Bailey Orion 440-5 with Ford Mondeo 1.6 EcoBoost

[baileyorion4405]

Hello,

I am new to caravans having owned a motorhome for years and Id like some towing advice please.

We are buying a Bailey Orion 440-5, details as follows:
IRO 1102kg
MTPLM 1249kg
user payload 147kg

We have a Ford Mondeo 1.6 EcoBoost, details as follows:
Power 157 bhp
Top Speed 134 mph
0-60 mph 9 secs
Torque 270 Nm, 199 ft-lb
Weight 1498kg

According to https://towcar.info/GB/ they're a good match.

What are people's thought on this combination?

Any help much appreciated.

 

[Raywood]

From a safety and legal towing point of view this looks a decent match. The torque looks reasonable and the power output is just enough for a reasonable performance. It will probably mean a bit of gear changing on hills but not enough to be a problem for most people.
If you have a motor mover fitted to the caravan it will eat into the payload, so if you are traveling with gear for five that might need watching.

 

[otherclive]

I have used that matching website on my last two outfits and providing the user knows the respective weights, payloads and noseweights as well as the details of the car engine/ model I have found it’s predictions accurate. So much so that on actually towing with a 2 litre non turbo petrol Forester I decided I needed something with more torque. The website was spot on with its predictions.

Your proposed match looks okay ang having the low down extra torque of the eco boost engine should be more than adequate for the caravan. There will be times that the engine will need to be revved but eh those motors don’t mind bring revved and you should be well within it’s capabilities.

 

[Craigyoung]

Hello there ,
this seems like a good match as the caravan you have chosen is fairly light weight as we had one before what we have now. For starting off it's a good choice we had the 45o-5 Orion , probably a different lay out but was light enough for the two of us to move into position because it's quite slim at the back and light enough to push so you might not need a mover on depending on your physicality.



Enjoy .

 

[Craigyoung]

Bit off advice ,
Pay particular attention to the big front windscreen as when it vibrates on tow you may get a mark like angel wings appearing , we had 3 replacements .
If you ain't got it yet , have a good look on handover inspection .

Enjoy .
Craig .

 

[baileyorion4405]

Thanks, ill check that. How much is a replacement is it needs it?

 

[Craigyoung]

Sorry , don't know as ours were all done under warranty .

 

[Craigyoung]

https://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/86875-bailey-orion-cracked-front-window/
This will give you a bit more info & for what to look for . Don't let it put you off , they are a great van .

Craig .

 

[SamandRose]

Sorry for the late reply baileyorion

You don't specify a towing limit for your Mondeo, which should be on either the V5 or the VIN plate. The limit is set by the manufacturer, is model-specific (so you can't assume that it will be the same as that for another Mondeo with a different engine) and it's illegal to tow more than that.

If a car does not have a manufacturer's towing limit, then my understanding is that it's not approved to tow at all, and to do so would be illegal and would almost certainly invalidate your insurance.

Subject to the car having a towing limit that's greater than the MTPLM of your caravan, I would agree with the other's' comments regarding the likely towing performance.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Whilst SamandRose's answer won't see you falling foul of any legalities but it glosses over one or two technicalities

Sorry for the late reply baileyorion

You don't specify a towing limit for your Mondeo, which should be on either the V5 or the VIN plate. The limit is set by the manufacturer, is model-specific (so you can't assume that it will be the same as that for another Mondeo with a different engine) and it's illegal to tow more than that.

The towed weight limit is specific to the model you are looking at. You cannot assume it will be the same as any other model even with the same engine size. Different body styles, and even trim levels have been know to produce a different towed weight limit, so always check the exact value for your car.

If a car does not have a manufacturer's towing limit, then my understanding is that it's not approved to tow at all, and to do so would be illegal and would almost certainly invalidate your insurance.

The information and the format of the VIN plate is standardised for vehicles sold in the EU. For vehicles that are not approved for towing, the VIN plate will omit the value for the Gross Train Weight as it can't legally form part of a train, it will only show the Gross Vehicle Weight and the maximum Axle Loads.

Subject to the car having a towing limit that's greater than the MTPLM of your caravan, I would agree with the other's' comments regarding the likely towing performance.

As a general process choosing a trailer with an MTPLM value less than towed weight limit of the car is perfectly acceptable and will always land you on the right side of the weight laws. But there is an aspect of that suggestion which may be misleading:-

Most cars have a towed weight limit which is frequently greater than the cars unladen weight, (This is not always the case so its important to check the specification of your exact vehicle.). That does not make it wrong to tow up to that limit, but just ill advised especially with a caravan. It is more sensible to use a car that has an unladen weight advantage over the caravan. in other words a towing ratio of less than 100%, The UK Industry guidance suggest keeping it below 85%.