confused newbie :o)

[mark_374371084]

were so new to this caravanning thing, we havn`t even got a van yet, but we do have a 04vectra 1.8 hatch (in blue if anyones interested )) i have two figures on my door plate they are

permissable gross vechicle weight 1885 kgs and....

permissable gross train weight of 3085 kgs

are any of these figures my kerb weight??

as i cant afford to change the car and fork out for a van i`m stuck with the vectra and need to find a van under the weight limit of the car.. am i right in thinking 3085kgs - 1885kgs = 1200kgs and the max weight of the van Loaded would be 1200kgs

or am i missig a vital weight hidden in the depths of my cars heart that i need to find to enable me to work this out )

any help suggestions greatfully recived, be brutale.. let me have it but make it simple to understand.. even better do all the sums for me then just post the max weight of caravan my car could tow )

cheers Mark )

 

[mark_374371084]

I think i just found the kerb weight .... 1380 kg does this sound right )

does this mean the perfect caravan for me would be...

1380kgs - 85% = a caravan weighing no more than 1173kgs

and it needs to be a 4 berth at least 1

thanks again mark )

 

[Neil_374370822]

I think i just found the kerb weight .... 1380 kg does this sound right )

does this mean the perfect caravan for me would be...

1380kgs - 85% = a caravan weighing no more than 1173kgs

and it needs to be a 4 berth at least 1

thanks again mark )

Hi Mark,

Got a vectra as well, mines a 2002 1.8 LS. How much did u pay to get your tow bar fitted?

 

[mark_374371084]

Hi Mark,

Got a vectra as well, mines a 2002 1.8 LS. How much did u pay to get your tow bar fitted?

Hi Neil... lol Were that new to this we dont even have a tow hook/bar although we have priced an after market one at a vauxhall approved fitter they gave me an all inclusive price of

 

[slh78]

Hi Neil... lol Were that new to this we dont even have a tow hook/bar although we have priced an after market one at a vauxhall approved fitter they gave me an all inclusive price of

 

[mark_374371084]

Hi

Not sure about your car, but ours is a Toyota Corolla Verso and can only pull a Bailey Ranger @ 1300kgs. We can pull a 6 berth 540/6 model. I can't find any other caravans as light as this. I know this doesn't help you with the weights for your car, perhaps someone else can help you with this!! We're struggling to get to grips with it too!! Have you checked out www.whattowcar.com. That helped us but have been warned about the fact that it is not british so you need to check the figures quoted.

Shelley

Hi Shelly,

thanks for the link to whattowcar.. it would seem i CAN tow the caravans i was looking at today as long as i dont stop on a steepish hill.. note to self "dont stop on a steepish hill" i`m assuming the 85% figure given is only a guide by other threds on this site and as such my car although not exceptional by any means, if i keep sensible about my choice of caravan i should encounter very few problems... bonus )now to warn the better half about packing lightly ... yeh fat chance LOL )

thanks all the best Mark )

 

[mark_374371084]

Hi Shelly,

thanks for the link to whattowcar.. it would seem i CAN tow the caravans i was looking at today as long as i dont stop on a steepish hill.. note to self "dont stop on a steepish hill" i`m assuming the 85% figure given is only a guide by other threds on this site and as such my car although not exceptional by any means, if i keep sensible about my choice of caravan i should encounter very few problems... bonus )now to warn the better half about packing lightly ... yeh fat chance LOL )

thanks all the best Mark )

Shelly,

just out of interest the caravan you have is a 540/6 do you know if the 540 is a lenghth ie 5.4 meteres/540cm and the 6 for the 6 berth, as we have limited parking for a caravan it would help if the 540 number indicates the lenghth and we could judge other model numbers this way )

 

[Lutz]

You are almost correct with the towload limit of 3085 - 1885 = 1200kg. However, this 1200kg is not the maximum permissible weight of the caravan but its maximum permissible axle load. The maximum total weight of the caravan would be 1200kg plus the noseweight which, in the case of the Vectra is 78kg, i.e. 1278kg altogether.

A kerbweight of 1380kg sounds about right although I'd hazard a guess that the actual kerbweight of your car will be slightly higher. If you wish to observe the 85% recommendation, then the caravan should not weigh more than about 1173kg based on that figure. Realistically, however, you can safely round it up to 1200kg.

 

[slh78]

Shelly,

just out of interest the caravan you have is a 540/6 do you know if the 540 is a lenghth ie 5.4 meteres/540cm and the 6 for the 6 berth, as we have limited parking for a caravan it would help if the 540 number indicates the lenghth and we could judge other model numbers this way )

We haven't actually bought one yet but are looking around. I think the length is approx 21ft and 7ft wide. Check out the bailey website as it's got all the measurements on there.

We're waiting for the new bailey GT60 range to come out in September to see if they are better spec. The Ranger 540/6 has 3 fixed bunks at the back and with 3 small children it's ideal for us.

Hope you get all the info you need.

Thanks

Shelley