Light weight Caravan?

[QFAD]

Hi guys,

Does anyone have any experience of towing one of the light weight Tear-drop style caravans with a Lomax?

Although I'm sure std 2Cvs have towed caravans on many occasions, my specific enquiry is focused on a 223, but I'd be happy to hear from anyone with a 223 or 224 variants.

Many thanks,

Steve

[cmwbob]

Steve,

Bear in mind the towed item should be within 80% of the unladen curb wt of the tow car, so that will most likley be limiting factor.

The max GTW on official figures that i keep for Certs of Conform are 223 = 750 kgs, 224 = 920kgs (with1080kgs as absolute max if 224 is built heavy)

Hope that helps
Bob

[motomallett]

Hi would just like to clarify the permitted weight for towing with a Lomax 223.If the ratio is 80% of the weight of the Lomax how can it be allowed to tow anything weighing 750 kilograms as the Lomax weighs far less. Having towed many times with my threewheeler would be interested to know what weight can be legally towed. regards Roger

[QFAD]

Hi Bob,

Many thanks for the info.

If I understand correctly, assuming the Lomax 223 laden with two passengers weighs in at around 550 kg, that would leave 200kg for the trailer/caravan?

As an side I would opt for a braked trailer option.

Many thanks,

Steve

[cmwbob]

That is correct Steve,
Whilst the power train of the 223 has the ability for a higher GTW (as demonstrated by that GTW of the 224 and 2CV itself) the limiting factor is governed by not only the 80% ratio on a target design wt of the 223, but also the jacknife potential due to the traction of a single rear wheel.

[Weg3]

My pal Andy built his own 'pod' to tow behind his Triking.
Very successful, been seen at lots of events.

[QFAD]

Hi Weg,

That is just the type of lightweight caravan I was considering - basic but provides a much more comfy bed at the right height etc...

From the picture I see it is an unbraked trailer - and the tow hitch is also very neatly done.

[pulhamdown]

There is some confusion here, between braked, and unbraked trailers. With an unbraked trailer, the towing vehicle can pull a trailer of up to 750kgs, or 50% of the kerb weight / unladen weight of the towing car, whichever is less. So a three wheeler weighing 350 kgs unladen, could pull a trailer with a gross vehicle weight of 175 kgs. That is the weight of the trailer and the load in it. For braked trailers, the situation is more complicated for three wheelers. Virtually all modern cars have a plate in the engine bay which stipulates the manufacturer's recommended maximum towing weight. As our cars do not have this, it is probably sufficient to limit the towed weight to 100% of the kerb weight. The 85% rule comes from the caravan club, and is a suggested maximum for drivers without much experience of towing. It is only a recommendation, not a rule. In both cases, the GVW of the trailer must be displayed on the nearside of the trailer. This information has been gleaned from the RAC website. If you are going to tow with a three wheeler, you must be fully up to speed with the rules, as many of the Police who may stop you, may not be. Whichever you decide to do, the outfit will not be as stable in all circumstances as a solo car. I have towed a Combi Camp trailer tent many miles behind a BMW sidecar outfit, and never once was stopped. It's all in the luck of the draw!

[QFAD]

Hi,

Thanks for your comments.

I was aware of the different issues regarding braked and unbraced caravans/trailers and the some-what murky world of regulations.

I would opt for the braked option in all cases (noting the extra weight of a braked system) and I have a reinforced single arm supported by both rear suspension systems.

So for a 223 I was working on a planning assumption of max caravan/trailer weight of 300kg.

The GTW would then be around 550kg for a laden Lomax 223 and 300Kg for the trailer, giving a total of max 850kg.

See; Classic Teardrop Model
http://www.theenglishcaravancompany.com/models/

Obviously still more research to do. We will visit Caravan Show up at NEC if on later in the year to see more options.

[cmwbob]

Just to clarify a point as raised by pulhamdown, the vehicle should be fitted with a fixed plate specifying its max wts, irrespective that its a special/conversion.

It is known that many owners/builders simply attached the original donor vin plate which is an illegal action unless they obscured the wts figures and added a supplementary plate with more appropriate figures.

The design wts I listed in the earlier post are a sensible target point to use as a base point and whilst there is always room to deviate, bear in mind those figures were derived from detailed discussions and agreement with Citroen/PSA homologation dept (Coventry) and DVLA/VOSA when obtaining the right to issue Certificates of Conformity.

Bob