Hi all, we're looking at purchasing a decent sized caravan. we have two motorcycles that we also want to take along with us on our travels. so are considering a van lwb, or a smaller class 1 box truck. so looking for a bit of advice on suitable vehicles, many thanks
martin11,
Mar 31, 7:03am
Look at the weight of the Caravan and the towing rates of the tow vehicle . Has the Caravan got brakes ?
msigg,
Mar 31, 7:14am
Most late model medium to large vans will tow the caravan easy, the caravan will probably have brakes if late model so no problems, just look at the weight of the caravan and the tow weight the van is allowed and go from there. Please pull over and let other road users pass.
monaro17,
Mar 31, 8:20am
You will have to look at the maximum combined vehicle mass of the tow vehicle. It may have the tow rating for the caravan but it is unlikely that with that you would then be able to chuck many hundreds of kgs in the van too. What people often don’t understand is that the tow rating of the vehicle does not solely cover what’s on the towball, it also covers the load in the tow vehicle. It’s quite a complex setup to understand. Google will answer many of your GVM, GCM type questions
lakeview3,
Mar 31, 8:38am
get a small horse truck or float with self contained sleeping quarters. Plenty of room for the bikes where the horses would go.
onl_148,
Mar 31, 8:49am
When you say 2 x motorbikes. are we talking big / Harley type or a smaller nifty 50 type ?
s_nz,
Mar 31, 11:40am
I think a large van would be better for this application than a little box truck. In Short, because van's have wheel arches, the load floor will be a lot lower than in a box truck, which will make it a lot easier load and unload the bikes. I would guess that vans would have better comfort while driving than a little cab over box truck too.
What tow you go for really depends on how big / heavy the caravan you are going to get is. Tow ratings for current models: - Hiace: 1500kg auto / 1900kg manual - Sprinter (SWB, STD roof, 3490kg GVM): 2000kg - Sprinter (LWB, High roof, 5000kg GVM): 3500kg - Transit 350L Med roof RWD, 3490kg GVM: 2800kg - Daily (smallest): 3200kg - Crafter (smallest): 3000kg - Fiat Ducato MWB Low roof: 2500kg (FWD, but lowest load floor in class, and very common as a campervan base. Could be a good option)
And of course the medium vans: - iLoad: 2000kg manual, 1500kg auto - Transit connect: 2,150kg LWB, 1800kg SWB
If you are buying an aussie van, you will need to check if the tow vehicle is rated for the correct ball downforce, as they often like to set them up with lots.
I imagine a van with a bulkhead and no rear windows would be ideal for security.
As others have pointed out, the alternative option to putting the bikes in the tow vehicle is getting a toy hauler. Basically a large caravan with a ramp in the rear to load various toys. Note that the storage area typically overlaps with the living area, so you have less living space with toys inside. (Design intent is that they get offloaded and parked beside at your destination.
Very popular in the USA where people drive to say utah, and set up a base for their off road adventures. Larger ones are "5th wheel" style where they get towed by a ute, connecting to a kingpin mounted in the center of the bed.
This option means that you could have tow vehicle being a 5 seat SUV or ute that doubles as your daily driver. (not that there is anything wrong with using say an iload or transit connect as your daily driver if you don't need back seats.)
coolnzmum,
Mar 31, 2:56pm
Our caravan is 24 ft and just under three ton. When we purchased it it came with a big horn. This had been towing it for twelve years. We decided to get a double cab light truck. If we had put our e bikes and kayaks onto the big horn we would have been over the GCVM. Do your research into weights.
msigg,
Mar 31, 3:11pm
So coolnzmum you have a heavy caravan, the english 24ft weighs approx 16 _ 1800kg, the jayco caravan will be heavier at approx 26 _ 2800kg, not sure of the old Nz caravans. So yes depends what the caravan is.
m16d,
Mar 31, 5:17pm
Shall we assume your talking about an Isuzu Bighorn.
cleangreenhb,
Mar 31, 5:18pm
Afternoon, thanks for tips and advice a couple along the lines we were thinking. yes a van lwb transit perhaps. but defiantly will go on weights, haha I just didnt think vans or small trucks would have the grunt. but seems so! Thanks everyone
msigg,
Mar 31, 5:33pm
Above, they will have more grunt than a bighorn any day.
cleangreenhb,
Mar 31, 6:23pm
Transit lwb looks the go weights permitting
s_nz,
Mar 31, 8:07pm
The LWB transit (350L) is a good option. I quite like how it is RWD, unlike the transit custom. But it is kinda massive to take to the supermarket or something like that.
6,100kg GVM, means that you only need to drop the payload of the van by 180kg to tow the max 2800kg rating. (or drop the max caravan weight to 2620kg if the van is at full payload.
