Hi looking to get back into the world of caravanning iagain.got the the car to tow it 2016 Navara pick up.want to get a big van but not sure which to get to be honest we love the hobby ,Lmc ,fendt but not sure of the the legal side of towing them in uk anyone here tow them.if I had to go for a uk van which would you recommend I no it’s like needle and haystack lol. See some have wet heating in them now is that better than the gas blown air heating .any help would be great thank you
New caravan
- Thread starter Pond01
- Start date
Not sure what the Navarra is taxed as but for a car the maximum size is 7 meters body length, 2.55 meters width and 3,500 kg. There should be something suitable in each range but all have been imported in very low numbers, so finding them might be difficult . Insurance might also be a problem so make sure you can get it before committing yourself.
The legal maximum towing weight for a caravan looks too high for the Navarro so make sure the MTPLM is lower than the kerb weight for a safe tow.
The legal maximum towing weight for a caravan looks too high for the Navarro so make sure the MTPLM is lower than the kerb weight for a safe tow.
We had a look at Eriba (Hymer is now used for motorhomes, Eriba for caravans) a few weeks ago - very impressed.
However the dealer told us that Hymer are not making any for the UK market next year due to Brexit uncertainty and rising costs after importing will put the retail price well north of £40K, actually nearer £50K.
However the dealer told us that Hymer are not making any for the UK market next year due to Brexit uncertainty and rising costs after importing will put the retail price well north of £40K, actually nearer £50K.
Damian
Moderator
Pond01 said:
The 645 has a body length over 7 mtrs so you would need a towing vehicle with a weight over 3500Kg and a C1E licence.
Woodentop said:
We are on our third Hymer. The current one which is a 2015, is badged in 2 places on the outside as Hymer and in 1 place as Eriba. So it is a bit fluid.
Regarding the 7m maximum length it is body length not the overall length. So our shipping length is 8m but the body length is under 7m so therefore legal. This is on a single axle. I would also take a look at Adria’s as well, if I were you.
We've got the Navara too and have now gone up to a twin axle swift 645. It tows it very well. There are just the 2 of us and a smallish dog and plenty of room.
It has Alde central heating and if you plan on going year round then a van with Alde is a must in my opinion. As someone said to us, blown air is good but if you have experienced Alde you wouln't go back to blown air.
I would also bear in mind, if you go down the Euro van route and a pickup you may well look like a 'traveller' and some people/sites may not be accepting of you pitching up.
It has Alde central heating and if you plan on going year round then a van with Alde is a must in my opinion. As someone said to us, blown air is good but if you have experienced Alde you wouln't go back to blown air.
I would also bear in mind, if you go down the Euro van route and a pickup you may well look like a 'traveller' and some people/sites may not be accepting of you pitching up.
We have a Navara; 2019 Tekna-VERY impressed-tows our 2000kg Bucaneer beautifully and would thoroughly recommend the car as a good all round family car too. Plenty of room in the load bay for awning bikes etc too.
Jezzer, just out of curiosity what mpg do you get towing? We're manual and I think last trip out we got low 30's if I remember correctly. Hilly around home so not good for fuel economy but can get mid 40's on a good run, so we're well pleased. Wouldn't ever go back to a car now, even mrs jungle hates driving a car now.
It's a new caravan-and car-SWMBO went mad and bought the Nav as she'd always wanted one, and i mistakenly said she could now tow nearly anything. So first time out only 1000miles on the Nav and we got 24mpg BUT I hadn't pumped the tyres up to the recommended harder setting(pump didn't work even though it said it was) and huge traffic jams we sat in for ages-so not a true reflection. Since I have a broken foot we also took a borrowed invalid scooter and the bigger awning -the load bay was absolutely full plus the 2 of us and our dog. SO am expecting more on a decent run but since she had never towed before either I /she felt very comfortable. But she is definitely in love with this Nav! Glad you think the same.
hi thanks for all the reply’s so you say about the 7m being max but where do you measure from if it is body length and not the a frameDamian-Moderator said:
Damian
Moderator
The body length is measured from the back at its furthest point to the front of the body at its extreme outermost point.
The metal frame that sticks out in front of the main body to the hitch is not counted, until you want to travel by boat somewhere then the full overall length is counted.
The metal frame that sticks out in front of the main body to the hitch is not counted, until you want to travel by boat somewhere then the full overall length is counted.
The OP hasn't returned to say whether he has bought a caravan yet, but I'd say that for a big caravan, and that means a twin-axle, Alde heating is essential.
My last caravan, a twin-axle, had blown air heating and I always had the heating on full blast, and in the winter the caravan still wasn't particularly warm, especially at the back. My present caravan, a Conqueror 645, has Alde heating and it's quite simply in a different league.
Even with a single axle, and I'm thinking of downsizing, I'll still insist on Alde.
My last caravan, a twin-axle, had blown air heating and I always had the heating on full blast, and in the winter the caravan still wasn't particularly warm, especially at the back. My present caravan, a Conqueror 645, has Alde heating and it's quite simply in a different league.
Even with a single axle, and I'm thinking of downsizing, I'll still insist on Alde.
Just to confirm towing the Bucanneer we're getting 21mpg if we stick to gps measured speed limits ie 60exactly (not via speedo) on motorway and dual c's and 50 on national limit roads, and if we drop that down to 56 and 50 respectively ie sit with the lorries, we got 24mpg on our last trip; too soon to say if this is representative of what we will always get as it is very early days-aBSOLUTELY marvellous tow experience-plenty of power and no wobbles or sway -even a large exec bus piling past us was barely noticeable!
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