I'm looking to buy a small second-hand 2-berth caravan for a couple of
short holidays this summer. Nothing fancy - around 12 feet in length -
and I won't be carrying a lot of additional weight or covering any long
distances. Trouble is, I'm not sure whether either my car or my wife's
is suitable for towing.

I have a (2001) 2-litre Hyundai Coupe which, though powerful enough, is
pretty low off the ground. I understand that Witter do make a towbar
for my particular model, but I don't know whether this would be
suitable for caravanning.

My wife's car is a Peugeot 307 but only has a 1400cc engine and (I
would guess) is rather lacking in power.

Can anybody offer me any advice on this (including the legal position)
as it's not an area I'm familiar with. I'm no stranger to towing, but
the last time I had a caravan I was running a Citroen XM which was
ideal.

Do I have any options or am I going to have to spend a couple of weeks
under canvas instead?

TIA....

Nigel Lord

"Nige"  wrote in message 
news:290420081830155657%nigel@room.freeserve.co.uk...
>
> I'm looking to buy a small second-hand 2-berth caravan for a couple of
> short holidays this summer. Nothing fancy - around 12 feet in length -
> and I won't be carrying a lot of additional weight or covering any long
> distances. Trouble is, I'm not sure whether either my car or my wife's
> is suitable for towing.
>
> I have a (2001) 2-litre Hyundai Coupe which, though powerful enough, is
> pretty low off the ground. I understand that Witter do make a towbar
> for my particular model, but I don't know whether this would be
> suitable for caravanning.
>
> My wife's car is a Peugeot 307 but only has a 1400cc engine and (I
> would guess) is rather lacking in power.
>
> Can anybody offer me any advice on this (including the legal position)
> as it's not an area I'm familiar with. I'm no stranger to towing, but
> the last time I had a caravan I was running a Citroen XM which was
> ideal.
>
> Do I have any options or am I going to have to spend a couple of weeks
> under canvas instead?
>
> TIA....
>
> Nigel Lord

Check the Hyundai handbook for weights. For the first time in your life 
length is not important, its the weight that governs what you can tow. If 
its the 2002 model, then the towing weight is quoted as 1400kg.

If the weights are right, then don't worry about the towbar, for any car 
built after 1998 the towbar must be approved and must be capable of handling 
the weight of whatever the vehicle manufacturer states. The tow ball must 
also end up at the correct height for a caravan.

Cheers

D

Nige  wrote in news:290420081830155657%
nigel@room.freeserve.co.uk:

> I have a (2001) 2-litre Hyundai Coupe which, though powerful enough, is
> pretty low off the ground. I understand that Witter do make a towbar
> for my particular model, but I don't know whether this would be
> suitable for caravanning.
> 
> My wife's car is a Peugeot 307 but only has a 1400cc engine and (I
> would guess) is rather lacking in power.

http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/kerbweights.htm gives the kerbweights, 
max towing weights, noseweights, and 85% match figure for most modern cars. 
Unfortunately, it doesn't list the 2001 Hyundai Coupe, but the 2002 model 
has an 85% match of 1088 kg.

You don't say which 307, but the 2002 5-door 1.4 has an 85% match of 985 kg 
with a towing limit of 1000kg. At even 985 kg, I suspect that car will 
struggle up any serious hills.

You can get an idea of how your proposed outfit will perform from 
http://www.whattowcar.com/ (.) I tried the 2003 2.0 Coupe with a 1200 kg 
MTPLM caravan of average aerodynamics and the results looked pretty good. 
General advice is not to exceed 85% of the car's kerbweight, at which I 
suspect the car will pull superbly.

