Choosing the right van

[Rottman]

Hi there folks, I'm just about ready to buy my first van after plenty thought we want a fixed bed layout but I'm struggling to find the right van for my cars weighs 85% mach (car is ford mondeo mk5 estate 2wd 1619kg I think ) can you suggest a van that would suit
Many thanks

 

[otherclive]

Hi welcome to the Forum. You don’t say what sort of budget you are working with. What is the cars towing limit and is your licence BE or B it makes a vast difference. My advice would be to look at dealer websites to see what types of fixed beds there are. There are twin singles, transverse, island and fixed front rear in corner. Then working with your budget and car/ licence boundaries you will be able to start to narrow down the choice. You can then visit dealerships to actually see and feel how the various types feel. I’ve had a fixed bed (S) but gone back to a front make up bed with rear dinette/ bed- bunk as the space during the day suited us more. The fixed bed was good when we were just on our own.

 

[Rottman]

Hi welcome to the Forum. You don’t say what sort of budget you are working with. What is the cars towing limit and is your licence BE or B it makes a vast difference. My advice would be to look at dealer websites to see what types of fixed beds there are. There are twin singles, transverse, island and fixed front rear in corner. Then working with your budget and car/ licence boundaries you will be able to start to narrow down the choice. You can then visit dealerships to actually see and feel how the various types feel. I’ve had a fixed bed (S) but gone back to a front make up bed with rear dinette/ bed- bunk as the space during the day suited us more. The fixed bed was good when we were just on our own.

Just 2 of us but dont want to make bed up every night 10k ish budget passed test 91 👍

 

[Beachball]

Hi welcome to the forum What year is Ford Mondeo mk5 Estate (Diesel) Google Towcar info ..
Caravan & Car Outfit Matcher
User Reviews Ford Mondeo and see what they are towing

 

[Buckman]

Although the Mondeo is capable to towing up to 2000kg legally, safest MTPLM for a caravan would be about 1400kg maximum. If I remember the estate has a long overhang at the rear so need to be very careful of caravan nose weight. I think that although it should be about 98kg, pot for about 85-90kg. The Mondeo needs to "yo yo" a bit with the nose weight no matter how you try and set it unless you stiffen up the rear suspension. We traded ours in after 6 months and 2 or 3 trips and bought a 4x4. On a level motorways it is a fantastic towing car.

 

[Beachball]

if it your first time out i would go with the Caravan & Motorhome club on some Caravaning Towing Courses then you will know what to do

 

[Buckman]

if it your first time out i would go with the Caravan & Motorhome club on some Caravaning Towing Courses then you will know what to do

Good advcei for a novice, however will they be available at all this year as I guess many have been cancelled?

 

[Raywood]

I would be looking at caravans with an MTPLM of under 1450 kg. That is a bit over the 85% figure but the Mondeo is regarded as a good tow car so that should not be a problem. The engine fitted and year is not stated so it will be necessary to check the towing capacity as that is the legal limit for the car should it be lower.
We have had two Lunar Quasars one with a side bed and the second with the transverse bed both under 1450 kg that would be suitable. There are also models from Eldiss/ Compass and Bailey plus a Sprite that would work.
Side beds do keep the length and weight down but if the person on the inside needs to get up in the night they can be awkward. Transverse beds solve that but they are generally very tight at the foot if you need to get past in the night. Longtitudenal beds solve this but tend to be longer and heavier so I think only Eldiss/Compass can offer one the car could tow.
Possibly in your price range though you will find mostly side beds but you need to look around once the dealers open and see what you think you could live with. More importantly you will find because of the weight limitations the more upmarket models will be out of range.
Do not let a sales person tell you that the manufacturers towing limit is higher tha 1450 kg, so you can tow that weight. It may be legal but it is potentially dangerous.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Towing is always potentially dangerous, and generally the heavier the trailer (subject to how its load is distributed and a number of of other factors) the less "safe towing margin" you will have. Caravans are more difficult, which is why the UK industry suggests that novice's keep their caravans to be no greater than .85 of kerbweight and the experienced don't exceed kerbweight This is only advice, and has no legal power However regardless of the advice you must never exceed any of the tow vehicles plated limits.

As trailer weight increases the margin of safety reduces, but its a progressive thing and most drivers should be able to tell when an outfit is starting to become twitchy. That is the point to slow down and consider how to reduce the load you are towing.

 

[Beachball]

Had a look there is still 38 sites showing Caravan Towing Courses starting from
July onwards and you can reserve

 

[Rottman]

Thanks everyone for all your responses definitely will take towing corse

 

[Beachball]

I would be looking at caravans with an MTPLM of under 1450 kg. That is a bit over the 85% figure but the Mondeo is regarded as a good tow car so that should not be a problem. The engine fitted and year is not stated so it will be necessary to check the towing capacity as that is the legal limit for the car should it be lower.
We have had two Lunar Quasars one with a side bed and the second with the transverse bed both under 1450 kg that would be suitable. There are also models from Eldiss/ Compass and Bailey plus a Sprite that would work.
Side beds do keep the length and weight down but if the person on the inside needs to get up in the night they can be awkward. Transverse beds solve that but they are generally very tight at the foot if you need to get past in the night. Longtitudenal beds solve this but tend to be longer and heavier so I think only Eldiss/Compass can offer one the car could tow.
Possibly in your price range though you will find mostly side beds but you need to look around once the dealers open and see what you think you could live with. More importantly you will find because of the weight limitations the more upmarket models will be out of range.
Do not let a sales person tell you that the manufacturers towing limit is higher tha 1450 kg, so you can tow that weight. It may be legal but it is potentially dangerous.

