Motorhome as a towcar

[Mikaroony]

Is it safe

is it legal

can I have some information please ASAP thanks

 

[ProfJohnL]

Is it safe

is it legal

can I have some information please ASAP thanks

The law governing towing will aply equally for motorhomes, as they do for cars. Provided the vehicle is specified by the motorhome manufacture to be able tow, then in principal it is both possible and legal.
The first thing to check is your driving licence. As most motorhomes are based on commercial van chassis, they will be using up a significant proportion of any combined MAM allowance you have. You will almost certainly need to catagories BE or B+E on your licence.
As you tell us nothing about what vehicles you are considering, you will need to find out from the motorhomes specification or its manufacturer about what itsbraked towed weight limit is.

In terms of safety, as motorhomes are generally quite heavy, it is less likely to be upset by towing a caravan. But as with all questions on safety, its down to more than just weight ratio's, its about sensible precautions and maintenance, and mostly down to the drivers care and ability.

 

[Surfer]

Also in some EU states isn't towing with an a frame prohibited?

 

[Mikaroony]

Well I am thinking of a elddis autoquest , on the elddis website it says it has a max towing weight of 2000kg. Does this mean it can pull a caravan which has a MTPLM of 1600kg?

Thanks

happy motorhomming and caravanning

 

[Mikaroony]

Well I am thinking of a elddis autoquest , on the elddis website it says it has a max towing weight of 2000kg. Does this mean it can pull a caravan which has a MTPLM of 1600kg?

Thanks

happy motorhomming and caravanning

 

[mistralse]

You would have to pay two pitch fees when ever you park up for the night is the main problem because they are both habitations, but you probably already worked that out.

 

[otherclive]

This OP is so vague its not really worth bothering to give an answer. If the OP can't be bothered I can't either. But saying that I guess we've all seen motor homes towing something then I guess that answers the question. Surely a Motorhome forum or CC, or C&CC would be a better place to obtain an answer.

 

[Mikaroony]

Thanks for replies decided not to go for a motorhome

 

[ProfJohnL]

This OP is so vague its not really worth bothering to give an answer. If the OP can't be bothered I can't either. But saying that I guess we've all seen motor homes towing something then I guess that answers the question. Surely a Motorhome forum or CC, or C&CC would be a better place to obtain an answer.

That's a bit judgmental Clive,

Just because he's using a motorhome, that doesn't make him the enemy does it? I do agree the OP was lacking any meaningful information, but I rather he had good advice than non.

If the motorhome manufacturer quotes the maximum braked towing limit of 2000Kg, then it means that technically the vehicle will cope with a caravan that weighs 2000Kg, but its not always advisable to use the maximum capacity, but it is advisable to always keep any trailer as light as possible, so a caravan of 1600kg MTPLM is well within the capacity of the tow vehicle.

But I must repeat that you need to check your driving licence to ensure that you are licensed to drive the outfit, as it seem most likely the combined MAM of the outfit will exceed a Cat B (only) licence limit of 3500Kg.

 

[Mikaroony]

I need some information on that, I have a b+e licence so what is then what's my max gtw ?

 

[RogerL]

I need some information on that, I have a b+e licence so what is then what's my max gtw ?

As far as your licence goes, you can tow a Gross Train Weight of 7,000 kg - possibly even more if you also have a C1E licence category as well, 8,250 kg I think - so in practice you'll be limited by the vehicle restrictions.

 

[otherclive]

This OP is so vague its not really worth bothering to give an answer. If the OP can't be bothered I can't either. But saying that I guess we've all seen motor homes towing something then I guess that answers the question. Surely a Motorhome forum or CC, or C&CC would be a better place to obtain an answer.

That's a bit judgmental Clive,

Just because he's using a motorhome, that doesn't make him the enemy does it? I do agree the OP was lacking any meaningful information, but I rather he had good advice than non.

If the motorhome manufacturer quotes the maximum braked towing limit of 2000Kg, then it means that technically the vehicle will cope with a caravan that weighs 2000Kg, but its not always advisable to use the maximum capacity, but it is advisable to always keep any trailer as light as possible, so a caravan of 1600kg MTPLM is well within the capacity of the tow vehicle.

But I must repeat that you need to check your driving licence to ensure that you are licensed to drive the outfit, as it seem most likely the combined MAM of the outfit will exceed a Cat B (only) licence limit of 3500Kg.

A motorhome forum is far mor likely to have a wider breadth of experience of towing with a motorhome. Things such as licence, towing on a towball, towing on an A- frame and down plating motorhomes are bread and butter to those forums. But nowhere did I intend to see motorhomes as the enemy what gave that impression?

