Help needed with manufacturer's towing limit

[Simon_707716]

I'm confused about the manufacturer's towing limit - we have a Mazda 5 diesel - which states a braked towing limit of 1400kg for 12% gradients and 1600kg for 8% gradients.

Leaving aside the 85% rule on kerbweight, what does this mean for me towing a caravan in the UK? Must the MPTLM be under 1400kg to be legal (as I can't tow a van heavier than the manufacturer's towing limit), or can I use a heavier van (up to a sensible kerbweight ratio)?

It'd be simple if there was one stated limit, but there's not!

I can't find any guidance on the web anywhere about different towing limits for the same vehicle.

thanks for any help!

 

[RogerL]

The problem with manufacturers vehicle towing limit is that one figure may be simple but different types of trailer are towed.

The reason some towing limits are higher than the vehicle's kerbweight is to permit towing of flat bed trailers which are more stable than caravans.

In the case of your Mazda the two towing limits relate to the ability to restart on different gradients - they don't necessarily mean that towing a 1600kg caravan on the level would be stable.

Stick with the 85% recommendation as long as that's below the two limits.

 

[Dave_374330759]

Ultimately the maximum you can tow is the difference between the maximum vehicle weight and the Gross Train Weight (ie max weight of car+caravan)which should be shown somewhere on your VIN plate or in the registration document - this is the overall legal maximum

 

[Lutz]

Yes, Dave is right. If you wish or need to make use of the higher towload limit for up to 8% gradients, you will not be able to load the car up to its max. GVW. Otherwise, you would exceed the maximum permissible gross train weight.

 

[AlanChristine]

Hi simon!We are confused too re towing weight/limits.Our caravan,a swift challenger 460, has a MTPLM of 1284kg(we dont load up to the max).We have just ordered a Mazda 5Ts2 2.0lt petrol& take delivery in 3 weeks time.Before ordering, we looked at "whattowcar.com" & that gave a match of 86%.I even contacted mazda uk tech help line & was told the correct weights etc & was informed that we were ok to tow with the weights that I had given them.We also contacted the c&cc club tech expert & was told that as the kerb weight of the car is 1542kg, taking into account the MTPLM 1284kg,it gives us an 85% match.Now,on reading the tow car awards mag(08), it states that the mazda 5(diesel) can't tow 85%? So, if the diesel cant tow 85%, where does that leave us wanting to tow with the 2.0lt petrol version?We too, cant understand why there are two different weight limits etc. & given that we will be towing well below the 1400 kg weight limit why the mazda 5Ts2 cannot tow our van.We are hoping that we havent made a mistake in ordering the 5 as we have paid the dealer a huge deposit & the car is at the dealers etc so cancelling our new car is imposible.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Alan & Christine,

It can appear confusing, especially when two cars of the same model have different tow limits.

The reason is that despite the body being the same, the engines are different. There can also be other less obvious differences such as the brakes and clutch and of course the type of gear box.

The car manufactures have to do tests on each type of car and each model to establish the safe maximum tow loads. The tests include items such how the car and caravan starts on hills, and how effective the engine and gear box cooling is. There are other tests which I won't cover here except to point out that each variation of a particular model will perform differently and give rise to a different tow load limit.

When deciding what car and caravan you choose it is essential that you check with the official dealer or the manufacturer what the limits are for any particular model.