What car to tow

[robbiepack]

We have purchased a Bailey Unicorn Vigo and now are looking to change our car to buy a car to tow it-We would like to hear from anyone who currently tows this caravan and what car they tow with and what their opinion is pros and cons

 

[Raywood]

Basically if this is your first caravan I would be looking at something that gives you a towing ratio of about 85% using the cars kerb weight and the MTPLM of the caravan if possible. You will also need to check your licence, if this is only C category you are limited to a gross train weight of 3,500kg. If you passed your test before 1997 you should have C+E which allows you to tow at higher weights. You can take the additional test to get C+E but it can be costly.
Look at http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/choosing-a-vehicle/choosing-a-towcar for more advice on this subject.

 

[Martin24]

Raywood, do you mean B+E?

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

If the van has an MTPLM of 1500 kg, and you are a new tugger, then you are looking for a tow car that has a kerb weight of at least 1765 kg. Which puts the train weight at 3265 kg ie within normal licence.

 

[Raywood]

Raywood, do you mean B+E?

Yes sorry typing error.

 

[SamandRose]

Woodlands Camper - that's not my understanding. To tow with a B licence the maximum authorised mass of both the car and the trailer has to be 3500kg or lower - not the kerb weight of the car and the MTPLM of the trailer. Most cars will have a payload of about 600kg above the kerb weight (i.e. about 2365kg) meaning that you couldn't tow 1500kg on a Category B licence.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

You are right, I wasn't thinking. 🙁

 

[Hutch]

[/list]

If the van has an MTPLM of 1500 kg, and you are a new tugger, then you are looking for a tow car that has a kerb weight of at least 1765 kg. Which puts the train weight at 3265 kg ie within normal licence.

WC is correct, but the payload of the car would only be 235 kg.

 

[travellerone]

The replies tells you what an absolute mess the laws and regulations about towing are in. Why do the government not get the CC or similar to draft a simplified proposal and update them. The modern cars of day have so many safety features that legislation that is only five years old is out of date.

 

[AdifferentJim]

I had a Unicorn Valencia last year. Pretty much the same 'van but the bed placed 90deg around. I towed it with a Volvo V60 d5 automatic. Solid as a rock through France to Spain and back and South Wales to Cornwall a few times.

I had a Volvo V70 before and that was even better

 

[ProfJohnL]

The replies tells you what an absolute mess the laws and regulations about towing are in. Why do the government not get the CC or similar to draft a simplified proposal and update them. The modern cars of day have so many safety features that legislation that is only five years old is out of date.

I have to disagree with you. Caravans are not a special case or deserving of separate legislation, they are as far as the road traffic act is concerned a trailer, and the legislation is unusually very logical about how towing has to be managed.

Most of the confusion arises becasue during the formative years of motoring and towing, different companies adopted different ways of expressing the same information, that is why we have so many different acronyms often for teh same criteria, for example MAM (EU Standardised criteria) = GVW = GVM = MVW = MVM.

Where the law could be changed would be to make all manufactures adopt the same acronyms,

For the record the CC and other caravan industry organisations continue to perpetuate the 85% guidance which has no basis in law, offers no guarantees of safety or legality, and in some cases cannot even be applied to some vehicles. It does not reflect changes in vehicle design and safety, It uses kerbweight, which is not an official vehicle criteria so if they can't even get that right, So I wouldn't trust them to look at producing a legal document. 😱hmy:

 

[Raywood]

As I understand it it is the actual weight of the combination in this country but not in some countries abroad. The CC web site gives their view http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/1022874/drivers-licences-mo.pdf

 

[ProfJohnL]

As I understand it it is the actual weight of the combination in this country but not in some countries abroad. The CC web site gives their view http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/1022874/drivers-licences-mo.pdf

Hello Ray,
I'm not clear as to the point you are trying to make here, can you clarify please?

 

[Raywood]

I believe the authorities may look at the potential gross train weight when viewing a car and caravan so you need to check this point before traveling. The cars gross train weight is also used to calculate speed limits when in France, so the last time we were there we were limited to the lower ones despite the maximum weights of the car and caravan totaling under 3,500kg because the car had a gross train weight over this even if I could not legally reach it with that caravan.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I believe the authorities may look at the potential gross train weight when viewing a car and caravan so you need to check this point before traveling. The cars gross train weight is also used to calculate speed limits when in France, so the last time we were there we were limited to the lower ones despite the maximum weights of the car and caravan totaling under 3,500kg because the car had a gross train weight over this even if I could not legally reach it with that caravan.

Hello Ray

What you have described sound familiar but as I have never studied continental driving regs I can't pass an informed comment. But it makes logical sense, as if you are stopped for speeding, it is a simple calculation based on teh data plates on the vehicles rather than hauling you off to a weighbridge to see if your over or under the magic threshold.

That is certainly the way it occurs in the UK that different groups of vehicles have different speed limits principally determined by their MAM . MAM is also the principal criteria used to determine if a driver has the correct licence for the vehicle they are driving.

However when it comes to confirming overloading, the criteria is measured weights or loads that are compared to the limiting criteria such as axle loads and MAM's etc.

Just as an aside, dangerous loading does not have to be an overload, so even within weight limits a driver can be accused of dangerous loading.