New to caravans - Vauxhall Astra 1.6

[CDavis_5040070]

Hi,

Is my vauxhall Astra 1.6 16V Hatchback (Auto) capable of towing a caravan? I am a newbie to this! It sounds from Vauxhall like it should be capable of towing up to 1200kg braked - or 550kg unbraked whatever that means! If I just choose an 11ft 2 berth will I be okay?

Are there any courses I can take to get better at towing a caravan? I live in Bristol.

many thanks for your help!

 

[Gary_5039903]

1200kg is the maximum that the car can tow (provided it doesn't exceed the gross train weight), but for a caravan (or any trailer with a high centre of gravity) you want to keep the maximum weight of the caravan (MTPLM) less than the kerbweight of the car. This gives you greater control in the event of any instability. The "magical" figure of 85% is often quoted as being a comfortable weight ratio (ie. the fully laden caravan should weigh around 85% of your cars kerbweight). Try looking at the National Trailer Towing Associations website (www.ntta.org.uk) for facts on towing and the law. With all this in mind, you will probably want to look for a 2 berth caravan with an unladen weight of around 750kgs and a MTPLM of around 1000kgs, assuming the Astra has a kerbweight of around 1200kgs (check your handbook to be sure). Also check to see if your automatic gearbox needs an additional cooler fitting.

 

[Lutz]

According to the information I have available, the kerbweight of your Astra is around 1250kg (assuming it has air conditioning as standard). 85% of this would be a good basis for towing, in particular for a beginner. You should therefore look at caravans with an MTPLM of not much more than 1050kg. As your car is fitted with automatic transmission, there is a maximum permissible gross train weight of 2880kg to watch and this limits your towload to 1075kg if the car itself is fully loaded to its max GVW). The unbraked towload that you quote is the maximum figure that you may tow if the trailer is not fitted with its own brake.

 

[CDavis_5040070]

Thanks for this - what does MTPLM mean please?

 

[Gary_5039903]

It stands for "Maximum Technically Permisable Laden Mass" (used to be called Maximum Gross Weight) and is the maximum weight that your caravan can be fully laden. Obviously you don't have to load the caravan up to this weight, but it is surprising how all the bits & pieces add up!! I carry the awning & poles in the back of the car to keep the caravan weight down.

 

[Lutz]

MTPLM = Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (refer to http://www.practicalcaravan.co.uk/legal/index.html)