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TOW VEHICLES
Posted by Lease Cars Direct
05th July 2010 13:47
SAFE TOWING AND GOOD TOW VEHICLES
Now that summer is here more and more people are turning to holidaying in the UK, most are trying caravanning for the first time. Buying a caravan and then hooking it up to the family car while also ensuring you have those extra long wind mirrors, sounds easy enough, maybe to a complete novice it does. But to reach your destination safely, fully relaxed and the whole family still in one piece you have to take a few things into consideration. The main cause of caravanning mishaps is that the caravan is far too heavy for the vehicle, nearly all car manufacturers will state a maximum safe weight that each model can tow. It is recommended your caravan gross weight should never exceed 85% of your towing vehicles kerb weight. There is no legal weight ratio but the law does require that the car and caravan must be in a safe condition so that no danger is caused to other road users. It is a legal requirement that the nose weight (the weight exerted onto the tow ball once hitched) should be at least 25kg. There are various types of scales on the market that can be used to measure nose weight to achieve the correct weight you simply adjust your load inside the caravan back or forth over the axle to balance the weight, this applies to single axle trailers. Once hitched, plug in your towing electrics and check all lights are working, brakes stop lights, indicators , hazards, side lights, number plate lights and fog lights also check the same on your tow vehicle once connected. It is a legal requirement that if the trailer is wider than your car then you need to attach extendable mirrors to your car. The maximum total length of towing vehicle & trailer combined is 18 metres with a maximum width of 2.55 metres. Check the condition of your tyres on your car and caravan before hitching up, never use retread tyres. Radial and cross-ply tyres must never be mixed on the same axle, and different tyre pressures in either vehicle will affect your driving ability and could possibly lead to a blow out. Another good thing to check is your driving license as you must own a full driving license which will show all category types you can tow. Also check your car insurance as it will not always cover all aspects of towing. Below is a small list of vehicles and maximum tow weights available through www.leasecarsdirect.co.uk. For all lease and contract hire Vehicles with free delivery, car tax, and manufacturer warranty included contact www.leasecarsdirect.co.uk.
SMALL TO MEDIUM CARS AND MAXIMUM CARAVAN WEIGHT OF 800 KG
· Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSi DSG 7
MEDIUM TO LARGE CARS AND MAXIMUM CARAVAN WEIGHT OF 1200 KG
· Audi A4 1.8 TFSi Multitronic 2008 onwards
· Hyundai Sonata FE 2.2 CRDi R 4WD
· Skoda Octavia Combi RS 2.0 TFSi
· Volkswagen Golf Plus 1.4TSi DSG 7
LARGE AND EXECUTIVE CARS AND MAXIMUM CARAVAN WEIGHT OF 1600 KG
· Volkswagen Phaeton 3.0TDi V6
· Audi S6 Avant 5.2 FSi V10 Quattro Auto
· Audi A8 4.2 TDi Quattro Auto
· Mercedes Benz S 420 CDI V8 4.0 32v Auto
· Mercedes Benz E (w212) Estate 350 CDI 3.0 Auto
4X4 AND MAXIMUM CARAVAN WEIGHT OF 2000 KG
· Land Rover Range Rover 4.2 V8 Supercharged Auto
· Volkswagen Touareg TDi V10 Auto
· Toyota Land Cruiser V8 4.7 VVt-I Auto
· Mercedes-Benz GL-320 CDI V6 Auto
· Land Rover Discovery 2.7 Td V6 Auto
· Jeep Commander 5.7 V8 HEMI Auto
· Cadillac 8 6.2 V Auto