shaka said:
Hi,
Brand new to this we are just looking for our 1st caravan now. However we also made the decision after getting a brand new car which we are now stuck with for at least 2 years.
I have been through documentaion, web sites forums but would appreciate my numbers been sanity checked by the knowledgeable among you before we properly take the plunge.
I passed my test in 1991
So car states max towing is 1600KG
VIN weights:
1890KG
3290KG
0975KG
1040KG
So from above am under the impression I could look for vans with an MPTLM of under 1400KG.
Does this sound right or should I look at 85% of 1600KG which is 1360KG?
It can be extremely confusing and there seems to be a lot of differing conflicting "advice" So any help appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Hello shaka,
Ill try this on a PC this time!
The UK caravan industry recognise that towing a caravan is very different to towing a small trailer, and to help caravanners to make sensible choices of car and caravan they have derived some guidance. Especially inexperienced caravanners should first aim for a caravan with an MTPLM not exceeding 85% of the tow vehicles kerbweight. As experience grows, a larger percentage may be adopted but the industry does not recommend exceeding 100%. This is only guidance and it has no legal force, so don't let it become a deal breaker for a few percent either way.
It should also be noted that the advice is not a guarantee that the outfit will be legal, safe or even a good towing experience, Also it relies on criteria such as kerbweight which is not always published by car manufacturers, and its definition has several variations, so this guidance is a very loose indeed.
Car manufactures are required to publish certain weight limits data about their cars, but strange as it may seem Kerbweight is not one of them, so finding out what a vehicles kerbweight is can sometimes be difficult. However they do have to publish Unladen Weight or Mass In service, which whilst not exactly the same as kerbweight are similar enough for the purpose of the industry advice calculations.
What does have legal force are the weight limits set out on the vehicles data plate. You have supplied the figures for your car but I do suspect you have mixed the order up because the format is laid down in EU regulations - not to worry, because the two largest figure are the ones that matter at the moment. The solo car has a maximum weight limit its Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)which you have given as 1890kg. The largest figure is the cars Gross Train Weight (GTW) which you have given as 3290kg.
The difference between the GTW - GVW = 1400kg, and it represents the maximum towed weight the FULLY LADEN car is rated to tow.
You tell us that Audi have quoted the car has a Towed Weight Limit of 1600kg. This is 200kg grater than the GTW - GVW and it means to keep within the legal GTW figure the car could only be part loaded to 1690kg. I suspect that in your case this is more academic than practical information.
Returning to the Kerbweight issue, Manufacturers are reluctant to post a specific kerbweight figure, simple because the weight of a car will vary due to manufacturing tolerances, and some dealer fitted options will also affect its weight. but we can get to a reasonable guesstimate.
The car has a published GVW 1890kg, As rough guide most car manufacturers will allow approximately 100kg per seat for passenger an luggage, so a 5 seater will have a load margin of about 500kg. That leaves 1890 - 500 = Aproximately 1390kg as an estimated kerbweight.
The industry guidance looks for 85% of 1390 = 1181kg In round numbers I would suggest looking for a caravan with a MTPLM of up to 1200kg
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