towing weight (unbraked)

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by rrobson

As stated though, those with little or no towing experience the caravan should weigh a max 85% of car but don't forget, driver + passenger + luggage will be in the region of 1700kg so a caravan upto 1445kg will be OK.

It is the unladen weight which is used for the calculation of the 85%.

[Coups]

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

No mention of any 85%...... Where’s that come from? I know the laws around what you can tow was simplified some years ago and wonder if this talk of kerbweights and 85% of something predates that.


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[rrobson]

Originally Posted by RPWC

There is some confusion over towing capacity and kerbweight Reece, I dont know wny, but I have been told that you can only go on the kerbweight of the towing vehicle.

It always generates some disagreement and confusion this conversation
Not helped by all the grey areas.

The 85% is advice from caravan fraternities who recommend this for safety and stability. Those who are inexperienced in towing may have issues if the trailer weighs as much as the tow car.

As for car kerb weight dictating towing capacity, the rated towing capacity is simply that. If a car weighs 1600kg and had a towing capacity of 2000kg then it can tow up to its limit even if the car weighs less than its trailer. Greater care must be taken when towing though.

Take my Nissan terrano for example.
Kerb weight is something like 1900kg
Towing capacity is 3000kg
Gross train weight is about 5600kg

So even though it can tow 3000kg, the most it can weigh is 2600kg. Think about range rovers and the likes. They probably weigh in the reigon of 3000kg fully laden but can tow 3500kg.
Those who don't have the b+e part of their license must stay below the 3500kg limit and must go off the maximum plated weights. For a 75 the most it can tow on a b licence is around 1500kg engine dependant

[Coups]

Originally Posted by rrobson

It always generates some disagreement and confusion this conversation

Not helped by all the grey areas.



The 85% is advice from caravan fraternities who recommend this for safety and stability. Those who are inexperienced in towing may have issues if the trailer weighs as much as the tow car.



As for car kerb weight dictating towing capacity, the rated towing capacity is simply that. If a car weighs 1600kg and had a towing capacity of 2000kg then it can tow up to its limit even if the car weighs less than its trailer. Greater care must be taken when towing though.



Take my Nissan terrano for example.

Kerb weight is something like 1900kg

Towing capacity is 3000kg

Gross train weight is about 5600kg



So even though it can tow 3000kg, the most it can weigh is 2600kg. Think about range rovers and the likes. They probably weigh in the reigon of 3000kg fully laden but can tow 3500kg.

Those who don't have the b+e part of their license must stay below the 3500kg limit and must go off the maximum plated weights. For a 75 the most it can tow on a b licence is around 1500kg engine dependant

Now that is the clearest and most concise way I have seen this explained. The law seems quite clear and simple yet there’s all this other stuff people talk about 85%, presume that’s the trailer shouldn’t weigh more than 85% of the gvw of the tow vehicle and/or the trailer not weighing more than the tow car confusion. I now see! I don’t even have a tow bar😁


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[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by Coups

Now that is the clearest and most concise way I have seen this explained. The law seems quite clear and simple yet there’s all this other stuff people talk about 85%, presume that’s the trailer shouldn’t weigh more than 85% of the gvw of the tow vehicle and/or the trailer not weighing more than the tow car confusion.

NO - STILL WRONG!

It is 85% of the kerbweight, what the vehicle weighs before any people or loads are added. Sensible really, because the vehicle on the road might just have one person in it and an empty boot - or the vehicle might be loaded up to its GVW.

[lady zed]

What does towing capacity mean?
Most cars have a maximum weight that they can tow safely and legally.
The first thing to do is make sure that what you wish to tow doesn’t exceed the trailer's own maximum authorised mass or the car's maximum towing capacity; both figures should be easy to find in the drivers manual.
There are usually two maximum towing weights that will be specified: a braked trailer weight and an unbraked one. It’s important to note that if the trailer weight is more than 750kg or over half the car’s kerb weight (this is the weight of the car without people or luggage inside and should be listed in the manual), the trailer must be fitted with brakes.
The second important thing to point out is the maximum capacity will also include the weight of the trailer/caravan/horesbox itself, so you’ll need to add that into the equation when thinking about how much weight you can transport.
You can buy towing scales which will measure the total weight for you and it’s equally important to ensure the load is spread evenly to avoid overloading a particular tyre.
I want to tow a caravan for the next family holiday

The weight of caravans can vary but generally speaking a car that can tow 2,000kg and above will do the job. Examples include the Mitsubishi Outlander, BMW 5 Series Touring and Kia Sportage.
For larger twin-axle caravans, larger 4x4s or pick-ups will be up for the task. Examples of these include the Land Rover Discovery (3,500kg braked towing weight), Volvo XC90 (2,700kg) and Ford Ranger (3,350kg).
Remember to factor in your luggage into the total weight. If you’re planning on transporting six full suitcases with a couple of kitchen sinks then it may push you over the maximum towing capacity for your car.

