Towing, how does it work and how much power is needed?
Discussion
The short answer is no.
The HY van is too heavy for your car (I'm assuming it's still the Fabia), which has a towing limit of 1,000 kg. As far as I can tell, the unladen weight of the HY is 1,400 kg, with a payload of 1,200 kg, so even without any equipment on board, you'll be way over.
Were you planning to stick it on a trailer? Or use an A-Frame? Or a rope and volunteer to steer the HY?
If a trailer, you really need to be looking at a big car, van or 4x4 to pull it. For instance, the Volvo V70 has a max towing weight of 1,800 kg's, which still may not be enough if using a trailer.
If an A-Frame, you need some way of activating the brakes of the HY on the overrun. Otherwise it's not legal to use one if the vehicle being towed weighs more than 750 kg's.
If a rope, you're mad!
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but hopefully it's of some help.
The HY van is too heavy for your car (I'm assuming it's still the Fabia), which has a towing limit of 1,000 kg. As far as I can tell, the unladen weight of the HY is 1,400 kg, with a payload of 1,200 kg, so even without any equipment on board, you'll be way over.
Were you planning to stick it on a trailer? Or use an A-Frame? Or a rope and volunteer to steer the HY?
If a trailer, you really need to be looking at a big car, van or 4x4 to pull it. For instance, the Volvo V70 has a max towing weight of 1,800 kg's, which still may not be enough if using a trailer.
If an A-Frame, you need some way of activating the brakes of the HY on the overrun. Otherwise it's not legal to use one if the vehicle being towed weighs more than 750 kg's.
If a rope, you're mad!
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but hopefully it's of some help.
The Caravan Club (yes, I know but they do know alot about pulling!) recommend a max. weight of 85% of a cars max gross weight. This may be less than the stated manufacturers max. braked towing weight but it is recommended but definately do not go over the manufacturers weight.
And torque is more important than power hence why my present Alhambra TDi 130 is a better towcar (1500kg caravan) than the previous petrol V70 with 140bhp.
And torque is more important than power hence why my present Alhambra TDi 130 is a better towcar (1500kg caravan) than the previous petrol V70 with 140bhp.
When you say "tow" what exactly do you mean
do you mean on a trailer or dragging it along with a piece of rope
If recovering a short distance with a rope it will be no problem
Power means very little when towing i can shift over 3 ton of trailer and rubble with a 18Bhp lawnmower
My unimog has 80bhp and it can happily drag an lorry along
do you mean on a trailer or dragging it along with a piece of rope
If recovering a short distance with a rope it will be no problem
Power means very little when towing i can shift over 3 ton of trailer and rubble with a 18Bhp lawnmower
My unimog has 80bhp and it can happily drag an lorry along
thinfourth2 said:
When you say "tow" what exactly do you mean
do you mean on a trailer or dragging it along with a piece of rope
If recovering a short distance with a rope it will be no problem
Power means very little when towing i can shift over 3 ton of trailer and rubble with a 18Bhp lawnmower
My unimog has 80bhp and it can happily drag an lorry along
This is it- Years ago most cars had very modest power, what did folk do when towing their caravans? I have no clue here so bear with me!!do you mean on a trailer or dragging it along with a piece of rope
If recovering a short distance with a rope it will be no problem
Power means very little when towing i can shift over 3 ton of trailer and rubble with a 18Bhp lawnmower
My unimog has 80bhp and it can happily drag an lorry along
It's not the power though (well, it is to some extent), it's the relative weights.
Apart from the fact that you're likely to destroy your gearbox in the long term by dragging such a huge weight around (since it's not designed for it), if you have all that on a trailer, you are very much at risk of the old 'tail wagging the dog' situation, which doesn't take a great deal to start, and the chances of losing control of the whole lot are very high.
The reason the recommended max towing weights are 85% or thereabouts (and it's only a guideline) is for stability and safety reasons. If the trailer's as heavy or heavier than the towing vehicle, it can dominate the car if it starts 'snaking', or in a crosswind, or passing a large vehicle.
Apart from the fact that you're likely to destroy your gearbox in the long term by dragging such a huge weight around (since it's not designed for it), if you have all that on a trailer, you are very much at risk of the old 'tail wagging the dog' situation, which doesn't take a great deal to start, and the chances of losing control of the whole lot are very high.
The reason the recommended max towing weights are 85% or thereabouts (and it's only a guideline) is for stability and safety reasons. If the trailer's as heavy or heavier than the towing vehicle, it can dominate the car if it starts 'snaking', or in a crosswind, or passing a large vehicle.
A ha
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Things become clearer
assuming its now shiny and you need to move it
The cost of changing the fabia and getting a trailer it would be cheaper to get a recovery company or put something on shiply to get it moved
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Things become clearer
assuming its now shiny and you need to move it
The cost of changing the fabia and getting a trailer it would be cheaper to get a recovery company or put something on shiply to get it moved
GreatGranny said:
The Caravan Club (yes, I know but they do know alot about pulling!) recommend a max. weight of 85% of a cars max gross weight. This may be less than the stated manufacturers max. braked towing weight but it is recommended but definately do not go over the manufacturers weight.
Slightly off topic, but...Caravan Club guidelines are a 'dummys guide' to towing for people who only tow it twice a year, and are specific to caravans where size and weight and relatively proportional. e.g. towing a 2 ton caravan (probably getting on for 20' long?) is very different to towing 2 tons of sand on an 8'x4' trailer. It is perfectly safe and acceptable to tow far in excess of the tow vehicles weight IF you are within manufacturers and legal limits.
busta said:
Slightly off topic, but...
Caravan Club guidelines are a 'dummys guide' to towing for people who only tow it twice a year, and are specific to caravans where size and weight and relatively proportional. e.g. towing a 2 ton caravan (probably getting on for 20' long?) is very different to towing 2 tons of sand on an 8'x4' trailer. It is perfectly safe and acceptable to tow far in excess of the tow vehicles weight IF you are within manufacturers and legal limits.
Yes, true, and having towed in excess of 3 tonnes with a 2.2 tonne Discovery (the early model), it's prefectly feasible. Having said that, getting stability problems at 55 mph is not fun to deal with when the trailer weight is significantly more than the towing vehicle.Caravan Club guidelines are a 'dummys guide' to towing for people who only tow it twice a year, and are specific to caravans where size and weight and relatively proportional. e.g. towing a 2 ton caravan (probably getting on for 20' long?) is very different to towing 2 tons of sand on an 8'x4' trailer. It is perfectly safe and acceptable to tow far in excess of the tow vehicles weight IF you are within manufacturers and legal limits.
In the OP's case, he'd be trying to pull a big and relatively heavy vehicle with a fairly small car, that neither has the weight or torque to handle it properly. From a practical perspective, it's not ideal, nor is it terribly safe, and, in my opinion at least (for what it's worth), the risks of losing the whole lot in an accident outweigh the possible benefits.
That's excluding the simple issue of exceeding the car's towing limit by a good margin, which in itself will run the risk of endorsements.
I can understand what the OP is trying to do, and why he doesn't really want to run the risk of his new business venture failing because it's broken down on the way to site.
thinfourth2 said:
Matt UK said:
Important life rule: never hitch up to anything that weighs more than you do.
Which i ignore on a weekly basisMine weighs 2.4 tons & frequently tows 3.5 tons quite happily & have done for the past 10 years! Proper kit does the job easily & safely.
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