Hi Ray What size are the Transverse bed can you get different sizes because we like them but i am very tall Thanks

 

[Buckman]

Hi Ray What size are the Transverse bed can you get different sizes because we like them but i am very tall Thanks

In caravans that are 8' wide, the bed will probably be long enough for you. Our bed is 6' 3" in length.

 

[Beachball]

Thanks for the reply Buckman that is very interesting

 

[Raywood]

Beds do vary in size, but unless you have one of the 8 ft wide models they will probably be 6 ft or just a little bit more. As we are both about 5' 6'' it is not something that worries us. The inline beds can also be very short, so if you go for that option do check that it is long enough for you.
Side beds tend to be whatever length the designer is left with, so whatever you go for it needs to be checked.
In general the beds vary massively so whatever you look at do check it out.
The advantage of a bed made from the lounge is that you get the full width of the caravan which can mean the bed is getting on for 7 ft, I am not aware of a fixed bed that size.
You might find a caravan with a lounge back and front, although these did almost die out about five or six years ago. You can leave the back one down all the time and use it as a bed which would give you the length you might need. I think Lunar and Adria were the last two makes with that layout.

 

[JezzerB]

Some nice caravans with a weight of 1500kg. Don't get too hung up on 85%.Do the course and see how you feel but don't let a few kg spoil your choice. Some people are rigid in their pursuit of being under 85% and that is only part of the picture as the instructor will tell you. It is a Good starting point and you have lots of choice .

 

[Beachball]

Some nice caravans with a weight of 1500kg. Don't get too hung up on 85%.Do the course and see how you feel but don't let a few kg spoil your choice. Some people are rigid in their pursuit of being under 85% and that is only part of the picture as the instructor will tell you. It is a Good starting point and you have lots of choice .

I would say with someone with his first caravan to stick to the 85% when he got more experience that fine

 

[JezzerB]

What I am saying is -don't worry about 5% -above or below rediculous -but my views on the 85% rule has been well aired elsewhere, suffice to say we towed for 3 years and 30k miles at 113% !

 

[Beachball]

In all my 30 years towing a caravan i would never tow at 113% i wonder what the kerbweight was on the car

 

[Hutch]

What I am saying is -don't worry about 5% -above or below rediculous -but my views on the 85% rule has been well aired elsewhere, suffice to say we towed for 3 years and 30k miles at 113% !

Which towcar and caravan were you using for that time ?

 

[JezzerB]

Dacia Duster petrol 1.6 4x4-1285kg towing a Bailey Pegasus Verona 1450kg -hides head under a parapet but rock solid over 30k miles in every weather inc Hurricane Brian up to Glen Nevis and never a wobble -and yes we did have to avoid muppetry on motorways=but this is subject of a well documented post on here that is well worth a read on its own by the op and not relevant now-lets not veer-the op shouldn't worry about being 85-90%=that's a sensible place to start-as long as tyres are correct and the caravan is loaded correctly ie correct noseweight.

 

[otherclive]

Dacia Duster petrol 1.6 4x4-1285kg towing a Bailey Pegasus Verona 1450kg -hides head under a parapet but rock solid over 30k miles in every weather inc Hurricane Brian up to Glen Nevis and never a wobble -and yes we did have to avoid muppetry on motorways=but this is subject of a well documented post on here that is well worth a read on its own by the op and not relevant now-lets not veer-the op shouldn't worry about being 85-90%=that's a sensible place to start-as long as tyres are correct and the caravan is loaded correctly ie correct noseweight.

Agree wholeheartedly. And the driver is aware of risk areas such as loading, noseweight, tyre pressures , downhill overtakes, cross winds, car carriers and HGVs and drives sensibly

 

[Raywood]

I appreciate that going well over the 85% figure worked for Jezzer B, but as someone who investigated accidents I cannot get anywhere near suggesting you exceed the kerb weight of the car. It might work with some combinations, but it is a significant risk, as you cannot be sure how well the combination works before you buy, so caution has to be the watchword.
I do accept that the 85% figure is probably a bit low with the advances in both car and caravan suspensions, plus other safety features, but for a beginner I would be reluctant to go anything significantly over 90%.
The recommendation is there for the safety of people new to towing caravans, basically you exceed it at your own risk.

 

[RogerL]

I appreciate that going well over the 85% figure worked for Jezzer B, but as someone who investigated accidents I cannot get anywhere near suggesting you exceed the kerb weight of the car. It might work with some combinations, but it is a significant risk, as you cannot be sure how well the combination works before you buy, so caution has to be the watchword.
I do accept that the 85% figure is probably a bit low with the advances in both car and caravan suspensions, plus other safety features, but for a beginner I would be reluctant to go anything significantly over 90%.
The recommendation is there for the safety of people new to towing caravans, basically you exceed it at your own risk.

There's a wide variation among drivers with car empathy, feeling the road and feeling movement as well as car control - it's dangerous to recommend high towing %'s to those with little or no car empathy just because it's ok for those with high empathy and car control skills.

 

[JezzerB]

None of us are recommending anything -other than trying to stick roughly to the 85% of kerbweight, especially as a beginner. But they do need to know it isn't based on anything legal and it is just good sense and that just because they hit the 85% ish level it doesn't guarantee a stable tow-lots of other factors the course will cover.