Towing a Camper Trailer

[Rocket36]

So who tows a camper trailer?

The VW towbar has a low ball limit, 90kg from memory, which isn't great.

Looking for a decent after market towbar setup so I can actually tow something like a Jayco Expanda 14.44-4. Because the VW one won't let me.

Cheers.

[doc_777]

The tow bar limits set by the vehicle manufacturer can’t be increased by an aftermarket tow bar manufacturer. You are stuck at 90kg tow ball mass.

It sucks that VW upgraded the Tiguan’s tow ball mass numbers but didn’t budge on the Passat - and it’s the same MQB platform - so I’m guessing the engineering considerations would be similar

[Rocket36]

I'm sorry what? The CAR manufacturer sets the TOW BALL limit for ALL the tow balls in the world now do they? What am I missing here?

How does this Swift Expression have less than 90kg ball weight?
Passat Towing Tandem Axle Caravan

[doc_777]

That’s the law in Australia. Been that way for about 20 or more years. Maximum towball download, maximum braked, and maximum UNbraked mass (max 750kg - many vehicles are less) are all set by the manufacturer of the vehicle. Any towbar manufacturer can specify maximums UP TO AND INCLUDING those maximums, but not greater.

[Rocket36]

So this is yet another stupid antiquated Australian thing? *sigh* Like when ISOFIX car seats were actually illegal! Watching that video you'd think the Passat has no issues towing a camper trailer.

[doc_777]

Dunno which jurisdictions that law exists in. But seeing as though in the UK the towing limits on the Tiguan weren’t upgraded (as they were in Australia), I reckon that law exists (in effectively similar form) throughout the UK and the EU as well.

[Rocket36]

Dunno which jurisdictions that law exists in. But seeing as though in the UK the towing limits on the Tiguan weren’t upgraded (as they were in Australia), I reckon that law exists (in effectively similar form) throughout the UK and the EU as well.

So how is that Passat able to two that Swift tandem caravan?

[doc_777]

So how is that Passat able to two that Swift tandem caravan?

not sure what you mean? Plenty of Euro caravans have what many Australians think are small towball weights - 75kg to 90kg region isn’t unusual at all for many of their tandem vans. They believe in centralised mass as one of the primary keys to caravan stability.

[Rocket36]

They believe in centralised mass as one of the primary keys to caravan stability.

Um that's because it is! Are you saying that's not how it is in Australia? I mean it's fairly basic engineering to get a trailer to be evenly balanced when it's horizontal to the ground (single or double axle) to the point where you shouldn't need to put the jockey wheel down on double axles. Then when you hitch it up, you make the necessary adjustments to the hitch setup to two horizontally. The tow car should be pulling, not holding one end off the ground.

[Hillbilly]

Um that's because it is! Are you saying that's not how it is in Australia? I mean it's fairly basic engineering to get a trailer to be evenly balanced when it's horizontal to the ground (single or double axle) to the point where you shouldn't need to put the jockey wheel down on double axles. Then when you hitch it up, you make the necessary adjustments to the hitch setup to two horizontally. The tow car should be pulling, not holding one end off the ground.

Hmm you obviously arent up to speed with towing dynamics are you If you have no weight on the ball the van is subject to sway and yaw and that very fact got three people killed a few years ago

Read this and learn Jong Coronial Report.rtf - Google Drive

and this perfectly tells you why your theory is wrong


Watch this video and you may understand

YouTube


What SHOULD be and what needs to be are two different things