does anyone pull a twin axle with non 4x4

[ncmorgan]

dont want to start world war three here but was wanting to know

with the price of fuel and tax is anyone pulling a twin with a car rather than 4x4.

i know kerb weights and nose weights plus max tow have to be considered first and the magic 85%

 

[ProfJohnL]

I do for one, so teh answer based on one reply is YES!

 

[joeby]

i normally tow with a 4x4 ,but i have used my 130 TDCI Ford Mondeo Estate ,as there is only 2 of us ,i just lower the rear seats which leaves stacks of room ,to stow the gear in the car and bring the caravan weight down to about 1500 kg , just have to be a bit lightfooted with accelerator to stop front wheel spin on wet surfaces ,never had any problems yet

 

[Walter_374371124]

I have towed for almost 40yrs and am happy to tow a T/A with a VW Passat Estate. Kerbweight of car is 1640kgs, MIRO of van is 1370kgs and as we are a couple whose family has prefers their owh holidays, the laden weight of the van never exceeds 1500kgs., in fact on short trips it is quite a lot less. It always takes careful loading to achieve a satisfactory noseweight.

 

[Lutz]

As the 85% weight ratio recommendation is unknown over here on the Continent, it is much more common for non 4x4's to tow big caravans. Even the caravan brochures feature mondane estate cars towing twin axles, as can be seen from this example:

Dethleffs Beduin Emotion 675 + Ford Mondeo Estate

 

[allen1]

Hi .neil

Yes I pull a 1900kgs t/a with a Kia sedona.

 

[ncmorgan]

hi thanks for all your feed back ,i have a mondeo estate ,it has a kerk weight of 1570kg and a max pull of 1800kg,we have towed a single axle elddis for about 5 years now.

have seen baileys Pageant Limousin that has a M.T.P.L.M.

1589kg 31.3cwt and M.R.O. 1378kg 27.1cwt which isnt a million miles away from my elldis.

we never overload the caravan and the car is always heaver than the van,i would love a elddis twin but they are just too heavy for a normal car to pull with having 1800+ mtplm but do you think the bailey is a safe bet when loaded correctly

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Niel,

The Mondeo has gained its self a very good reputation as a towcar. 1590Kg is well within the cars maximum pull.

There are differences in the way a TA feels on the back of the car compared to a SA, but don't be alarmed, just watch your nose weight.

The other big difference is the positioning the caravan by hand, it is very difficult to turn by hand. You might find your self looking at getting a caravan mover to help. A car should not have any trouble provide you have space. ,

 

[joeby]

hi thanks for all your feed back ,i have a mondeo estate ,it has a kerk weight of 1570kg and a max pull of 1800kg,we have towed a single axle elddis for about 5 years now.

have seen baileys Pageant Limousin that has a M.T.P.L.M.

1589kg 31.3cwt and M.R.O. 1378kg 27.1cwt which isnt a million miles away from my elldis.

we never overload the caravan and the car is always heaver than the van,i would love a elddis twin but they are just too heavy for a normal car to pull with having 1800+ mtplm but do you think the bailey is a safe bet when loaded correctly

you will be fine towing the Limousin , T/A allways want to go in a straight line thats why they are hard to turn , i have had 3 bailey vans and they all towed well ,i now own a Lunar Lexon 640, 1600 kg loaded to the full ,most of the time i tow with our Nissan Terrano 2.7 turbo diesel ,allthough its a 2.7 litre its only 123 BHP ,but due to its height you have better all round vision, a 100 KG nose weight ,higher kerb weight ,plus 4 wheel drive which hardly ever gets used ,but as i said i sometimes use the Mondeo Estate which has more poke ,and you are using less revs for the same speed ,its just as stable as the Terrano ,the only drawback is wheelspin and a low nose weight

 

[ncmorgan]

you will be fine towing the Limousin , T/A allways want to go in a straight line thats why they are hard to turn , i have had 3 bailey vans and they all towed well ,i now own a Lunar Lexon 640, 1600 kg loaded to the full ,most of the time i tow with our Nissan Terrano 2.7 turbo diesel ,allthough its a 2.7 litre its only 123 BHP ,but due to its height you have better all round vision, a 100 KG nose weight ,higher kerb weight ,plus 4 wheel drive which hardly ever gets used ,but as i said i sometimes use the Mondeo Estate which has more poke ,and you are using less revs for the same speed ,its just as stable as the Terrano ,the only drawback is wheelspin and a low nose weight

thanks for that

 

[Icemaker]

We used to tow our coachman laser and then our ace celebration twin axle with a seat alhambra, we sold the ace and bought a coachman vip 530/4 which weighs 1760 kgs mtplm, we tow this van with a ford s max 2.0 tdci.

both my seat alhambra and the s max in my opinion are far more stable than the 4x4 i have owned in the past.

 

[glake]

we Tow our Ace MTPLM 1599 with a petrol Vovlo V70 Kerb weight 1685. Absolutly stanble and tows great. i know the purists will say to stay within 85% however, a twin is far more stable than a single. We never overload and most equipment goes in the car. we did add secondary springs to the car, which has made the outfit even better!

 

[RogerP]

I was on a site last week and saw a Passat Estate (newish model 2lt TDi) leave towing a TA Swift Charisma (cant remember the model) but it was a big one

However there is NO WAY the set up was safe or legal.

The car was full to the brim with stuff , so much so that his car was bottoming out (i.e his suspension was compression to max)

When he drove off you could hear the knocking noises coming from his car as he went over any kind of bump in the road.

Sorry but I know you can technically tow to a cars stated max but for me , 85% mythical rule and a 4x4 every time.

 

[Steve L]

I used to tow a t/a behind my Renault Laguna estate at 100% of the cars tow capacity. Now I tow a single axle van to the same capacity.

While the single axle is much easier to manouver by hand, you do get a lot more nodding up and down while towing. also I notice a more bouncey ride as well.

Being front wheel drive is no problem for our car. I just pitch up with the front wheels of the car on firm ground.

I do carry a hand winch in the car just in case and a set of grip mats for the wheels, but have rarely used them.

By the way, I too have over 30 years of towing under my belt and still learn new techniques today.

Steve L.

 

[Lutz]

You say your single axle caravan is bouncy, Steve. Has it got shock absorbers fitted? If not, they should remove any tendancy to bounce.

 

[TD42]

hi thanks for all your feed back ,i have a mondeo estate ,it has a kerk weight of 1570kg and a max pull of 1800kg,we have towed a single axle elddis for about 5 years now.

have seen baileys Pageant Limousin that has a M.T.P.L.M.

1589kg 31.3cwt and M.R.O. 1378kg 27.1cwt which isnt a million miles away from my elldis.

we never overload the caravan and the car is always heaver than the van,i would love a elddis twin but they are just too heavy for a normal car to pull with having 1800+ mtplm but do you think the bailey is a safe bet when loaded correctly

if you are getting a new limousin I think you will find that it is fitted with the new anti snake device which will reduce your need for the 85% rule

 

[Hilda_374371251]

Hi We are going for the Limousin and we are towing with a jaguar XF 2. Deisel. Kerb weight is 1771 and the nose weight is 75kg. We will be purchasing a motr mover to be fitted too. looking forward to caravanning as this is our first time.

 

[Zafiral]

Hi We are going for the Limousin and we are towing with a jaguar XF 2. Deisel. Kerb weight is 1771 and the nose weight is 75kg. We will be purchasing a motr mover to be fitted too. looking forward to caravanning as this is our first time.

Congratulations on your choice. I am very envious of both your towcar and Caravan!!