[Coups]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

NO - STILL WRONG!

It is 85% of the kerbweight, what the vehicle weighs before any people or loads are added. Sensible really, because the vehicle on the road might just have one person in it and an empty boot - or the vehicle might be loaded up to its GVW.

Right then Harry. So, without a handy weighbridge to get your kerbweight how do you work out your 85%? This confusing nonsense is precisely why the law was simplified to work by trainweight and maximum towing capacity. This 85% grey fluffy stuff is someone’s ‘helpful advice’. Let’s just stick to how the law is then it saves folks getting tied up in guesswork.




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[bikerdude666]

Originally Posted by Coups

Right then Harry. So, without a handy weighbridge to get your kerbweight how do you work out your 85%? This confusing nonsense is precisely why the law was simplified to work by trainweight and maximum towing capacity. This 85% grey fluffy stuff is someone’s ‘helpful advice’. Let’s just stick to how the law is then it saves folks getting tied up in guesswork.




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You can easily find the kerbweight online, from memory a ZT CDTi saloon is 1545kg.

However, I'd never towed before last June, and bought a caravan that was only 10kg lighter than the car, so pretty much 100%, and towed it without issue. Our new 'van comes out at around 93%.

[Coups]

Originally Posted by bikerdude666

You can easily find the kerbweight online, from memory a ZT CDTi saloon is 1545kg.



However, I'd never towed before last June, and bought a caravan that was only 10kg lighter than the car, so pretty much 100%, and towed it without issue. Our new 'van comes out at around 93%.

Finding an unladen kerbweight is easy. It’s in your handbook. It’s the kerbweight when you’ve chucked in your holiday togs, egg mayo sarnies and the dogs extra blanket and all the other guff that goes with a trip. That’s when a kerbweight becomes guesswork.


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[RPWC]

Originally Posted by lady zed

What does towing capacity mean?
Most cars have a maximum weight that they can tow safely and legally.
The first thing to do is make sure that what you wish to tow doesn’t exceed the trailer's own maximum authorised mass or the car's maximum towing capacity; both figures should be easy to find in the drivers manual.
There are usually two maximum towing weights that will be specified: a braked trailer weight and an unbraked one. It’s important to note that if the trailer weight is more than 750kg or over half the car’s kerb weight (this is the weight of the car without people or luggage inside and should be listed in the manual), the trailer must be fitted with brakes.
The second important thing to point out is the maximum capacity will also include the weight of the trailer/caravan/horesbox itself, so you’ll need to add that into the equation when thinking about how much weight you can transport.
You can buy towing scales which will measure the total weight for you and it’s equally important to ensure the load is spread evenly to avoid overloading a particular tyre.
I want to tow a caravan for the next family holiday

The weight of caravans can vary but generally speaking a car that can tow 2,000kg and above will do the job. Examples include the Mitsubishi Outlander, BMW 5 Series Touring and Kia Sportage.
For larger twin-axle caravans, larger 4x4s or pick-ups will be up for the task. Examples of these include the Land Rover Discovery (3,500kg braked towing weight), Volvo XC90 (2,700kg) and Ford Ranger (3,350kg).
Remember to factor in your luggage into the total weight. If you’re planning on transporting six full suitcases with a couple of kitchen sinks then it may push you over the maximum towing capacity for your car.

There are also 2 weights to take into consideration Anna re the trailer Anna, the EMPTY weight, as it comes from the factory, minus gas bottle, battery and accesories such as mover, water containers,awning etc. Then the LADEN weight, including all the above, plus food, clothing ,kitchen utensils and cooking utensils. The caravan will have the weights on a plate next to the bottom of the door, outside , giving the amount it can legally be loaded with.