caravan

[Mike]

to any caravan experts (doug etc.) we (wife and i ) are thinking of getting a caravan (after the tent nearly blown away on our last trip) , a small 4 berth but i was wondering if my car would pull it. it's an astra 1.7 dti 110bhp, i know ideally i could do with a 4wd but the wife won't drive anything bigger than we have. i don't plan on going up big hillls to burn the clutch out and won't be away every wknd. is there any requirements of the car being bigger/heavier than the caravan? i know that caravans vary in size and we don't need a large 4 berth as the kids are small and we'll probably have an awning with it. cheers

 

[Stewart]

to any caravan experts (doug etc.) we (wife and i ) are thinking of getting a caravan (after the tent nearly blown away on our last trip) , a small 4 berth but i was wondering if my car would pull it. it's an astra 1.7 dti 110bhp, i know ideally i could do with a 4wd but the wife won't drive anything bigger than we have. i don't plan on going up big hillls to burn the clutch out and won't be away every wknd. is there any requirements of the car being bigger/heavier than the caravan? i know that caravans vary in size and we don't need a large 4 berth as the kids are small and we'll probably have an awning with it. cheers

It will tell you in the manual what the maximum towing weight will be, but it's never just the caravan You have to take into account all the gear you need to take too, plus the passengers....

 

[Andy Allen]

dougs a pikey now, he'll have all the answer for you..

 

[doug boardley]

I'm pretty certain that your car will pull a standard 4 berth Mike, I think that the trick is to put as much in the car for the trip as you can.

 

[Dan]

oOOoo more caravaners!

I can see a little club starting here. haha

 

[doug boardley]

but as already mentioned, your astra manual should tell you the towing weight. We have a 1.9cdi megane, but I don't think it'd be suitable for pulling that 'van of ours as megane would be too light.

 

[Mike]

you need that 4wd for yours doug! some of the caravans i've looked at are around the ton mark (weight) probably the same as the car so i guess i should be ok as long as i dont go over that (but i will check the manual, thanks stew). i got my class 1 lgv so i'm no stranger to towing a trailer so that side of it won't be a problem, cheers guys

 

[chrisroe]

i think it will be fine

We are taking ours away soon as at the moment its cost us £1500 a night to stay in it

 

[doug boardley]

you need that 4wd for yours doug! some of the caravans i've looked at are around the ton mark (weight) probably the same as the car so i guess i should be ok as long as i dont go over that (but i will check the manual, thanks stew). i got my class 1 lgv so i'm no stranger to towing a trailer so that side of it won't be a problem, cheers guys

this little thing Mike????? lol

 

[Mike]

yeah, i remember that pic doug. i hope you got a tacho fitted :lol:

 

[White Room]

i think it will be fine

We are taking ours away soon as at the moment its cost us £1500 a night to stay in it

What:yikes:

 

[doug boardley]

i think it will be fine

We are taking ours away soon as at the moment its cost us £1500 a night to stay in it

got ours down to about £100 a night now, must've had 40 nights in it so far this year:smilewinkgrin::smilewinkgrin:

 

[Mike]

i think it will be fine

We are taking ours away soon as at the moment its cost us £1500 a night to stay in it

i don't think you've used yours much chris unless it's a real expensive van

 

[doug boardley]

Found this Mike

Frequently asked questions - The Camping and Caravanning Club

The 85% recommendation is based on achieving a safe and stable match and is therefore often, but not always less than the manufacturer's towing limit. This towing limit is not set by issues of stability, simply by the car’s physical capability. In an ideal world, with perfectly surfaced roads, no crosswinds, air turbulence from speeding HGVs etc, then this limit could be used for matching purposes.

What the towing limit does give is an indication of the pulling power of the car. Ideally, the weight of caravan should be below the towing limit by a reasonable margin – and more so when using an automatic car.

 

[Mike]

i went on a site and matched the car up with a couple of vans for sale on ebay, the vans between 1000kg and 1400 are fine but when the weight is near 1500 (same as the car) it fails the compatibility test so i'll have to find one around the 1000 to 1200 mark to be safe

 

[Deleted member 9966]

Mike

www.parkers.co.uk will tell you the braked and unbraked towing weights of any vehicle (click on Reviews and search for your make/model), so should give you a nice idea about how heavy a van you can tow. your astra will be perfectly capable of towing a van, but like you say, it's finding one that is the right size for the family and the right weight for the car. good luck.

I've just checked my petrol Volvo S40 will only tow up to 1200, but hubby's 1.9cdti vectra will tow up to 1500. I want to get a cheapy van for next year so we can take Baby GRR to the British Grand Prix

 

[Mike]

i bought a van today off ebay, here's a link for you to see, any tips welcome. all my camping gear is now for sale , camp kichen, cooker, hook up electric fridge etc and box trailer. p.m. if interested abi ace caravan 4 berth | eBay

 

[Stewart]

That's a nice looking van you've bought there. Where's your first trip away going to be? And you do know your only aloud on the roads between 2 and 6 am.....(;0)

 

[Mike]

i ain't had it yet stew, i'm off to preston on friday so i'll pick it up on the way home, it's about 80 miles away. we're off to spain next week so we're planning a trip mid august. i got to put a towbar on the car before then, i'm picking it up with my van on saturday

 

[doug boardley]

very nice Mike, you'll get years of pleasure out of it:hurray::hurray:

 

[Mike]

thanks doug, i'm excited now, can't wait to get it :hurray:

 

[Deleted member 9966]

i bought a van today off ebay, here's a link for you to see, any tips welcome. all my camping gear is now for sale , camp kichen, cooker, hook up electric fridge etc and box trailer. p.m. if interested abi ace caravan 4 berth | eBay

Mike

are you putting up a list of your camping gear? I'm in the market for an electric hook up lead and leccy fridge for the tent.

 

[Mike]

Mike

are you putting up a list of your camping gear? I'm in the market for an electric hook up lead and leccy fridge for the tent.

i do have both but i'm going to put everything for sale as a job lot. i have the tent, cooker, camp kitchen, fold up storage cupboard, drainer, hook up , electric fridge, air beds, picnic bench and small erdi box trailer, i think if i split them i won't get as much or may get lumbered with some items. thanks anyway

 

[Deleted member 9966]

thanks for letting me know Mike. if you don't get any joy selling as a bundle, let me know if you'll split the hook up and fridge

 

[Mike]

will do, thanks again

 

[doug boardley]

Liz, pm me your address, if you cover postage I'll give you our hook-up lead, it's an extra long one with a four gang socket on the end.

 

[Mike]

here's my gear, for sale on ebay now, anyone interested, tf discount of course :lol: full set of camping equipment and trailer | eBay