ColinM50 Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 We've sort of decided to buy a teeny weeny car to tow behind the Elddis Autoquest 196. Weightwise seems we can legally tow 1300Kg and we're thinking about a Toyota Aygo which comes out at 840Kg and with a trailer comes in at 1200Kg. Any of you chaps (or chapesses) tow a car on a trailer and have any experiences to pass on? My Eldiss is the 2.0 litre 130HP model, is that going to be enough or am I going to have to persuade my better half to push it up hills? And what will it do to fuel consumption? How do others manage? Would be interested to hear any advice or ideas TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocs Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 I used to tow a Smart on a trailer and found that there was little mpg difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 we have had our towcar for about a month its great, just done 174 miles today Leeds to Criccieth, just dont know its there. Its a Peugeot 107 no probs on hills and 29MPG!! have look round before you buy. look at towbars to towcars near Grimsby. Hope this helps. regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildi Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 We had a Toyota IQ, a great car for the two of us and the dog but a bit small for four people. We had a Brian James trailer fitted with a motor mover which was perfect for us, leave the car on the trailer but park it out of the way if we were only stopping for a night or two, we were away for over six months, not much difference in the fuel consumption but a bit slow up the hills (2010 Ducato 130bhp) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wortho Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 I've seen a lot of motorhomes towing small cars in Australia and 99% of them are Suzuki Sierras, I guess this is due to the 4WD capabilities as there are obviously a lot of unsealed roads in the Outback etc. Most of these are 'flat' towed using an A frame but not sure of the legality of these in the UK, I think you need a manual car though for this type of towing due to transmission windup in autos. Cheers Mark Example https://kenandjanice.wordpress.com/about/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 I tow a Peugeot 107 automatic on an A frame. This car actually has a manual gearbox with electronic control. I have been told that you can't tow an automatic 107 on an A frame but that is nonsense as I have proven in many miles of towing. Wonderful little 5 door car and hardly any difference in MPG when towing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 To quote from an on-line source advising about towing a vehicle that has automatic transmission with the transmission set in Neutral: "Most owner's manuals state that the vehicle should not be towed with the drive wheels on the ground for longer than x miles or faster than y MPH. The reason for this is that Neutral only disengages the engine from the transmission, but not the transmission from the wheels. As the drive wheels turn, the transmission turns. This can heat up the transmission, which is not being cooled because the engine is not on or engaged, so the transmission fluid pump might not be cooling the transmission. The transmission is not getting proper lubrication for similar reasons." As your Peugeot 107 has a 'robotised' manual gearbox, the above caveats should not apply and it can be towed as if its gearbox were an ordinary manual one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 As I said Derek, manual gearbox with electronic control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 Been out around the various dealers yesterday and today and have done the deal on a manual Toyota Aygo. Weight is a measly 840Kg and I think I'll look round for a A frame for this summer and see if I need to spend the money on a proper trailer for next year. Offered on proper trailer, almost new by Armitage, for £1600 but think I'll hold off for the moment. Does anyone hire trailers? Might be a way forward to try one before investing too much money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peedee Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Hiring a trailer is very expensive. I tow a 5 door Suzuki Celerio on a Towbar-2-Tow frame. My third tow car and second A Frame. I find it great combination. The Suzuki is a semi automatic and even the handbook tells you how to tow it with an A-Frame. Trailers are just too much hassle. peedee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted July 23, 2017 Author Share Posted July 23, 2017 Thanks for that peede, had a look on their website and looks an interesting and safer system than just a bar. Being a Sunday I can't call them but do you feel the towcar braking and any idea of cost please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peedee Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 The frame cost about between £1000/1200 not cheap compared to the overrun systems but far superior in my view. Neater fit, lighter to handle, and professionally made and fitted. Do give them a ring. No I don't even know I am towing it unless I look in my rear view mirror, how much you notice it probably depends on what you are towing it with, the Suzuki Celerio is well with my gross train weight. Towbars-2-Tow fit a red light on the dash board which lights up in heavy braking so you can see if the car is being braked and when they release. The breaking system is far better than the overrun system and in my view because the brakes are more gradually applied when slowing down or descending a hill, there is far less wear on the brakes and less chance of overheating than with the overun system peedee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doc 57 Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 We were looking at getting a small towcar for our new motorhome, my investigations led me to believe that getting a trailer (especially if you can get a 2nd hand one) worked out more cost effective than an A frame, once all the braking issues had been sorted out. I also read that it is illegal to tow with an A frame in Spain which might, or might not limit your choices of where to go on your hols!! Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiff2110 Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 I tow a daewoo Matiz on an A frame behind my Autotrail Arapaho with a 2.8 size engine, I certainly notice a difference when towing as it does slow me down but still run at a sensible speed of 50 creeping up to 60. Only thing I would say is consider if the speedo is going to run up the mileage on the car, if you insure with a limited mileage in order to reduce your premium. Later cars I understand will not have this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 The Doc 57 - 2017-07-26 5:11 PM ...I also read that it is illegal to tow with an A frame in Spain which might, or might not limit your choices of where to go on your hols!! Good luck The following website provides an entertaining view on A-framing legality outside the UK https://www.lnbleisure.co.uk/index.php/2/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 Derek Uzzell - 2017-08-18 8:35 AM The Doc 57 - 2017-07-26 5:11 PM ...I also read that it is illegal to tow with an A frame in Spain which might, or might not limit your choices of where to go on your hols!! Good luck The following website provides an entertaining view on A-framing legality outside the UK https://www.lnbleisure.co.uk/index.php/2/ INTERESTING Would still not like to try and PERSUADE an ARMED Spanish policeman , that he is wrong . I believe the man on the beat will probably only know the basic laws, which is they are illegal in Spain I still believe that if that if you need a car , then go for a caravan and car PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancepar Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 We be drifting off topic folks. OP there are lots of threads on the forum on the pros and cons of trailering or A-framing a small car. Some european countries laws state "broken down cars can only be recovered by recognised recovery vehicles" This is what the local police insist one is doing. We know this is not the case but its a no win scenario. So it depends where you want to go, towing on a trailer or A-frame. We A-frame a Smarty Cabrio but only in the UK, it's a light two seater and room for two medium dogs at the back, easy to park and easy to drive, The MPG of our MH is slightly less with the extra drag which is only to be expected. HTH B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 Derek Uzzell - 2017-08-18 8:35 AM The Doc 57 - 2017-07-26 5:11 PM ...I also read that it is illegal to tow with an A frame in Spain which might, or might not limit your choices of where to go on your hols!! Good luck The following website provides an entertaining view on A-framing legality outside the UK https://www.lnbleisure.co.uk/index.php/2/ Don't you need to get type approval for a trailer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 lancepar - 2017-08-18 12:00 PM....................Some european countries laws state "broken down cars can only be recovered by recognised recovery vehicles" This is what the local police insist one is doing. We know this is not the case but its a no win scenario. ....................... Not quite, Lance! :-) The laws actually ban towing one vehicle with another - except by an authorised recovery vehicle. There are other exceptions/requirements, but they aren't relevant to an A-frame. Because a car being towed on a a-frame is a) not broken down, and b) not being towed by an authorised recovery vehicle, the act of towing it is illegal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 We towed a Toyota iQ on a trailer for a few years but sold the trailer earlier this year after touring in France with just the MH and deciding we preferred it now. Having the tow car had led us to stay at a site for a while, perhaps a fortnight, so in effect we were using our MH as a caravan. The Toyota iQ was superb as a towcar and we still have it as a runabout. It is wider and therefore more spacious inside than a Smart Car. The smallest trailers intended for Smart Cars may be too narrow, so check. Our trailer was however an Ifor Wiliams CT136SA, which is a bit longer than the typical towcar trailer but that was never a problem; indeed it was easier to reverse because of the extra length. It also kept its value, indeed I made a profit when I sold it, having bought cheaply off EBay. If I wanted to go back to towing the iQ (or similar) I would not hesitate to buy another Ifor Williams; they are recognised to be the industry best trailers and so they sell very easily. Having 100kg or so of spare payload on the trailer meant we could load the inside of the car up with as much wine as we liked for the trip home to UK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJM Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 I have covered 600 miles in the last week towing a 108, modified by tow bars to tow cars, Grimsby. You dont know its there. Happily cruising the uk and having transport at our destination suits us at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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