beginners impressions

[Anthony_5076527]

Hello All,

My wife and I intend to venture into the world of caravanning shortly. We'll buy a van and change the car accordingly. The van won't be more than medium weight, I imagine.

I've read through your towcar posts and very interesting they are,too. I've formed a couple of impressions:

1. Towing a caravan is hard on a car. It's hard on engines, clutches, gearboxes, driveshafts, springs and dampers.

2. Towing a caravan anywhere near the limit of the towcars capacity is ulikely to be unnecessarily hard on the components listed above.

I don't particularly fancy shelling out on a car/van combination only to find I'm having to fork out for expensive repairs. So, I think that it would be best to find a tow car with built in toughness/quality of components to start with, or, to pull a caravan quite a lot less than the stated maximum of the tow car.

Am I right on these please? And what cars have a basic strength built in?

Thanks,

Tony

 

[Tony A.]

I own a L.M.C. 520HTE 1600kg I pull it with a Kia Sorento 2.5xs.

the van is less than the 85% recommended weight, the car has self leveling suspention so no drooping noses or trailing backends the 2.5 deisel doesn`t know the van is there,and the price is right, you`ve got to be looking at a 4x4 to make life easy, wet grass, mud, no problems, I have enough ball weight spare to fit a bike carrierand bike. its a full size 4x4 with a strong chassis, I have done 24000 mls without a hitch,

hope you find what your looking for

Tony A.

 

[Lutz]

Basically, you are right. As a rule of thumb, any car with a maximum permissible towload greater than 110% of the kerbweight would have enough reserves in the strength and durability of its components so as not be subjected to excessive stress under normal conditions. If you then stay below the 85% guideline, you'd have a good margin of safety.

 

[Anthony_5076527]

Hi Both,

TonyA: I'll investigate the Kia. It sounds a good machine.

Lutz: The formula is what I think I've been searching for. Most useful.

Thanks for your input.

Tony

 

[ColinB]

Tony A

Read your remarks about the Kia. I've just got one, still waiting for van to arrive, but am puzzled about how you tow without a hitch.

No Offence

Colin

 

[RayS]

Agree with ideas suggested in other posts. Two other comments:

Get an auto for relaxed towing and easy hill starts and check whether it needs a trasmission oil cooler - most new 4x4 should not.

If not clear from previous posts we're talking diesel not petrol, for good low down torque (plus much cheaper fuel costs in Europe)

Happy towing !

 

[rayc]

Anthony, I agree with Lutz. I have found by personal experience that in the days when all I could afford was 6 year old Granadas etc. that when purchased the car had no problems, but after towing for a short while the exhaust systems would blow. I guess this was just extra heat sorting out the weak spots. For the last 6 years I have been fortunate to have new cars every 3 years. I have had no problems with them due to towing but the 2lt mondeo estate required new clutch at 50,000 miles, whilst I expect that without towing it would have lasted 75,000+.

 

[Lutz]

Anthony, I agree with Lutz. I have found by personal experience that in the days when all I could afford was 6 year old Granadas etc. that when purchased the car had no problems, but after towing for a short while the exhaust systems would blow. I guess this was just extra heat sorting out the weak spots. For the last 6 years I have been fortunate to have new cars every 3 years. I have had no problems with them due to towing but the 2lt mondeo estate required new clutch at 50,000 miles, whilst I expect that without towing it would have lasted 75,000+.

The Mondeo is not a particularly good example if you want to demonstrate how towing can reduce durability of highly stressed components such as clutches. It is one of those cars where the maximum permissible towload is well over 110% of the kerbweight so on paper it should be ideally suited to towing. Maybe your car was just an unfortunate exception or you may be riding the clutch unnecessarily more when towing.

 

[rayc]

Lutz, I had no complaints with the Mondeo which was an excellent tow car. I don't ride the clutch and 30,000 of the miles were solo motorway. Nobody from Ford seemed surprised that it was requiring replacement at 50,000 miles but as has been said in the forum many times, by owners of different cars, early clutch replacement is not unusual.

It is also relavent to the original query, which was regarding additional strains due to towing, that the Granada 4 speed automatic gearbox was notorious for seal failure when towing. It was a very popular car amongst club caravanners and all that I met had an additional oil cooler fitted.

I think that for owners of new cars that towing makes little difference but as the car gets older and cooling etc may not be at peak that towing does put additional strains on cars.

 

[Anthony_5076527]

Hi,

Right, I'll consider autos. However, I don't look favourably on Fords as a couple of Sierras and a 2.5 diesel Granada have previously cost me a fortune in repairs. Mind you this was years ago and I believe that Ford make a better car now.

Lot to think about, isn't there?

Best wishes,

Tony

 

[Steve L]

I'm one of those who tow at 100% of the tow limit for the car.

I used to tow our twenty foot twin axle van with a Renault 25 2Ltr. It towed fine. I bought the car for the princely sum of

 

[Tony A.]

Tony A

Read your remarks about the Kia. I've just got one, still waiting for van to arrive, but am puzzled about how you tow without a hitch.

No Offence

Colin

I take it your on about the bike carrier, It fits on its own bracket which is bolted on between the ball and tow bracket using the same bolts (well new ones but a bit longer)and the rack clamps on the bracket,which when the rack is off makes a really strong bumper protector. I got it from TOW SURE and it wasn`t expensive.

Tony A.