Ask an expert

Hi there
I have recently bought a caravan and plan to go to pick it up and drive it home at the end of the week. I have not towed a caravan before and have been a little confused about towing weights and want to make sure I'm towing safely. The caravan is small - about 10ft - and I am assuming it will weigh under 900kg laden - probably more like 700kg (but am going to check this at a weigh bridge before I begin my 2hr trip home).
My car is a 2015 Toyota Corolla GLX Sedan 1.8L (ex-) Signature Class. Curb weight (according to google search) 1280kg.
Towing rating is 450kg unbraked, 1300kg braked.
Now this is where I've got confused. NZTA recommends that laden weight of an unbraked trailer should not exceed 3/4 of the towing vehicle unladen weight - in my case this would be 3/4x1280 = 960kg.
I thought that the "unbraked towing rating" above (450kg) referred to the weight of the caravan - but from input on a caravan owners forum understand that this is a different thing - referring to the weight on the towbar, not the total weight of the towed vehicle. Is this correct? And am I correct in understanding that provided my caravan (or any unbraked trailer I should tow) weighs under 900kg I should be comfortably within safe towing capacity of the car?
Thanks

Hi there,
Tow weights can be determined by what the manufacture supplies or if no tow specs found then you can adopt the NZTA safe towing weight calculation method.
The unbraked weight is the maximum weight of an un-braked trailer that the vehicle is able to tow and still stop inside a distance of 7 meters at a speed of 30km/h (wof requirement). Braked rating is the max the vehicle is rated to tow a trailer that has brakes and still stop inside the above values. The weight on the tow bar is a different thing all together, it is referred as ball weight, this is the weight you would experience if you were to hold the caravan draw bar and sit it on the tow bar, essentially the weight pushing down on the back of the car. This weight is not always known but would generally not be more than 50-70 kg on a small car/load. Here is the recommendation: When you are loading the trailer, make sure that there will be a downwards force on the vehicle towbar at the point of attachment equal to about 10% of the weight of the trailer plus load. Do not put too much weight at the back of the trailer. Ensure there is a downwards force at the point of attachment, to improve the handling characteristics when you are towing.

Thanks for the 10% tip. I can't seem to get a straight answer on the tow weight question so will try again:
Yes or No? If the manufacturer recommended unbraked towing weight (as per information available on AA site) for my car is 450kg, to follow this recommendation means the total weight of the trailer I tow should not be more than 450kg? A yes or no would be really helpful.

Assuming yes, is there a reason this number is so different from the 3/4 of towing vehicle weight recommended by NZTA?

Thanks
Amanda

Hi Amanda,
I thought the answer was in my explanation. Yes the manufacturer has listed that the max non-braked trailer total weight you can tow is 450kg. It means that the manufacturer has tested the vehicle to tow this weight and has no bearing on the NZTA method that uses the vehicle weight where no specs are given. It is not a law to follow towing weights but it is always recommended for safe towing practices.

Thanks Cade, I'm clear now!