Quote: Originally posted by LegsDownKettleOn on 14/11/2007
That van seems awfully and maybe illegally heavy for your tow car by UK standards.
Don't know what the thinking is in the Americas, but it is not an outfit I would be trying to link up. Even unladen you are in excess of 85% and laden you are well over 100%.
The tow capacity of the Yukon is 7900 lbs. with a 1000 lb. tongue weight capacity with the use of a weight distibution hitch, which I have. Although the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the caravan is 7400 lbs, loaded and ready to go camping the caravan weighs in at 6700 lbs which puts me 1200 lbs below or 84% of the Yukon's tow capacity....these are good safe numbers for towing with this combination if you were using the curbweight number I can see your concern but the tow capacity number is the number to work with.
Here we have a guide line that regardless of towing capacity of the vehicle you should not pull a caravan with a laden weight in excess of 85% of the tow cars kerb weight.
Personally, I think it is a matter of personal choice, but a lot of people stick to it like it were cast in stone and can be very critical of any one who goes over this figure.
The law here varies depending on when you passed your driving test, put it is against the law for many people to tow anything which has a laden weight greater than 100% of the tow cars kerb weight.
While my outfit on paper comes out at about 80% that was more luck than judgment and I personally would be happy to exceed the 85% guideline provided the caravan towed well at that and the car was physically capable of towing at a sensible pace.
You have much bigger engines in the States, so the power issue shouldn't be an issue to you like it is here and given the price difference between the fuel this side of the Atlantic, I doubt fuel consumption is so much of an issue to you as it is to us either.
Petrol(or gas) has risen dramatically in cost in the US over the last few years and isn't the almost free commodity it once was. If you read how much per gallon petrol is in the US you must bear in mind the US gallon is only 75% of the imperial gallon.
having spoken to a friend in usa regarding petrol prices she was astounded to find that even though their prices had risen that compared to ours it was still about a third of the price she wondered how we managed to run any vehicle at all . Its because we're brits and accept it was my answer
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Topic: New Caravan
