towing a twin axle with a zt-t cdti

[ashleywood.ash]

I could next week be buying a Lunar twin axle caravan.

It is 25 foot long and weighs 1180kg empty and 1500kg fully loaded.

I will be looking to tow the van with my ZT-T 135 cdti. I will have the van close to empty whenever I tow so it will be around 1250kg when I tow it.

I know this is quite light for a twin axle. does anyone tow a van of this size with a ZT, how does the power and suspension hold out. I would have thought with being a twin axle the nose weight is less harsh, but was concerned about the 'bounce' due to the stiffness of the ZT suspension.

[PEPPER953]

HI ash
I would of thought you might get more joy on the caravan club
forum as to the answer to the query
But i will stand to be shot down :0

[Robson Rover Repair]

Perfect combo, the car will know its there, low 30mpg but otherwise will go along nicely, especially if an auto.

[actros]

I could next week be buying a Lunar twin axle caravan.

It is 25 foot long and weighs 1180kg empty and 1500kg fully loaded.

I will be looking to tow the van with my ZT-T 135 cdti. I will have the van close to empty whenever I tow so it will be around 1250kg when I tow it.

I know this is quite light for a twin axle. does anyone tow a van of this size with a ZT, how does the power and suspension hold out. I would have thought with being a twin axle the nose weight is less harsh, but was concerned about the 'bounce' due to the stiffness of the ZT suspension.You should have no probs with it at that weight i tow mine and it comes in at about 1300kg. better with an auto if you have one.

[windrush]

No problems I tow my Senator Indiana at 1500kgs all though a single axle

[ashleywood.ash]

Good stuff.

the actual max loaded weight of the van is 1600kg. I have spoken to lunar who are going to change the plate to 1400kg which with an unloaded weight of 1180kg gives me enough for what I want easily.

the 1400kg helps me keep in line with the law as I dont have grandad rights.

unloaded weight of the car 1585kg is greater than the max loaded weight of the van at 1400kg

and the max loaded weight of the car 2090kg plus the max loaded weight of the van 1400kg = 3490kg which is just under the legal 3500kg limit :D

[monsterness]

i moved mt friends LMC at nearly 2 ton with my 75 tourer diesel did not even know she was there except for the width i , know its not legal to tow 1 with out a commercial / van / ttruck but i only moved it 23 miles from 1 site to an other but as i say no problems

[DennisA]

I think you will find that the maxm allowable load the car can actuall tow is not to do with the car weight, this is only advisory and recommended at 85% by Caravan Club etc., but by the makers maxm towing limit with brakes which for your car should be 1600kgs.

I have a 1450kg Sterling Europa, single axle, which I towed with my previous R75 CDT auto saloon and had no problems. Although I do intend to uprate the rear suspention on my present R75 CDTi auto with something like the Mad additional internal spring set up as I do find, being a saloon, it can tends to wallow a bit over bumps due to the long boot overhang.

I also have a 1995 2.8TD Pajero auto which I tow with, I often forget the van is behind me with the Jap tank and it can take everything SWMBO wants to pack in, including the kitchen sink, but it is an expensive luxury with road tax and insurance going rediculously high, so I am having a rethink and have the R75 all set up with tow bar ect. just in case!

Brgds Dennis.

[staffyman]

i tried to find out if mg ztt was ok with senetor 6 carolina but a lot of the comparason sites dont list mg or rovers one that did wanted paying to tell you if it was a safe match,so instead of ruining the poor ztt ill just use the navara,i think the rules have relaxed on the wider caravans from germany like lmc,tabert,hobby as they were getting so popular and to keep the eu happy

[ashleywood.ash]

what you are talking about is recommended car to caravan load weights, what I am talking about is the laws for anyone who passed their test after feb '97 and hasnt done the trailer course.
in short these laws are the unloaded weight of the car must be heavier than the max loaded weight of the van, and the max loaded weight of the car + the max loaded weight of the van cannot exceed 3500kg. Hence my comments.
(also cant tow more than max allowed tow weight which is 1600kg on my car)

I think you will find that the maxm allowable load the car can actuall tow is not to do with the car weight, this is only advisory and recommended at 85% by Caravan Club etc., but by the makers maxm towing limit with brakes which for your car should be 1600kgs.

I have a 1450kg Sterling Europa, single axle, which I towed with my previous R75 CDT auto saloon and had no problems. Although I do intend to uprate the rear suspention on my present R75 CDTi auto with something like the Mad additional internal spring set up as I do find, being a saloon, it can tends to wallow a bit over bumps due to the long boot overhang.

I also have a 1995 2.8TD Pajero auto which I tow with, I often forget the van is behind me with the Jap tank and it can take everything SWMBO wants to pack in, including the kitchen sink, but it is an expensive luxury with road tax and insurance going rediculously high, so I am having a rethink and have the R75 all set up with tow bar ect. just in case!

Brgds Dennis.

[DennisA]

Understand your problem but according to my info the unladen weight of a CDTi ZT-T is Manual 1585-1670Kgs and Auto 1620 - 1705Kgs. (from my 12/2003 handbook).

The actual weight of your car between these parameters depends on the spec and options fitted, but even if you go for the lowest unladen weight figure 1585kgs you car is still above the 1500kg weight of the loaded caravan and if you take the highest figure 1705Kgs and add the 1500kg loaded caravan at 3205kgs it is still below the maxm gross train weight of 3500kgs - so cannot see the problem?

The over-riding factor for everyone no matter when they passed their test is any Rover 75 CDTi cannot tow more than 1600kgs braked!

I have been driving since 1964 so do not have this problem, but will need to have the human version of an MOT in a couple years to see if I am fit for the road?

Brgds Dennis

[DennisA]

Should have added one more thing, I am almost certain that it is what is on the labels and the various makers instructions that count in the eyes of the law, NOT what you put or do not put in the caravan or car. i.e getting heavier car still does not mean you can overload your caravan - although after seeing some of the contraptions coming of the Dublin ferry at Holyhead when I was working as an engineer onboard makes one wonder why we bother as they seem to get away with huge garden sheds strapped to angle bar and drove straight past the officals on into the North Wales hinterland?

Brgds Dennis

[mikey_32]

I used to tow our 26ft twin axle (1600kgs) behind my Rover before I sold it, the car towed really well, the only thing I would say though is I have always found an unladen caravan to be unstable compared to a laden one, so maybe just carefull loading close to around the 1500kgs and I'd have thought you'd have a perfectly stable tow.

[ashleywood.ash]

you cant alter weights of the car or the minimum weight of the caravan, but you can alter the max load weight of the caravan providing you have the plate correctly altered as this is the only info police and VOSA go from.

Should have added one more thing, I am almost certain that it is what is on the labels and the various makers instructions that count in the eyes of the law, NOT what you put or do not put in the caravan or car. i.e getting heavier car still does not mean you can overload your caravan - although after seeing some of the contraptions coming of the Dublin ferry at Holyhead when I was working as an engineer onboard makes one wonder why we bother as they seem to get away with huge garden sheds strapped to angle bar and drove straight past the officals on into the North Wales hinterland?

Brgds Dennis