Surf Towing & Caravan Things

[TJG]

I always use mirror exensions, I'll be honest I can't see how anyone can tow safely without them, especially on the motorway. I use Repusel mirroers which work well on the Surf, you can leave the bracket on and take the arms & mirrors off with 1 wingnut when you get there (it is illegal to drive with the mirrors on without the trailer). You can get them here http://www.repusel.com/sites/site_0/index.php

I would also replace the rear springs, Milners do 20% uprated for about £50 delivered and I paid £100 to have them fitted.

If you have a rear mounted spare you will find it gets in the way when hitching up. If you have an alko stabaliser then you need to open the wheel, be carefull if apporaching at an angle cos it might hit the van. On mine if reversing very tight the handbrake just catches the spare tyre.

[marky]

Its almost time for the big HOLIDAY guys. Unfortuanate for me im moving house in a few weeks time so i will be unable to go to HAYLE in CORNWALL this year. I'M GUTTED

[stormforce]

Its almost time for the big HOLIDAY guys. Unfortuanate for me im moving house in a few weeks time so i will be unable to go to HAYLE in CORNWALL this year. I'M GUTTED

perhaps we can meet up next time mark when your this way

[firefly]

yipppppppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeee im in Newquay 6th August for 14 glorious days cant come quick enough

[marky]

yipppppppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeee im in Newquay 6th August for 14 glorious days cant come quick enough

Eh dont rub it in I'll be there next year in August its already booked so i dont loose my deposit

[InfraRed]

Awsome

Just got back from our holiday in France all my concerns of towing with my new surf were blown away 1000 mile round trip in up to 40 centigrade temperatures and all I can say is awsome. Diesel is not quite so cheap out there now around 1 euro per litre but being allowed to tow at up to 130km/hour is great. I must admit didn't push it quite that hard but saw 75mph pretty often. The tolls between Tours and Royan were a bit salty though. Two weeks passed all too quickly though can't wait to do it all again next year.

[Jimbo55]

I have been re reading parts of this thread about towing with a turbo diesel and automatic gearbox. Just to clarify how an auto box works.
Basic...
A torque convertor is normally used to drive the gearbox, This consists of two halves one driven by the engine flywheel and the other attached to the gear box. In the centre of the two there is a stator plate or disc, this helps to increase the efficencey of the torque convertor. There is also a hydraulic pump that supplies pressure to the brake bands in the gearbox and to also lubricate it. The torque convertor ALWAYS slips up to about 98% drive, the faster the torque convertor spins the greater the efficency. There may also be a lock up clutch that at optimum speed will lock the two halves together just like a clutch in a normal gearbox to give direct drive (100%)

Gear change is governed by selection R P D 3 2 1 etc, road speed, throttle opening and possibly electronic control (more likely on vehs less than 10yrs old).

The gear is selected by a brake band operated by hydraulic pressure operating on a part of a planetary gear (there may be several in one gear box). If the brake bands are worn or out of adjustment then this may cause slip, it may also slip if the incorrect oil is used or the oil is worn out or burnt. It may also slip if continually operated at max temp for long periods. The oil gets stressed and begins to break down, bands slip, temp goes up, warning light comes on, This is why it is important to ensure that you STICK TO the manufacturers service recomendations.

So....

Idle engine running selector in park
Torque covertor IS producing drive but pump pressure is dumped no brake band is under pressure = no drive.

Select D

Brake band closes on planetary gear slight lurch forward as drive is taken up. Some gearboxes may momenteraly select 2nd or even 3rd to reduce this "lurch or clunk". Hand brake off and if on level ground vehicle will move forward. Accelerate gently and as speed increases and simultainiously 1st brake band releases and 2nd is selected. Same for 3rd etc. Open road optimum speed lockup clutch will engage and brake band for top gear or overdrive will release simultianiously effectively locking flywheel to gearbox. the reverse will happen slowing down. Some automatics have an automatic free wheel which will unlock the gearbox (you will see the engine revs drop on overun).

This is a very brief description and there are many variations to this but the basics are the same.

As for turbo diesels not suitable for auto gearboxes because of slip I cannot understand where the observation came from unless he reverses up a very long way (Miles).

Jimbo

[marky]

No one has reported any problems Towing with an Auto in the UK yet. Some have fitted a better trans oil cooler just in case.

[Chillitt]

marky, is that apart from the people who have reported problems towing???

[marky]

What i meant was not a lot of members have reported problems towing

[wibblywobbly]

Update to towing

Well we bought a Lunar Lexon CS, 20ft and 1400kgs. Never towed anything bigger than a trailer tent before and that was 30 years ago.

Mine's a 95 3lt Auto and I have been happily towing the van on motorways, hills and dales without so much as a murmer. The engine temperature is fine, and I don't have any additional coolers fitted.

