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With a BMW I owned a while back the bumber was 'cut' as I wanted a removable towbar.

Once 'removed' a little cover went in its place you could hardly tell.

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Bump:

Any folks on and reading this morning who can offer advice? Can I tow a 5 meter long caravan with a 2ltr VW golf??
 
I bought a caravan recently too - already had a singler electric towbar, which is useless really. You should definitely get twin electrics. to charge the battery, keep the fridge cold while travelling etc.....
 
I think your right John, I know I really should be up to speed on this sort of thing but some info just slips the mind :crazy:

I'll keep checking here through the day and see If anyone has an idea.

Hope you and yours are well.

Simon
 
Bump:

Any folks on and reading this morning who can offer advice? Can I tow a 5 meter long caravan with a 2ltr VW golf??

I'd think so - an 18ft caravan is unlikely to weigh more than 1500kg, which might be OK for the golf - but you need to look in the manual.

My golden rule - never tow anything heavier than the tow car - tail wags the dog etc
 
Bump:

Any folks on and reading this morning who can offer advice? Can I tow a 5 meter long caravan with a 2ltr VW golf??


It all comes down to relative weights .

The usual rule of thumb given to caravaners is that the MTPLW ( maximum technically permitted laden weight ) of the 'van should not exceed 85% of the kerbweight of the towcar . Experienced towcar drivers can tow up to 100% .

I'm not sure if it is actually illegal to tow above 100% , or merely inadvisable due to danger of ' the tail wagging the dog ' - in your position , JBR , I'm sure you'll be up on the relavent laws :)
 
Read the links I posted yesterday :)

You need to know the maximum braked trailer weight for the car as it's illegal to exceed that.

As a guideline the laden weight of the caravan also shouldn't exceed about 85% of the car's kerbweight. Under no circumstances go over 100%.

You also need to know the car's trailer noseweight limit in kg. For good stability the caravan should be loaded to give a noseweight of about 7% of the laden weight (so roughly 100 kg for a 1500 kg caravan). Some cars are limited to 40-50 kg noseweight ...

Finally (per the link I posted yesterday) you may have limits on what you can tow legally, based on the entitlements on your licence. Worst case you'll have to take a "B+E test" - not particularly onerous, but needs to be arranged.
 
I bought a caravan recently too - already had a singler electric towbar, which is useless really. You should definitely get twin electrics. to charge the battery, keep the fridge cold while travelling etc.....
Single electrics are OK. Battery charging when towing is minimal due to the voltage losses in the cables, and you can manage fine without the fridge powered up while towing. We take all the chilled stuff in a cool box in the car, then transfer to the caravan fridge after it's been going for an hour or two on-site (despite having full electrics).

But if you're having a towbar fitted then you might as well have twin electrics since the cost isn't a great deal more.
 
Read the links I posted yesterday :)

You need to know the maximum braked trailer weight for the car as it's illegal to exceed that.

As a guideline the laden weight of the caravan also shouldn't exceed about 85% of the car's kerbweight. Under no circumstances go over 100%.

Quite right .

However , taking my W124 estates as an example ( these being the last cars I towed anything more than a small trailer with ) , since I vaguely recall the figures : M-B quote the max braked trailer weight as 2100Kg , however , the kerb weight of the 300TE was something like 1600Kg - therefore you would not want to tow anything above the lower figure .


You also need to know the car's trailer noseweight limit in kg. For good stability the caravan should be loaded to give a noseweight of about 7% of the laden weight (so roughly 100 kg for a 1500 kg caravan). Some cars are limited to 40-50 kg noseweight ...

Finally (per the link I posted yesterday) you may have limits on what you can tow legally, based on the entitlements on your licence. Worst case you'll have to take a "B+E test" - not particularly onerous, but needs to be arranged.

In addition to the max noseweight quoted by the vehicle manufacturer , bear in mind that towbar manufacturers also quote their own weight limits , as do towball manufacturers - this can be both for noseweight and max weight of the trailer .

Where figures differ , it will always be best to use the lower figures as your limit .

The regulations can be a minefield , not only regarding weights , but also dimensions - some continental caravans are too wide to legally be towed in the UK ( unless , IIRC , by an HGV ) and there are limits on the amount by which items like towing mirrors can project beyond the width of the outfit .

Speed limits for towing vary from one type of road to another and according to the combination of towcar and trailer , besides changing from time to time .

The legislation changes year by year , so it can be quite a task staying legal .
 
Hi, best of luck with your new caravan venture - you'll either love it or hate it! Don't know why people in this country are so sniffy about caravanning - it's a wonderful get-away-from-it-all experience (IMHO) if you pick the right sites...
You don't say whether you have had any previous experience of towing, although from the sort of questions you are asking I guess not.
You definitely need to satisfy yourself that the car-caravan WEIGHT ratios are correct. Not just overall weight, but noseweight.
Towing can and should be a doddle. Everyone can do it can't they??
Well believe me, if you get it wrong it can be disastorous.
So as well as the practical aspects, give lots of thought to speed, braking, overtaking, getting out of "snakes", crosswinds, staying safe alongside juggernauts, turning tight bends, reversing, wheel stability, etc, etc.
You can pick up lots of basic tips from Practical Caravan, and even better their website Forum.
Enjoy...
 
taking my W124 estates as an example ( these being the last cars I towed anything more than a small trailer with ) , since I vaguely recall the figures : M-B quote the max braked trailer weight as 2100Kg , however , the kerb weight of the 300TE was something like 1600Kg - therefore you would not want to tow anything above the lower figure
Yup, but for some cars it's the other way round ... the trailer weight limit is lower than the kerbweight. As you say, in all cases the lower figure applies.
 

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