HTH,

Geoff

In article , Geoff
Lane <geoff@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> Nige  wrote in news:290420081830155657%
> nigel@room.freeserve.co.uk:
> 
> > I have a (2001) 2-litre Hyundai Coupe which, though powerful enough, is
> > pretty low off the ground. I understand that Witter do make a towbar
> > for my particular model, but I don't know whether this would be
> > suitable for caravanning.
> > 
> > My wife's car is a Peugeot 307 but only has a 1400cc engine and (I
> > would guess) is rather lacking in power.
> 
> http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/kerbweights.htm gives the kerbweights, 
> max towing weights, noseweights, and 85% match figure for most modern cars. 
> Unfortunately, it doesn't list the 2001 Hyundai Coupe, but the 2002 model 
> has an 85% match of 1088 kg.
> 
> You don't say which 307, but the 2002 5-door 1.4 has an 85% match of 985 kg 
> with a towing limit of 1000kg. At even 985 kg, I suspect that car will 
> struggle up any serious hills.
> 
> You can get an idea of how your proposed outfit will perform from 
> http://www.whattowcar.com/ (.) I tried the 2003 2.0 Coupe with a 1200 kg 
> MTPLM caravan of average aerodynamics and the results looked pretty good. 
> General advice is not to exceed 85% of the car's kerbweight, at which I 
> suspect the car will pull superbly.
> 
> HTH,
> 
> Geoff


Thanks for this, Geoff - and David for his earlier reply. I understand
that it's kerbside weight which is the most important consideration -
though it does seem a bit odd that based on the quoted figures, the 1.4
Peugeot could pull roughly the same size caravan as the 2.0 Hyundai.

A couple of things I don't understand: the data only seems to take into
consideration the length of the caravan and not the number of berths.
This surely has an impact on the total weight of the outfit, given that
more berths (potentially) means more people sat in the towing vehicle,
not to mention increased luggage, food, bedding etc.

I'm also surprised that the overall height of the towing vehicle off
the ground doesn't ever seem to be mentioned. This, again, must surely
have an effect on the aerodynamics of the outfit - and the handling of
the car.

Any thoughts?

Nigel

Nige  wrote in news:300420081224342572%
nigel@room.freeserve.co.uk:

> Thanks for this, Geoff - and David for his earlier reply. I understand 
> that it's kerbside weight which is the most important consideration - 
> though it does seem a bit odd that based on the quoted figures, the
> 1.4 Peugeot could pull roughly the same size caravan as the 2.0
> Hyundai. 

It's a combination of kerbweight, the maximum towing weight, and maximum 
train weight. You may not exeed the maximum towing weight or the maximum 
train weight because doing so is illegal. If you passed your test before 
1997, the MTPLM (max gross weight) of the caravan can exceed the 
kerbweight of your car. However, all the major clubs etc. advise that 
for inexperienced towists the actual laden weight of the caravan should 
not exceed 85% of the kerbweight of the towcar. BTW, with towing limits 
of 985 kg for the Peugeot and 1400 kg for the Hyundai (AFAICT) there's a 
huge difference in capability. However, the Hyundai is comparatively 
light, and so has a relatively low 85% match of 1088 kg. This is much 
less than the towing limit, which suggests that the Hyundai will be a 
leisurely drive at its 85% match, compared with the Peugeot whose 85% 
match value is only 15 kg less than its towing limit.

If you passed your test after 1996 and have not passed a B+E test, there 
are two other considerations. The MTPLM of the caravan must not exceed 
the unladen weight of the towcar. Also, the MAM of the combination must 
not exceed 3,500 kg.

> 
> A couple of things I don't understand: the data only seems to take
> into consideration the length of the caravan and not the number of
> berths. This surely has an impact on the total weight of the outfit,
> given that more berths (potentially) means more people sat in the
> towing vehicle, not to mention increased luggage, food, bedding etc. 

The towing limit and maximum train weight of the car usually reflect the 
maximum weight at which the car can restart up a particular incline. The 
MTPLM of the caravan usually reflects the maximum load the chassis can 
take. None of these take account of the length or number of berths. In 
each case, you have to fit the people and luggage in so that none of the 
axle loadings, MAM for the car, MTW or towing limit for the car, or 
MTPLM for the caravan are exceeded.

> 
> I'm also surprised that the overall height of the towing vehicle off
> the ground doesn't ever seem to be mentioned. This, again, must surely
> have an effect on the aerodynamics of the outfit - and the handling of
> the car.

The WhatTowCar.com matching utility takes account of aerodynamics. 
However, most caravans are roughly the same height so the front profile 
and roof type are usually the biggest factors here. That said, if you're 
thinking of a US travel-trailer, or a popup, you'll need to make mental 
adjustments to their report!

HTH,

Geoff