Pulling a car

[RichieRY]

Hi all,

We have not long bought our motorhome (which is still currently being built) and I have been looking into pulling a car on the back.

I intend on going away for the duration of the summer as I am teacher, so having a small car handy would be great. I don't want to pull a trailer and I am away there are some countries you can't pull a car on an A-Frame - I shall just avoid those ;-).

After visiting some car dealerships there appears to be some different opinions and they have said not to do this to a car. Ford said the KA+ is good for it and it does not clock up the miles as the car is not actually on? Smart said they do not recommend it at all as this can damage the gearbox should it go out of neutral which is not unheard of (then would need a new gear box). Fiat said the 500 would need to be pulled backwards?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[RichieRY]

Make sure you have really good security on it and a quality tracker
Transits are the most stolen van in the UK at the moment

eeeeeeeek! Thanks for the info. We did take quite a few options and a quality alarm was on the top of the pile!

 

[TheBig1]

you can buy the specialist tools to open and start a ford transit on ebay for very little expense. so there are far more ford transit motorhomes stolen than fiats

 

[icantremember]

The F-Pace is a heavy vehicle and very likely to push you over the GTW (gross train weight) of your motorhome.
I have a V70R Volvo which is unfortunately too heavy for our motorhome so only tow a little Peugeot 108.

 

[TheBig1]

eeeeeeeek! Thanks for the info. We did take quite a few options and a quality alarm was on the top of the pile!

the factory alarm and any dealer fit ones are rubbish. open the central locking, which takes 20 seconds and the alarm is off
you need high security locks and disable the obd port, or it will be taken

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[Chris]

You have been really helpful! Loads for me to think about! possibly give it the first year to make a decision maybe the way to go.

I think that’s very wise.

You just need to tailor your travels so you are near public transport or a decent cycle path. We did toy with pulling a car but never got round to it.

In many ways it makes more sense to tow a caravan.

Good luck anyway and welcome to the forum

 

[RichieRY]

the factory alarm and any dealer fit ones are rubbish. open the central locking, which takes 20 seconds and the alarm is off
you need high security locks and disable the obd port, or it will be taken

So what is it that you are recommending and where would I go to get it sorted?

 

[Riverbankannie]

@RichieRY what exiting times ahead.
As mentioned above, take a few holidays before you decide on towing. You say you are going to France. There are many many campsites and aireswhich are well within walking distance of the town centre. I don’t think you will find a car a necessity and I am sure you won’t need the extra stress of towing with a new MH in your hands.

The best part of having a MH is to be able to pack up and move on to see new places and you want to keep that process as easy as possible. You would find parking places much harder to find with a car on the back (especially in the summer holidays) and also most aires only have room for your MH.

 

[Riverbankannie]

So what is it that you are recommending and where would I go to get it sorted?

Vanbitz in Taunton. Discount for Fun subscribers!
Probably get a discount on insurance too.
Not too far from you and you can stay on their campsite.

 

[Chris]

So what is it that you are recommending and where would I go to get it sorted?

I don’t know much about this stuff but all the Transits round here have secondary locks on the front doors.

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[Ivory55]

I don’t know much about this stuff but all the Transits round here have secondary locks on the front doors.

Transits are all they have in star lane. Haha

 

[pappajohn]

eeeeeeeek! Thanks for the info. We did take quite a few options and a quality alarm was on the top of the pile!

I would be inclined, if at all possible, to cancel the alarm.
Most are simple car alarms and aren't suitable in many ways for motorhomes.
A dedicated motorhome alarm such as Vanbitz Strikeback covers everything and reports say if the alarm is triggered and you're in the van your ears WILL bleed.
You will also get a member discount.
It may cost more but other than a superior product designed specifically for motorhomes (They WON'T fit them to anything else) the backup and service is excellent.
(I have no association with vanbitz)

 

[TheBig1]

So what is it that you are recommending and where would I go to get it sorted?

vanbitz do one of only a small number of specialist alarms designed for motorhomes, not cars and they are the best. you get a substantial discount too as a member of fun

 

[RichieRY]

@RichieRY what exiting times ahead.
As mentioned above, take a few holidays before you decide on towing. You say you are going to France. There are many many campsites and aireswhich are well within walking distance of the town centre. I don’t think you will find a car a necessity and I am sure you won’t need the extra stress of towing with a new MH in your hands.

