Hi I am new to this game and looking to by a caravan. I have a ford mondeo , on the vin plate it says 2035 Kg. 3750 Kg. 1135Kg. and 1015 Kg. Am I right in saying the 2035 is the max weight the car can be loaded. the 3750 being the max train weight of the car and trailer together both fully laden. and the two other figures the front and rear max axel weights. So the max MTPLM of a caravan must not exceed 1715 Kg. But I should keep to 85% of the kerb weight of the car.
max weight my car can tow
- Thread starter Philiphakes
- Start date
Hi Philip.
what you have written is basically correct, however there are a little more complications involved,
given the figures you have ie 2035kg GVW, 3750kg MGTW, 1135kg front axle, 1015kg rear axle.
1. if you add the front and rear axles max weight there is a difference to the GVW of 115kg now that is not much but it is important, given the extra weight of the tow bar and nose load when towing the van,or loading the roof via a rack or box, it is unlikely that the gross weights of either axle would be exeeded but you must be aware of it,
2. the difference between the max train weight and the max gross weight may or may not be the maximum "towed" weight allowed some are smaller and some are bigger it depends on the manufacturers figures, off hand I think the Mondeo is 1800kg, so of course the vehicle could not be at it's max gross weight.
you will notice I said max "towed" weight this is not the MTPLM of the van as the nose weight is carried by the car and deducted from the the vans weight, what is left is the "towed weight" in this the calculations must balance out with the rear axle weight when the van is unhitched. what I am saying is the van must not exeed the plated MTPLM but as soon as it is hitched to the car this figure is reduced by the amount of noseweight. and the noseweight added to the rear axle weight of the car,
3. the term kerb weight is hard to define as this alters between models, on the V5 document there may be a mass in service weight this is a better figure to base the weight ratio on, if you need one.
4. while a 85% ratio may be sensible for a beginner and is only a recommendation a better way is to try and keep the towed weight a light as possible, don't think that just because your car can tow a 1800kg van that is the weight you have to look for, a van with a MTPLM of 1400kg would be better providing it meets your needs.
what you have written is basically correct, however there are a little more complications involved,
given the figures you have ie 2035kg GVW, 3750kg MGTW, 1135kg front axle, 1015kg rear axle.
1. if you add the front and rear axles max weight there is a difference to the GVW of 115kg now that is not much but it is important, given the extra weight of the tow bar and nose load when towing the van,or loading the roof via a rack or box, it is unlikely that the gross weights of either axle would be exeeded but you must be aware of it,
2. the difference between the max train weight and the max gross weight may or may not be the maximum "towed" weight allowed some are smaller and some are bigger it depends on the manufacturers figures, off hand I think the Mondeo is 1800kg, so of course the vehicle could not be at it's max gross weight.
you will notice I said max "towed" weight this is not the MTPLM of the van as the nose weight is carried by the car and deducted from the the vans weight, what is left is the "towed weight" in this the calculations must balance out with the rear axle weight when the van is unhitched. what I am saying is the van must not exeed the plated MTPLM but as soon as it is hitched to the car this figure is reduced by the amount of noseweight. and the noseweight added to the rear axle weight of the car,
3. the term kerb weight is hard to define as this alters between models, on the V5 document there may be a mass in service weight this is a better figure to base the weight ratio on, if you need one.
4. while a 85% ratio may be sensible for a beginner and is only a recommendation a better way is to try and keep the towed weight a light as possible, don't think that just because your car can tow a 1800kg van that is the weight you have to look for, a van with a MTPLM of 1400kg would be better providing it meets your needs.
Hello Philip.
If you follow Colin's basic advice you should at least remain legal. There is often a little more scope, but the closer you get to the theoretical maximum loads etc the more careful you have to be in case one or more other factors just goes over their own limit, negating any gains elsewhere.
One of the issues is understanding the differences between many of the often quoted acronyms for caravan related weighs and loads. We often have several names for the same criteria, And we also have cases where similar acronyms that are importantly different. It may only be one letter in the acronym or the sequence of the letters. All in all its a recipe for public confusion, and we probably see more threads on weight related issues than any other topic.
So if in doubt please ask.
With such heated debates about weights, its often forgotten that good towing is affected by a number of other factors which are just as important:- how the caravan and car are loaded, maintenance,and drivers experience and habits. Also remember that no two outfits are identical. Even the same outfit driven by two different people can produce very different outcomes.
If you follow Colin's basic advice you should at least remain legal. There is often a little more scope, but the closer you get to the theoretical maximum loads etc the more careful you have to be in case one or more other factors just goes over their own limit, negating any gains elsewhere.
One of the issues is understanding the differences between many of the often quoted acronyms for caravan related weighs and loads. We often have several names for the same criteria, And we also have cases where similar acronyms that are importantly different. It may only be one letter in the acronym or the sequence of the letters. All in all its a recipe for public confusion, and we probably see more threads on weight related issues than any other topic.
So if in doubt please ask.
With such heated debates about weights, its often forgotten that good towing is affected by a number of other factors which are just as important:- how the caravan and car are loaded, maintenance,and drivers experience and habits. Also remember that no two outfits are identical. Even the same outfit driven by two different people can produce very different outcomes.
Parksy
Moderator
Hi Phillip, welcome to the forum 
There are lots of good used caravans for sale and if you are considering buying a used tourer it might help you to avoid the most obvious pitfalls if you Click Here to browse the Used Caravan Buyers Guide.
The rectangular buttons on the left of the web page will navigate to various aspects of what to consider when buying, from how to spot signs of damp or damage to how to check the age of the caravan, advertisers sometimes mislead buyers.
If there's anything you're not sure about just ask on this forum.
There are lots of good used caravans for sale and if you are considering buying a used tourer it might help you to avoid the most obvious pitfalls if you Click Here to browse the Used Caravan Buyers Guide.
The rectangular buttons on the left of the web page will navigate to various aspects of what to consider when buying, from how to spot signs of damp or damage to how to check the age of the caravan, advertisers sometimes mislead buyers.
If there's anything you're not sure about just ask on this forum.
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