Just Because You CAN Tow it Doesn’t Mean You SHOULD
I remember 20 years ago when I bought a 17 ft boat and my car was a Ford Telstar. Simple reality was that the car could tow the boat. It made it to the boat ramp and back ok… But there was no question I was well overweight. It was an accident waiting to happen.
Occasionally you see a rig where the numbers are so far out of skew that it’s worth just mentioning again that just because your car can get up to 100km /hr towing your van it doesn’t mean it is ok to do so. This client called because he was concerned that there had been some sway on a recent trip and he was wondering if he may be overweight.
The car was a 2014 D Max with a GVM of 2750 and a GCM of 5750. These aren’t big numbers to begin with. The car has a 3000kg braked towing capacity.
The caravan was a 24ft New Age with a GTM of 3200. We couldn’t see the ATM on the compliance plate as it had been obscured by some permanent padding but I guessed 3500 to be generous.
The client had added a 90kg water tank, a grey water tank and a large tool box right across the back of the van. As well as 4 x solar panels and a new battery system, he had done some significant work on the van to make it very well equipped for off-grid travel.
The GTM of the van, weighed with water tanks full ,was 3234 (already over the braked towing capacity) and then the towball mass was 326 making the ATM 3560kg. This was before adding the client’s wife, slabs of beer and the tinny on the roof of the car!
Of course the GCM of 5750 was blown out of the water by about 300kg. So yeah… it would definitely make the car somewhat unstable on the road.
How to fix it?
Unfortunately it seems the only option is a newer car – but not another MUX. Even the latest model still has only a GVM of 2800kg even if the braked towing capacity is increased to 3500kg now. A new MUX would require a GVM upgrade straight off the factory floor (as many non-ute vehicles do). So I suggested looking at the Ford Ranger where a GVM of 3200 and a GCM of 6450 would allow him to get within the correct parameters. He would still need to lose around 60kg off the van with the easiest way being to empty the grey water and then lose some fresh water.
So if you are feeling like things aren’t quite right just give us a call. It’s definitely better to be safe than to put yourself and others on the road at risk.