Hi there first time buying a caravan here!
I have a Nissan juke 2011. Says can tow upto 1250kg
I want to buy a Fixed Bed 4 Berth Bailey Pageant
Bordeaux 2005.
I looked up the specs and I’m confused on what it weighs it has two different weights. Here’s what it says
Mass in Running Order weight: 1150 kgs or 22.6369040589 cwt / hundred weight
Maximum allowable weight is: 1366 kgs or 26.8887051691 cwt / hundred weight
So is it 1150 kgs which means I can purchase it, or is 1366kg? Thanks any help would be amazing
the max allowable means the fully loaded weight, which in your case is 116 kgs to heavy so im afraid to say you either need a heavier car or look for a lighter caravan
Assuming your 1250Kg towing limit is correct (ALWAYS check the figure from actual vehicle V5 document and/or vehicle VIN plates/stickers, DON'T rely solely on online sources! - the figures are often VERY specific to year, trim level, engine/gearbox etc. and online sources may NOT be your exact vehicle!), and applying the 85% guidance/rule (it's not an enforceable rule, but wise guidance from the industry for the safety of novices to towing, by limiting the effect the trailer has on the towing vehicle. Towing is a learned skill that can bite the unwary/novice hard, best to start with the odds in your favour!), you should be looking at a caravan no heavier than 1063Kg, say 1100Kg as it's not a cast in stone figure.
The Max Allowable Weight (or MTPLM - Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass) is the caravan weight you need to be working with, the Mass in Running Order (MIRO) weight is of no great significance and can be ignored.
You should be aware that often only the main bed(s) are truly adult sized, bunks etc., may only be child sized/weight bearing! Many a '4 berth' is only really a 2 plus 2, that's 2 adults and 2 children! Young teenagers can quickly outgrow the capacity of smaller beds! You need to check the actual dimensions/weight limits of beds carefully, the original brochures usually give figures.
I would always advise anyone new to towing to stick to well below the car's maximum towing figure. Towing on or near the limit can be a very unpleasant experience unless you very experienced and know what to do when. Passing vehicles and strong winds can have a quite unnerving effect on a caravan that is close to the car's limit.
What Monty says about berths is very true too. Our caravan is a 4 berth, but it would only really be suitable for a couple and two small children. It would be no good at all for two teenagers. There is only ever us two oldies though, so it's no problem for us.
Just to sum up what earlier posters have said, and all are correct BTW.
You're going to struggle to find any fixed bed that the Juke will handle, I can't even think of a fixed bed that suits the weight you need, (maybe someone can correct me)?
So it's upgrade the tow car or downgrade expectations, sorry.
Yes Andy is right, if you want that particular caravan you will need a much heavier and more powerful car. That caravan would be only just ok with my car, which is a 2 litre diesel X Trail automatic.
Hi guys, what’s your opinions on the juke towing a 2005 sprite musketeer 4 berth
Specs
Towing Information.
Towing Electrics
Mass in Running Order weight: 1004 kgs or 19.7630014566 cwt / hundred weight
Maximum allowable weight is: TBA kgs or 0 cwt / hundred weight
The kerbweight of the towing car needs to be at least 0kgs to achive an 85% match, to achive a 95% match the tow car would need to be at least 0 kgs. A tow car weighing less than TBA kgs is very likely to be illegal and likely to result in a prosecution if you were stopped by the Police as well as invalidating any insurance for your car and caravan.
Sprite Musketeer 2005 Dimensions
The internal length of the caravan is 4.74 metres or 15.5472 feet
The external shipping length is 6.37 meters or 20.8936 feet
The width is 2.23 meters or 7.3144 feet
As mentioned above you need to know the max allowable weight of the caravan (MTPLM). You also need to know the kerbweight of your car and the max towing limits.
You should not depend on towing sites on the website that offer conflicting and sometimes dangerous information.
I've just seen the weight figures for the Nissan Juke and it looks like the kerbweight of the car may be less than 1250kg so you would need a caravan weighing closer to 1100kg as suggested by Monty already.
If you could give the exact model details of your car I could check the figures for you but it definitely looks like you may need to change your car for a heavier more powerful model.
The mass in running order weight is largely irrelevant as far as towing is concerned, as all that means is the weight of the caravan completely empty as it left the factory. Nobody uses a caravan in that condition, as we all have all our bits and pieces, food, clothing, accessories, water container, waste container etc. The crucial weight for calculating towing capacity is the MTPLM, which is the maximum legal weight of the caravan and its contents. You need to find a caravan with a MTPLM which is well within the towing limit of your car as specified on your registration document. There should also be a plate somewhere on the car with these figures on. It may be under the bonnet or on one of the door pillars.
When you know the towing limit for your specific car, then you need to find a caravan with an MTPLM which is well under the car's towing limit. I wouldn't recommend going anywhere near your car's towing limit until you have a considerable amount of experience, or at best you will find it makes for an uncomfortable journey, or at worst a potentially dangerous one.
We had a 1.5 diesel Juke and towed a 600kg trailer (probably had around 250kg of camping gear in it) with three kids to France in 2015, it was really underpowered, I wouldn't even contemplate towing anything over 750-800kg with one
What you need to find out from the vehicles v5 (not websites which may give the details of a different spec than yours)
Max towing weight of car - this should never be exceeded.
Kerb weight of car - as someone new to towing, try to find a caravan that is around 85% of the kerb weight of the car. This is not a legal requirement but is good advice. If you tow a caravan that is heavier than the kerb weight, you risk the ‘tail wagging the dog’ effect. It is the weight of the car that keeps the caravan stable when you are being passed by large vehicles or when you are driving in windy conditions and with the wrong match, you can end up with a snaking incident and an overturned caravan. Speaking as someone to whom this happened many years ago when we were new to towing, I would never exceed the 85% guide, even now that we are experienced.
Towball limit. Different cars will have a different limit to how much weight you can put on the towball. The heavier the cars limit the better as you will find once you get a caravan that keeping the noseweight of the caravan down can be tricky, especially with a full gas bottle or two in the front locker.
Personally, I would never consider towing a caravan of any sort with a Juke, to me, it is just not heavy enough, but you need to check your figures and make your own decision.
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Topic: Nissan juke towing
via mobile 03/4/2024 at 5:18pm
