I’ve seen a lot of posts on Facebook groups lately.
They all have a similar theme.
I have a 21 foot caravan – whets the best vehicle to tow it with?
I have a 22 foot Caravan – Is a Landcruiser or a Ford Ranger the best vehicle?
Well here’s Five Reasons why this is stupid.
(I can come up with more but here’s the top FIVE )!
1 The number of feet doesn’t matter
- Size doesn’t matter – Yes, despite what they told you at school – size doesn’t matter
- WEIGHT DOES MATTER
- A Jayco 20 ft caravan will weigh different to a New Age 20 ft which will be different to a Kedron 20ft
- So to reiterate – size doesn’t matter (just in case you didn’t read the first point)
- The TARE Weight doesn’t matter either – you can’t be fined for being over TARE. If somebody has added extra’s to the van (after manufacture) than you TARE is no longer what it was – but we can’t tell from your vague post!
The only weight that really matters when determining what vehicle you can tow with is
- The actual ATM (Aggregate Trailer Mass) of the caravan fully loaded with everything (including water and all your stuff !)
- The tow ball weight of the caravan when loaded
2. If you are after good advice than why would you ask
- Pretty vague stupid questions on a forum ?
- Ask people who you don’t know, have less knowledge than you, and have no knowledge of your circumstances?
3. Every vehicle and caravan combinations is different
- We have different goals
- We load differently
- We go to different places
- We have different hobbies
- We eat differently – I can weigh the same vehicle and caravan combination today and then tomorrow weigh the same vehicle and caravan and they will be different weights.
4 Ford Versus Holden
Most people are unlikely to have driven every different vehicle available or in you option list. So they can’t compare say a Ford Ranger and a Holden Colorado – because they haven’t driven both – so they have a love (or a hate) for one of the other – so their opinions are pure speculation and not derived from any scientific or real life knowledge.
5. We don’t know what extra’s you have added to the vehicle.
Whether you have items such as
- Bull Bar
- Winch
- Drawers
- Roof racks
- A Fridge
- 2nd Battery
- Kids
- Canoes
- Wife
This all really matters when you are considering how much weight you can take in your vehicle.
A person who is a minimalist travelling by them self is very different to a couple going for 2 week holiday compared to a couple doing the lap, to a couple with kids living in their caravan. Circumstances matter!
Buying a Caravan or vehicle and a caravan is a massive financial decision – one that many get wrong because they buy with their heart and not their head.
By all means – do research online and use facebook groups for information – but when asking questions be a bit more specific than –
“What’s the best vehicle to tow a 22 foot caravan ?”
