oldlowie Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi Folks I am toying with the idea of using my 'van for towing a Smart ForTwo (or similar) using an A-frame. I am hoping some of you may be doing just that at the moment. Any salient points would be useful, but I'm particularly interested in how the extra 800Kg would affect the performance of my Chausson low profile coachbuilt, powered by a 2.0 TDCi Transit, as I don't like to hang about between sites! Does anyone have this combo? Many thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi, I towed a smart car on a trailer behind my transit and it was OK, yes you know its there when going up hills etc but the transit pulled it very well. I now tow the same rig behind my hymer and its not as good, the hymer carries a lot more weight on its own But I can keep up with motorway speeds, I don,t drive around with a full tank in the smart and replaced the steel ramps with a set of alloy ones to cut down on the weight. My smart is a 2006 carbo so weights a bit more the a metal top. I also did some part time work for my mate who runs a transit flat bed with lift back and we pulled a 2 ton trailer load upto london one day with the transit, it did it but was not to happy on the hills. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Ord Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I believe Smart advise a limit of 50mph and a limit on distance when towed as it can adversely affect the transmission. However it doesn't seem to stop people towing Smarts, is this mentioned in the car's handbook? Bill Ord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi, the debate on towing smart cars just runs, I don,t think it does the car any good and find a trailer easy to use, by using alloy ramps I cut the weight down of the trailer and it all helps when towing. My hymer is the older 2.8td so can,t be chipped for more power, but it pulls ok on the motorways. I did find the transit better to drive however then the fiat base hymer. Years ago I watched a chap with an A frame break the steering lock of his car by placing to much force on it during towing. A frames are for some but not for me. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I was under the impression that all the talk of possible damage to the Smart gearbox had been disproved. as long as you leave it in neutral*-) Had seriously considered a smart ourselves, but have gone for electric bikes instead........Far less hassle :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 The smart car does have gearbox faults, and this is one of the main reasons so many end up on ebay. I don,t think that draging any motorcar around behind a motorhome for 1000,s of miles will do it any good on an A frame, the forces placed on the steering alone are more then it was ever designed for. I started with an elec bike, then moved onto a quad, and now the smart. I think that the bike was a pain, the quad a lot of fun, but the smart a lot better as it allows us a far greater range from base camp then the last two, we can take the pugs, and for some reason the insurance is less for the smart then the quad. But there again I love the smart car, don,t know why but its used a lot more then our M roadster ever was, and its a lot more fun. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 oldlowie: Suggest you first check with a Ford main agent regarding the cost of a replacement clutch. The FWD Transit Mk 6 with 125PS motor has a high 1st gear ratio and a consequential tendency to cook the clutch if the driver over-stresses it. With a Smart on the back of your W74 you will be are talking about a train-weight close to 4 tonnes. I'm sure the motor could drag this around OK once you got moving (though you'd need to use 4th gear a fair bit), but I certainly wouldn't want to attempt hill-starts on steeper than gentle slopes. Frankly, if I had to pick a motorhome chassis that I wouldn't want to use for towing, it would be the one used on your Chausson and my Hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 terry1956 - 2009-01-13 5:42 PM But there again I love the smart car, don,t know why but its used a lot more then our M roadster ever was, and its a lot more fun. michael The Smart is probably the most popular vehicle to tow and I don't want to disrupt thread to much..... But there are electric bikes and electric bikes. The technology has moved on a lot in the last year or two. I use mine locally and it is helping me get a little fitter and lose a little weight as well. and it is enjoyable! So when away we can drive to a convenient spot and cycle in from there or there is also public transport, taxis or car hire. Just trying to point out that there are alternatives to lugging a car around :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlowie Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 It never ceases to amaze me how much advice can be gleaned from this forum. Thanks Derek for your stark assessment of what my Trannie would be up against, I think I'll stay solo. We traded up to a motorhome from a caravan 5 years ago, mainly because we found that once we got to site we hardly ever used the car. Motorhome life is so convenient that we could never go back to caravanning (Aquaroll anyone?). We have two dogs, so our main mode of transport is legwork, anyway. We have now adapted to using sites close to towns/places of interest and/or public transport, but we sometimes miss exploring down the odd nooks and crannies. My worry is not driving the 'van around (I used to drive a 7.5 tonner), but security off-site. It only takes a few seconds to pop the plastic windows on any 'van, and parking up at a local beauty spot and heading off into the woods for a few hours always seems to me to be asking for trouble. I know this is also true for a car, but you don't leave all your worldly goods in a car (unless you're daft!) Thanks also to terry1956, I was thinking about towing a Smart because I saw one at a local dealer's. It was as cheap as chips, so I guess the gearbox could be an issue. Fitting a towbar to the 'van and an A frame mounting to the car is around £1500 anyway, so I think I could do without the expense or the grief... Thanks everyone - it's good to talk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlowie Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Judgemental - you are right about alternative modes of transport. I could hire an awful lot of taxis with a saving of £1500 plus the price of a car - good thinking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Hi Judge, my elec bike is a 21 gear light alloy mountain type thing, But I used it once in spain and just find it a pain to keep topping up the battery which I always forgot to do in time. i use it in exmouth to get to the shops and its great for that, But we always take our two pugs and its nice to be able to take them on our outtings and not leave them behind all day in the van. I think that OLDLOWIE has missed the point somewhat, by taking a car with you it allows one to make camp in a good spot away from toe rags etc and remain there while you enjoy the area. three years ago we find a great place in Italy which was gated and fenced off, just outside a small village, the 1st year we could only remain on site for three days as we had to move on to see what that part of italy had to offer, The 2nd year we had the quad so remained at the site longer and went further afield, last year we used the site for two weeks and had a great time taking in most of the top of italy, fly fishing trips and just enjoying being there, walking up into the village in the evening for a meal or just great ice cream. The car adds to the enjoyment once on location. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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