85% Rule

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Mar 13, 2007
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hi Mel,
when I started there was very little in the way of information no forums and very few avenues to find "how to" most of the information was from family and friends, most of it WRONG!!! very little in the way of rules and regulations we learned through trial and error "mostly error" and by the seat of our pants, we survived however, even if that meant knackering a few engines along the way, funnily enough even with all that naivety there were very few caravans on their side blocking the carriageway. in those days you bought a van hung it on the car and off you went if the car was not up to it! you bought a bigger car, now thats "simple"
you are right in one respect there is a lot to learn but one simple rule doesn't help, with the realms of rules and regulations every caravanner has to know before setting out on the road it can be overwhelming.
I am sorry to say that if this is beyond the newbie in question perhaps it better if they did give up then at least there would be one less illegal outfit on the road giving the rest of us caravanner's a bad name.

coinsidently while speaking of 85% as being somehow ideal as a starting point I have towed some trailers as low as 10% and as high as 110% without incedent or problems however the worst trailer I had to tow was 25% ratio boat trailer that carried a hydroplane that weighed just about nothing exept for the 125hp outboard hung of the back it was a nightmare to tow.
 
Jul 15, 2008
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colin-yorkshire said:
the worst trailer I had to tow was 25% ratio boat trailer that carried a hydroplane that weighed just about nothing exept for the 125hp outboard hung of the back it was a nightmare to tow.

...........I would have added ballast to the seating area of the hydroplane if the MTPLM of the trailer allowed it.

There is a joke about...."The wife" .... here somewhere but Frankie Howerd will have done it!
 
Mar 13, 2007
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Gafferbill said:
colin-yorkshire said:
the worst trailer I had to tow was 25% ratio boat trailer that carried a hydroplane that weighed just about nothing exept for the 125hp outboard hung of the back it was a nightmare to tow.

...........I would have added ballast to the seating area of the hydroplane if the MTPLM of the trailer allowed it.

There is a joke about...."The wife" .... here somewhere but Frankie Howerd will have done it!

HA HA HA Now that's a cunning plan Sir Baldrick, trouble is I think there's a law somewhere about carrying passengers in the trailer. :woohoo: :evil:
in reality it was my fault for using a standard break-back trailer instead of a custom one that had the wheels right at the back so the weight was over the wheels, or dismounting the engine but at nigh on 200kg it could not be done easily.
the only reason I mentioned it was to illustrate that loading was more important than ratio.
even at 25% a poorly loaded trailer is unstable but a properly loaded one at 100% should not be!!!
 
Oct 28, 2006
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Hi Colin that post is so funny and true.Thats exactly how it was,i can remember as a child being on site watching my dad replace the blown head gasket on his singer gazel.Thats how it was,carrying cantelever tool boxs around in the boot.We started with a 1.6 diesel astra estate,had to be a good downhill to get in to 4th never mind 5th.When i got my turbo diesel citreon bx i thought i was king of the road.ha ha.We've got 250hp diesels now and we still moan and im the worst one for it lol.
 

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Jun 12, 2014
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Phew! Holy heated debate Batman!

The 85% rule? Good job I didn't take the perceived wisdom on many sites as gospel or I would not have bought my Hymer 390 - Miro 1050kg, Mptlm 1350kg.

Now, thanks to a very cautious engineering dept, my 2003 Honda auto CRV, BFO thing, 1550kg kerb weight, 4x4, short rear overhang, 'ideal' tow car, 'can't tow that' as its only rated for 1200kg was the perceived wisdom of many.

But wait a minute, mptlm is the MAXIMUM, not the actual, and a 300kg payload for a small two berth caravan is a huge payload - look at all the huge British 4+ berth vans with a rated payload half that. Add in a small van, AL-KO chassis, long a frame, renowned for being excellent towers, damper etc.

jpbm00.jpg


So, with 150kg to play with, small van, a couple, that leaves plenty of capacity for me to tow and I'm under the magic 85% of kerbweight by quite a substantial margin.

So yes, I would agree, a more 'realistic' way of quoting weights than a blanket 85% would be advantageous, it nearly made me give up.
 

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