Towing a caravan,?

Question

Hi can anyone help?
I have a 2006 Honda CRV 2.2 turbo diesel 138bhp, im thinking of buying a caravan but not quite sure what weight my car will tow the owners manual is a bit vague, any ideas please >?

Answer 1

take your car to a public weighbridge and have it weighed with a full tank of fuel and the driver, this will give you your cars accurate kerbweight. take this figure to your caravan dealer and ask what vans fall within this weight. you then need to know the payload of the van add these two figures together to get the total mass this is what the van will weigh when being towed. if your new to towing a figure of 85-90% of the cars kerbweight is ideal however with experience this can be increased to 100% but must never be exceeded otherwise the caravan will control the car. Finally add car & caravan together this figure is your train weight check this figure in your cars hanbook to make sure it isnt being exceeded happy towing

Answer 2

The main consideration is the weight of the towing vehicle. The Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravan Club recomend a towed limit of 85% oft the towing vehicle. The other is the nose weight limit of the caravan and the towing vehicle, which is the weight limit on the towbar. Don't fall into the trap of thinking it depends on the power of the car. I think you can get the noseweight and towing weight for various cars from the caravan clubs above. Many vehicles have a very optomistic towing limit, my Discovery for example can tow three and a half tone, but that is a ton more than it weighs, and is likely to give the 'tail wagging the dog effect'.

Answer 3

Normally the limiting factor is the tow bar. Typically you would look to have a tow bar that will hold two thirds the weight of the car. Once you have worked out this figure you can ask the caravan showroom the weight that will be on the tow bar from the caravan. It is theoretically possible to tow a huge caravan on a 1.1 mini but not really practical, if you are uncertain I would again ask at the caravan show room as different caravans have different construction materials.

Answer 4

You may have to clarify "caravan" for the ignorant Americans. We call them a trailer, or a camping trailer. My husband and I used to go hunting with his boss & crew. The boss owned a large 4-wheel-drive pickup truck which carried a camper. We had a small 2-wheel-drive Toyota and towed our trailer. One winter, we decided to hunt in high country. There was a lot of snow, and the boss kept asking if we were concerned about getting stuck. My husband and I were both very capable drivers, and always answered "No, we're fine." When we got to the desired location to set up camp, the roadway was blocked. The only way in was to jump a narrow, deep ditch. The boss locked in his hubs, engaging the 4-wheel-drive and his heavy truck lumbered over the ditch, tipping and tilting, and looking like it was going to end up on it's side! We made a run for it, and our little truck, with 'caravan' behind it leapt over the ditch as if it were a gazzelle! We sprayed snow all over the larger truck as we wnet by when he stopped 'to help us' - And that was only the first of many embarrassing moments for the boss and his big truck vs. our tiny truck & trailer!

Answer 5

Your maximum towed weight (the weight of your caravan) wants to be no more than 75% the weight of the towing vehicle (the weight of your car)

The towball weight maximum will be approx, 100lbs

Answer 6

I"d check with a dealer before commiting yourself. A reputable hitch shop sould have the info as well. Also, look on the hitch. The factory insalled hitch should have the tounge weight and max capacity on it. Good luck!

Answer 7

I tow a Viscount 14ft van with a 2.5 turbo ford ute and have done over 26000 k's with it ok ~~

Answer 8

limit yourself to a van not weighing any more than 1000kg and u should be ok.If possible buy a twin axle unit as it will tow far better and a blow out is far more controlable

Answer 9

two thirds the weight of the car.