kurb weight for 1.8 escort

[katharine_374371114]

Hi there I am new to caravaning I plan to buy a van in to near future. on the plate under the bonnet the weight reads 1665kg. am I correct in thinking this is the kerb weight and I can tow a van upto 85% of that figure?

many thanks katharine

 

[Lutz]

1665kg sounds awfully high for the kerbweight of an Escort. I strongly suspect that this figure is the maximum permissible Gross Vehicle Weight.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Katherine,

the other part of your question which Lutz uncharacteristically did not answer, is that the maximum caravan/trailer weight you can tow is specified by the manufacture. You cannot assume that 85% is correct, for some vehicles that is actually too much.

You need to check the vehicles handbook, or ask your car dealer or manufacture.

 

[PaulHull]

The Ford Focus weighs around 1300kgs and I doubt it is lighter than the Escort that it replaced.

 

[adrian_5071472]

the max tow limit when i had a 1.6 escort estate was 1000kg,so wont be much above this,if at all

 

[RogerL]

Kerbweight isn't plated on private cars.

The weights on the VIN plate are maximums for a) Axle 1 (front), b) Axle 2 (rear), c) Vehicle Gross and d) Gross Train Weight.

If your Escort is plated at 1665kg, that will be it's maximum gross vehicle weight. I'd guess it's kerbweight would be around 1150kg, 85% of which is 978kg.

 

[Alan Partridge]

Euro NCAP gives 1080kg as the kerbweight for the 1999 Escort 1.6l tested.

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/ford_escort_1999/33.aspx
Cuddles gives 1185-1365 for a 1997 1.8 Encore 5 door - I'd take that with a pinch of salt, the 2002 Focus was only 1150kg.

The only towing limit I can find reference to is 1200kg for a 1.4 litre Silhouette, which sounds ambitious so might well be wrong (it was on Autotrader). Does your plate give a higher figure than the 1665kg., something between 2000 and 3000kg? If so the difference would indicate the towing limit for a fully laden car.

 

[RogerL]

The difference between the Gross Train Weight and Gross Vehicle Weight, on the VIN plate, is the towing limit.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The difference between the Gross Train Weight and Gross Vehicle Weight, on the VIN plate, is the towing limit.

Hello Roger,

Whilst that is generally the case, Renault (and may be some others) are notoriuis for allowing a greater maximum towed weight, than the difference between the GTW and MVW. It means that you have to trade off some weight in either the car or the caravan to keep within the GTW

 

[RogerL]

Although the legal towing limit for some Renaults is higher than the difference between GTW and GVW, the method "works" well even for those Renaults as it shows just how little can be towed with the car fully laden.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Although the legal towing limit for some Renaults is higher than the difference between GTW and GVW, the method "works" well even for those Renaults as it shows just how little can be towed with the car fully laden.

Yes Roger,

But if like me from time to time you need to tow a 2 Tonne trailer, I can with my Espace because it is within the cars stated capability, but I can only tow the fully laden trailer when the car is devoid of all load.

In this case the trailer is greater than the GTW - MVW.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi Kathrine

I don't know the max van mtplm for your model of escourt but all I can say is that while looking for a modest tow car cabable of towing our bailey 380/2 (1058mtplm) one of the cars we rejected was a escourt est 1.8td which had a max trailer weight of 975kg so yours will be about this weight range.

we did try a mondeo 1.6 zetec (max mtplm 1300kg) for a short while but it required constant gear changes in order to make decent head way and spent most of the time in 4th gear when towing.

colin