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Zafira as a towcar


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Can anyone give me some advice? I have a 2008 1.9CTDi Zafira as my wife is a childminder. I am looking to buy a Swift Challenger 514 with a MTPLM of 1380 but a MIRO of 1250. Now the Zafira has a towing limit of 1300 so my question is this. Can I carry most of my payload in the car. As there are just 2 of us the space in the car will be quite a capacity. Also I'm thinking of using a seasonal pitch so the towing will be minimal. If I go over the limit will my insurance be invalid?
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From direct.gov.

Exceeding the towing capacity or the payload of the vehicle may be considered an offence under the Construction and Use Regulations. It may also invalidate the vehicle insurance and any warranty on the vehicle

As to whether the MAM or actual weight triggers an offence, I'm not sure.

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The Caravan Club's on-line 'outfit matching' facility suggests that your Zafira and a Swift Challenger will be an unsatisfactory match. However, as a 2008 1.9 diesel Zafira appears to have various motor power-outputs and manual or automatic transmission, and I've had to guess at the finer details of the Swift Challenger caravan (age, number of berths), this advice may not be 100% accurate.

 

The CC's website carries plenty of useful guidance on choosing tow-cars and caravans

 

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/expert-advice/choosing-and-buying/choosing-a-towcar/towcar-advice/

 

and the basic advice is that a caravan's laden weight should not exceed 85% of the tow-car's kerb weight. Other things that need consideration will be the tow-car's maximum overall weight, maximum train weight, maximum authorised 'nose weight' and maximum trailer weight, data that should be found in the tow-car's handbook.

 

As far as invalidating your insurance is concerned, as long as the outfit is legal - ie. that none of the tow-car's or caravan's weight-related limitations have been exceeded - there should be no insurance implications. If you fail to comply with the tow-car or caravan manufacturer's weight limits, it would be unreasonable to expect your insurance provder not to take a dim view if this non-compliance is discovered following an accident.

 

 

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Help me out with this please Derek. The kerbweight in the handbook is given as 1628kg. The gross vehicle weight is 2195kg. The Gross train weight is 3570kg. Front axle load 1100, rear 1115. Now the book says "The combined total of the front and rear axle loads must not exceed the GVW. ie if the front axle is bearing a load then the rear can only take a load equal to GVW minus front axle load." What would be the front axle load, is that the engine weight?

It goes on "When a caravan is coupled and the towing vehicle fully loaded (with all occupants [that's up to 7 for this car although there would only ever be max 3]) the rear axle load may be exceeded by 90kg and the GVW by 75kg".

With a towing limit of 1300kg it does appear to me that I could tow a Swift 514 Sport with a MIRO 1250 and use the payload of 130kg and not exceed any limits. Am I thinking right?

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grahamwaters809@hotm - 2012-06-05 9:35 AM

 

Help me out with this please Derek. The kerbweight in the handbook is given as 1628kg. The gross vehicle weight is 2195kg. The Gross train weight is 3570kg. Front axle load 1100, rear 1115. Now the book says "The combined total of the front and rear axle loads must not exceed the GVW. ie if the front axle is bearing a load then the rear can only take a load equal to GVW minus front axle load." What would be the front axle load, is that the engine weight?

It goes on "When a caravan is coupled and the towing vehicle fully loaded (with all occupants [that's up to 7 for this car although there would only ever be max 3]) the rear axle load may be exceeded by 90kg and the GVW by 75kg".

With a towing limit of 1300kg it does appear to me that I could tow a Swift 514 Sport with a MIRO 1250 and use the payload of 130kg and not exceed any limits. Am I thinking right?

 

Your Zafira's gross vehicle weight (GVW) is 2195kg. Its maximum axle loads are 1100kg (front axle) and 1115kg (rear axle) which, added together, come to 2215kg (ie. 20kg more than the GVW).

 

The GVW must not be exceeded, so, if you loaded your Zafira in such a way that its rear-axle loading was at its maximum of 1115kg, then the maximum permitted loading for the front axle would reduce from 1100kg to 1080kg (GVW - 1115kg). If you loaded your Zafira so that its front-axle loading was at its maximum of 1100kg, then the maximum permitted loading for the rear axle would reduce from 1115kg to 1095kg (GVW - 1100kg).

 

Your handbook advises that, when towing a caravan, it is allowable for the GVW to increase from 2195kg to 2270kg and the maximum rear-axle loading to increase from 1115kg to 1205kg. If you loaded your Zafira to those maxima, then the maximum front-axle loading would reduce to 1065kg (2270kg - 1205kg)

 

If you loaded the Swift caravan to your Zafira's towing maximum of 1300kg, the Zafiara's quoted kerb-weight of 1628kg allows the vehicle to comply with the CC's 'good practice' guidelines. As I said earlier, provided that none of Vauxhall's or Swift's maximum permitted weight figures are exceeded, then the outfit will be legal.

 

The Swift 514 Sport's MIRO is quite close to your Zafira's towing limit, so it would be a good idea to check what the MIRO actually includes (eg. gas bottles). The only way to know how close to the GVW or axle-load limits your Zafira would be when fully loaded would be to weigh the vehicle in fully loaded state. Similarly, only weighing would establish whether the caravan's quoted MIRO of 1250kg is accurate.

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