Towing a small car
Hi. I am considering buying a small tow car such as an Aygo or Up. I have a 2017 EU 6 2.3 litre 130 HP Ducato. It is running at 3500 kg and has a towing capacity of 1250 kg. I am considering using an A Frame conversion on a towed vehicle weighing approximately 1000 kg.
My Motorhome is a Autotrail Tribute T-615 coach build.
Can any members towing with a similar specification advise me on their experience of the suitability of such an arrangement
Will the performance of the motorhome and fuel consumption be greatly affected.
Comments
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L,
We have the same van as you.
We used to tow a motorbike as a secondary vehicle, but the aquisition of a puppy means we have now bought a Peugeot 108 (same thing as an Aygo) to tow behind the van on some trips ( we would be "solo" doing the Outer Hebrides, NC500, "over there" etc....).
After a lot of consideration of the pro's & con's of an A frame versus trailer, I bought a suitable trailer and we have had a test tow down to the local business park to practice loading & unloading etc. All went smoothly, and the van coped absolutely fine with the extra weight behind it, although obviously there will be a price to pay with performance & fuel economy, but we are off to Scotland with it all next week, the first proper outing with a "toad". I'm looking forward to it.......!
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Thank you for your response Tintent115. An update on your findings following your trip would be welcome. Have you been able to keep the weight within 1250kg or have you a higher capacity for towing on your van? Enjoy your outing.
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L, no my towing limit is 1250 the same as yours. The Aygo/108/C1 all weigh 840kg, (well the 1.0 litre versions), and my trailer is 350kg, so all up that's 1190kg, just comfortably within the limit.
Autotrail don't publish anywhere the maximum nose weight permissible for a trailer, so I ended up ringing their technical department. It took a few attempts before I found someone who understood the question, but eventually I was told 100kg. I've set my trailer up with car on & measured the noseweight at about 60kg, which I'm happy with. If you use an A frame obviously noseweight won't be an issue.
As said, on a short tow all seems fine, but I will let you know if it's all still in one peice after our 600 mile roundtrip....!
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I also tow an Aygo on a trailer and I find the consumption increases by about 3 - 5mpg, it's kept fairly constant over three motor-homes now. You will certainly know you've got an extra ton behind you, both accelerating and braking, but I've never found it a too bad, no-where as bad as hanging a caravan on the back of a car anyway.
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We tow an Aygo behind our Arto with a road master a-frame .It is an electronic braking system so that when you are braking in the Motorhome the 4 wheels are braking on the car.Red light comes on the dashboard to tell you all is working ok .The a-frame only weighs 9kg,great system.
Brian & Jo
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See member photo Swift Bollero and C1 in Northern Spain 2017.
I have had this system 5 years now and towed approx 4000 miles a year touring abroad, so a total of approx 20000 miles and have just returned from an 8 week trip to Croatia. We find this setup is the best option for our circumstances. Our system uses electric breaking and has a minimal effect on performance and economy. Only negative it is difficult to reverse, but in 5 years I have had to de-couple on 3 occasions to turn around, this takes about 2-3 minutes.
My suggestion would be ignore all the negative comments and enjoy.
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For 8 years I towed a Suzuki Swift then a Fiat 500 with a Caratow A-frame with Fiat Ducato 130bhp Autotrail.Last 2 years towed to south of France.This A-frame is heavy to lift, so you need to be relatively fit, and uses mechanical,as opposed to electronic, braking.However, it costs about £1k whereas the electronic braking versions seem to cost £2-2.5k.Others can confirm that.About 3mpg effect on economy.A trailer is an extra item to find space for on your pitch. Hitching, I assume, is down to correctly aligning the motorhome with the trailer - probably a two man job.On the other hand, I have been able to hitch my A-frame single-handed on level ground and it is a cinch with two people as you just drive the car with frame attached to the towball, your helper holding the frame.I have just got a 180bhp Swift and this appears to be even easier to tow the 500.Have had no police interest towing in France but I believe it is illegal to use an A-frame in Spain but a trailer is OK. Just some thoughts.
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