Hi everyone, I am really just looking for some advise.
Just a little background info to set the scene. My wife an I have three daughters aged 12, 8, 6 and were thinking about getting a caravan , nothing too expensive for a year or so and if we enjoy as a family finances permitting maybe upgrade.
We have looked around and if we are lucky enough to find a 6 berth with fixed bed and fixed bunks (double or triple) so we don't have to keep changing living area into a bedroom that would be our choice.
A few we have seen are twin axle and like the extra space the twin axle tend to bring into the equation when looking.
My problem is the whole weight issues.
Bought a new car Hyundai I800 this year, a large 8 seater, paid the £400 for towbar, got the hitch bike rack, new tent etc, went camping a good few times this year like most years but have now come to the conclusion that maybe we would be more suited to a caravan. My parents just keep a caravan on one site now with their friends so it would be for a few trips there and a good number of local sites at least once a month over the season for a long weekend so space is a major factor.
Because my car is an automatic it has a lower towing capacity of a manual.
The car states kerb weight of 2215kg payload of 855kg gross weight of 3070kg
Maximum row weight of 1500kg (manual is 2300kg) so a gross train weight of 4570kg.
Now all 5 of us say equal 300kg and 150kg of luggage small amount of cutlery etc, maybe 50kg if we get an awning, 75kg full tank .
So 575kg total added to the kerb weight is 2790kg leaving 280kg spare for maximum weight of car.
On a good few sites I've seen a lot of people stating 85% of the car weight is the maximum you should tow
2790kg pulling 1550kg 85% of 2790kg is 2371kg a lot heavier than 1550kg
The above works out at about 55%
If I put no luggage in caravan would I be legally be able to tow it as my car has 280kg spare to reach its max payload?
If this is still not allowed does anyone know of longer caravans on single axle that would have a similar bed set up.
Thanks for your time people, I know you may get bombarded with questions but I am writing this as I have searched endlessly and come up with nothing, so thank you.
hi and welcome, i have an i800, 168bhp manual, absolutely love it, i tow an adria isonzo at 1800kgs and never have any issues.tows a dream. i was a little shocked to read that the auto has a lower max tow, must be a recent change as i looked at the auto and it was the road tax that swayed me to the manual.
In your case the maximum you can tow is 1500kg as that is the figure stated by the manufacturer. The 85% of kerbweight guideline does not apply as the manufacturer has given a lower max trailer weight.
The other important factor is what does your licence allow you to tow? Have you got classes B+E on your licence? If you haven't got B+E you are restricted to a gross train weight of 3500kg so you would only be able to tow a caravan with an MTPLM of 430kg.
Thanks for the reply I passed my test in 94 so I am ok towing the heavier combinations, I'm just a bit annoyed that if the the unladen weight of the larger caravans is e.g. 1550kg and I am not fully loaded in my car that I won't be able to tow it.
Yes unfortunately the automatic can only tow 1500kg and the manual is 2300kg it's a huge difference . I love the car and just done the south of France kitted out with 1 bike in the back and 4 on the bike rack and it was a dream driving it but I had to buy the automatic as my wife refuses to drive manuals. But lovely car and as you know the amount of space you get in them that's why I was thinking down the route of not loading any weight in the caravan just putting it in the car instead and still not going over the maximum combined weight of car and caravan.
You are not likely to tow the caravan totally empty. The job of emptying the whole caravan out each time and loading it in to the car is something you just don't want to do. Everything would have to be removed such as gas bottles, battery, water container, waste container, crockery, cutlery, bedding, tv and clothing etc, you would spend most of your holidays just packing and unpacking. If the caravan is empty it won't tow very well, it is designed to be towed in a loaded state.
You won't be able to tow a caravan and carry 4 bikes on the back of the car, they will have to go on the roof if the roof rack load will allow this.
Many caravan sites in France are not keen on twin axle caravans so best to stick with a single axle caravan. It will also be easier to manoeuvre a single axle by hand, you could get a motor mover but this will add to the weight of the caravan.
I don't know what your budget is but there are some Adria, Lunar and Bailey caravans about 5 to 10 years old that would meet your weight requirements but I can't think of any caravans that would not involve making up some beds at night. There are a few websites where you can search for caravans according to the layout that would give you an idea of what may be available to suit your needs.
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Hi,
We have an i800 manual and tow an Adria and there are six of us. The Adria max weight is 1300kg and it is a six berth with the triple bunks. Towing is a dream, even with two bikes on the caravan A frame and four on the roof of the car. The triples obviously do not need making up, but the single side berth only takes a couple of minutes, as does the double at the front. Hope you find a solution.
Just an additional heads up message to i800 owners. Ours over the last year or so lost a little bit of cooling water. Last week it lost a lot. Looking underneath the car, the heater pipes which run from the engine compartment on the passenger side, under the car and back to the passenger compartment heater matrix are quite badly corroded. Apparently this is quite a common problem as Hyundai have recently sold a few of the sets of pipes. The bottom of the car barely has a mark on it. The heater pipes can be poked through with a fingernail.
i got my heater pipes changed under warranty 2 weeks before my 5 year warranty expired along with 4 corroded alloy wheels and some rust on the tailgate, result
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Topic: Towing weights
