AndrewJo Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 Suitable tow car Dear all I have a Burstner I820 and we would like to tow a small tow car connected by an A frame I have read all the ins and out in respect of the legality of towing with an A frame however this is not what this posting is for All i would like help on is suggestions as to a suitable small 4 seater car that would fit the bill Any of you that tow can you recommend anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Ford KA maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 What is your actual towing capacity? To find this out weigh your motorhome with everything on board including you and your partner then subtract that from the gross train weight shown on the VIN plate. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I would have thought any conventional small, light, non-automatic 4-seater should be uncontroversial to A-frame tow. However, there may be some cars that can't be A-frame towed (in the same way that certain vehicles can't be fitted with a tow-bar), or are best avoided for technical reasons, but I've no data on this. Best thing would be to seek advice from specialists like TOWtal (www.TOWtal.co.uk) or CAR-A-TOW (www.protowframes.co.uk). I note that TOWtal's website offers for sale a few used cars that have been already prepared for A-frame towing, which might be an attractive option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hi Andrew&Jo We used to tow a Toyota Yaris which proved to be a great towcar but, like most vehicles, what constitutes a 'good' vehicle is usually down to personal preference and since I have never towed any other vehicle the Yaris was the best one I tried! Derek also makes a good point regarding used cars/A-frames for sale and there are often vehicles for sale in the classified section of MMM that strike me as good value and a much easier/cheaper way than obtaining a new/used car and having a new A-frame fitted. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Daywoo Matiz seems popular as does the Nissan Micra. If you are really flash and flush then the new Fiat 500 will be the muts whatsits! Unless you are towing with a big Yank then it needs to be a Jeep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Andrew&Jo - 2008-09-28 10:47 PM Hi i used to tow a Smart car which was good but the down sides were tyres were expensive, and hard to get abroad virtuly impossible in Morocco, and not a lot of knollege if any repairs were required, not to mention the 2 seater problem so we changed it for a new model Fiat panda 5dr hatch, and it has turned out to be just the job easy to tow roomy for its size and if needed the Fiat network is more or less world wide highly recomended regards Pedro Suitable tow car Dear all I have a Burstner I820 and we would like to tow a small tow car connected by an A frame I have read all the ins and out in respect of the legality of towing with an A frame however this is not what this posting is for All i would like help on is suggestions as to a suitable small 4 seater car that would fit the bill Any of you that tow can you recommend anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granddad Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 make sure you check car can take a fram as some cars like ka with a/c r hard to fit frame i tow ka with out a/c and ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Have you got the spare weight capacity to tow a car? D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Hi, If you are looking at new vehicles the Fiat Panda seems like the best value, and the Multijet (Diesel) with Air Con can be purchased for under £7000 with 3 years warranty, the diesel version can be purchased fro just under £6000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie123 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Peugeot 107 hands down winner in my opinion. 64 mpg, £35 per year road Tax, four proper seats, ABS, air con. There are A frames to suit with option of mechanical or electronic braking systems; pay your money take your pick. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 And still no response to my question regarding actual towing capacity of the tow vehicle! Why do some people ask a question and then not respond to requests for further information that might help us to give an informed opinion? D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Dave: The I820 was built on a Fiat twin rear axle Al-Ko chassis with (I think) a 5000kg MAM and 6000kg Gross Train Weight. So, if these data are correct, towing a small car should not be a problem legally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 True Derek but if they're close to the 5000KGs in the van then they'll only have 1000KG to allow for the car and towing frame which could limit them to certain cars, hence my request for more information. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Was going to have my wife's KA fitted but as it's got AC will have to get more info'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Dave: I would have thought that owners of Fiat Ducato-based motorhomes at 5-tonne 'fighting weight' contemplating towing any sort of car, never mind one exceeding 1-tonne, might be wise to consider programming an extensive list of clutch/transmission specialists into their sat/nav system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I would agree Derek but not everyone is as conversant with weights, measures and motorhomes as you and I. i have recently spoken to a chap who planned to tow a car on a trailer behind his 4.5Tonne tag axled Fiat based motorhomebut then found that he'd only got 1100KGs of capacity left! D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I've given up on the idea of towing......was going to get a smart or a C1. Have decided on electric bikes instead. Have had one just over two weeks and it is amazing. It flattens out those hills and it's nice to poddle past the lines of stagent south London traffic. Wife has not mastered the controls as yet but will get her a step through model soon.... I can see why some become Evangelical regards biking...No more: * Parking Tickets * Speeding Tickets * Petrol receipts * Congestion charges * Gymn subscriptions * Car tax * Mot's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Hi, Hope you are not thinking of towing with an A frame in the Mont Blanc Tunnel. Take a look at this months MMM letters to see what one gentleman was charged and made do. Very unfair, luckily his wife was able to drive the car. Take a look at "tolls in france towing a trailer" in Hints and Tips. Regards, Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Brendan: Why was this unfair? I'm certain that (since the 1999 fire) there is now a raft of safety-related regulations relating to the Mont Blanc tunnel and it would be unrealistic to expect these not to include rules about vehicles that are towing. As towing a car (other than via a trailer) is forbidden in France for 'private' French motorists, it's not unreasonable to assume that there is a Mont Blanc tunnel regulation reflecting this prohibition. If a UK motorcaravanner chooses to use a car-towing system of (at best) questionable legality in his/her home country and then falls foul of foreign regulations, then I see little reason for sympathy. Instances have been reported in the past of Continental police demanding that cars being A-frame-towed be uncoupled from the towing motorhome, so the Mont Blanc tunnel story in October 2008 MMM (page 14) is hardly a revelation. Not sure where the €80 toll charge stated in the letter came from, as the combined tolls for a motorhome and a car would appear to be €77.30 Perhaps an additional charge was levied to cover the aggravation involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Hi, Point taken, I don't see how the car been towed in the tunnel can be anymore dangerous. Reversing maybe, but then I see some of the A frame tuggers are able to un-couple pretty fast. ( driving solo not so good) I sometimes wonder why do the French let them into the country at all.(stopped at the ports, made un-couple) Maybe this would get rid of the gray area on this subject. Regards, Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djchapple Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 One off topic point that always puzzles me as an ex tugger. Tuggers think of a tow car as a vehicle that does the towing. Motorhomers think of it as a car to be towed!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 We towed a 2001 Fiat 899cc on a braked A-frame and that was very useful. I no longer tow it now that I am widowed because of the problem of reversing. However, I still use the car and it has still done less than 20 000 miles so you may be able to pick up a similar model. Obviously very slow up hills! Otherwise no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B. Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 eddie123 - 2008-10-02 2:08 PM Peugeot 107 hands down winner in my opinion. 64 mpg, £35 per year road Tax, four proper seats, ABS, air con. There are A frames to suit with option of mechanical or electronic braking systems; pay your money take your pick. (lol) Hi I would heartily agree with that-we have a Citreon C1 which is the same car and is perfect for towing as a runabout. Bought it complete with electrics and A frame from specialist suppliers Towcars-to Towbars Ltd Near Hull and am very happy with everything-including the price to supply Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 djchapple: Funny thing language... A caravan-pulling "tow car" has got to be a bit meaningless - it should, I guess be "towing car" to make reasonable sense. For a car being towed, I suppose the term should be "towed car". When I read the word "motorhomer" I immediately picture a homing-pigeon with a propeller spinning round on its backside. And when I see the word "tugger" - well, best not to go into that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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