Towing?

[Olga]

Hi, could anybody tell me - could you tow a small caravan with a volvo 340 automatic 1.4 litre?

Thanks!

[volvodspec]

yes!, the cvt transmission can be used excellent for this. i'll have a pic up from Wouters Black Beauty in a minute

[volvodspec]

caravan_bb.jpg (82.05 KiB) Viewed 6618 times

[nvdw]

You can tow a braked trailer up to 900 kg.

[Olga]

That's brilliant, thanks again guys!

[Hell Driver]

Oh yes! 1977 1.4 variomatic towing a 1960's caravan weighing probably over a tonne !(It said 1400kgs on the tow hitch), no problem! It was later fitted with a log burning stove (the caravan not the car! ) These photos were taken in the summer of 1993 when I'd just finished college and me and a couple of mates decided to bum around Dorset for a couple of weeks or so. Those were the days

Thats not me in the photos by the way...I took them!

[macplaxton]

Hi, could anybody tell me - could you tow a small caravan with a volvo 340 automatic 1.4 litre?

Thanks!

a) Check your driving licence. Does it have just full category B or full category B+E? entitlement.
b) Check driver's handbook and chassis/VIN plate. VIN plate should have figures like:

1485kg = Maximum authorised mass
2585kg = Train weight (gives towing weight of 1100kg)
1 - 670kg = Maximum front axle weight
2 - 825kg = Maximum rear axle weight

Also there must be an unladen weight somewhere for the car, probably in the driver's handbook. Varies model to model, but should be around 1000kg, might also be in the "book of lies" There should be a recommended & maximum nose weight somewhere too.

If anyone can help further with the missing weights, please chip in.

Directgov - Vehicle weights explained
Directgov - Towing trailers or caravans with vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes

I know it's not a quick answer, but the last thing you want is a caravan 10kg over weight... VOSA aren't nice

[Olga]

Thanks macplaxton... but I'm a little confused now... I'll find all the info on my vin plate when I pick the car up tomorrow.

[Hell Driver]

Don't forget that you have to allow for the weight of the things you put in the caravan too. If you have a caravan that weighs 900kg empty, you won't be legal cos by the time you've put in your luggage, some water in the tanks, a gas bottle, food, crockery, tv, battery etc. you'll be over the weight of the car (approx 950kg). You really need to go for the lightest caravan you can with a 340 or 360. The larger engined cars are more powerfull be not that much heavier so still can't tow that much more weight.

The only problems I used to have with the 1.4 was a very hot engine in the summer due the extra work it was doing, even boiling over if the temperature outside got above 25 centigrade (I had to put the heater on to dump some heat out of the engine- not good!), and trouble maintaining more than 50mph uphill on a motorway. But then I may well have been towing too much weight so don't let that put you off!

Make sure the hoses, radiator and electric cooling fan are all functioning properly and the engine is running well (make sure you service the car properly). Tyre pressures should also be checked, brakes will also come under more pressure so make sure they are up to scratch.

As far as I can tell, the guidelines are:- the unladen weight of the caravan should be no more that 85% of the unladen weight of the car although this is not a legal requirement, so its best that assuming the car weighs 1000kg (1 tonne) the caravan should be no more than 850kg (0.85 tonnes).

I believe that cos the 300's don't display a manufacturers front and rear axle weight on the VIN plate (basically they are too old to need to and there isn't one calculated!) vosa can't do you on this if you are out, but don't quote me on that I need to check up on a few things like this cos I'm hoping to tow our caravan with a 340 1.7 next summer!

Hope this helps!

[macplaxton]

I believe that cos the 300's don't display a manufacturers front and rear axle weight on the VIN plate (basically they are too old to need to and there isn't one calculated!

Good points in your post, but they do display said axle weights on the plate, see me previous post.

Those two axles limits do add up to 10kg more than the MAM of the car at 1485kg.

[Hell Driver]

Thanks, I wasn't sure if they were there or not, thought i could be wrong, maybe it's much older cars that don't have them, I just remember reading somewhere on a caravaning web site about not all older cars displaying the weights, something to do with a certain year where they had to display them by law. Maybe it was just dud information... you can't believe everything you read on the internet

[trabitom99]

The only problems I used to have with the 1.4 was a very hot engine in the summer due the extra work it was doing, even boiling over if the temperature outside got above 25 centigrade (I had to put the heater on to dump some heat out of the engine- not good!), and trouble maintaining more than 50mph uphill on a motorway. But then I may well have been towing too much weight so don't let that put you off!

Volvo recommended fitting an extra fan when towing, IIRC it was bolted to the water pump? It looked like this:


Other than that, enjoy your caravan! A Volvo's natural realm


Cheers

Tom

[Hell Driver]

That would have been very usefull! Was that just for the older models with the fan driven off the fan belt of could it also be fitted to the later electric fan models too? I'm wondering if a second electric fan would be an idea on my 1.7 with a manual switch in case of overheating, or would this be overkill as the more power full engine should be straining less? I suppose in extreme weather 30C+ it could be good. If the engine ran hot I suppose the electric fan would come on anyway.

[volvodspec]

that fan is for the new type B14 coolant system only, it's a bolt on against the pulley and the electric fan is still able to kick in too. old type coolant system b14 models were factory equipped with a fan on the waterpump pulley and no electric fan.

[nvdw]

Love the caravan with that 1970s orange stripe