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[ckz]

i had a look last night and can not find anything about it, or maybe just been to tired to find it.

but,

i would like to tow my caravan in 2 month time with the omega.
that;s one reason i bought it.

its : estate 2,5 V6 automatik

the caravan is single axle 780 kg 17 foot


anything i should look out for or anybody is towing his caravan and can tell me what its like to tow with the omega?


the whole ting is the car, the caravan and roofbox.
2 adults and 2 dogs.


Thanks

[TheBoy]

The details should be on the drivers side B post. 780kg shouldn't be a problem (though I assume that is dry and completely empty). Obviously, the burger van will need trailer brakes at that weight.

We have many pikeys on here, who say the Omega tows pikey wagons well. Our most professional pikey is probably Entwood, so I'm sure he'll give you some honest, genuine advice, without the caravan jokes

[Twintop]

More important does your license allow you to tow a caravan?

[Varche]

My two things.

Make sure the nose weight of your caravan when loaded is correct.The manufacturer of the caravan will have an ideal weight. The maximum weight on the towbar for our Omega was 75Kg and the minimum nose weight for our caravan was 75kg. We used a guage you can buy cheaply enough.

Second thing is that towing shows up weaknesses not visible before. Specifically cooling system. We never had a single time where the cooling temp went too high until we towed. A new radiator cured that.

[ckz]

More important does your license allow you to tow a caravan?

hgv class 1 and adr.
guess i can tow a little shoebox behind. lol

[ckz]

My two things.

Make sure the nose weight of your caravan when loaded is correct.The manufacturer of the caravan will have an ideal weight. The maximum weight on the towbar for our Omega was 75Kg and the minimum nose weight for our caravan was 75kg. We used a guage you can buy cheaply enough.

Second thing is that towing shows up weaknesses not visible before. Specifically cooling system. We never had a single time where the cooling temp went too high until we towed. A new radiator cured that.

thats advise.
thanks.
the volvo did this too.
no probs with any other cars.lol

[Twintop]

Thats cool 

[Andy B]

More important does your license allow you to tow a caravan?

All licences allow you to tow a caravan .... the only difference is the max combined weight .... depending on whe  you passed your test

[Entwood]

Some very good advice above regarding noseweights and cooling required... I tow a 1600Kg caravan and IMHO the Omega is easily the best towcar I have owned, and in 30 years of caravaning I've had a few !!

The Omega is stable, has plenty of power, good visibility, and, again just IMHO, one of the most important aspects ... excellent brakes !! (no point in pulling a van if you can't stop!!). It is also very comfortable when towing down to the South of France ...   

As with all aspects of owning a Omega .. good servicing, and a "mechanical affinity" to what you are doing just makes life easy.

Present 'van



Previous 'van



OOF admins sat in a 'van  (so they can't deny their interest!!) 

[joshwyatt]

Nige, your last picture is probably the best I've seen in a long time.

I'm glad to see Jaime is clearly taking a great interest in reading the brochure for your fine van!

A few towing weight examples for the Omega
Maximum towing weights for a braked trailer;

2.2 GLS manual saloon - 1700kg
2.2 GLS manual estate - 1650kg
The above weights stay the same for all 2.2 petrol models, regardless of GLS, CD, CDX or Sport derivative

All 2.2 DTI's whether saloon or estate are capable of 1700kg

All 2.6 manual saloons are capable of 1850kg
2.6 manual estates are 1750kg
2.6 auto saloons are capable of 1750kg
2.6 auto estates are capable of 1650kg

All 3.2 automatic's, estate or saloon, MV6 or Elite are rated at 1875kg

[Vamps]

The Omega is a very capable car to tow a caravan, we towed a twin axle caravan with ease with a 2.oL Manual Select Estate..........   Cannot think of the model but was a 6 birth that we px for a static...........

[hercules]

at the time I had my 2.5 v6 omega I could of pulled any twin axle on the market but i wouldn't of,you need to be on top of it ie car heavier than the van and the van to be towed under the allowable weight to be towed otherwise whos leading who its only experience that allows safe units of matched weights at the allowed figures but pulling a 780kg van on the back of your omega you wont even know its there  I didn't 

safety wise just make sure the tyres are in good condition and at correct pressure and without getting too involved brakes work which I don't know if van is serviced but in my line of work its rare to find brakes so bad that they don't work to some degree and that the van is loaded correctly(there is plenty of advice online)and I think a must these days is a stabilising hitch head or at least a leaf sprung type with friction plate.what van have you got and what age ?

[ckz]

5 berth 98 van.
towed it with the v70, pajero and the v40.
so actually should be ok to tow with the omega.
my question was more related to any issues the omegas may have.

the v70 needed a extra gearbox cooler for towing long distance.
it was a 2,4 v5 v70 petrol autobox estate
the pajero didnt need anything
the v40 had spring assistors on tgerear with having sports suspension

[Entwood]

Both my omegas were purchased with much towing planned .. so both Elites with self levelling suspension, IMHO this is what makes the omega such an excellent towcar from the stability point of view... the car/van unit just "sits" right .. nice and level regardless of what I stick in the boot !!! (The van is always loaded the same to ensure the noseweight is right)

Extra transmission cooler not required .. the built in one is more than capable.

[Nick W]

safety wise just make sure the tyres are in good condition and at correct pressure and without getting too involved brakes work which I don't know if van is serviced but in my line of work its rare to find brakes so bad that they don't work to some degree and that the van is loaded correctly

This is essential advice for any trailer; I've recovered far too much wreckage that could have been avoided by following such advice. Trailers rarely do the mileage to wear out tyres, but they do need careful and critical inspection for age related problems. Brakes and hub bearings should be checked frequently as it's not unusual for trailer incidents be caused by missing wheels. This is particularly true of boat trailers. All of this is cheap compared to a written-off tow combination.