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

This OP is so vague its not really worth bothering to give an answer. If the OP can't be bothered I can't either.

thats not really fair Clive

most new members are vague with questions thats why they join and ask!! as with most questions regarding tow cars there are so many variables if they knew all the parameters there would be no point in asking as the answer would be obvious, "wouldn't it" anyway in reply.
hi Mikaroon, welcome to the forum, I had a motorhome for 10 years it was based on the VW LT series. weighed in at a hefty 3250kg had a max tow load of 3 tonnes and a max nose weight of 150kg, so in theory I could have towed any legal caravan on the road with it, never did just a boat, oh and once a granada cosworth on a transporter down from Glasgow across the A66. only problem was finding enough garages for fuel en route, "thirsty beast that straight six"
not really sure of the configuration of the Eldiss or what base vehicle it is made from probably a peugeot or talbot either one should tow a 1600kg van the only question is why!!!!, I have seen vans towed by the smaller weekenders and the van used for extended stays while using the "campervan" for short stays but a full on motorhome and a van, mmmmmmmmmm,
BTW, it is not true that you would have to pay double site fees if only the van was used as a habitation unit as on most sites the tow car is irrelivent if it is not a commercial van and of course a motorhome isn't one,

 

[Mikaroony]

So if I have a b+e licence I could have a motorhome that could pull a unicorn

 

[Mikaroony]

I was going to use the motorhome as a short stop over at service stations. I may be looking at van conversions instead because they are quite small. Do yo think I would be better getting a car or a motorhome.
Sorry for asking on this site

 

[Parksy]

There's no need to apologise for asking questions, this is what we're here for.
From reading through your questions it looks as though you are a bit confused and unsure of what you want to do.
It might be a good idea to take stock of your circumstances and use this as a basis to come to a decision which won't cost you more money than you need to shell out.
First of all how many people are going to be using the caravan or motorhome?
Where do you want to go with it, is it to be used mainly here in the UK or are you going to be using your outfit mainly in Europe?
Is there a particular reason why you would need a motorhome and a caravan?
Are you going to be using sites with full facilities, i.e. shower blocks, toilets and ehu (electric hook up) or are you going to be rallying with fewer facilities?
If you have a large family or your relatives are going to be camping with you work out how many berths (or bed spaces) you need.
Why would you need to 'stop over at service stations'?

 

[Mikaroony]

Because when I go on long journeys I always stop over to rest so I am always aware of what's in the road.

Do you think I would be better off just getting a suitably matched car?

 

[Parksy]

Rather than a motorhome to tow your caravan?
Yes, most certainly!
If you stop at a services or anywhere else for a break you could leave the caravan hitched to your towcar, just wind the rear steadies down and have your rest in your caravan, so why would you need a motorhome as well?
A motorhome will use more fuel than a well matched tow car, they can be awkward to park and they often slip and slide about on wet grass.
A suitable car which tows your caravan could be for normal day to day use as well.

 

[Mikaroony]

My option for a car is a vw all track passat. Match with a unicorn it tows at 96%, I consider myself as a careful driver so would 94% be safe?

 

[Parksy]

How much towing have you done?
As you probably know an 85% weight ratio between the tow vehicle and caravan is widely recommended by authoritative sources for beginners.
If you are used to towing then provided that you do not overload your caravan and keep it well maintained, especially the tyres which should be replaced after 5-7 years regardless of tread depth, then there's no reason a reasonably proficient towcar driver would be unsafe.
A ratio of 94% is not illegal but it's important to make sure that you clear out the items that seem to accumulate on board caravans regularly, it's very easy to be overloaded without realising it.

 

[Mikaroony]

I am a regular tower and they are only two of us in the caravan tops but we like the space.

we do travel light we have a awning

 

[Parksy]

I can't forsee any major problems then Mikaroony, carry the awning in the car and this will help to avoid overloading the caravan.
Many couples use larger caravans as luxury two berthers, including us. We tow a twin axle Abbey 620, loads of room for two of us

 

[Surfer]

You could also consider a 5th wheeler towed behind a twin cab pickup.

 

[Mikaroony]

We carry our two guinea pigs in the lounge with milenco bars , is this ok?

i don't know where to buy a fifth wheel? Do you know where?

 

[RogerL]

Be aware that Motorways Service Areas, and many non-motorway services, have a strictly enforced 2 hour limit to free parking with high charges after that.
For rests en-route, it matters not whether you have a motorhome or car/caravan as you can rest in whichever you have.
For long UK journeys, it's not difficult to find free places to rest, if you plan/search in advance - often in places where the motorway/main road has been improved offline leaving a nice quiet layby.