Why do people tow cars behind motorhomes, rather than have a caravan?

[Clive Bishop]

Another advantage for the car and caravan - that car can be your only motorised vehicle. Whereas if you have a motorhome and tow a small car, that car may well not be enough for your daily use at home. So you end up with three motorised vehicles, 3 lots of tax, 3 MOTs, etc.

That’s me 3 of every thing but having Done both I have seen to many caravans on there sides to go back.Just my opinion.

 

[cyberyacht]

As an ex-tugger, it's the prep that got to me. Hitchlock off, wheel clamp off, steadies up, movers connected. Move off drive to the road( if space!). Back car up to van, hookup, check lights, indicators, fit and adjust mirrors. Repeat in reverse order at destination except the light checking. As for a Toad, it's mostly useful in the UK. Abroad it has to be on a trailer plus more documentation to take. The benefits in UK are a bit marginal unless you have a big moho and, unless you use the moho as a long term static abroad, they are too many downsides overseas.

 

[funflair]

And don’t forget about bragging rights.

The bigger the MoHo with a toad and the MoHo has all the mod cons and cost you a family home price.

MoHo and toad yes engine pulling an engine and transport at the end done it uuuuummmmm?

Discovery 4 and a big BIG caravan is more practical, more space, alde heating, self levelling, motorised satellite and a nice 42” tv.

I just drive to site, park up, press a button van levels, press a button for satellite, plug power in, turn heating on and away we go.

I have 8ft wide space, far more space that most MoHos and I have a car to use plus one load of tax, fuel etc.

MoHo yes it feels like it’s simple but in reality naaaaa caravans or tuggers if you like in my mind is simplicity in itself.

Big MoHo with a car hahahahah bragging rights on site that’s all it is .

Caravans are great especially used as you say, "just drive to site" "plug power in" and to be fair we did that for a lot of years and loved it but when we retired it was time for a change, we like to cycle when we are away so towing the caravan with my works van was ideal as we could get the bikes in the back, Discovery wouldn't work for us, when we were away we never drove the vehicle other than moving sites so a Motorhome with a big garage for bikes and a scooter offers much more flexibility for us

 

[Jev88]

I've swapped to a caravan and now in my 4th season I can set to caravan up in about 30 minutes, not much more than it took in the MOHO. People keep saying they arrive on site and put the handbrake on and that's all with a MOHO, but that ignores driving to the service point to fill the water tank and then back to the pitch. If you have a toad I think I'm probably quicker than you, as you have to remove the A frame and I just unhitch and level the caravan

Is that a challenge?

We arrive full of gas and water. All of our luggage is already neatly away in the MH and so no need to fill with water or transfer food, clothes, boots, drink from car to caravan etc.... We arrive, unhitch (one small padlock and pull bar out) and drive onto pitch.
Oh, and my tow car doesn't stand a chance of wagging the MH when driving, unlike some caravans I see on the road.

 

[EuroTrotters]

1. Can’t argue with that point
2. My car goes inside the motorhome and is fully electric so no engine, I don’t pay road tax.
3. No fuel consumption as I charge it off solar
4. There is only 2 of us and a dog and the smart car is ideal for us, we get free parking in most European counties as the charge points are free to park
5. I have oceans of space
View attachment 720724

Amazing set up.

Which version of Morelo is that |? Chassis ?

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[Chris CM]

I just take my PVC and an e-bike. Park the van up close to town and travel in by bike or bus, lot less hassle than finding parking etc.

we do the same using e-bikes but the problem is security! Finding somewhere to secure them is always a worry, rather more nickable than the average toad?

 

[Folkranger]

It would be difficult, no impossible to take just a caravan touring in Europe, also if have a reasonable size caravan the tow car would need to be bigger with higher road tax and lower mpg.

How wrong can you be. Before motorhoming, we towed a caravan abroad every year. We never booked and moved on every few days (itchy feet me). In fact over the years we have seen more of europe from our caravans than our motorhomes.

 

[Larrynwin]

Tugger are there for motorhomers entertainment , just watch them setting up on a wet windy day

 

[Folkranger]

To make a big enough vehicle, capable of towing a caravan, road legal must be quite expensive and of course you’ve got to have your caravan insured as well!
Some of these big towing cars have expensive RT!

