Hi there my husband and I are keen campers hoping to upgrade to a caravan for next summer. Oh passed his test in 2000 therefore if Iam right in my research he can tow combination of up to 3500kg. We are looking at a bailey ranger 540/6 which has a mtplm of 1350kg with a kia sportage 2.0 kx-1 which has a kerb weight of 1600 max tow weight of 2000 and mam of 2140 and a gross train weight of 4040 and our nose weight would be a 5.9% could any of the more experienced people give advice on this outfit and if it would be legal for him to tow on the b licience or whether we should bite the bullet and get the e test out of the way? We seem to get conflicting advice on various sites. Thanks in advance for any help.
newbie help
- Thread starter alimcg29
- Start date
Gross train weight = 2140 + 1350 = 3490. OK, less then 3500kg for license and less than car's gtw of 4040.
MTPLM (1350) divided by kerb weight (1600) = 84% - OK
A 2.0 litre engine should be capable.
So on paper all should be OK.
Edit - What is nose weight of van and allowed on car in kg?
MTPLM (1350) divided by kerb weight (1600) = 84% - OK
A 2.0 litre engine should be capable.
So on paper all should be OK.
Edit - What is nose weight of van and allowed on car in kg?
As WC has advised your proposed outfit looks okay from the perspective of the driving licence and the specification of the car-caravan outfit. I have seen lots of 2.0 litre Sportage diesels towing caravans heavier than the Rangers. Friends of ours have a 2014 model auto and it has plenty of pulling power. Although they haven't yet bought the caravan to go with it.
alimcg29 said:
Hello alimcg,
Just to clarify the above statement you made in your post.
I assume the 5.9% relates to the nose load limit of the as a percentage of the caravans MTPLM, which gives a believable 80kg nose load LIMIT on the car.
You need to understand that the nose load is created by the way you load your caravan, if you move the position of something inside the caravan it will affect the nose load. So you cannot assume the nose load will be 80kg, you do have to measure it to find out. It is up to you to ensure the static limit is not exceeded otherwise you are overloading the ball hitch.
Generally I suggest rearranging your load in the caravan to produce a nose load of about 75% of the available capacity so in your case 80kg limit aim for about 60kg to 70kg actual nose load.
That looks fine although I thought Sportage was 80kg as I'd seen other forums where some were decrying it as too low, which at 80kg is a nonsense. If Kia have raised it to 100 kg that's good although if the caravan is an 80kg load maximum then that is your limit anyway.
I think that most people here would say that your proposed outfit is fine with a B licence.alimcg29 said:
However, discussion of and arguments about weight limits, tow hitch weights, and how to measure these things, occupies a very large portion of this forum and gives some of us regular posters endless hours of fun :lol: There are I think three or four parallel live threads on the subject right now with "conflicting" opinions, one thread even has a member seeking a contribution from the CEO of the DVLA
hmy:Much of it however is a bit academic (but I might trigger something off by saying that [ducks]), and I would not worry a great deal in your case
DrZhivago said:There are I think three or four parallel live threads on the subject right now with "conflicting" opinions, one thread even has a member seeking a contribution from the CEO of the DVLA
Much of it however is a bit academic (but I might trigger something off by saying that [ducks]), and I would not worry a great deal in your case
Should I take that last comet as a rebuke for trying to seek clarity on a potential legal issue for some caravanners? :huh:
Academic maybe. But the Prof 's tales of doom should be treated with the reality they deserve. Whilst I know of no one who has ever been prosecuted for some of the potential offences doesn't mean a newbie or others with limited towing experience should ignore the pearls of wisdom even if at times they may seemProfJohnL said:DrZhivago said:There are I think three or four parallel live threads on the subject right now with "conflicting" opinions, one thread even has a member seeking a contribution from the CEO of the DVLA
Much of it however is a bit academic (but I might trigger something off by saying that [ducks]), and I would not worry a great deal in your case
Should I take that last comet as a rebuke for trying to seek clarity on a potential legal issue for some caravanners? :huh:
ott. Yes like Colin and Martin I could tell the nose load on my old Castleton Rovanna just by lifting it. Now I respect my back and doubt I could lift 90kgs one handed.
It is quite correct the Prof raises the technical, potential legal,issues and continues to do so. It is up to us to appreciate them and think carefully what has
been said. Remember responsibility rests with the driver. Oh and I do use a Reich gauge which the Prof doesn't approve. :kiss:
Parksy
Moderator
Before this thread begins to veer off topic and into a forum debate about weight limits that have already been covered in various forum topics several times, the OP asked for advice, and they have received advice which suggests that their chosen outfit is fine.ProfJohnL said:DrZhivago said:There are I think three or four parallel live threads on the subject right now with "conflicting" opinions, one thread even has a member seeking a contribution from the CEO of the DVLA
Much of it however is a bit academic (but I might trigger something off by saying that [ducks]), and I would not worry a great deal in your case
Should I take that last comet as a rebuke for trying to seek clarity on a potential legal issue for some caravanners? :huh:
Forum members who wish to debate the nuances of legal weight limits and their interpretations of measurement should open a separate topic of their own.
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