Too Heavy for My Car?

[Stonemog]

Hi

New person here - have been given the opportuniy of a two-berth (old lunar clubman) 'van for next to nowt to see how it goes, with a view to potentially uprading to something nice (ie 4 berth) if we get "into" it.

Of course, to upgrade would cost money and mean not replacing our 2004 1.8 picasso for another couple of years.

BUT, looking across the internet, caravan weights seem to be generally too high for our car to tow - a new Clubman 4 berth is listed as 1495 - which is well over the limit for the car (which I THINK is 85% of 1300kg).

So, is it worth the bother - is even a two berth too much, or if we do get the bug would we HAVE to upgrade the car to get to 4 berth?

Have to say, caravans seem heavy for what they are!

 

[Lutz]

Before you continue any further, you must check what the actual towload limit for your car is. This limit determines what you may legally tow. So long as you stay below that limit it's a personal decision whether you find your current car adequate performancewise or whether you feel comfortable with what you are towing. The general recommendation not to exceed 85% of the kerbweight of the car is a good starting point if you have no experience so long as the manufacturer's towload limit is not lower than this figure.

 

[WilliamLX]

The increasing weight for new caravans is a problem, but you can certainly get 4 births a lot lighter than 1495Kg, have a look at the Bailey Ranger - a better make in anycase. The Picasso is not a great car for any use and I recently read in one of the caravan magazines I read (either Practical Caravan, Caravan or the Caravan Club Magazine) that the Picasso is a poor tow car as it is weak relative to its weight because it is a small car with a big heavy MPV body built on to it. Perhaps before you think of splashing out on a new caravan you should think about buying a better (read non French) car first. There has never been a better time to buy a new car as dealers struggle to find buyers.

 

[ValA.]

If the 'old Lunar Clubman' is that old, then it will weigh loads less than the same new model. Caravan weights have increased substantially in the last few years. How old is the van you're looking at? There are some websites which give the weights for older vans.

If you do 'get into it' then there's no real need to upgrade the van yet - keep it going until you're ready to replace the car and then look around for something which will tow a heavier van. As you get more experienced, too, in towing, you may feel comfortable at towing at more like 90% or 95% rather than at the 85% recommended ratio.

 

[Stonemog]

The increasing weight for new caravans is a problem, but you can certainly get 4 births a lot lighter than 1495Kg, have a look at the Bailey Ranger - a better make in anycase. The Picasso is not a great car for any use and I recently read in one of the caravan magazines I read (either Practical Caravan, Caravan or the Caravan Club Magazine) that the Picasso is a poor tow car as it is weak relative to its weight because it is a small car with a big heavy MPV body built on to it. Perhaps before you think of splashing out on a new caravan you should think about buying a better (read non French) car first. There has never been a better time to buy a new car as dealers struggle to find buyers.

ummmm - didnt ask for my car to be slagged off because its french. we cant all afford fancy pants motors to meet our family requirements!

 

[WilliamLX]

ummmm - didnt ask for my car to be slagged off because its french. we cant all afford fancy pants motors to meet our family requirements!

Sorry if I offended you, but my car is not fancy or more expensive than a Picasso, but it is from a more reliable make .

 

[g_374369443]

William. humour me, what do you tow with?

 

[Bryan_374360331]

A friend towed a Lunar Clubman with a Picasso (1.8 I think) without any problem. He also filled the van with a large awning and a load of fishing gear (plus whatever he'd been storing in the van) so you might be OK.

Nice and under-rated car, the Picasso.

 

[trucker]

My parents tow a 1200kg with a picasso deisel tows very well, yet another sweeping statement from William (swifts are renowned for leaking)

Kevin

 

[TD42]

stonemog the best bet is to get the MTPLM/MAW weight of the van you intend buying & then go to www.whattowcar.com it may not list the van but there is a facility to enter the mptlm & the details of your car this will give you most of the info you require

 

[swpostie]

Hi Stonemog,

Although you may struggle to find a 4-berth caravan with an mtplm of under 85% of your car's weight, there are a number of 4-berth 'vans that are less then 95% (have you looked at the Lunar Zenith?).

As Lutz has said, you need to check the towing limit of your car - that will give you the maximum you are allowed to tow with it.

People do tow over the 85% guide, and manage quite happily - but keeping below 85% makes a much more stable match.

William raised a good point (no, really!) about the increasing weights of modern caravans. The consumer demand for more and more equipment is pushing weights higher and higher.

So, it's helpful to remember that slightly older caravans are often lighter, and posher caravans are heavier!

check out the following link:

http://www.testreports.co.uk/outdoor/caravan/default.asp
I bought a couple of collections of test reports and found them very useful, although they do have a "badly photocopied" look about them.

Val A was right, though - enjoy the caravan and run it into the ground! Your next caravan could be yearsdown the line.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Stonemog,

Although you may struggle to find a 4-berth caravan with an mtplm of under 85% of your car's weight, there are a number of 4-berth 'vans that are less then 95% (have you looked at the Lunar Zenith?).

As Lutz has said, you need to check the towing limit of your car - that will give you the maximum you are allowed to tow with it.

People do tow over the 85% guide, and manage quite happily - but keeping below 85% makes a much more stable match.

William raised a good point (no, really!) about the increasing weights of modern caravans. The consumer demand for more and more equipment is pushing weights higher and higher.

So, it's helpful to remember that slightly older caravans are often lighter, and posher caravans are heavier!

check out the following link:

http://www.testreports.co.uk/outdoor/caravan/default.asp
I bought a couple of collections of test reports and found them very useful, although they do have a "badly photocopied" look about them.

Val A was right, though - enjoy the caravan and run it into the ground! Your next caravan could be yearsdown the line.

Hello Rupert,

I agree with the bulk of your response except the statement that :- "but keeping below 85% makes a much more stable match."

Perhaps I am picking hairs here, but that statement is dangerous, because simply keeping to 85% does not guarantee a stable outfit. A badly loaded outfit that still complies with 85% can be very unstable. 85% is not a magic bullet for safety.

Where we are imparting advice to new towers, we need to be extra careful to give the best and most accurate advice possible.

Weight ratios are only part of the stability issue,and as much if not more emphasis should be given to proper maintenance of the vehicles, load distribution, weight ratios, and driver habits.

 

[Stonemog]

Hello Rupert,

I agree with the bulk of your response except the statement that :- "but keeping below 85% makes a much more stable match."

Perhaps I am picking hairs here, but that statement is dangerous, because simply keeping to 85% does not guarantee a stable outfit. A badly loaded outfit that still complies with 85% can be very unstable. 85% is not a magic bullet for safety.

Where we are imparting advice to new towers, we need to be extra careful to give the best and most accurate advice possible.

Weight ratios are only part of the stability issue,and as much if not more emphasis should be given to proper maintenance of the vehicles, load distribution, weight ratios, and driver habits.

I think I inadvertently have a little but not a lot of experience of loading from trailer loading in farming years ago - things like nose weight mustnt be too light or heavy - I guess that experience could be useful.

According to the book the cars tow weight is 1300kg, which makes the max weight at 85% 1105 kg. Looking on the (rather good) highbridge caravan site a 1993 clubman (would need to check the model) would be possible so long as I limit the payload - which probably makes it impractical as we'd need an awning along with everything else (we have a baby so we'd have to sleep outside!).