My daughter tows with a SsangYong Korando which you can get for £20k new and it tows up to 2T. While she says it's not the best quality car she's had it's a lot better than your average motorhome cab.

 

[Chris Sykes]

I also am an ex-tugger, we had a lovely Elddis Super Cylone a large, heavy, twin axle towed behind a Range Rover - which after my wife became disabled just became too much work/heavy for me to manage on my own!
We swapped it for a Swift Bolero 714SB ( very similar layout to our former caravan - but significantly less internal width which my wife misses) but the advantage is that we now tow a Vauxhall Aquila with a roof box onto top for all sorts of bits of clutter (eg. Side panels for the awning etc.) and inside the car we travel a folding F275 hard hulled folding rib boat, folding launching trolley and a 6 HP Honda Outboard Motor - which travels in the passenger seat footwell.
So we have the convenience of a car for shopping and sight seeing trips plus the use of a lovely little, seaworthy boat which travels with us.
As per the attached pictures.

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[Folkranger]

1. Can’t argue with that point
2. My car goes inside the motorhome and is fully electric so no engine, I don’t pay road tax.
3. No fuel consumption as I charge it off solar
4. There is only 2 of us and a dog and the smart car is ideal for us, we get free parking in most European counties as the charge points are free to park
5. I have oceans of space
View attachment 720724

Dare I say you're an exception that has little do do with this debate.
Nice though!

 

[Spriddler]

Tugger are there for motorhomers entertainment , just watch them setting up on a wet windy day

Or a yacht trying to anchor.

 

[mofurt]

Well! I don’t know car on trailer, inside motorhome, etc. I went down the route of 3.5t camper with electric motor cycle in the back View attachment 720776

That is a nice setup - what's the front layout like? I tend to put my bike on a trailer as it's too heavy for a rack. Actually, I'm not sure I'd have the payload to put it inside a 3.5T van anyway, but something to dream about when contemplating what the next one should be - and we're both able to drive bigger stuff.

 

[Folkranger]

To some it is not about money but more about convenience.
It would be unfair to judge others on what is of important to one’s self.

I agree. Doesn't stop me having a smug laugh whenever I see one.

 

[L' Hobo]

we do the same using e-bikes but the problem is security! Finding somewhere to secure them is always a worry, rather more nickable than the average toad?

Big security strap through the wheels that let out a horrendous scream if disturbed or cut! It was expensive but not as expensive as a new £2000 bike, or so I was told?

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[Folkranger]

Likewise, we are going to France later in the year and won’t be taking the car. We’ll stay in villages etc. and have booked a couple of sites were we May rent a car for a couple of days etc.

Everyon'es different. We never book (didn't even when we used a caravan) and would't dream of hiring a car. We find that walking, biking or using the local bus service is part of the adventure. The holiday is about doing something different, driving a car around is what we do at home.

 

[mofurt]

Both my son and my brother are dumping their vans and going for caravans; they both end up taking a car alongside the van anyway, and tend to be pitch up for a few days types. You get a lot more caravan for your money, assuming you already have a car capable of towing. That makes sense for them.

For us, we like the utility of a day van (mobile toilet and brew station when out for a walk somewhere in the middle of nowhere) that we wouldn't get with a caravan. Different solutions for different people.

 

[Manic]

How wrong can you be. Before motorhoming, we towed a caravan abroad every year. We never booked and moved on every few days (itchy feet me). In fact over the years we have seen more of europe from our caravans than our motorhomes.

You missed my point, you can’t take a caravan without the car but you can take a motorhome with a tow car.

 

[Folkranger]

Well said…..

We all judge others, whether in private or in a forum like this. It's life, get over it.

 

[Folkranger]

Agreed so sell the caravan and book into hotels - win win - no caravan costs and defo only one car cost

Birrova silly answer

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[Folkranger]

Hmm, not that difficult to figure out, with a caravan you always have to take the car with you, with a MH you dont. Furthermore, with a MH you can use aires/car parks for overnight stops and you cant do this with a caravan.

I’ll put it down to it being an early morning post.

Ian

That sounds like an early morning answer, but we love you anyway

 

[L' Hobo]

Tugger are there for motorhomers entertainment , just watch them setting up on a wet windy day

Not just tuggers, last year I saw, on a wet day, a driver trying to reverse onto some front wheel ramps, two or three time he just spun his wheels at the beginning of the ramp. He then moved it in front so he could drive UP it, he went too fast, drove over it and got it stuck under the body work.

