Freelander 2 Kerbweight

[DCW27]

Hi All

Have any of you taken your Freelander 2 to a weighbridge?

Landrover quote kerbweights as "from 1770kg".

I have a Freelander 2 SE Auto - the handbook says 1820kg, this would appear to be without driver or fuel, it also has side steps and roof bars - this must add quite a bit to the kerbweight. I think the kerbweight of my car is approx 1950kg, which makes it a suitable towcar for bigger caravans than you would think using 1770kg as the kerbweght. If this is the case all the magazines put it in the wrong category for their towcar awards.

By the way I tow a 2008 Senator Wyoming MTPLM 1678kg and it tows very well although fuel consumption is poor.

Any comments?

David

 

[ProfJohnL]

What comments are you looking for?

 

[Lutz]

The figures mentioned don't surprise me one bit. Kerbweight is specific to each and every car, so it would be sheer coincidence if it happens to be same as what is published in brochures, handbooks, manuals, etc. The only reliable (and, by the way, legally significant) figure would be the one in the V5c vehicle document. However, this figure is "Mass in Service" which includes 75kg for the driver and miscellaneous items and a 90% full fuel tank. The "old" term kerbweight, which according to convention did not include the driver, has no legal significance any more.

 

[DCW27]

Hi John

I was looking for comments about manufacturer kerbweights against actual measured kerbweights (ie on a weighbridge). Is it ok to be nearly 200kg difference.Surely this must make a huge difference to the vehicles caravanners would consider as a towcar if they knew the correct kerbweight. Why would Land Rover quote lower than actual kerbweights? Surely you would only consider the kerbweight of a vehicle if you intend to tow a caravan.

David

 

[Lutz]

Kerbweights quoted in brochures, etc. are often based on a hypothetical vehicle with absolutely no optional equipment fitted. By giving details of such a basic vehicle, which will probably never be built, the car manufacturers are safeguarding themselves by quoting very conservative data. Some manufacturers have come to realise the implications of this policy and quote a range from minimum to maximum instead. Land Rover is particularly affected because of the large number of factory-fitted options on their models.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Kerbweights quoted in brochures, etc. are often based on a hypothetical vehicle with absolutely no optional equipment fitted. By giving details of such a basic vehicle, which will probably never be built, the car manufacturers are safeguarding themselves by quoting very conservative data. Some manufacturers have come to realise the implications of this policy and quote a range from minimum to maximum instead. Land Rover is particularly affected because of the large number of factory-fitted options on their models.

Nissan for one !

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello David,

I admit I was being a bit provocative, but it seemed you are happy with your outfit so I did wonder what you were hoping for.

Lutz actually beat me to the answers, but I will add just one point; In your headline post you quoted Landrover as indicating kerbweights "from 1770kg" . This is perhaps a more accurate statement than many manufactures use.

However it does not by its self affect what the vehicle can tow. This determined by the vehicle manufacture and set out as part of the cars type approval.

It does affect how much payload the vehicle can carry, as the vehicles MAM cannot be violated. Obviously the greater the basic car weighs the smaller the loading margin becomes. And in the same way it does indirectly affect the available loading capacity for the maximum permitted train weight. - so that might affect the weight of caravan, that depends on how the individual manufactures set out their loading limits.

The only area where the 'Kerbweight' becomes a legal issue is with drivers who have only passed their basic Part B licence (Post 1st Jan 1997) Here the driver is limited to towing trailers whose MAM must not exceed the "Unladen Weight" of the towcar . The Govt' websites define ULW as

"The unladen weight of any vehicle is the vehicles own weight when not carrying any goods or burden. This is:

inclusive of the body and all parts which are necessary to or ordinarily used with the vehicle or trailer when working on a road exclusive of fuel and, in the case of an electrically powered vehicle, the batteries"

Technically this is not the Kerbweight, but as cars are not universally weighed, the simplest way of conforming to the regulations is to use the kerbweight figure (which will always be slightly lower than the ULW) when deciding what caravan to consider.

The other use of Kerbweight, is when producing the towing ratio. This is purely a calculation that never represents the true or actual relative weights of car and caravan. A car is never used or driven in its kerbweight condition, it will always be heavier than its KWt, the problem is you don't know how much heavier it really is, and it would be unique to that particular vehicle. So for convenience the KWt figure is used.

For similar reasons the real weight the caravan is not known, so again for convenience the MTPLM figure is used.

The resultant ratio (expressed as a percentage of the cars KBt) will be the worst case scenario. The actual ratio figure would always be better, by virtue of the extreme raw data used.

It is always sensible to choose the lightest caravan possible to meet your needs. By doing so you improve the chances the outfit will tow with the minimum of instability. And whilst that is the principal behind the infamous 85% guideline, it often used manner that suggests it has authority and guarantees a good tow; by its self, it does not. Good towing requires many more considered decisions than just the weight ratio.