Are you sure

[Phil H]

Remember in this sue happy sociaty we live in, Toyota would'nt recommend anything that could come back to haunt them in lawsuits. As long as you keep it under what they recommend I'd share a road with you

A set of Terra Claw discs here.... and braided brake lines will help in stopping duties if you really want peice of mind.

I'd stick with street tyres, or really good A/T's this time around. (shock, horror!!! Tony not telling people to buy M/T's )

Tony,

Did you read the posts that explained how the max tow weight figure is arrived at. (max weight that the car will pull away with on a slight incline). If you tried to take toyota to court because your trailor was 10kgs under their max stated weight and still pushed you off the road and onto your roof they would file the case under "didn't read the advice offered on the forum by the people who had spent some time researching the issue to keep themselves and other road usere safe".

Brakes are a great idea and also the tyres but if the van is much heavier than the car it will just push it no matter how hard the brakes work.

Phil.

[Dai]

Hi all

My wife uses her '96 3.0 to pull horse trailer (older heavy sort)+ two horses about no probs, just remember to select 2 when going down hills.

Cheers
Dai

[Keith]

It is interesting that Phil and I seem to be coming from the same place in this discussion as we have actually met in the flesh.
There does seem to be something of an attitude that the Surf is a big butch vehicle and can shift anything. This really has nothing to do with its suitability as a vehicle for towing a particular caravan. I am a big butch 57 year old and believe it or not I can move and stop my 1500kg caravan all on my own. But what does that prove? I am not a suitable means of towing it on the roads.
Caravans get a bad press. They hold up traffic and are frequently mentioned in radio traffic reports during the summer as being the cause of holdups due to overturning etc. People pile things into their vans with no check on weight. They overload tyres, do not change tyres after seven years because there is still plenty of tread left on them etc. They do not service the caravan because it only does a few hundred miles each year. Many caravanners are ignorant of the issues involved in safe towing or are simply prepared to take a risk.

I have done my best to put the sensible safe argument in favour of the Surf as an excellent tow car for caravans within its capabilities. It is not an artic tractor unit and the furry dice hanging from the mirror will not change its abilities to tow safely.

Happy and safe towing to you all,

Keith

[rich]

Hey guys, don't forget that the main thing is the piece of steel that it is attached to at the back - the towbar.

They are rated for nose waight, my Watling is rated for 40/50 kgs. The towbar will also be rated for a maximum towing weight as well which will be the manufacturers (Toyota) max based on a hill start test.

I also read somewhere that if a trailer is above 2.3m width/ 7m length (7'6"/ 22'11½") excluding the coupling the tow vehicle must be above 3500kg MGVW - i.e. big vehicle!

[gemini]

Hey guys, don't forget that the main thing is the piece of steel that it is attached to at the back - the towbar.

They are rated for nose waight, my Watling is rated for 40/50 kgs. The towbar will also be rated for a maximum towing weight as well which will be the manufacturers (Toyota) max based on a hill start test.

I also read somewhere that if a trailer is above 2.3m width/ 7m length (7'6"/ 22'11½") excluding the coupling the tow vehicle must be above 3500kg MGVW - i.e. big vehicle!

thats what i said the other day it has to be towed by a class 7 commercial vehicle

[rich]

Also those nice people with the blue flashing lights will question (nick yer!) anything over 100% of the towing vehicle weight.

Rich.

[Phil H]

Also those nice people with the blue flashing lights will question (nick yer!) anything over 100% of the towing vehicle weight.

Rich.

Rich

I think that confirms all that has previously been said.


Keith,

You going to get off the fence on this subject or what?? lol lol.....

Phil.

A bar went to SURFBANGER (Jim) in Durham today. Same money as I gave you to charity tomorrow...

[Keith]

Phil,
What is a fence?

Pleased to hear that the trade in a-bars is strong. I bought some software from e-bay for use with kids with learning difficulties. What an excellent facility that is.

Cheers,
Keith

[marky]

HI KEITH my 1993 2.4td tows my bailey ranger 1500kg van no problem also have alko stabiliser tow hitch, i make sure any weight is distributed evenly. travels ok brakes ok. combination looks well balanced when seeing it being towed.

[Keith]

Pleased to hear it Marky. But then again so it should as it is a sensible match.

Keith