Sorry, Tow Car/Van match query GROAN!!

[Blinkey]

Sorry about this, I'm sure this is probably one of the most common questions but I want to be sure my car and van are an acceptable (85% or less) match!
I have a Lunar Lexon EB 4 berth (2001), it has an unladen weight of 1010kg and a MTPLM of 1340kg. My car is a Ford Mondeo Titanium 5 door Hatch, 1753cc, TDCi 125ps. From the V% document; it has a Max permissable mass (exc. m/c) of 2155kg and a Mass in Service of 1546kg. It also has a Technically Permissable Maximum towable mass of trailer of: braked 1600kg and unbraked 735kg. On the VIN plate on the car it says it has a Gross vehicle weight of 2155kg and a Gross train weight of 3755kg.
LOADS of numbers and I am having great difficulty in figuring out the figures I need i.e. MIRO of the van and Kerb weight of the tow car so I can find out if I am on or below the magic 85%.
Now, looking at the figures and what I have read so far I have just used the VIN plate details and said:
Gross vehicle weight = 2155kg
Gross train weight = 3755kg
So, 3755 - 2155 = 1600kg which I believe is the max caravan weight I can tow?
Therefore 1340 (van MTPLM) divided by 1600 multiplied by 100 = 83.75%
Am I correct?
Any help gratefully appreciated!

 

[earlyriser]

hi rog
according to practical caravan mag page 113 mondeo estate kerbweight 1589kgs
85% 1351kgs
hope this helps

 

[TD42]

your car will have no problem towing the van you can check it on this website http://www.whattowcar.com/basic_index.php
basicly the 85% formula is not a legal requirment but is good common sense for new tower's ,this requires the fully loaded caravan(MTPLM) should be 85% 0f the kerb weight of the car(found in the hand book)
gross train weight relates to the max allowable weight of car & trailor
gross vehicle weight relates to the max fully loaded weight of the car
what you need is the kerbweight which is usually related to the empty car + driver,lubricants & I think half a tank of fuel
as I said 85% is just a guideline

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Blinkey

Don’t get to weighed down with sticking to 85%, its not that critical, and nothing is suddenly going to break or go wrong if you are few percent higher. There is no legal requirement to 85% it is simply a recommendation, not a hard and fast limit.

Now the conventional way of calculating the towing ratio is:

The caravans MTPLM divided by the tow vehicles kerb weight. Kerb weight is not exactly the same but it is close to the MIRO

So using the figures you provide:-

1340/1546=86.6%

As the caravans MTPLM is well within the cars towing limit, so the combination is certainly a good weight match.

Now good and safe towing is not just about weight ratios, other factors are equally possibly more important, so ensuring the car and caravan are in good mechanical order, the weight distribution in the caravan produces a adequate nose load and probably most important of all careful driving.

Happy and careful caravanning

 

[Blinkey]

Excellent! Thanks for all the advice, I ove this site!!! 86.6% match not bad, I'm assuming that means it will be an 86.6% match with my tow car assuming the van is loaded to it's safe maximum? Any less and it will be a lower percentage match?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Bkinky,
The "towing ratio" is a fixed figure defined by the caravans MTPLM/ cars kerbweight. It is purely a notional figure to enable some comparison between outfits using consistent paper criteria. So the notional figure does not change but it does represent the worst case scenario.

Of course if the cars weight is greater (as it would be with driver passengers and luggage) and the caravan must never be heavier than its MTPLM so yes the actual figures will be better than the worst case values, but the real figure is never used as the "Towing ratio".

It is always sensible to keep the trailers weight as small as possible, but simply achieving 85% is no guarantee the outfit will tow well, All the other factors need to be kept in good balance along with mechanical condition of both the car and the trailer.

Just be sensible and careful

 

[xtrailman]

Excellent! Thanks for all the advice, I ove this site!!! 86.6% match not bad, I'm assuming that means it will be an 86.6% match with my tow car assuming the van is loaded to it's safe maximum? Any less and it will be a lower percentage match?

Its a good match.
No point it getting complicated, your Monty could tow more if required.
Just make sure you know the correct nose weight for your model/year.

 

[forestgump]

as said good loading is the key you can find your match via out fit match on tow sure or other sites.The 85 % is a guide not a law but common sence is a good rule the nose wieght is a area that some poeple have a problem.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Forest,
It is well known that the information that the web based matching sites cannot be relied on to be accurate.
There are plenty of well documented incidents where the information some of these sites is clearly wrong as reported on this forum. Blinky has demonstrated he has the mathematical capability to work out his towing ratio so there is no need for him to use tow sure or any other matching site.

 

[Blinkey]

Thanks everyone, especially the Prof! Where can I find out the correct noseweight for my Mondeo?

 

[TD42]

Yes Have a look on here http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/ford.htm

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello agian Blinky,

Sadly I suspect that TD4's advice on this occasion will draw a blank. I have looked on the said web site and very few entries include the max tow ball load for the cars. The same concerns about accuracy apply to the site - so be wary.

If you have the car and it is fitted with a Tow Ball, it should have a data plate on the towing bracket that will tell you the maximum nose load.

The actual nose load has to fall within a window of values. The upper limit is determined by the limits of the towing bracket or the trailer chassis limit. You must not exceed the lower of those two values.

The lowest limit is determined by legislation and must be NO LESS than 25Kg or 4% of the trailers MTPLM which ever is the larger figure.

It is generally accepted that the best towing is achieved with higher nose loads rather than lower ones, but in practice it should be big enough to maintain a stable outfit.

There are many who suggest the nose load should be 7% of MTPLM. This is like the misused 85% figure, and has no basis or authority in law.

 

[Blinkey]

More excellent advice from 'The Prof'!! Many thanks and I'll have a look at the data plate on the towbar. It was a Ford fitted detachable one so I should be able to find something.
Thanks again