Safe tow weight for my Mazda Bongo help needed please!
- Thread starter NHAY
- Start date
Hi,
We have a 2.5td aft bongo, looking at buying a Bailey caravan with MTPLM max technically permisable laden weight of 1409kg.
My assumption from online digging is the following
caravan max weight can be no more than 85% of bongo kerbside weight
so from digging I calculate the bongo at 1790kg, so my max pull weight is approx 1521kg so that seems fine
Where I am struggling is the nose weight of the bongo which I believe is 85kg, optimum is 7% of pull weight which I calculate at 98kg.
I have read that this is an advisory, not a legislative req but concious of safety etc. I have read on the bongo faqs and tech pages that my bongo can safely pull 1600kg.
Totally confused, can anyone shed some light please on whether my calcs above suggest caravan is too big?
Additionally car will be carrying 2 adults weight plus that of a 12 year old and 3 under 3...
We have a 2.5td aft bongo, looking at buying a Bailey caravan with MTPLM max technically permisable laden weight of 1409kg.
My assumption from online digging is the following
caravan max weight can be no more than 85% of bongo kerbside weight
so from digging I calculate the bongo at 1790kg, so my max pull weight is approx 1521kg so that seems fine
Where I am struggling is the nose weight of the bongo which I believe is 85kg, optimum is 7% of pull weight which I calculate at 98kg.
I have read that this is an advisory, not a legislative req but concious of safety etc. I have read on the bongo faqs and tech pages that my bongo can safely pull 1600kg.
Totally confused, can anyone shed some light please on whether my calcs above suggest caravan is too big?
Additionally car will be carrying 2 adults weight plus that of a 12 year old and 3 under 3...
One source tells me that the maximum permissible towload for a Bongo is 900kg, another one says 1600kg. Maybe it depends on the model variant. Even though it is a 'grey' import it should still have the details that you are looking for on the vehicle VIN plate. Normally, the VIN plate specifies the max. GVW, the max. Gross Train Weight, max. front axle load and max. rear axle load. Subtracting the first figure from the second gives you the maximum towload.
Both the 85% weight ratio and 7% noseweight formulas are arbitrary recommendations and have no legal significance.
The maximum noseweight should also be specified on the towbar plate.
Both the 85% weight ratio and 7% noseweight formulas are arbitrary recommendations and have no legal significance.
The maximum noseweight should also be specified on the towbar plate.
Hello NHAY,
Its looks a bit of a minefield out there, mainly because there are so may legal limits, technical maximums and guidance figures !!!.
But with a step by step approach you should be able to ensure you are legal.
Maximum Towed Weight of trailer:-
In the EU the car manufactures have to specifiy the absolute largest towed weight a vehicle motor can tow. You must not exceed that figure. Whether the imported Bongo has a towing limit I don't know, and as the vehicle is based on a van design, I am surprised at your suggested figure of only 1600Kg. However that does seem to be a conservative but reasonable value.
The traditional way of quoting a towing ratio (Actually its a percentage) is to divide the MTPLM of the trailer by the kerbweight of the car and multiply the result by 100 to give percentage. This looks at the worst case scenario, so in practice it will always be somewhat better (lower)than the figures suggest.
The UK caravan industry does have some suggested guidance on towed weights. Firstly you must never exceed the car legal limit (above) but otherwise the industry suggests caravans should never be more than 100% of the vehicle kerbweight, and for novice towers it suggested you should not exceed 85% of kerbweight. These guidelines offer no guarantees regards safety but it is at least a starting point.
Nose Weights.
Both the car and the trailer manufacturers will specify maximum static nose weight limits. Neither of these must be exceeded, so your upper limit will always be the least of the two. Most caravans have a limit of 100Kg, so usually its the car that sets the limit, and in your case you tell us its 85Kg.
The actual nose weight of any trailer depends on how its loaded, so its not a fixed permanent value. You have to adjust the position of the load in the trailer to trim the nose weight.
The nose weight you want must be within the manufacturers limit, but enough to ensure the outfit is stable under towing conditions. Most caravanners opt for a figure close to the top of their available range. The EU suggest a minimum figure of 4% of MTPLM, and the caravan industry suggest a bit more heading towards 7% if it can be accommodated by your tow ball.
Good towing is not achieved simply by following weights guidance, its about being sensible and knowing your own capabilities. As your experience grows you may find you can safely tow a heavier caravan.
As you tell us you are new to caravanning, I must also ask you to check your driving licence which may limit you to the overall size of car and caravan you are allowed to tow. Tests taken after Jan 1997 limit you to 3500Kg combined MAM, which your car and caravan may be quite close to. MAM stands for Maximum Authorised Mass and its not what your outfit actually weighs but what its permitted maximum weights may be.
Its looks a bit of a minefield out there, mainly because there are so may legal limits, technical maximums and guidance figures !!!.
But with a step by step approach you should be able to ensure you are legal.
Maximum Towed Weight of trailer:-
In the EU the car manufactures have to specifiy the absolute largest towed weight a vehicle motor can tow. You must not exceed that figure. Whether the imported Bongo has a towing limit I don't know, and as the vehicle is based on a van design, I am surprised at your suggested figure of only 1600Kg. However that does seem to be a conservative but reasonable value.
The traditional way of quoting a towing ratio (Actually its a percentage) is to divide the MTPLM of the trailer by the kerbweight of the car and multiply the result by 100 to give percentage. This looks at the worst case scenario, so in practice it will always be somewhat better (lower)than the figures suggest.
The UK caravan industry does have some suggested guidance on towed weights. Firstly you must never exceed the car legal limit (above) but otherwise the industry suggests caravans should never be more than 100% of the vehicle kerbweight, and for novice towers it suggested you should not exceed 85% of kerbweight. These guidelines offer no guarantees regards safety but it is at least a starting point.
Nose Weights.
Both the car and the trailer manufacturers will specify maximum static nose weight limits. Neither of these must be exceeded, so your upper limit will always be the least of the two. Most caravans have a limit of 100Kg, so usually its the car that sets the limit, and in your case you tell us its 85Kg.
The actual nose weight of any trailer depends on how its loaded, so its not a fixed permanent value. You have to adjust the position of the load in the trailer to trim the nose weight.
The nose weight you want must be within the manufacturers limit, but enough to ensure the outfit is stable under towing conditions. Most caravanners opt for a figure close to the top of their available range. The EU suggest a minimum figure of 4% of MTPLM, and the caravan industry suggest a bit more heading towards 7% if it can be accommodated by your tow ball.
Good towing is not achieved simply by following weights guidance, its about being sensible and knowing your own capabilities. As your experience grows you may find you can safely tow a heavier caravan.
As you tell us you are new to caravanning, I must also ask you to check your driving licence which may limit you to the overall size of car and caravan you are allowed to tow. Tests taken after Jan 1997 limit you to 3500Kg combined MAM, which your car and caravan may be quite close to. MAM stands for Maximum Authorised Mass and its not what your outfit actually weighs but what its permitted maximum weights may be.
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