V60 D5 auto - sensible weight for caravan
 

Hello
I am looking to buy a caravan sometime in the next few months and have been looking at what layout would be best for me, the wife and the baby. We think a 5 berth traditional layout would work well, with living areas at both ends that get made up in to beds.

Looking at various manufacturers it would seem that the maximum weights range from about 1300 -1600kg.

I know that the tow limit for the car is 1800kg and the max tow ball wight limit is 90kg.

Does anyone have any experience of towing a caravan with a V60 that can offer any advice about what weight of caravan would be sensible. I'm sure there is plenty of power so it's more the stability, and stopping that I am concerned about.

I have looked on the tow match websites and a caravan of about 1400kg would be under the recommended 85% but thought it was still worth asking on here.

I did have a D5 S60 with the 215 engine and towed a 1500kgs van with no difficulty. It was a good stable tow car. It was also geartronic 6 speed box which certainly makes for relaxed towing. I would guess that the V60 would make a very good car to tow your van.

If the Volvo has a maximum permissible towing limit of 1,800kg, then that's the limit of the weight of the caravan plus everything you put in it or on it (gas tanks, mover, battery, water cans , luggage, bikes etc).

As such, any caravan with an MTPLM of 1,800kg (the maximum weight the caravan can be loaded as specified by the manufacturer) is good to go. That's providing you don't overload it! However, you could choose a caravan that weighs 1,800kg with a MTPLM of 2,000kg and tow it with nothing in it and it would be OK, though I don't recommend it.

The maximum loaded weight of the caravan is the key in choosing your caravan, not the unladen weight of the caravan (kerb weight). The MIRO (mass in running order) is what the thing weighs unloaded. So don't choose your caravan based on what it weighs with nothing in it!

I don't agree with the 85% recommendation as it is based on the loaded weight of the car and the kerb weight of the car, both unloaded. NB: Not 85% of the maximum permissible towing limit of the car that I think you have understood. My advice is to go for the actual figures available from the sticker on your car and caravan manufacturer. The 85% recommendation is too arbitrary for my liking.

To be certain of the correct maximum towing limit of your Volvo, you have to look at the sticker:

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/a...pslbwb7tud.jpg

Here you have the weight you can load the car up to (2,220kg) and the maximum gross train weight (4,020kg). Subtract one from the other gives me 1,800kg.

My caravan is a total pain because the sticker doesn't show the MIRO, so I've had to get it weighed so that I can work out how much stuff I can put in it (user payload) and not to exceed the MTPLN of 1,000kg.

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/a...pstquifm8h.jpg

Thanks for the reply.

I did understand that the 85% recommendation is calculated using the car kerb weight and maximum caravan weight.

Just looking for caravans now. I don't really want one until early next year but might as well keep looking at what is available.

Legally, you must not tow a caravan with a plated MTPLM exceeding the plated towing limit of the car. The towing limit of the car is shown on the plate on the B post. Deduct the Highest number from the second highest number and it will probably be 1800Kg in your case. These are the figures which would be used in law, or by the authorities carrying out a spot check.
Additionally you should ensure that the maximum plated train weight of your outfit (Caravan plated MTPLM + Car plated Gross weight limit) is within your driving licence group. You need B+E to exceed 3500Kg plated train weight. Your V60 will have a plated Gross weight of about 2200Kg which limits your caravan to 1300Kg MTPLM if your deriving licence is Group B only.
Your car insurance requires that you only drive vehicles within your licence groups, so this can be a further issue.

I towed a 1500kg van all over Europe with my V60 and it was easy. Very stable & power to spare.

Overall a great tow car.

Not quite correct - it's the actual weight of the caravan (or any type of trailer) that counts when it comes to assessing vehicle towing capacity. The MTPLM is the heaviest weight a caravan can be (fully loaded) - it's a technical limit. If a the Police or DVSA intend to prosecute or issue a Fixed Penalty Notice for towing excess weight - they first have to establish factually what that weight is - either the car, caravan or combination.

This is general legislation pertaining to towing, it's not specific for caravans, many HGV trailers have maximum technical weights substantially above that of the towing unit.

The DVSA do tend to deduct the maximum gross weight of the car (not always stamped but same as both axle weights added) from the Maximum Authorised Mass to arrive that the maximum towing weight by the roadside but this isn't always correct, to take proceedings they would need to check the manufacturer specified towing capacity (the calculation does work for most modern Volvo though).

Thanks for the clarification there. Are you saying that the DVSA can't take any actions if you have exceeded your MTPLM? In other words, it's just exceeding what your manufacturer recommends you not to exceed?!

I am confused over how they work out the MTPLM as I have imported an Eriba from France which has a significantly lower MTPLM to English ones. I've tried really hard to find out what the differences are to see if it's an easy modification, but I can't see a single difference. I think it's to do with you being able to go faster on the Autoroutes if your gross max train weight is under 3.5t.

Thanks for the replies.

It sounds like a caravan with a maximum weight of 1500kg will be fine.

I have got my B+E test booked for September.

Yes they can - if your gross caravan weight (itself + loading) exceeds what the manufacturer specified as a maximum then that is an offence - even if it is within the towing capacity of the car. If caught, pepending on the % of overloading, you will likely receive a non-endorseable fixed penalty notice (£60 rising to £200) but if it is considered dangerous you may be issued with a prohibition notice an reported for prosecution.

Also - any trailer (incl Caravan) manufactured 1983 or after is legally required to be plated with its maximum gross weight and individual axle weights if more than one axle - so the MTPLM should be easy to establish.

With regard to your imported caravan, that's a tricky one, suggest you go through the manufacturer to see if they will provide you with a replacement UK spec plate assuming there are no differences?