unusual towcar

[emmerson2]

Just to get away from the 4x4/LPG debate for awhile, my other car is a 1098cc Morris 1000 Traveller.We quite fancy using it as a towcar (it has a towbar), but what can we safely tow with it? I'd rather use a caravan than a folder or trailer tent. Any ideas?

 

[Lutz]

The Morris 1000 stems from the days before there was such a thing as type approval so there are no legal limits to watch. Unless there is anything quoted in the owner's manual, the only thing you've got to fall back on is the old 85% recommendation as a safe guideline. My data tells me that its kerbweight is around 825kg so the safe max. towload would be about 700kg. There are a few lightweight caravans that fall into that category but not very many.

 

[mcghee]

id be wary of towing anything with a morris 1000,the only memory i has of them is that the brake pedal didnt seem to be connected to any means of slowing the car.still love to see them in good shape though.

 

[CliveV]

The "Traveler" with all that wood - wonderful!

Very practical too.

Very good owners club -

Wish I had one.

 

[RogerL]

Be very wary about towing with a Morris Minor Traveller.

Unlike the Mini Traveller which eventually succeeded the Minor, the wood on a Minor Traveller is structural. If it's original it's probably rotten on the inside.

Although many caravans of the same era as the Minor might appear to be suitable, accuracy of caravan manufacturers' quoted weights was notoriously bad in those days. It was not uncommon for the ex-works weight (MIRO) to exceed the gross weight (MTPLM) even when new!

 

[Lutz]

Your note reminds me of a car manufacturer's slip as late as the 90's by which time type approval had already been introduced. When Mercedes brought out the W140 S-Series in 1991, some models were so heavy that they could legally only be used as a three seater. Otherwise, they would have exceeded the GVW.

 

[Guest]

Curious to know why the wood would affect towing. The Minor has 2 main chassis members under the floor. In fact the main reason the brakes have problems is that the master cylinder is located inside the offside chassis member and can be a b....r to get at. Any tow bar will be attached to the chassis members so will not pull the bodywork off. The old A series engine is not particularly powerful, but the gearing is low so provided the weight is taken into account, there should be no problem with a suitable trailer. A small pop top caravan could be an answer.

 

[RogerL]

The chassis rails only provided part of the structure, the bodywork including the wood gave the rest. The chassis rails weren't a full chassis ala Defender. In fact even with the body structure they were very weak by current monocoque standards.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

The first car I ever "drove" Morris Traveller reg number XLD500. owned by my father and piloted,very skillfully by a very small Brian (Hemel Hempstead) aged 3 or 4 sitting on his lap around a camping site. I seem to remember he spent most weekends retuning the engine and touching in the rust.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

My last post reminded me of my son when aged 3 or 4 sitting on my lap steering a Ford Maverick LWB around a site in Suffolk with a Swift 590 Conqueror twin axle on the back. That must have been the day I turned into my Dad !!!Brian.

 

[emmerson2]

Interesting stuff! thanks for all your replies. The wood is a strucural part of the traveller body,but has been replaced with new complete sides. The engine is pretty tired now, and is to be replaced with a 1300cc Marina unit.I'll probably fit the disc brakes too. I quite fancy the Ford 5speed box conversion as well, but that may have to wait for more pennies! I thought one of the smaller Freedoms might be suitable, but that would be pretty close to 100%, so it might have to be a folder. Watch this space!

 

[VIP2006]

Interesting stuff! thanks for all your replies. The wood is a strucural part of the traveller body,but has been replaced with new complete sides. The engine is pretty tired now, and is to be replaced with a 1300cc Marina unit.I'll probably fit the disc brakes too. I quite fancy the Ford 5speed box conversion as well, but that may have to wait for more pennies! I thought one of the smaller Freedoms might be suitable, but that would be pretty close to 100%, so it might have to be a folder. Watch this space!

Hi Emmerson. I can remember in the sixties when Horst a german friend of mine married an English girl (a school teacher) and came to live in the UK.

He fell in love with the Morris Oxford Traveller which was of British Racing Green Colour and a beautiful Oak Wood superstructure. The cylinder head of this lovely machine cracked and no one in the area could repair it.

Horst being an Engine fitter who had trained with Mann Engines set too and welded the crack which when finished was magnificent.

The irony of the matter that his workshop was in his garage at home and the welder caused havoc with the local residents TV reception etc. and they lobbied and hounded him until he was that fed up he took his skills etc. back to germany.