Saying hi

Nov 16, 2015
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Al, welcome to the forum, just ask away, many people have answers, there is always something new to learn in this happy caravanning world.
Hutch.
 
Sep 29, 2016
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Welcome to you IamFlash :)

What Hutch said and there is tons of good information on here.

Looking forward to your questions and your company.

John
 
Mar 14, 2005
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IamFlash said:
Thanks everyone really appreciate it. Sorting a car is prioty just now.

Balance of commuting and towing.

That is a decision that needs some care. May I suggest that you work out roughly what proportion of your driving is solo and towing, if the vast majority is solo, then look for a car which you will be happy with for that, but obviously it must also be capable of towing your caravan and carrying all your family and paraphernalia. Rather than looking for what might be the best tug, but is less suited to solo commuting.

Don't forget that ideally if you are new to towing caravans, the industry advice is to look for a combination where the 100 x (caravan MTPLM/cars Mass in service ) is no greater than 85% This is only advice and not law so a few percent over is not likely to be issue.

Only you can make the final decision
 
May 7, 2012
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Welcome to the forum. For the car you need to consider three things I think
First, is the car suitable for yopur everyday needs. For most towing is only a modest part of your driving so you need a car that is suitable for your everyday needs.
Second is the car heavy enough. The car needs to be heavy enough to control the caravan. To be aboslutely safe, the ideal ratio, if you follow the guidelines is that the caravan should weigh no more than 85% of the cars kerb weight. This figure would normally include 75kg for the driver so check if the manufacturer includes this in their published figures. This is advice and has been there for some time and might have been overtaken to some extent by improvements in cars and caravan handling, so going over by a bit should not be a problem. Before you buy the car it would be as well to get some idea of the caravan you want to see what weight you are looking at.
Thirdly there is the question of engine choice. Diesel engines do normally tow better and are more fuel efficient but there future is in some doubt so you do need to be careful with that one. Petrol engines do make good tow cars but look for ones with a better than average torque figure. Caravans provide a lot of wind resistance so the more power the better.
Do not be tempted to look at manufacturers towing limits where they are higher than the car other than to be sure that the car can handle the weight. These are based on the ability to restart on a 12% hill and are more a measure of the strength of the driveline than what can be towed safely on a motorway.

Hope this helps.
 

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