Thanks for the members who responded to my previous question regarding towing with a Nissan Qashqui, looked at the plate on my car and have possibly found a caravan which I wish to purchase, can I ask your views on the Maths below (not my strongest subject) and views on the caravan being a suitable match, unable to change the car as I have it on lease for a further couple of years. Really appreciate responses.
Vehicle
Maximum gross vehicle weight - 3335kg
Maximum laden mass of the combination -1935kg
Total - 1400kg
85% - 1190kg
the 85% part is the weight they recommend for an inexperienced tower such as yourself, ad whilst still legal, you do start pushing things a fair bit, by pushing it i mean your luck! you will find that things such as having to brake harshly or side winds from passing buses/trucks will upset how the car/caravan handles and could leave you a bit unstuck if caught out
The crucial figure is the MTPLM of the caravan, the MRO you should ignore as it is irrelevant.
I certainly wouldn't be happy towing a caravan of that weight with a petrol-engined car of only 1.3 litres. It is above the recommended 85%, although that is only a recommendation, not a legal requirement. Your car may well tow it but you would have very little power in reserve, if any, and I think the car would really struggle on hills and running into headwinds. I think it would also hammer your fuel consumption. However, this is only my own personal opinion.
I tow a caravan with an MTPLM of just under a ton, and I tow it with a Nissan X Trail with a 2 litre diesel engine. I hardly even know the caravan is on the back, quite the opposite of what you would find with your combination. With your car I would be looking at caravans with an MTPLM less than mine.
That caravan weight is a 95% match against car weight, there are plenty of well experienced caravan towers who would be unhappy at that figure!
That is similar to my outfit weight balance, but I've had decades of towing experience over tens of thousands of miles and an assortment of trailer types! Experience counts, towing is a new set of skills to solo car driving and needs learning!
The 85% match is only an advisory, but based on the principle that the lighter trailer, the less influence it has on the tow car, AND the easier an inexperienced driver can recover from the trailer influencing the car - and there WILL be times it does!
I tow with a small petrol engine car and it's fine, but that's not to say your Quashqui would also be, there are a LOT of factors that affect how good a tow car will be, and the lighter the trailer the better the odds are stacked!
As already mentioned, the caravan MRO figure can be ignore in relation to towing, the MTPLM figure is the critical figure to work with.
Like Monty I have towed caravans for a long while, since the 1970s in fact, and I have also towed all kinds of trailers professionally.
With your car I would be looking at caravans with a MTPLM of no more than a ton (1,000kg). Unfortunately, that will be very limiting unless you go for an older caravan like mine as over the years caravans have become much heavier.
When I started towing a caravan I had a 1.5 litre Cortina which towed my caravan beautifully, but it was a 4 berth caravan weighing well under a ton. Cars and caravans have both become much bigger and heavier since then.
From your figures, it looks like around 1200Kg is the Max MTPLM weight you should be aiming for, a little bit of latitude of a few Kg on that, but ideally don't push too much higher. Of course, lighter is better in most respects of towing, but often starting to compromise on caravan types and specs then!
Circa 1200Kg max is not doing you any favours for choice of caravan unfortunately, over the years they've just got heavier and heavier! In recent years cars have got lighter (driven by desire to improve economy and emissions) but caravans have continued to get heavier without much regard to the diminishing number of cars that can tow them! With the demise of the manufacturer Lunar a few years back, the market took a big hit, as they were renowned for good spec vans with light weight, still plenty of s/h ones around and still quite sought after as you get a lot of caravan in all respects, but without the weight of rival brands.
As you can see, the market for newer vans is dominated by things like the Swift Basecamp, which is both small and fairly basic, as you go back in age and down in price the choice expands somewhat.
You haven't given any clues on budget, or berths etc. so can't advise further.
I'd be looking at a caravan with an MTPLM of around 1200kg however I'd also be making sure that the nose weight and weight distribution in the caravan is spot in, I'd also be making sure there is plenty of weight in the car.
The other issue you will have is making sure the car has enough grunt to tow the caravan
Hi Thanks for your information, budget is anywhere up to 15k secondhand, looking for a 3 or 4 berth, car will have 3 passengers + any luggage, try and going to keep the caravan as light as possible as looking into an Air awning etc, I am 65 old and have been driving since I was 18, I have towed various trailers over the years which also included the odd caravan from time to time when collecting for friends, as I will be having my wife and son with me in the car just wanted to get advice from experienced people,.
If you don't mind older styling, there are still plenty of older caravans around like mine which tend to be much lighter. Mine is a 4 berth, although I would be inclined to think of it as 2+2, as the top pull-out rear bunk would only be suitable for small child. I bought it as a trade-sale from our local dealer and it cost me just £1,100 nearly 7 years ago, and we have had some great holidays with it just the two of us. We have just got back from a week in Lincolnshire and a week in Norfolk. If you go for an older caravan, watch out for the dreaded damp though! Although its 32 years old now our caravan has everything the latest ones have except possibly a microwave and air-con, but not all the latest ones have them anyway. Having mentioned damp, from what I have read on here some owners of caravans less than 5 years old have had more problems with it than we have. This is our outfit.
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Topic: Nissan Qashqui
via mobile 16/7/2024 at 8:05pm