I bet some tuggers were laughing? (I did help him retrieve it after it stopped raining hard.)

 

[Steve and Denise]

After all these different views if you remove the money oriented comments 85% it comes down to convince of use,
Caravans don’t bother me either way but at this point in time Motorhome and sometimes toad work for us,
But who knows things might change and go in a different direction.
Why are people so narrow minded

 

[Folkranger]

we do the same using e-bikes but the problem is security! Finding somewhere to secure them is always a worry, rather more nickable than the average toad?

Same, but never have a problem finding somewhere to secore them. Even when there's no bike stand there's always a railing or lamp post or whatever, preferably in front of a cafe, say where they're safer.

 

[Folkranger]

Tugger are there for motorhomers entertainment , just watch them setting up on a wet windy day

Never used the awning when touring abroad with my caravan, so not a like with like comparison.

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[Gingernuts]

Plus you can't do more than 3 months now, unless you're lucky enough to have an EU or Northern Irish passport.

For a slightly different take - once the kids have finished going away with us, I plan on getting a bike trailer and a car trailer to go behind an MH (not at the same time! though it might be 1 trailer to do both duties). That MH will probably be a PVC. Why?

Boys and their toys - I've got a kit car that's nice in the summer sun, I've got bikes that are also nice in the summer sun. Much as I enjoy camping, and still do with the bike, it is a lot more comfortable in an MH, especially if the weather isn't as good as hoped for. Nice to have the toys to play with. A classic car is on the list as well.

I quite fancy the idea of my 7-type car (like a Caterham 7 but not a Caterham 7!) for a pootle round the south of France, without actually having to drive it all the way there! It's lovely but not even remotely practical...........

Shirley shome mishtake!?
Did you mean Irish passport as NI passport is uk passport!?

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Why are people so narrow minded

Normally jealousy, they cannot afford something so slag of others who have worked hard to afford what they like.
Same as people who slag off others with nice cars!!
Sad really I think

You have what you have in life just get on with it without being bitter over what others have, my best mate from school is worth over £150m but I don’t envy him good luck I say.

 

[gwyntaxi]

I just don’t get it. If you’re going to tow, surely it makes more sense to get a really decent car, and tow a large caravan. I must be missing something.

Advantages of car & caravan
Cheaper purchase cost
Only one vehicle with an engine, less to go wrong, lower road tax, lower MOT
Better fuel consumption
Much better car to drive around when you get there
More living space in the caravan (probably)

Disadvantages
Longer to set up, but then if you’re towing, you’re not moving on every day anyway.

Yes you are certainly missing something, most campers have a Motorhome because they prefer that way of life to caravanning, a lot of Motorhomers who like myself prefer this, have mobility issues and need transport close to hand ️ as they are unable to walk a mile or even less to shops restaurants etc, & to go sightseeing, and don't want the hassle of trying to find a parking space for a 7m or 8m Motorhome when away camping, seems like the people who ask this question are caravaners and Don't understand our pastime, I hope this answers your question......
Just sayin...

 

[Folkranger]

You missed my point, you can’t take a caravan without the car but you can take a motorhome with a tow car.

I didn't miss your point in the slightest.
You said "It would be difficult, no impossible to take just a caravan touring in Europe, also if have a reasonable size caravan the tow car would need to be bigger with higher road tax and lower mpg."

I replied "How wrong can you be. Before motorhoming, we towed a caravan abroad every year. We never booked and moved on every few days (itchy feet me). In fact over the years we have seen more of europe from our caravans than our motorhomes."

 

[Gina M]

Must admit OH hated towing a caravan so we switched back to a MH for 14 years then he decided he wanted a tow car which meant I had to sell my merc to pay for a horrible Kia (with lots of change for my bank account) After much debate, I gave in as I hardly went out in the merc and didn't think it was fair to hang on to it just because I loved it. Well nearly two years down and I laugh every time I watch the faff of hooking up and unhooking just before we get to site "in case I can't get on the pitch with it" I hate it but as he does all the driving I put up with it and it is a handy little car to be fair, easy to park and plenty of room for the two dogs in the back. Would I go back to a caravan. NO. And I know we are being watched and laughed at so I always do a little dance for you peeps who don't like it After practice it only takes 2/3 minutes though!!

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