Towing Vehicle Weight

you can look at the legality, and /or the safety. If you have an accident and are found outside the law, at the least you are looking at the probable total loss of the boat and car-your insurance isnt going to pay up. Whats the value of those two together? Id agree that unless you happen to get caught up in a roadside stop and escort to a weighbridge (and they do happen), then if the rig looks balanced and stable, the police dont seem too troubled. Id also support the view that you should check out the towing details yourself.. often magazines and salesmen only note the maximum for that range of model;that might not be the version you have. Trailers normally should have a small angle down towards the towbar to ensure a positive weight, but do consider the distance from the towbar from the cars's rear axle, and how much clobber you have already loaded into the boot. The whole set up will drive better if in a reasonable balance. And yes, drive slowly. You have plenty of time the rest of the year for the boy racer stuff. With a boat behind, there is no need to hurry. In fact, it seems to make little difference to the journey time anyway!
One other point, if you are going to use a slipway, your vehicle also needs to be able to get the boat up and down, without eating the clutch and tyres. On a steeper ,wet slip an underweight/power car isnt going to recover a heavy rig.
 
Good Point.
When I sold my Mini to a guy in Anglesy he proposed to drive it home. If he'd wanted to become deaf for the rest of his life it may have worked but I suggested he needed to tow it. I offered to do it for him.
He hired a large Ford pick-up and a really good close-coupled car trailer. It was a doddle to load and he set off in total comfort and safety.
For the occasional trip, that is the way to go.
 
If it's only to the Brokers I'd take a chance.
Mind You on Anglesey there are a few Dimbos about. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif So maybe not a good Idea where You are.
I mean, they'l even buy Raucous Minis off Faulty Types /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Yes I read that this morning. Very helpfull.

Checked out my Touran's VTW and it's stated at 3,760kgs, car's GVW is fully loaded 2,260kgs, car's kerbside weight 1,700kgs, max recommended towing weight 1,800kgs. MacGregor says boat weighs 1,560kgs all up, trailer & o/board included.

Since I've only got to tow the boat from the marina on the Veerse Meer up to Hook of Holland (all nice and flat) and then from Harwich to Ipswich (presumably fairly flat) I shall give it ago.

ETA Ipswich 9.00am this Saturday.

Thanks for everone's input. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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Buy a landrover seiries 2 or 3 they tow 3.5 tons!Legaly why buy a VW when you can have a comfortable economic reliable Landy?

[/ QUOTE ]

ROTFL, coughs, splutters, catches breath

Yeah right!

I gotta S3 Landy and yes, it's undoubtedly a brilliant tow tractor. It's a fantastic load lugger too. And it'll legally carry 12 people (as long as they don't mind squashing up a bit)

But economic? I laughed so much that it hurt! An S2 or S3 with the 2.25 petrol is rarely going to better 20mpg and if towing a decent load will drop down to below 15mpg

And whilst the old girl would tow Everest if I could find a strong enough towrope, acceleration is best measured with an egg timer and flat out the wildlife will be overtaking you /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As for reliability it very much depends on the particular vehicle but older Landys ain't generally known for being unbreakable. The big advantage is that the spares are readily available and cheap and most work can be done with two spanners and a hammer (hmm, and an angle grinder quite often!)

A better bet for a second vehicle for towing purposes, although still v. thirsty on fuel and equally prone to breaking down (but just as easily repaired) would be a 3.5V8 Range Rover. Used to have one of them too but sold it a while back. Same 3.5t recommened max towing weight but has the guts to tow at or near the speed limit up hill and down dale (unlike my S3 which would be dragging up even the slightest incline with the HGV's piling past with even a moderate tow). Your still going to be lucky to better 15mpg though!
 
I used to have a 300 Series TDi LWB Defender and towed a Laser 16 all over Europe. Finally wrote the Landy off on a German Autobaun on the way back from Lake Garda. Locked up the brakes with a fully laden unbraked trailer and demolished the car in front. Nobody hurt, minor scratches to the boat and the Landy written off!

Was never quite sure about that, I didn't think you could write off a Landy, you just bolt new bits on! But the Insurance company gave me considerably more than I'd paid for it so I didn't mind too much. Then went off Landys
 
He He /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gifgrin:

cheers Joe
 
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gifI have a 1958 landy and i agree she dose manage 20mpg and a bit less toweing,but she will manage a steady 35mph!(60kms)towing and 50mph (crusing speed)when not.If im relaxing the speed soon gets to 70MPH! and the gear box reminds me to slow down to legal speeds!!

The benifit of the landy today is not risking a speeding fine in any contry outside Switzerland!Im shocked that i may have to pay a fine of £120 for overtakeing a car in Switzerland since the EEC changed the law and France will collect the fine???????

All the same a good landy will go for ever mine has almost 1 million kms and is origanal.Some clutch springs are broken thats all! Bet a BMW wont last as long!

And which cabrio has a canvas sun roof(to keep the sun off) while its otherwise open!even the side windows are removable.Great in summer.Also she dosent yet risk being stolen when left parked for a few months!

Last summer my girlfriend brought her to La Rochell and forgot where she parked her(she thinks the landy should go!)when i found her fully open nothing had been removed!Even the key was in the ignition.
 
France,or Elba if im staying a while she catches me up!Normaly she lives in France or Elba those are the only places im to be found normaly,2005 i went to Sweden but there it never stopped raining and its cold.

As the meds to hot in summer and crowded im hopeing thinking of canal crusing the midis really nice.

If you mean my crusiers then there not more than a 6 month coastal hop from as say maldon to southampton.A slow journey with lots of stops when lifes fine!And the mooreing free
 
We had an ex army Long wheelbase Series 3 with a canvas top when we trailed and sailed. One day, we launched the boat and the weather suddenly got far too windy for us to row back to the slipway so we had to leave the landy there (with the keys in) all night on the slipway. It was stil lthere in the morning!

As an aside, there seems to be a commonly held belief that 750 kgs is the maximum you can tow without trailer brakes. THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE! It's true that plenty of bigger vehicles can tow 750kg without brakes but a lot of ordinary cars can only tow 500kg withut brakes. The car manufacturer determines this.
 
Hope the tow goes OK.

Do the sums and get everything loose off the boat into the car adding weight to the car and taking it off the boat.

When I bought our Jeanneau Tonic the trailer was plated at 2000Kgs with trailer weight stated as 175Kgs. I was new to boating, what a lie that was. On those weights I worked out I could just about tow it with a Renault Espace.

I picked it up and it towed home and up to Windermere fine. However, all up on a weighbridge it weighed 2250Kgs and the trailer on its own 450Kgs.

I now tow with an Isuzu Trooper 3.0L but would very much like to find a non 4X4 which would tow that weight legally.
 
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