Bearing in mind that the van is carrying additional payload, and the Surf is carrying loads of stuff, I am quite impressed.

The trick is to forget trying to accelerate normally. Just gentle throttle and braking. Hills are the same. Forget trying to gain speed, just steady throttle and let the auto box find its own speed.

For those occasions when a big steep hill is ahead, gently accelerate towards it, and if it all slows down just drop it back into 2nd, and if that doesn't work then press the ECT button...it will fly up!

Just avoid pressing the throttle pedal further and further down, it will only make the autobox spin faster and generate more heat.

We are planning to go down through France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland in mid-September so, floods permitting, that should be a good test too!!

Oh, and just had uprated rear springs fitted. Make the Surf look much better even without the van, and the ride is far more comfortable. Oh..and clear side indicators and a rear spoiler just to add to the fantasy. Oh..and bought Navigator for the laptop with a GPS receiver. You get the best SatNav on the market for less than £100? I might add a mini touchscreen monitor as the laptop has to reside on the girlfriends lap otherwise.

Hmm...need the wheels repolished too...does it never end??

Cheers

Rob G

[Surf01]

We had a Lunar CS but now have the Lunar 640 L which has a larger payload. Previously I towed with a Volvo S80 D5 auto but the weight ratio was as bit too clsoe for comfort so I traded the Volvo in for a 3.0 L 97/98 Surf auto and have never looked back. No more getting stuck in fields. The only time I use the ECT is on hills or when I need to overtake. Solo I get at least 30+mpg, but towing it drops quite drastically to about 25 mpg.

[rubblebags]

Well we bought a Lunar Lexon CS, Oh..and bought Navigator for the laptop with a GPS receiver. You get the best SatNav on the market for less than £100? I might add a mini touchscreen monitor as the laptop has to reside on the girlfriends lap otherwise.

Cheers

Rob G

I would like to know more about your sat nav system. It would be well worth it for me. Navigation in my Surf seems to cause a lot of useless friction.

Rubblebags.

[wibblywobbly]

Sar Nav

I would like to know more about your sat nav system. It would be well worth it for me. Navigation in my Surf seems to cause a lot of useless friction.

Rubblebags.

Okey Dokey. Always glad to help.

First off you need a laptop. Any half decent 2nd hand one will do as long as it has a CD drawer and a USB port.

Then go to Ebay and buy one one of these (£96)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Navigator-Euro...QQcmdZViewItem

This is all of the software for every road in Europe, plus a GPS receiver.

Then you simply load in the maps for each country that you want, plus the GPS driver that is on a seperate mini CD.

You can search for locations by postcode, road, town etc and it has all petrol stations, restaurants and local info built in. Tons of it in fact.

You can set waypoints and build up a list of all of the places that you want to route through. You can also save routes, choose quickest, fastest, etc. You can state preferences for motorways, A Roads etc (useful for towing), and set % preferences too. You can even enter fuel costs, speeds etc.

All that you then do is tell it to plot a route.

You can do all this in the house, and then take the laptop to the car and plug it all in (you will need a 12v laptop power converter - these are on Ebay too £20).

Simply click on 'Navigate' and your route will be generated and it will tell you where to go. An arrow shows you where you are and the map auto-rotates so that the direction on the screen matches the road in front of you. You can even see which side of the road you are on?

It has zoom-able maps, it shows junctions in a large scale side window, and gives you all the details such as distance covered, how far to go, how far to the next junction etc. The big bonus is that it also has voice assistance, so you can shut the laptop lid and tuck it away down the side of the seat.

If you take a wrong turn the nice lady tells you that you are lost and will recalculate a new route without you doing anything. You just keep driving.

If you change your route you can simply select 'Recalculate from Current GPS Position' and it will do it. Brilliant. I use it as a default. Using postcodes is great, it takes me right to the door, or the entrance to a caravan site and it avoids narrow country lanes etc.

I like seeing the route on screen in front of me, so I have just ordered a mini touch screen monitor (£120) that I can velcro to the dash.

This set up is a wonder to behold. The routes can be downloaded to a PDA if required. A PC has massive processing power compared to a PDA and this kit has all the bells and whistles you could ever want.

The maps are stunning, and I have plotted routes from my house right across Europe with multiple stop off points in seconds.

Compared to a Garmin etc this kit is superb and for the cost, especially if you already have a laptop, it is an absolute bargain.

Hope this helps!!

Rob G

[rubblebags]

[QUOTE=wibblywobbly]Okey Dokey. Always glad to help.


Hi Rob thanks a lot for the break down it looks very good. Maybe we will get every where nice and calm now anyhow she knows it's allways her fault. SHE'S A WOMEN and they are allways right.Slappp!Hello petal didnt see you there.

Thanks again Geoff