OK to Tow??

Jun 1, 2005
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We have a Toyota Avensis 1.8 4 door saloon. We are looking to buy a new caravan soon and have in mind either the Bailey Pageant Monarch (5 series) or Luner Clubman 475-CK. The car has a kerb weight of 1245-1320kg, towing capacity of 1300kg.

I don't fully understand the MTPLM or MIRO - all I want to know is..... will this car tow either of the caravans safely that we have in mind? Yes or no answers would be appreciated!!!
 
Mar 14, 2005
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bailey pageant

mptlm - 1258kg

miro - 1082kg

your car at its worst 1245 is over 100% not recommended for a beginner,would not even recommend for seasoned caravanner.

towing limit of 1300,going to give the car a lot of work i think i honestly could not recommend this match,you have a payload of only 176 kgs so there is not really anything you could give there

Clubman 475CK

miro 1070 kg

payload 230 kg

mptlm 1300 kg

again not a good match although there is a good payload to consider if you could get it down to 170 kgs that would be 1240 kgs just under the 100% it would still in my opinion be very poor match

the toyota avensis isnt a great tow car unfortunately for the type of van you are considering,the lunar chateau 400 isnt too bad though
 
Apr 13, 2005
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ALISON, you need to find out exactely what the kerbweight of your car is to get an acurate match. however i am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but your car is not suitable for either of these two vans.

The bailey has an ex works weight of 1082 kgs and a maximum laden weight of 1258 kgs, this put this van over the legal weight of your car if its the lower kerbweight of 1245 kgs and very near to 100% of the upper kerbweight of 1320 kgs.

As for the lunar, this van has an ex works weight of 1070 kgs and a maximum laden weight of 1300 kgs. this van is 100% of your cars max tow weight which although not strictly illegal it is certainly not safe.

When looking for vans you should always look at the mtplm as the weight to match your car to and try to aim for as near to 85% or lower of your cars kerbweight. it all sounds complicated but it really is simple, for every 100 kgs of car you can tow 85 kgs of van, eg car weighs 1500 kgs you can tow 1375 kgs of van if you stick to the recomended 85% rule. hope this helps, happy hunting.
 
May 20, 2005
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It is not illegal to tow a caravan that is heavier than the towing vehicle it depends on your driving license, when you took your driving test or if you have to take a towing test. All this is clearly explained on the DVLA web site. I would not recommend towing a caravan that is heavier then the towing vehicle in general However certain set ups with experienced drivers are ok.
 
May 20, 2005
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It is not illegal to tow a caravan that is heavier than the towing vehicle it depends on your driving license, when you took your driving test or if you have to take a towing test. All this is clearly explained on the DVLA web site. I would not recommend towing a caravan that is heavier then the towing vehicle in general However certain set ups with experienced drivers are ok.
In this case both vans are not suitable for your car regardless of your driving license its just not up to the job.
 
May 21, 2008
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I would advise that you go to your nearest Toyota dealer and get them to advise on the tow capacity of your car. They should also be able to show you the VIN plate on the car, which shows the maximum weight of the car fully loaded and the maximum weigth of the car plus trailer (Gross Train weight)

I tow a twenty foot twin axle van behind a Laguna estate (2Ltr). The van weighs a max 1360Kgs and the tow capacity of the Laguna is 1350 Kgs. The gross train weight is 2985Kgs. Having weighed the combination at our local farm supplies, I'm ok so long as I leave the equivilant of 6 bags of sugar at home (or 24 cans of Larger in the male rating scale).

As for being over the mythical 85% safe to tow limiy, it is a very stable unit to tow so long as there's 70-75Kgs of nose weight.

Oh just to add more confusion. My 70 year old father in law, tows a Bailey scorpio loire (17ft single axle) behind his Laguna 1.8 16 valve estate, again legally and without any trouble. But that is upto the max tow capacity of his car.

Sure we are both ex-lorry drivers, and between us have three quaters of a century of driving experience. But he only started touring 5 years ago. Experienced drivers may be, but we still learn more each day we drive.

A well loaded top weight van can be safer than a tail heavy loaded 3x4 foot camping trailer, even in the experienced hands.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Dear Alison,

I do not recommend any of the choices you have suggested, simply because they are all so close to the legal and theoretical limits for the car.

Safety is not simply down to the relative weights of tug and trailer. Weights are important, because they are one of a number of criteria that determine if an outfit is legal or not. But an outfit that is weight legal can still be prosecuted as unsafe because of the way it is loaded, or handled.

Any outfit that has been reliable and not caused a problem in the past, can be unsafe if driven badly. The converse is not always true.

I agree with the previous respondents, though JOHN in Stockport's reference to the 85% is inaccurate as the figure is a guideline only, not a rule.
 

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