The best part of having a MH is to be able to pack up and move on to see new places and you want to keep that process as easy as possible. You would find parking places much harder to find with a car on the back (especially in the summer holidays) and also most aires only have room for your MH.

Hi Riverbankannie!

Thank you for the nice message.

I think reading your post along with the others - I will give it a year and see. I do need to explore more and need help about how to go about MHing properly! I want to see loads of places but not sure how to go about it - that might be a future post (where can you stop etc, what do most of you do).

Someone mentioned electric bikes - that might be that way forward!

 

[scotjimland]

Someone mentioned electric bikes - that might be that way forward!

I suggest you just use ordinary bicycles, either hybrid, touring or hard-tail mountain bikes.. whatever you prefer, you will get fit and enjoy it .. fit panniers and you can haul a weeks shopping.. go out to explore.. 30 miles is easily achievable once you get fit.. and they are much less likely to get stolen.. old bikes are best as they don't get nicked

too old I hear you say.. never.. neither of us are spring chickens, and we enjoy both road and off road cycling.. never too old to cycle..

as for e-bikes..
they need charging.. perhaps every other day if used regularly, so either on-site EHU, or charge while driving using an inverter.. or while parked with the inverter if you have plenty of solar...

we tried e bikes, expensive Kalkhoffs, about £2.5k each.. but sold them and bought nice lightweight road bikes.. never looked back.

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[RichieRY]

I suggest you just use ordinary bicycles, either hybrid, touring or hard-tail mountain bikes.. whatever you prefer, you will get fit and enjoy it .. fit panniers and you can haul a weeks shopping.. go out to explore.. 30 miles is easily achievable once you get fit.. and they are much less likely to get stolen.. old bikes are best as they don't get nicked

too old I hear you say.. never.. neither of us are spring chickens, and we enjoy both road and off road cycling.. never too old to cycle..

as for e-bikes..
they need charging.. perhaps every other day if used regularly, so either on-site EHU, or charge while driving using an inverter.. or while parked with the inverter if you have plenty of solar...

we tried e bikes, expensive Kalkhoffs, about £2.5k each.. but sold them and bought nice lightweight road bikes.. never looked back.

More helpful stuff!

I am all for getting fit! So this would be a win, win situation!

I have learned more on here today, than in the 2 years I have been 'researching'

Thank you!

 

[two]

Fiat said the 500 would need to be pulled backwards?

Maybe a carry-over from the time they built tanks. Italian tanks were said to travel faster in reverse than forwards!

Literally went out to a couple of dealerships to ask the question - which possibly was the wrong thing to do .

Dealers will not have a clue. I went to buy a new one and explained that it was to tow behind a motorhome. They knew nothing about the need for a dry clutch and, when I asked what the weight was, they replied "six to eight weeks"!

 

[stewartwebr]

Have a look at www.tow-bars2tow-cars.com web site. They are very helpful & knowledgeable on the subject and always have a good stock of various models.

Another vote for TB2TC cannot recommend them enough, great company and shall offer all the advice you need without twisting your arm to buy from them. But they do always have a good stock or ready converted cars or you can buy your own and they will convert recommending the best make a models. Ask them about the Mercedes SLK they converted

I towed an Abarth, basically a Fiat 500 with sports engine for around 15,000 miles without issue.

 

[RichieRY]

Another vote for TB2TC cannot recommend them enough, great company and shall offer all the advice you need without twisting your arm to buy from them. But they do always have a good stock or ready converted cars or you can buy your own and they will convert recommending the best make a models. Ask them about the Mercedes SLK they converted

I towed an Abarth, basically a Fiat 500 with sports engine for around 15,000 miles without issue.

Thank you.

The 500s was on the top of my list as a small car for the motorhome. Compared to all the other I looked at - it felt sturdy and was much nicer inside, with no metal showing (I really hate that in small cars).

