on the road let alone off road my employer's liability insurance requires that I ensure my employees are trained and competent.
Quote: Originally posted by SamandRose on 22/9/2022
Martin734 - I don't quite agree.
It is correct that from a purely legal perspective, there is nothing to stop you towing up to the maximum towing capacity of your car, even if this exceeds the kerb weight. However, part of the problem is that there are no towing laws specific to caravans. They refer only to 'braked trailers', and a car's towing capacity is based, largely, on the weight of a trailer that the car can physically move from a standstill on a repeated hill start. It has absolutely nothing to do with what the car will comfortably manage, or what will remain stable, on motorways at speeds of up to 60mph.
Compared with most other types of trailer, caravans are taller, probably longer, have a higher centre of gravity and are inherently less stable. They also tend to be towed for longer distances and at higher speeds. It is for this reason that the caravanning industry recommends that you should not tow a caravan weighing more than the car's kerb weight, even if is legally permissible to do so. Given that the car will almost certainly weigh considerably more than it's kerb weight (essentially the weight of the car when empty apart from the driver and a tank of fuel), this recommendation is almost certainly conservative but is nonetheless sensible in principle.
A ratio of about 85% is a very crude recommendation for drivers that are new to towing, and needs to be viewed accordingly. It's so old that it has become more myth than sound advice, and certainly a few 10s of kgs over or under it is highly unlikely to make any discernible difference. It's also probably less relevant to a large commercial vehicle (such as a Land Rover Defender) than it is to a small family car.
Your company and/or its insurers may well have a policy that its drivers undertake a towing course every 3 years, and I agree that this is no bad thing. However, there is no law that says you must do this.
The good news for the OP is that all of this is academic in their case, because their lightweight caravan is well below both the towing capacity and the kerb weight of their Vectra.
Sorry to say this, but there is nothing special about caravans, that is why there is not, nor should there be any special legislation around them. Caravans are just basically lightweight box trailers, they usually have a much lower centre of gravity when loaded than say a horsebox, livestock trailer or plant trailer and they usually have a greater distance between the trailer axle and the tow hitch making them even more stable than a commercial trailer.
As the normal UK driving licence does not cover towing trailers on the road let alone off road my employer's liability insurance requires that I ensure my employees are trained and competent.
^^^ wrong again. Since December 2021 trailer towing is covered on a uk licence. Also, I live in a rural area with many friends who are farmers. NONE of them have to provide training for towing on the road. Perhaps you should switch to NFU, they do all my commercial insurances with no training covenants.
Quote: Originally posted by Triaxle on 23/9/2022
As the normal UK driving licence does not cover towing trailers on the road let alone off road my employer's liability insurance requires that I ensure my employees are trained and competent.
^^^ wrong again. Since December 2021 trailer towing is covered on a uk licence. Also, I live in a rural area with many friends who are farmers. NONE of them have to provide training for towing on the road. Perhaps you should switch to NFU, they do all my commercial insurances with no training covenants.
What industry sector are you in? There is absolutely nothing in the UK driving test or lessons that covers towing a trailer, since 1997 that has always required a separate training course, if you do tow for a living you should know this. That is why my insurance company requires all drivers towing trailers to be trained to do so, just as they would before the rules changed in December last year. I do not wish to change my insurance company as I have always got very good service from them and the requirement to ensure all of my employees are suitably qualified is a sensible one, I wish that more insurers required the same.
You have contradicted yourself. You say the uk driving LICENCE does not cover towing…. It does since the end of last year. Then you say driving LESSONS don’t cover towing; quite correct.
The trailer towing test was not fit for purpose. It taught people how to pass the test, not tow safely. As a company we tow 3.5 tonne fully loaded trailers in excess of 50,000 miles a year, mainly motorways and a roads. In 8 years we have had NO claims / accidents. And not one of us has taken the trailer test; no need due to age. So I don’t get your point re ongoing training. If you can tow a trailer today, you don’t lose that skill in 3 years time, so why be retrained again?…
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Topic: Towing capacity
via mobile 13/9/2022 at 4:04pm
