Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[willyboy]

Try this link m8 gives you pretty much all you need to know fact wise regarding towing with many cars  Omegas in 4 * 5* bracket !!

Just fill in the car/caravan details

http://www.whattowcar.com/index.php

[omegaman2]

i tow my caravan with mt 2.2dti and its effertless while returning 27-30mpg

[Martin_1962]

I can notice the difference between stabiliser and not - caravan feels more under control and less effected by side winds

[shyboy]

Hi guys and gals. Been away for a while.
The Miggy makes a great tow car but reliability really depends on your maintenance activity, whether you tow or not.
My 2.0l was good but was aware of long motorway gradients, but the 2.6l just flies up them with no struggling at all. Economy obviously suffers, but I can get almost as much paraphernalia in the load space as I can inside the van.
And I don't bother with a stabiliser as it's all so stable with the correct size of 'van.

Bill is that not dangerous?... not towing a caravan without a stabiliser on
I used to tow a caravan but always with a bulldog stabiliser, towed with cavaliers and range rovers.... when the wind gets blowing hard you can see caravans swaying with them on never mind without :-?

Hi Daz, hope you're keeping well.
I don't decry the use of stabilisers, but think they are more of a comfort blanket tbh. I've towed for 20 years and do use one from time to time but only if wind conditions are really severe. A properly set up outfit should be stable up to the permitted 60 mph even if the car/'van weight ratio is 100% rather than the recommended 80%.
Outfits which get into trouble are probably badly matched or badly driven or badly maintained in the first place, but snaking is easily rectified by slowing down and applying that common sense which should come with minimal experience.
I've had one or two 'nuisance' moments over the years, but nothing I would consider dangerous to myself or other road users. I must confess that any new 'van I may get will have the built in tow ball stabiliser fitted, (just in case I lose any more of my touch as I get even older.   ).
 

[Darth Loo-knee]

Morning Bill I am fine mate thanks

You guys obviously know more about towing than I do I only towed a caravan for around 6 years, but when I first got the caravan I was told to always use a stabilizer bar which I did, so I was wondering why I was told that in the first place?
I personally never had a problem with "Snaking" but have seen a few. I just filled the caravan equally over the axles.
But what I didn't like was when overtaking say a curtain sided lorry when you get dragged in then pushed out....  is that no different then without a stabilizer?

[Entwood]

LK .. a few personal opinions ....

The suck/blow effect of LGV's is not stopped by fitting a stabiliser, but...  if an inexperienced tower were to "over-react" (oversteer) to correct this, a stabiliser would lessen the pendulum effect on the 'van and possibly prevent a snake happening.

Same applies to gusty crosswinds, adverse cambers, swerving for animals/pedestrians/other vehicles etc etc etc

Once a snake starts - and an experienced tower will do all he/she can to prevent such a thing arising  - a stabilser can ASSIST in the recovery, again by reducing the pendulum effect.

I would always advise an inexperience tower to use one, as the chances of "getting it wrong" are greater with less experience....  however I would never tow without one now - with 20 years experience - as I know I can make mistakes, and sometimes I have to react to the "mistakes (?) (bad driving ?) of other road users, these  circumstances can set up an incipient snake ... a stabiliser will then ASSIST in recovery.

A stabiliser will not make an unsafe van safe, it just makes a safe one a little more safe

[Vamps]

LK .. a few personal opinions ....

The suck/blow effect of LGV's is not stopped by fitting a stabiliser, but...  if an inexperienced tower were to "over-react" (oversteer) to correct this, a stabiliser would lessen the pendulum effect on the 'van and possibly prevent a snake happening.

Same applies to gusty crosswinds, adverse cambers, swerving for animals/pedestrians/other vehicles etc etc etc

Once a snake starts - and an experienced tower will do all he/she can to prevent such a thing arising  - a stabilser can ASSIST in the recovery, again by reducing the pendulum effect.

