Towing capacity T5 - something to consider

[petenkaz]

Pretty unhappy, have a Kombi Beach, and today finalised a deal on a Jayco campervan. When I went in to discuss getting trailer brakes added it turns out that the towball weight maximum on the VW is 100 kgs, the van is 120 kgs, total weight 900 kgs. This means that it is illegal to tow the van with my car.

The local VW people were their usual friendly selves, jumping out of their skin to answer all my questions (not!), however sadly there is nothing that can be done to increase capacity. Bit of a bummer cause i've always bragged to mates how much it can tow. Turns out an auto Xtrail has better capacity, though I know which i'd prefer to be towing with!

Something for all to keep in mind when towing....

[Cousin]

petenkaz, is your towbar/ball genuine, or aftermarket.

Aftermarket bars start at around 1200kgs for the Multivan and go up over 2.5 tonne

I don't know the figures for ball weight for these bars, but I'm sure someone here will know

Maybe have a chat with someone from Hayman Reece?


M

[dct]

It looks like the standard Hayman tow bars max out at 100Kg too.

VW Transporter Tow Bar Sydney

David

[Seano]

Fair to say that you may have bought the wrong caravan. There's nothing wrong with the vehicle. The problem is that the Jayco van is poorly balanced so that its drawbar weight is too heavy. I reckon 120kg down on the towbar is ridiculous for such a lightwweight caravan...

Solution? Easy. Ask the Jayco dealer to re-balance the caravan so that the towbar weight comes in under 100kg. Which means whacking a few kgs at the rear of the van...

[jfoldbar]

i have a t5. hayman and reese tow bar rated at 2500kg. often pulling 2 axle trailer loaded with over 2 tons in it

[4wheels]

i have a t5. hayman and reese tow bar rated at 2500kg. often pulling 2 axle trailer loaded with over 2 tons in it

That's fine, but it's the towball weight/downforce that's at issue. Apparently, a lot of European (and some Japanese) vehicles are designed with a lower towball weight in mind, even though they are rated to pull a heavy weight overall (and it's 2.5tonne for most T5s). Australian trailer/caravan manufacturers like to put 10% of the total weight on the drawbar, which means that while the van will pull it, it's over-spec on towball weight, which raises safety issues (taking weight off front wheels) and therefore insurance issues.

Brian.

[jfoldbar]

gee brian, you make it sound like a science. i must be real thick, but i dont have a clue what you mean. taking weight off front wheels, sure this is an issue in theory, and only reality if you want to tow at high speed. if your worried about safety or insurance or something then drive slower so you feel safe and its therefore not an issue.
but as i said, i dont really undertand all the jargon or laws etc, i just know what i do and feel comfortable doing. on the open road with a load i wouldnt be game to go more than about 100 with a full load, half load is better though.in build up areas just allow more room to brake. when i had my trailer built though i did ask for longer draw bar which does cut down on the dancing.
actually the biggest, and only problem i ever have when pulling trailer is not weight etc, but i think 1st gear is too high. i gotta ride the clutch a bit on hill starts to get it moving. and gear doesnt hold going down a hill. a big long hill your brakes may shudder a bit.

adrian

[The_Hawk]

you make it sound like a science.

Well it sort of is a science... Engineers spend lots of time (and money) in buidling and testing certain configurations to ensure they work appropriately. Much like any lever, if you put weight on one side the other side will react. They tell you what the limits are for a reason. I'd like to think there is a bit of leeway in the limits, so +20% or so wouldn't be unreasonable to guess at, but it's not something I would be relying on.

[Mountainman]

The 10% of tow weight over the towball is a widely accepted rule that works well and is almost critical to stable and safe towing. Just drive behind a trailer that is not well balanced to see how dangerous it is to ignore this rule. The problem in Australia is most loaded trailers are way over the 10% towball load and need to use a levelling set-up. Getting the balance right in the first place should take priority.

[Sherwy]

The 10% of tow weight over the towball is a widely accepted rule that works well and is almost critical to stable and safe towing. Just drive behind a trailer that is not well balanced to see how dangerous it is to ignore this rule. The problem in Australia is most loaded trailers are way over the 10% towball load and need to use a levelling set-up. Getting the balance right in the first place should take priority.

I agree, 100kgs ball weight is way too much.. should be half that.