redline wrote:the perfect compromise would be a trailer tent or folding camper ,

Indeed! That looks ideal. Somehow I don't quite think they'd fit into my price bracket though. I'm thinking of a used 20 - 25 year old caravan - they're as cheap as chips ...

redline wrote:I wouldent tow a caravan with anything as small as a 300 volvo these days but have towed in the past with a citroen bx and a skoda 130 lse
( estelle )

I have faith in the manufacturers' claims of 1200 kg Most of the mid-sized caravans I've seen on the net seem to have about 95-1100 kg max weight ...

Tom

umm , dont want to burst your balloon Tom but I thought the kerb weight of the 360 was 1110 kg ,

those in the know ( caravan club ) recommend you do not tow more than 80% of the kerbweight which gives you a max weight for the caravan of 880 kg less whatever you carry in it ,

i.e. awning , luggage , cooking pots etc which can add up to a fair bit

Bubble burst

I need to have another look but I'm pretty sure the max towing weight of a 360 was 1200kg. I suppose the 80% rule makes sense though, as it gives you an additional safety margin.

The caravans I'd been looking at have a MAX weight of 950-1100 kg. Empty, they're obviously lighter ...

Tom

Tom's right, max towing weight is approx 1200 Kg. Mick is also right that they recommend you don't go over 80% of the kerb weight of the towcar, they do say you can goto the max weight provided you have experience.

The most important thing to do is to load the thing up right, get all the weight over the axles and distribute the rest evenly, allowing a slightly nose heavy bias of about 50-100 Kg onto the towball. Too far back or forward and you risk the thing weaving. Ooh and make sure your trailer brakes work properly, if you're towing anywhere near the maximum weight, you need those brakes

Can anybody else think of tips I've left out?

I use a blade type stabilizer when towing ,

they have a blade a bit like a leaf spring which at the caravan end slides on a nylon "shoe" and the other end has a friction plate that fits on a plate beneath the tow ball , the leaf spring reduces up and down movement between the car and caravan and the friction plate reduces side ways movement that causes swaying


its like this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Caravan-stabilize ... dZViewItem

Andy is right , heavy items over the axle , dont load higher than the caravan seat cushions and have a slight weight bias to the towbar end

Hahahhaha, caravan towing with an Estelle!!! Mick, you are a legend! Me and StevieP have spent the last fortnight looking at estelles on ebay again, happens every 12 months or so. I don't think it'll be long now

thares been a couple on retro rides recently including a rather bright yellow rapide

Another thing which sprang to mind yesterday is that the max towing weight quoted by Volvo was presumeably laid out for a brand new car, and not a 20 year old 360 who's front suspension and clutch have done more than 300.000 kms, and with front brakes which were last changed 100.000 kms ago. Something else which will have to be sorted ...

Tom

There's a bloody awesome 130 Sport on ebay at the moment.... must... not...

100,000km's without changing front brakes?!

SteveP wrote:There's a bloody awesome 130 Sport on ebay at the moment.... must... not...

just seen it ,

you must , you must

Threadjackers! But that Estelle looks 80's-tastic superb!

SteveP wrote:100,000km's without changing front brakes?!

Yup, last had the front discs and pads changed ~102000 kms ago. But I don't do much town driving ...

Tom