I would always advise an inexperience tower to use one, as the chances of "getting it wrong" are greater with less experience....  however I would never tow without one now - with 20 years experience - as I know I can make mistakes, and sometimes I have to react to the "mistakes (?) (bad driving ?) of other road users, these  circumstances can set up an incipient snake ... a stabiliser will then ASSIST in recovery.

A stabiliser will not make an unsafe van safe, it just makes a safe one a little more safe

Nicely put.

[willyboy]

Tried several stabilizers over the years they all work somewhat but the more modern built into the towing hitch are bestist !! just hook up & away no messing its on wether you like it or not, must admit I like them mines an Alko 2004 & would recommend that type over the older type with the  steel tensioned bar etc, think its all down to how fast you wanna go remember its a 50mph limit so wagons usually pass you !!!

[Entwood]

Tried several stabilizers over the years they all work somewhat but the more modern built into the towing hitch are bestist !! just hook up & away no messing its on wether you like it or not, must admit I like them mines an Alko 2004 & would recommend that type over the older type with the  steel tensioned bar etc, think its all down to how fast you wanna go remember its a 50mph limit so wagons usually pass you !!!

50 Limit is single carriageway, on dual carriageway/motorway towing limit is 60 mph, so you are ABLE (NOT forced !!) to overtake many LGV's with 56mph governors, but it takes a little while to get past !!

Trouble is .. folks start to overtake these near the top of a hill, are still alongside at the brow, and the LGV starts to accelerate downhill, this can, unwittingly if you don't know about it, cause you to increase speed to well over 60mph, and the faster you go .. the more chance of a snake.

IMHO 75% of snakes are caused by excessive speed when overtaking downhill ... DON'T DO IT ..

Just my opinion .. thats all  

[Martin_1962]

IMHO 75% of snakes are caused by excessive speed downhill

What you do doesn't matter crosswinds are worse

I go faster up than down!

[willyboy]

Tried several stabilizers over the years they all work somewhat but the more modern built into the towing hitch are bestist !! just hook up & away no messing its on wether you like it or not, must admit I like them mines an Alko 2004 & would recommend that type over the older type with the  steel tensioned bar etc, think its all down to how fast you wanna go remember its a 50mph limit so wagons usually pass you !!!

50 Limit is single carriageway, on dual carriageway/motorway towing limit is 60 mph, so you are ABLE (NOT forced !!) to overtake many LGV's with 56mph governors, but it takes a little while to get past !!

Trouble is .. folks start to overtake these near the top of a hill, are still alongside at the brow, and the LGV starts to accelerate downhill, this can, unwittingly if you don't know about it, cause you to increase speed to well over 60mph, and the faster you go .. the more chance of a snake.

IMHO 75% of snakes are caused by excessive speed when overtaking downhill ... DON'T DO IT ..

Just my opinion .. thats all  

Yer typo error 50mph mind I was HGV driver for 25yr + was amazed i'm stuck at 56mph & was passed all the time by other hgv's there companies must'nt have em governed or worried about the Tacho checks whichare carried out (or fiddled) the firm i worked for were really keen you stayed within the laws!!

[Darth Loo-knee]

I must admit I did not stick to the 60mph rule towing the caravan, I towed at 70 but still never had a Snake

[Andy B]

I must admit I did not stick to the 60mph rule towing the caravan, I towed at 70 but still never had a Snake

Tut tut! I've never towed above the limit ever! Apart from ............ last week when I could see that a small coach (not football) was eventually going to box me in if I didn't go that bit faster up a long slow hill on the A1(M) I took it to about 70 for a mile or so untill the caoach had give up on the idea of overtaking everything in his near side lane. And .... when I usually tow at c65 mph  

[Darth Loo-knee]

Didn't know the caravan was on when towing it with a Range Rover  

[Andy B]

Didn't know the caravan was on when towing it with a Range Rover  

Couldn't you see it in your mirrors?