I am thinking of changing my tow car from a 2010 SantFe to a 2014 Volvo Xc70, I tow an Elddis Affinity 550. There is a nose weight querry with the Volvo but according to the TowCar matching service providing the van is loaded correctly it should be ok. Has anybody any experience of towing with the XC70?
Towing with Volvo XC70
- Thread starter DWSpencer
- Start date
Hi, I've had 2 XC70's and towed a Bailey Indiana (1500kg). No problems at all, superb towing car.
PaulT said:
A bold statement to make. You haven't said if all the requirements are within limits. What is your towing ratio, hitch weight, max towing limit for car, gross train weight, etc?
The XC70 towball weight is 90kg and my van is 105kg. Will this be a problem? According to thr Towsafe report it gets the green light. Its a lot of money to part with snd end up with the wtong tow car, as a solo car I am very impressed with the Volvo, just want to make sure before I psrt with my money!
Sorry but your caravan does not have a noseweight per se. the nose weight is dependant on the loading of the van plus if it is a ALCO hitch the max for them is 100kg
the above of course supposes that you are not towing a caravan in its MIRO condition
the above of course supposes that you are not towing a caravan in its MIRO condition
DWSpencer said:
105 on a 90Kg limit is illegal, and due to the multiplication of load through the dynamics of towing It can damage the tow bar/car You must never exceed the capacity of the car or caravan limit which ever is lower, in your case, the cars 90Kg.
However, the nose weight of a caravan/trailer is not a fixed unvarying thing, it changes each time you load the trailer depending on where you stow items, and it is that process you must use to trim your nose weight to bring it within the capacity of the tow vehicle or trailers hitch limit.
The caravan is like a see-saw, with its axle being the fulcrum. So to change the nose weight, move the position of some payload items forwards or backwards as appropriate.
Measuring the nose load properly is also important. The reason for this is for any given loaded trailer, if you change the height of the hitch, the nose weight will change. The law requires the nose weight to be compliant when the trailer is in its towing condition. I hope its obvious the height of the car and its hitch will change depending on whats in the car, so to be accurate it must be loaded and ready to roll with all luggage and passengers.
Find a piece of level ground big enough for the loaded coupled car and caravan in a straight line. (level means horizontal, no slopes)
Measure the vertical height of the caravan hitch above the ground, and note it.
Chock both the caravan wheels (So it cant roll or swing in either direction) and uncouple the caravan. Move the car out of the way.
Put the measuring device under the caravan hitch and Release the caravan hand brake, and raise all steadies and jockey wheel.
Now adjust measuring device keeping it vertical so the hitch sits at exactly the same height as when it was coupled to the car. and take the nose weight reading.
Its best to use a pair of bathroom scales as the measuring device, and either raise them on secure blocks (could be the caravan steps, and some magazines) so the're at the correct height, or a wooden post cut to the correct length, (but as the hitch height can vary from journey to journey depending on loading a post will not be right every time)
There is general agreement that trimming the nose weight towards the of the available range tends to maintain caravan stability. I personally suggest aim for about 90% of the range so in your case that would be about 81Kg. That leaves a margin for measurement inaccuracies, or small changes in loading arrangements, perhaps the difference between outward and homeward journeys.
The Eldis website shows the Affinity 550 as having a maximum MTPLM of 1500kgs and a maximum hitch weight of 100kgs. I used to tow a Senator Indiana with a similar weight with my XC70 and it was no trouble at all - even pulling the 'van off of muddy fields.
Dustydog said:
Good review - the 2014 models have a bit more power (?200bhp) but otherwise the same car.
Thanks for all your comments especially ProfJohnL. I found it really helpful in making my decision.
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