Buying caravan

[tenerifemike]

Hiya guys,

I am going to buy a small 4 berth caravan shortly and I know that there are some caravaners amongst you. I would like some advice on the following please.

1. What is the best type of towbar to buy
2. What would the price be roughly
3. Are they easy to fit
4. Is my car powerful enough to tow it. 1.8 Connoiseur SE T
5. Does anybody have one that they no longer use and are willing to sell
it.

Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks


Mike

[ragitty]

Here are the kerb weights for most makes of vehicle, if you stay at the 85% car to caravan ratio you will be able to cope ok.. hope this helps.

http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/kerbweights.htm

[tenerifemike]

Thanks Raggity.



Mike

[tenerifemike]

Sorry Ragitty


Mike

[ragitty]

that's ok just hope the info was helpful

[tenerifemike]

It is excellent information.

Thanks Lee



Mike

[Dave Goody]

Originally Posted by ragitty

Here are the kerb weights for most makes of vehicle, if you stay at the 85% car to caravan ratio you will be able to cope ok.. hope this helps.

http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/kerbweights.htm

Remember the 85% is the caravan loaded with all your camping gear +crates of wine etc. Not the kerbweight of the van unloaded

[eamon38]

Originally Posted by tenerifemike

Hiya guys,

I am going to buy a small 4 berth caravan shortly and I know that there are some caravaners amongst you. I would like some advice on the following please.

1. What is the best type of towbar to buy
2. What would the price be roughly
3. Are they easy to fit
4. Is my car powerful enough to tow it. 1.8 Connoiseur SE T
5. Does anybody have one that they no longer use and are willing to sell
it.

Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks


Mike

A "Swan neck" Tow bar will look better than most and you can get some that the Swan Neck is detachable for those cold winter months when the only thing it is good for is for hitting your shin!!
More expensive though.Why not try a local scrap yard or e-bay?
New price for any thing worth its salt will be around the £250 up mark then fitting.You need to remove the bumper and scrap the rear alloy reinforcing bar.A good tow bar will screw into the existing holes in the rear panel an a hole is then needed for wires into the boot.Not the biggest job in the world...fairly self explanatory.I would suggest you get some one to do the wiring though you need a fitted into the loom to balance the extra wiring.
I made my own tow bar and have used a few extra fixing points like the back towing eye in the center.
Watch out for tow bars that you have to cut a hole in the rear bumper to fit...looks like nothing.
The wiring for a caravan also needs a secondary plug for your fridge etc which has to be run from the engine compartment to the rear?
Depending on how far you intend to transport your caravan do you really need it? A cooler box in the back can do the trick or one that plugs into the 12v in the car?

[tenerifemike]

Thanks Dave and Eamon


Mike

[Dragrad]

Originally Posted by eamon38

A "Swan neck" Tow bar will look better than most and you can get some that the Swan Neck is detachable for those cold winter months when the only thing it is good for is for hitting your shin!!

I disagree... been using a towbar as a parking sensor for the last 30 years - works well, no electrics involved