If you only have a class 1 licence, your max combined weight is 6000kg, so take another 100kg off either the trailer or van payload.
Be aware that the payload is kinda low for such a large van at 842kg. This is done to keep the loaded weight under 3500kg, which means that you get a 110km/h max speed limit (when not towing), and a WOF rather than a COF.
As long as the bike's arn't too big, and you don't plan to have too much other stuff in the van, it should be fine.
2 adults at 90kg each, plus say two Indian Scouts at 256kg each fulled = 692kg. So 150kg of payload remaining for accessories incl towbar, ramp, and any other stuff you want to bring along.
Big question is how heavy the caravan you want is, and how heavy. Looking like if your van more than 2500kg, (and your bikes are something other than lightweight sports or dirt bikes), you might need to get a class 2 licence.
cleangreenhb,
Apr 3, 10:34pm
Cheers for the informative info
mrcat1,
Apr 3, 11:58pm
You've listed the GVM of vehicles, but you don't want that, you want GCM maximums, then the tare of the caravan and the tare of the van and then you can work out how much extra weight you can cart.
mrcat1,
Apr 4, 12:01am
Not sure how your doing the maths or if you know what your talking about, it all hinges on three weight limits. GVM = Gross vehicle mass, MTM = Maximum towed mass, GCM = Gross combination mass. Until you have those weights you can't work out what it will tow or what can be carried while it tows the caravan.
martin11,
Apr 4, 7:22am
Also look at the Tow Bar rating .
mrfxit,
Apr 4, 9:11am
LOL oh heck & if the vehicle has the ability but the towbar needs upgrading, then you need to look at the chassis /springs & brake specs
mrfxit,
Apr 4, 9:26am
Some facts & realities . GVM = Gross vehicle mass, = Basic tow vehicle weight (plus can you drive/park where you want to go) MTM = Maximum towed mass, = Trailer weight fully loaded (plus can you drive/park where you want to go) GCM = Gross combination mass. Total tow vehicle AND fully loaded trailer weight combo (plus can you drive/park where you want to go)
On top of that is, can you afford to run that combo of weight for economy/ parking/ & any inter Island shipping costs etc
The longer the whole combo is, the harder it will be to get parking "on the fly" when visiting attractions etc
Perhaps consider a modified bus with a loading/ cargo bay in the back section for storage & the front for living. Still big but at least it's a single unit.
s_nz,
Apr 4, 9:32am
Yeah. I pulled those number's from the spec sheet's.
Only listed GVM above as it the 3500kg GVM threshold is quite important. Below this one gets a the full open road speed limit (When not towing), eaisier WOF inspections, and uncertified towbars. Above this get a 90km/h max speedlimit, COF, and need a certified towbar. Also likely (depending on the caravan) that the total rig weight will exceed 6000kg, hence requiring a class 2 drivers licence.
Crunching the numbers above, it seems that the situation may not work with a WOF tow vehicle & class 1 licence.
Looked into the GCM of the transit custom (that I wrongly refered to as transit connect above). It's tiny (cira 4000kg), which pretty much rules it out for this application.
Of course this all comes down to the types of bikes & large carvan. If they are dirt bikes & a large UK caravan it may work. But if they are larger cruisers, and it is a big Aussie caravan the numbers arn't going to work.
sr2,
Apr 4, 9:32am
Lots of uninformed opinion on this thread, the important thing isn't the size of the towing vehicle it's all about the driver.
Other option not yet mentioned is getting a camper-van with a tow-bar, and an enclosed trailer for the bikes. (Instead of a cargo van & caravan). A enclosed trailer for two bikes could be custom built to size, and wouldn't be massively heavy. Say a 800kg payload & 600kg trailer comes to 1400kg, fine to run with a single axle. Also would be relatively easy to load / unload.
A 4500kg campervan is fairly big, but combined with a 1400kg trailer would still be under the 6000kg class 1 licence limit. (campervan would need a COF though).
If OP is going to jump into class 2 territory, truck licence territory as the prior poster suggested Having some kind of single vehicle Bus or truck based toy hauler conversion done is an option. Could look at what is done with horse-trucks as an example. (front half set up as a campervan with a cargo hold in the rear). Bikes might suit a tail lift rather than a ramp.
smallwoods,
Apr 4, 10:54am
Also keep in mind your tow coupling point of weight. Someone above mentioned the rating, that is one part.
Plods will weigh it if it looks to heavy on the tow ball. Also will make driving easier if loaded level, minor weight forward.
mrcat1,
Apr 4, 11:14am
I have a 2019 Ram 2500 and done heavy haulage for years, your telling me nothing new here sunshine.
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