Towing a caravan

It is aparently true for in that modern vans have flexibe chassis that won't work well with leaf-sprung chassis. Having said that, most, if not all, the Hair Dresser 4x4's a have leafs on the back and people occasional tow vans with them. The best bet would be to contact the manufacturer and get a definitive answer, speculation won't help if things go wrong.

Richard

Greg uttered summat worrerz funny about:

One of the companies do a shock link, basically a shock absorber type device which limits the shock transmitted through the tow ball / hitch.

These bolt to the back of the landrover where the drop plate goes and form a sandwich between the drop plate and tow ball.

Never used one.

Not cheap mind, but cheaper than a motorway pile up if you do crack the caravan chassis in a worst case scenario.

On or around Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:25:06 +0000, beamendsltd enlightened us thusly:

I've been wondering about that. However, Edward has soft parabolics on the rear and my 'van is far from modern, the weight is listed on it in cwt...

one thing you definitely need is a long drop plate - 'van hitches are low to suit cars and they have limited ground clearance so you need 'em to be level.

Greg, I'd strongly recommend that you don't tow a caravan with a classic such as a leaf sprung S3 109.

It's not really a problem relating to the chassis stiffness or leaf springs, it's mainly because it will destroy your street cred. Further, every other motorist stuck behind you will hate you for ever. :o)

Alternatively, give it a go anyway. Caravans are the devils work so who cares if it falls to bits? :o)

Have fun,

"Lee_D" wrote .......

Is your rear crossmember in good condition? I would be more worried about that falling to pieces rather than the caravan chassis, seen lots of caravans being towed by rotten crossmembers but having said that I've seen a towball in the past with a rubber bush between the ball and the bit that fastens to the drop plate, can't remember what make it was though. Never thought it would be an issue but caravans seem to made from the thinnest materials possible that would just about hold them together but I've not seen one fall apart on the back of a series.

Martin

From the Caravan Club:

"Commercial Vehicles If you intend towing a caravan with a vehicle which is not "passenger car or passenger car-derived" then damage may be caused to the drawbar of the caravan. The basis of this is that commercial vehicles or some older types of 4x4 vehicles usually have very firm rear suspension which is harder than that on passenger cars, and extra shock can cause fractures on the drawbar. The line between suitable and unsuitable 'commercial' vehicles, which obviously includes motorcaravans used for towing, is imprecise. Early Land Rovers had firm leaf springing: current ones softer coil springs, for instance Whilst some caravan manufacturers may note this restriction in the user's handbook, none that the Club has seen do so at the critical point of sale, in the sales brochure or showroom. It is important therefore to check carefully before purchase that the caravan's warranty is not invalidated by the type of towing vehicle. Sprung towballs are available to alleviate this problem, for example by Shocklink (see list of suppliers at the end of this leaflet), but at significant additional cost."

Seems all pretty vague to me. I would think that the problem (if there is one) comes from the higher vertical shock loading on the caravan drawbar from the harder springing of leaf sprung vehicles. In other words, in not something inherent in the design of a Series Landy. If you have parabolics, the softer spring rates would give no more or less problem than a coil-sprung car. Even with "hard" leaf springs, I would think that any problem would only arise with severe and prolonged use. You see plenty of Series vehicles towing caravans.

My advice (and IANAL or a towing expert, come to that) would be to fit a proper drop plate or adjustable tow bracket so that the van rides level or slightly nose-down, take it gently, and then just keep an eye on it.

In message , Lee_D writes

Fitted one on my Jeep Cherokee, but of course you don't know if it actually works. The odd complaint of fittings coming adrift has arisen on uk.rec.caravanning but never a cracked chassis that I can remember.

Come to think of it I've never noticed a Shocklink on the back of any Pikey's truck or Trannie.

If I was in the Caravan Club I would expect them to publish a list of manufacturers that had noted this restriction, avoid them like the plague, and buy some other make that would warrant them not falling to pieces.

Martin

On or around Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:55:59 +0100, "Lee_D" enlightened us thusly:

fackinell, that's about 3x what my 'van cost.

hmmm. wonder if it's worth doing a rubber mounting for the tow ball to the drop plate, or whether that'd be a waste of time...

could have:

bolt drop head plate ball nut V V V V | | | | | | | | ^ ^ ^ rubber bits.

On or around Fri, 27 Apr 2007 21:12:46 +0100, "Rich B" enlightened us thusly:

mind you, the old 7-leaf HD rears for LWB series have about as much give as a 9x6 RSJ.

I towed an old van around for some time behind a standard S2 with no trouble.

Oi, I've got those on my old 109". If I get a round tuit I must put the set of pair o' bollicks on that's been leaning against the garage wall for about two years.

Martin

In message , Oily writes

Most (if not all) UK Manufacturers use an ALKO chassis - so you may find yourself with a very long list.

Thanks to everyone who replied, to add a bit of detail the rear cross member is very sound and I have a Dixon Bate adjustable on so should be able to level a van properly, towing a 2 Tonne Ifor heavily loaded hasn't shown any problems so I don't think the 109 is going to suffer!.

It seems modern caravan chassis are under strength and rely on being able to squash the rear of the tow vehicle, something I doubt is going to happen with my 109 on standard springs 8-). On the other hand, I'm only after a cheap 'van to drag to the shows occasionally so =A3500 for a sprung tow bar is not on!, I think I'll suck it and see. Greg

Greg uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Greg uttered summat worrerz funny about:

My advice... clean all the grease and gunk off first ......

:-P

Lee D

"hugh" wrote .........

Don't suppose I'll be doing much caravanning then :-)

The one I used for almost 20 years didn't need towing, it was a fitted out AEC Reliance, 19.5 mpg and 75 mph. Where I used to work we towed these in when broken down (and double deckers) using a 1965 Series 2A 109" which had a 2286cc diesel. Somehow I don't think they would let you do that now.

Martin

On or around Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:10:46 +0100, "Oily" enlightened us thusly:

and?

If you wanted to carry 3/4 ton around all the time they'd be great. Hopeless for running light though.

I've got 3-leaf paras on the back of Edward II, which are HD SWB spec or light duty LWB.

They're not bad for HD springs, fairly comfortable, so long as you don't let them get rusty.

I've already stripped the fourth leaf off the rears and was going to try them with three, you reckon they would be OK like that? And with two leaves on the front.

Martin