V70 Towing capacity

[FreshAir]

I've had retractable, never again. It's a pain keeping the tow bar in decent condition. Prefer removable, they are easy to fit.

There was another thread on here recently about rear crash bars and tow bars. Some aftermarket towbars retain the bumper crash bar internals, some don't. I would suggest retaining it is the better option.

Good advice on hitch weight, this is critical, and with a mini digger very tricky to get right as a small change in position will make a big difference. Twin axle trailers are way more stable than single axle, but more difficult to manoeuvre off the car (wind hitch up high to reduce weight on front axle when off car). The hitch weight is number one thing for towing stability, not too high or too low. 90kg on a D5 from memory, 7% of trailer/load mass is ideal/guide, but tow bar max is as high as you can go.

[Andymharrison]

Originally Posted by FreshAir

I've had retractable, never again. It's a pain keeping the tow bar in decent condition. Prefer removable, they are easy to fit.

The removable can be a bit of a pain too, mine got quite difficult to remove after it was a couple of years old, I now spray inside the socket with WD40 lithium each time I fit, been like new ever since.

[apersson850]

Originally Posted by Andymharrison

If I understand those plates they are

Max permissible car load
Max permissible train load, ie Inc trailer
Front axle Max load
Rear axle Max load

So you can tow 2000kg with a fully laden car.

That's correct.
Note that there are cars where this data could imply that you can tow, say, 2100 kg, but not with the car fully loaded.
However, that's not the case for the V70. Max towing capacity is indeed 2000 kg, which in Sweden requires a license for car plus heavy trailer. That's already OK in this case.

A trailer capable of loading 1.5 tons typically weighs in at around 500 kg unladen, so that combination is the max allowed. For towing an excavator you may want a two-axis trailer with smaller wheels, to keep the height down. That could still be fine. Remember that you can tow a trailer with a max weight of, say, 3 tons, provided it's not loaded to an actual weight of more than 2 tons when towed by the V70.

The trick with removable hitches is that you alwasy do that, remove them, when they are not in use.

[simboc2004]

As a frequent tower of my caravan and a single axle Ifor Williams trailer I would say it's vital to get the nose weight right. Occasionally, when towing the car back from storage, I don't bother checking the nose weight and it can pitch a lot. Not dangerously, but certainly uncomfortably. When I adjust the balance on either trailer to 60kg nose weight it tows brilliantly. The 90kg max quoted by Volvo is just that - a max, not a target - 60 to 70 kg is a far better level. Also check what the tow hitch itself is plated at - it may have a lower limit if not an official Volvo towbar.

I have just upgraded my caravan to an Alko jockey wheel with built in nose weight gauge. That really helps, because it's so easy to check before hitching up. Remember that you ideally need to check the nose weight with the tow hitch at the same height as it sits on the car towball. I check it just before hitching up.

On my Ifor Williams trailer I use a simple compression nose weight gauge - works well. Or you can use a set of bathroom scales and a stick cut down to the right length. I recently took an upright piano to the Pyrenees in it and you'd hardly have known there was anything on the back.

[Georgeandkira]

FYI:
Go here for 1.25" receivers: https://www.curtmfg.com/all-products...railer+Hitches

Go here for 2" receivers: https://www.curtmfg.com/all-products...railer+Hitches

It's interesting to see other hardware.

[Gazdkw]

Originally Posted by simboc2004

As a frequent tower of my caravan and a single axle Ifor Williams trailer I would say it's vital to get the nose weight right. Occasionally, when towing the car back from storage, I don't bother checking the nose weight and it can pitch a lot. Not dangerously, but certainly uncomfortably. When I adjust the balance on either trailer to 60kg nose weight it tows brilliantly. The 90kg max quoted by Volvo is just that - a max, not a target - 60 to 70 kg is a far better level. Also check what the tow hitch itself is plated at - it may have a lower limit if not an official Volvo towbar.

I have just upgraded my caravan to an Alko jockey wheel with built in nose weight gauge. That really helps, because it's so easy to check before hitching up. Remember that you ideally need to check the nose weight with the tow hitch at the same height as it sits on the car towball. I check it just before hitching up.

On my Ifor Williams trailer I use a simple compression nose weight gauge - works well. Or you can use a set of bathroom scales and a stick cut down to the right length. I recently took an upright piano to the Pyrenees in it and you'd hardly have known there was anything on the back.

Interesting. We have recently changed our caravan for a much larger twin axle van. I have noticed the van is swaying the car abit, its worst if I am accelerating which I assume is because the front of my car is lifted slightly, I don't know for sure.

I am interested in looking at the nose weight but have not got a set of scales suitable. This van doesn't have a front locker box so not sure what i could do to adjust the nose weight anyway.

[apersson850]

Originally Posted by simboc2004

As a frequent tower of my caravan and a single axle Ifor Williams trailer I would say it's vital to get the nose weight right. Occasionally, when towing the car back from storage, I don't bother checking the nose weight and it can pitch a lot. Not dangerously, but certainly uncomfortably. When I adjust the balance on either trailer to 60kg nose weight it tows brilliantly. The 90kg max quoted by Volvo is just that - a max, not a target - 60 to 70 kg is a far better level.

On the contrary, I'd say it runs more stable if you exceed the allowed limit a bit rather than stay below it.
Especially with a caravan, where the air pressure on the large front area will lift the nose of the caravan when the speed increases.

Nivomat self leveling suspension is a valuable asset when towing things like my 1800 kg caravan (total length 8 meters) on one wheel axle.

[simboc2004]

But the max limit is a point at which the towbar, or its fixing bolts, may not cope with the weight. Exceeding it is really foolish...

[apersson850]

Not at all. It's very far from what it can handle. Just imagine what happens when you drive over a bump and the trailer lifts from the road jumping over it. The dynamic load on the hitch is way higher than the static load from the nose weight.
It's a value calculated to be carried well by the car's suspension. That's why it's a good idea to have Nivomat if you want to benefit from the increased stability you gain by a higher nose weight.
Especially with caravans, the high front creates a lifting momentum from the air resistance when you increase the speed, which also is the same condition that increases dynamic load on the hitch from bumps in the road.