New members

[LuisaandMartin]

Hi everyone, we are new members of this forum, having taken a good look at the site and been impressed with all the info and tips offered. We are returning to caravanning after a two-year break. We had to stop in September 04 because our elder son developed a disabling illness. However, the good news is he is on the mend and should be allowed to start learning to walk again in the next few months. We went on a holiday abroad last year and stayed in a gite in France, but we really missed the social aspects of being on caravan sites and can't wait to get started again. We've used the 2 year gap to save like mad and have bought a brand new Sprite Major 6 caravan. We take delivery on 1st June and can't wait for the freedom caravanning will bring us again. We will be towing it with a Daihatsu Fourtrak 2.8l TD Independent - hubby Martin would be glad to hear from anyone who has towed with this type of vehicle.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Luisa - welcome to the forum and hopefully your son will soon be up and about again under his own steam. Must be great to see him on the mend. I have used a Fourtrak for towing for a few years. The vehicle is an excellent tow car as it is designed to tow a maximum of 3.5 tonnes. Our caravan was 1400 kg. and we did not know it was there. Good fuel consumption - approx. 32mpg whilst towing. Still have the Fourtrak but now have a motor home. Wife wont let me sell the Fourtrak. If yours is running as sweet as ours (R reg - 1996) it is a jolly good tow car.

 

[Steve L]

Diahatsu's are exellent tow vehicles. I've had two myself and towed right up to the 3500Kgs max tow capacity with an Ifor Williams goods trailer.

They both managed 30mpg fully laden and often did 350 miles a day as they were used for commercial deliveries.

The only minus I found was that the front axles (F70) were not a limited slip diierential and when the 4 wheel drive hubs were engaged you were ok on mud and snow but on tarmac you would wear out the front wheel bearings quickly.

They are more at the entry level of 4X4 but they do what it say's on the box. Tow well and run well at minimal cost.

I currently use a 1998 Laguna estate to tow out 20foot twin axle van and that does nearly 30mpg towing and so far I've not got stuck or been wishing for a low ratio gearbox.

Steve.

 

[LuisaandMartin]

Luisa - welcome to the forum and hopefully your son will soon be up and about again under his own steam. Must be great to see him on the mend. I have used a Fourtrak for towing for a few years. The vehicle is an excellent tow car as it is designed to tow a maximum of 3.5 tonnes. Our caravan was 1400 kg. and we did not know it was there. Good fuel consumption - approx. 32mpg whilst towing. Still have the Fourtrak but now have a motor home. Wife wont let me sell the Fourtrak. If yours is running as sweet as ours (R reg - 1996) it is a jolly good tow car.

Hi Colin, good to hear from a fellow Welsh person (we are from Newport). Thanks for your advice re the Fourtrak. Ours is older than yours but is in excellent condition as the previous owner was a bit of an engineering buff. We are in the fortunate position of being good friends with our local Daihatsu dealer, which helps. We only wish he would start selling caravans, we could have saved ourselves a few quid! ;-)

 

[LuisaandMartin]

Diahatsu's are exellent tow vehicles. I've had two myself and towed right up to the 3500Kgs max tow capacity with an Ifor Williams goods trailer.

They both managed 30mpg fully laden and often did 350 miles a day as they were used for commercial deliveries.

The only minus I found was that the front axles (F70) were not a limited slip diierential and when the 4 wheel drive hubs were engaged you were ok on mud and snow but on tarmac you would wear out the front wheel bearings quickly.

They are more at the entry level of 4X4 but they do what it say's on the box. Tow well and run well at minimal cost.

I currently use a 1998 Laguna estate to tow out 20foot twin axle van and that does nearly 30mpg towing and so far I've not got stuck or been wishing for a low ratio gearbox.

Steve.

Hi Steve in Leo, thanks for all your helpful info. It went way over my head but hubby understood it all as he's the technically minded one. I'm in charge of saucepans, scatter cushions etc, he worries about the important stuff like towing weights etc...