towing a caravan with a maestro van1.3?

[maestroman23]

just wondered if its possible to tow a small caravan with 1.3 engine van...never done any towing in my life...do you need a special maestro tow bar? any advice welcome....gypsy lifestyle beckons...gonna lose my house soon:(

[MG MAL]

Pretty sure you will find that the 1.3 van is'nt powerful enough to tow a small caravan.

There are specialy made 'small' vans made for small low powered cars , but i doubt they would be of sufficient size to suit long term use/more than a couple of nights.

However a light weight eighties style trailer tent could quite easily be towed behind the van.

I had a friend tow one behind his MG Metro for a few years.

Mal.

[maestroman23]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=260212832673&Category=32633&_trksid=p3907.m29

cheers Mal...but its only a little un though

[E_T_V]

What is the weight of the van?
What does your license allow you to tow?
1.3 van has a low ratio box so is better than a standard hatch for towing. I've towed about 1 tonne with a 1.3 car with a low ratio box, but it is slow and hard work.

[fatboy.01]

you can tow 85% of the maestro van's kerb weight

[maestroman23]

my van pulls like a train at the moment so can't see a problem..wont be using motorways anyway

[E_T_V]

Legally you can tow 100% of its weight but I'd not recommend it.

[fatboy.01]

you can pull more than kerb weight but there stopping to think about

[maestroman23]

anyway its a cheaper option than getting a motorhome and theres not much that can go wrong with a caravan except tip up i suppose..probably pine clad it to make it warmer with foil insulation on inside

[fatboy.01]

damp is a major issue with caravan's

ebay prices have gone silly so prob best getting one from local paper or maybe a trader

[henocsr]

The heaviest braked trailer you can tow with your 1.3 van is 900kg. You also have to make sure the train weight is not more than 2200kg.

When did you past your driving test? If you passed after 01/01/1997 you could only tow a trailer which is 750kg anyway. To tow anything any heavier you would have to do a towing test (B+E) at your local DSA HGV testing station. When you have done that you can tow anything up to 12 ton. (as long as the vehicle you are using to tow 12ton doesnt weigh any more than 3500kg)

[maestroman23]

wonder how much this little critter weighs>?...put a few nice brass portholes in it and some nice fittings inside and who needs a plastic caravan

http://www.taylorsgardenbuildings.co.uk/store/customer/product.php?productid=20046#main%20picture

[B18 GPC]

Just incase you didnt know..

You can drive any motor home on a 3500Kg license.. they dont have a weight limit.. class four mot too ;)

[Miracle maestro]

I'm sure you van will cope with small 10/12 feet caravan, but check the weights, and fit a stabiliser- well worth doing.

In the late sixties father towed a 12' Sprite Alpine with a 1098cc Minor traveller!!

[D87 SMW]

I've found the 1.3 hatch struggles with any more than one passenger. I imagine the van much weigh as much itself. A 2.0 (Turbo) deisel should cope better, or even the 1.6 is you can find one.

[Miracle maestro]

Part of the trouble is these days we have become used to powerful vehicles.
Almost any modern car is of 100hp and effortless to drive.
Consequently we see older vehicles as lacking in power, when in reality they were as good as their peers.

I was looking through some old catalogues earlier this evening, and reading about cars of the sixties Viva's Triumph 1300's etc the VIVA 90 was advertised as high-performance with only 60bhp on tap and 0-60 in about 18secs!

[D87 SMW]

Fair point, Darren. The point I'm making really is that the 1.3 A series just doesn't have the torque. Parking mine on the sloping driveway is a struggle much of the time, where with the 1.6 S series I had, I barely had to try.

In today's traffic, when it does move, it can be hard for the 1.3 to keep pace, where the 1.6 is more like the average. I'd have another if it wasn't more on insurance/tax/fuel etc. as well as the fact I don't find the S that reliable. :o

[e692wtt]

... I don't find the S that reliable. :o

Your S-series smoked (I'm guessing this is what you are basing this comment on?), it was a lot better than my Monty's smoking problems and that went from 75,000 to 153,000 miles without getting any worse. The joys of being hostage to a car's previous owner(s) ;) ...

Anyway, the S-series, smoking or not, will pull its own weight plus a twin axle trailer (don't ask how I know :o ) at an indicated illegal for many miles at over 30mpg with no trouble - but the legal implications in the event of an accident could be fun... I reckoned the whole shooting match weighed 2.4 tonnes, and there's another guy on here who had no qualms about towing a 1.6 saloon to shows behind a 1.6 saloon on a 600kg trailer ;) .

Like I said to my neighbour last weekend, the S-series engine's grandad was around when the Romans were calling it a day ;) .

[Peter J]

1.3 van has a low ratio box.

Only if its the 700 van according to the Haynes manual, the 1.3 500 van has all the same drive ratios as the 1.3 car.