Astra 2007 1.8 SRI & towing weight

[tyke2002]

Hey all, just stayed with the girlfriends parents in a caravan and LOVED IT !

after years of watching top gear and wanting to nudge caravans off the road I have finally seen the light and thinking about buying one, the only problem being I'm not confident IF my car can pull one after I add a tow bar or how much it can pull weight wise. The bloke at one of the dealers we visited was rambling on about 2 numbers on a metallic plate near the door but it didn't sink in to be truthful so after any help/advice I can get.

also looking at 3-4k for first caravan, seen 2 we like, is there any "rules" on how much to spend on a first one ? Bailey ranger and swift lifestyle were 2 we looked at between 2.5-3.5 k ?
Thanks in advance

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Firstly look on your V5 certificate for your car, section 4 Vehicle Details for 'Mass in Service' and 'Max Allowable mass of Trailer braked'. As you are new to towing then the recommendation is to tow no more than 85% of 'Mass in Service', or the total 'Max Allowable Trailer braked' if it is less.
As for price to pay - what feels right, but make sure the van has a documented service history and a very recent damp check report. Tyres should be no more that 5 years old.

 

[tyke2002]

So, my allowable braked mass is 1300 so I should be looking at a caravan about 1200 kg ? Which number on metal plate does that represent ?

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

The metal plate gives axle loads and gross train weight. It does not tell you what you are asking for, the garage man mis-led you.
What was the 'mass in service' from your V5?

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Having looked at my car handbook the 4 figures on the door pillar are, reading from the top:
1. Permissible gross vehicle weight (ie car + fluids + occupants + luggage + tow hitch download)
2. Permissible gross train weight (ie above + caravan MTPLM - tow hitch download). This figure must be less than 3500 if you do not have B+E licence.
3. Maximum permissable front axle load
4. Maximum permissable rear axle load

 

[ProfJohnL]

Look here
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/general-advice/towing-advice-what-you-need-to-know.html

 

[tyke2002]

God this is so confusing, might buy a tent ha...... Car VIN shows following :-
permissable gross vehicle weight: 1780kg

permissable gross train weight: 3135kg

max permissable front axle load: 1-0940 kg

max permissable tear axle load: 2-0860 kg
kg which means ..... I'm still confused as hell )

license is 2008 so have B cat but no B*E so 3500 kg limit would stand with me

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

You still haven't stated what you V5 says for 'mass in service'. That's the starting point.

 

[tyke2002]

Mass in service 1278 kg

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

1278 * 85% = 1086
so the recommended max caravan MTPLM for a new person is 1086 for your vehicle. Add this to the max vehicle weight of 1780 gives a gross train weight of 2876, which is within both your license conditions and the vehicles limits.
Older caravans tend to have lower weights, and Lunars tend to have lower weights than other manufacturers.

 

[tyke2002]

Brilliant thanks for your patience, and that figure for caravan can be found on metal plate near door ? Or is a weigh bridge in order ? Guessing if I added 50 kg to car ie luggage etc these figures change ?

 

[Surfer]

Please be aware that the 85% is only a guideline written hundreds of years ago for old bangers and novices. If you take the kerbweight of the vehicle plus passengers and baggage and used that to calculate 85% of that weight, then a caravan MTPLM in between the two 85% weights should be okay, but you cannot exceed the train weight of the vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a caravan with a MTPLM of up to 1300kg. Minimum kerbweight of the car is 1248kg and that is devoid of all passengers and fluids. Gross weight is 1780kg. Therefore a caravan with a MTPLM of about 1100kg should be okay. It is preferable that you do not exceed 1248kg under any circumstances.

It seems that the mass in service figure on the V5 is misleading as the quoted kerbweight by Vauxhall is 1248kg therefore if you add a driver weighing 75kg plus a tank of fuel that is 90% full, it takes you way over the mass in service figure quoted on the V5? Realistically your Mass in Service figure should be closer to 1360kgs. Someone else raised a similar question about this regarding their Vauxhall as they also had issues.

 

[tyke2002]

So basically if I aim for a caravan between 1100-1200 kg fully loaded I can't go wrong ? So confusing ha

 

[ProfJohnL]

So basically if I aim for a caravan between 1100-1200 kg fully loaded I can't go wrong ? So confusing ha

Hello Tyke,
One of your earlier comments is very true - its confusing,

All you have done so far is to establish the maximum weight of caravan that your car should be able to tow.

Good safe towing is about keeping a range of characteristics under control, whilst weight ratio's do play an important part, they are far from the most important.

Preparation
The car and caravan should be kept in good roadworthy condition, Tyres in good condition (balanced) and at the correct pressure.
The way the caravan is loaded is important, keeping heavy items low and as close to the axle as possible, but keeping the nose weight as close to optimum as possible.

Driving
Remember a car and caravan will not perform like the solo car, give yourself more time to enter junctions, remember the width and length of the outfit think of it like a bus Big and slow.
Don't take avoidable risks, and if things become at all unsettled SLOW DOWN. Think about cross winds on exposed roads, and the bow wave from large vehicles on dual carriageways and motorways.

Plan your journey to avoid low bridges, and add in time for comfort stops and time for pulling in from time to time to allow faster following traffic to pass.

You can only minimise the risks by following the advise above, rememeber that no one can guarantee a car and caravan outfit will be a "Safe" tow, and it simply isn't true that keeping to a particular weigh ratio will ensure safety. but as a general point, you should aim to keep the caravan as light as possible.

Happy caravanning

 

[tyke2002]

Ill be going VERY steady I think, no sport mode activated at all think ill be doing a couple of short familiarisation drives first to get used to driving before I embark on a longer journey