 

[two]

If you can manage with two cars on the drive, a small one will probably do fine. If you have space for only one, you may need a 'proper' car. I have towed cars up to 1500kg without problem, so there's no need to restrict yourself to a little one, especially for only a few times a year.

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[denisejoe]

On your current license you only have 510 kg before you are over the weight limit of your license and that includes everything and everybody in the van without a trailer so before even thinking about towing you must upgrade your license

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

Another vote for TC2TB. We bought our ready converted Fiat 500 on an A frame from them. Excellent service and support. But if you have space at home, a trailer with a small car like the 500 may suit you better and give you more flexibility in Europe. Also another vote for Vanbitz Growler alarm, and a tracker system and/or non-starter. I would recommend the security immediately as you have a Ford but the tow car or trailer decision can wait. Buses, trains, taxis bikes and even hire cars are available with a bit of planning.

 

[Just smiffy]

Your a teacher, you have small kids.? Holidaying at the busiest times of the year, adding a trailer or tow car to that is another nightmare too far....

Bikes are great for you and the kids, adds adventures for both... cycling lanes are very good all over Europe more so then uk and more/better respect form car users.....

Public transport is far better than uk all over Europe.... I’m in a wheelchair and I get everywhere, buses, trains and underground and sometimes by myself...

And finally, car hire is very cheap in Europe especially Spain so for that once or twice occasions when you need a car it will be very reasonable to hire one....

It’s a holiday, don’t add in more stress towing.....

Jump in and drive off to your adventures with no worries....

Welcome and good luck...

 

[stewartwebr]

I have just noticed your comments about when you passed your test. What is the weight of your new purchase? If over 3500kg you know you will need to sit your C1 test to legally drive.

 

[eddie]

We bought a Diahatsu Terios to tow as it was a little 4x4 could be ordered with Air Conditioning and had five doors, the last two thing essential for our dog, but the main reason was that there is a section in the handbook about being towed in an “A” frame

Apparently it is a big seller in the states as a Toad, so Diahatsu were happy to write to me saying that the car was suitable to tow

This was in 2008 and it’s seen four different campers pulling it

So if you still want to tow on an “A” frame I would recommend the Terios

Personally we will only now use it in the UK, originally Spain was a no no, but French friends that run a campsite told us that people towing “cars on triangles” had had issues with the Police.

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[Mr Chrysalis]

I have just noticed your comments about when you passed your test. What is the weight of your new purchase? If over 3500kg you know you will need to sit your C1 test to legally drive.

What salesman would let you buy a Moho that you didn’t have a licence to drive?

Oh yeah, that’s right, most of them.

 

[Manic]

You would need to know the maximum train weight, before deciding between an A frame or trailer because a trailer and car could be too heavy. Also a trailer could put a lot of weight on the tow ball and that come off the payload.
We A frame a Peugeot 107, great little car.

 

[tinks703]

What weight can your M/H tow, does towing a car take your total weight over 3500kg? Have you the correct driving leicence to tow? Best answer now than to the boys in blue!

 

[Cheshirecat57]

What weight can your M/H tow, does towing a car take your total weight over 3500kg? Have you the correct driving leicence to tow? Best answer now than to the boys in blue!

Do you mean the nose-weight of the "trailer". Many forget this aspect, but it shouldn't be many kilos

 

[pappajohn]

What weight can your M/H tow, does towing a car take your total weight over 3500kg? Have you the correct driving leicence to tow? Best answer now than to the boys in blue!

Towing a trailer doesn't take the weight over 3500kg, it's accounted for in the maximum train weight which in this case is 5000kg....3500kg for the van plus 1500kg for the trailer.
No, the op doesn't have the correct licence... Its all been covered in previous replies.

Do you mean the nose-weight of the "trailer". Many forget this aspect, but it shouldn't be many kilos

Agreed, shouldn't be more than 75kg or 100kg stipulated by the towbar manufacturer.

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[two]

Do you mean the nose-weight of the "trailer". Many forget this aspect, but it shouldn't be many kilos

The weight on the tow bracket should be around 75Kg.
But, taking moments around the back axle, that's more than likely to be an additional 100Kg on the back axle (and 25Kg off the front).
If you don't yet have a tow bar, you'll need to add that into the equation, too.