hello, I did a search but could not find anything on what I guess must be a frequently asked question. We are new to caravans and interested in buying a compass corona 505. The MTPLM puts us at 92% of our car's kerbweight. The salesman says this is ok, but all the advice in the magazines says do not exceed 85% as a rule of thumb if you are a novice. I would appreciate the opinion of experienced members of this forum as to if we should we be looking for a lighter van? Would 92% be dangerous?
kerbweight question
- Thread starter kevin_5121008
- Start date
Hi Kevin, i'm a novice too so not much help i'm afraid as far as your qustion goes. oBut our first caravan is a 5 berth Lunar which is 85% of our Mondeo. I'd heard that Lunars are lightweight vans so to us this was an advantage. The nose weight is jsut over but only by 2%, but we are adding new springs to the suspension to give it that added umph.
I hope you get sorted soon
I hope you get sorted soon
Hello Kevin,
Regardless of the actual weight ratio, the driver of an outfit must accept that extra care is needed when towing any type of trailer. Caravans present thier own charateristic hazards. They tend to be large for their weight and thus can very easiliy be affected by side winds and the bow waves from other vehicles. each outfit will react differently to these conditions, so it is difficult to cast-iron advice.
However, it is generally accepted that the heavier the tow vehicle in relation to the caravan the less the caravan will upset the tug. That is where the 85% guideline comes from. But this is not the whole story, there are many other factors that will contribute to the towing experience, weight distribution in the van, tyre pressures and the drivers ability to have empathy with the outfit and road conditions.
By towing a caravan you will be adding a substantial additional mass that the engine has to haul around, you will experience a loss of perfomance, so you must allow more time and space when driving. do not expect the outfit to be as agile as the solo car, think of it more like a bus.
Taken with care and assuming your outfit complies with the road vehicle regulations, you may find you have no problem with 92%. Of course you do not have to load the caravan to its maximum weight so you may be able to closer to the recommendation of 85%
Go carefully and enjoy
Regardless of the actual weight ratio, the driver of an outfit must accept that extra care is needed when towing any type of trailer. Caravans present thier own charateristic hazards. They tend to be large for their weight and thus can very easiliy be affected by side winds and the bow waves from other vehicles. each outfit will react differently to these conditions, so it is difficult to cast-iron advice.
However, it is generally accepted that the heavier the tow vehicle in relation to the caravan the less the caravan will upset the tug. That is where the 85% guideline comes from. But this is not the whole story, there are many other factors that will contribute to the towing experience, weight distribution in the van, tyre pressures and the drivers ability to have empathy with the outfit and road conditions.
By towing a caravan you will be adding a substantial additional mass that the engine has to haul around, you will experience a loss of perfomance, so you must allow more time and space when driving. do not expect the outfit to be as agile as the solo car, think of it more like a bus.
Taken with care and assuming your outfit complies with the road vehicle regulations, you may find you have no problem with 92%. Of course you do not have to load the caravan to its maximum weight so you may be able to closer to the recommendation of 85%
Go carefully and enjoy
thanks Deborah. The Lunar looks a very nice van. We will have a closer look at it and some others, but my wife is set on this compass I think!
Thanks John. That is good advice and makes me feel easier about going for a van over the 85%. My wife really likes the Compass Corona so if we do get it I will keep the weight down, take it easy, get a feel for it and see if I can find a course. Our car is a volvo 2.0 D so we have decent torque. Wish we had decided on the caravan before we got it as I would have gone for a 2.4 instead!
Hi Kevin,
The salesman would say that, wouldn't he? It's not a matter of what's possible - most things are - it's a matter of what you feel comfortable with. If you are a beginner to caravanning, you will want to be comfortable with your outfit and exceeding 85% is not the best way to start. Another important matter - check your vehicle's max towball weight limit against the caravan's loaded hitch weight. If you're carrying gas, battery and spare wheel at the front, it might be a pain balancing the load!
Good luck...
The salesman would say that, wouldn't he? It's not a matter of what's possible - most things are - it's a matter of what you feel comfortable with. If you are a beginner to caravanning, you will want to be comfortable with your outfit and exceeding 85% is not the best way to start. Another important matter - check your vehicle's max towball weight limit against the caravan's loaded hitch weight. If you're carrying gas, battery and spare wheel at the front, it might be a pain balancing the load!
Good luck...
hi Colin, thanks for the advice I will check it out. There are so many caravans to choose from maybe a lighter one will catch my wife's eye. I get the feeling I am not the one picking
As another post says, "weight is not the only factor" there are other tow car features that affect the ability of the caravan to influence the stability of the tow car, weight is obviously one of them but others include LEVERAGE - the greater the distance between the tow ball and the rear axle line, the more leverage the trailer has to upset the towcar (HGV tractor units have the pivot point in front of their rear wheels.) FLEXIBILTY - The more flexible the tyres and suspension are on the towcar, the greater ability for the trailer to upset the towcar. CENTRE OF GRAVITY closer to the road the better.
So with their soft supension, fat tyres, typically large rear overhang and high centre of gravity, the sheer weight of a 4x4 is the only thing keeping it on the road!
So with their soft supension, fat tyres, typically large rear overhang and high centre of gravity, the sheer weight of a 4x4 is the only thing keeping it on the road!
Gary
Please refrain from attacking 4x4's in every post. we do not wish the 4x4 debate to kick off again
Mod3
Please refrain from attacking 4x4's in every post. we do not wish the 4x4 debate to kick off again
Mod3
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