Towing twin axle Elddis Storm

[Neil_5117788]

Hi

We need to buy a tow vehicle which would be able to tow a twin axle caravan such as an Elddis Storm around 1800kg. We are looking at MPV's in particular the Ford Galaxy 2.8 Ghia, does anyone have experience with this vehicle and if so is it suitable for this type of van? Any other ideas for tow vehicles for the heavier van rather than a 4x4?

Thanks

 

[Steve L]

HI Neal.

You might want to view my thread on the August issue of PC in tow cars.

The Renault espace, Kia Sedona, and the Galaxy make good tow cars.

You might want to look at the bigger Volvo's and mercedes benz, Jaguar may have something to offer in the XJ40 format or X350.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

Neil,what ever you choose make sure it can handle the noseweight and will not burn its clutch reversing onto a pitch. It's one thing pulling a big twin but turning them in reverse up a slope is a different thing. Brian (",)

 

[Steve L]

Brian's quite right there, reverse gear in most cars is higher than first but lower than second gear for ratio. So you might find it harder to back up hill on a turn. I always try to drive onto my pitch forwards and off in the same direction. One tip is when are confident at reversing, is to not feather the clutch but to drive positively in reverse (no not excessively fast)and dip the clutch right at the end of your travel. By keeping the clutch fully engaged with the fly wheel you will reduce overheating of the clutch plate and softening of the pressure plate springs. My 8 valve Laguna has a very low engine stall speed of about 2 mph, where as a 16 valve needs about 5mph to keep running at full torque.

This does take practice and nerve, also you could do with a banks man (on looker) to keep people clear.

 

[Brian_5064770]

I have just purchased an Elddis Storm and tow with a new Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD. Wouldn't know you have a caravan on the back.Too early to report on fuel consumption.

 

[Garfield]

I have just purchased an Elddis Storm and tow with a new Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD. Wouldn't know you have a caravan on the back.Too early to report on fuel consumption.

We tow a 20' twin axle lunar 615 with a vw sharan 110 hp turbo diesel which actually has more torque and mid range pull than the 2.8 petrol, stability is excellent but power is adequate rather than good, the best option would be the 130hp 1.9 or better still the 140 hp 2.0 turbo diesels. the 2.8 petrol will give you fuel consumption when solo similar to the diesel towing at 25-30 mpg, hope you have a deep pocket if you want to tow with the petrol!!!