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Thread: Towing a heavy camper - tow ball weight

  1. #1
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    Towing a heavy camper - tow ball weight

    Chaps - and chapattes where applicable - the bride and I are looking at buying a forward fold camper trailer, but I'm a teensy bit concerned about weight on the tow ball.
    Most camper manufacturers we're looking at are quoting tow ball weights of around 180kg dry. Add two or three jerry cans and a couple of hefty gas bottles and you're looking at 250kg on the tow bar.

    Given that I've got an extended tow tongue already, I'm a bit worried that 250kg is pushing things a bit.

    Anybody towed with that kind of weight at the back end?
    2016 Disco 4 SDV6 SE - LR tank, RWC, Gap IID, UHF, GOE compressor guard, Hema HX1.
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    2012 Mercedes 250 CGI Estate (sold)
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  2. #2
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    I have towed my Dad's caravan a few times. I don't know exactly what the ball weight is, but I am pretty sure it is well northwards of 200kg. No dramas at all.

  3. #3
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    Chris didn't report any problems towing his 3.2T van across the Plenty which would have had quite a substantial tow-ball load.
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Graeme View Post
    Chris didn't report any problems towing his 3.2T van across the Plenty which would have had quite a substantial tow-ball load.
    Outback Trip in L322

    Yeah, I suppose I'm just being a bit of a nanna:-) I just worry about excess ball weight, 20 inch tyres etc.....
    2016 Disco 4 SDV6 SE - LR tank, RWC, Gap IID, UHF, GOE compressor guard, Hema HX1.
    2008 Mercedes E350
    2012 Mercedes 250 CGI Estate (sold)
    2012 L322 TDV8 Luxury (badly missed!)
    2010 RRS 3.0 (sold)
    2007 Audi TT Quattro 3.2 (sold)

  5. #5
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    and remember, all that weight comes off your rear axle loading,,
    which is?
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  6. #6
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    Maximum rear axle load is 1850kg Pedro - but the FFRR tow hitch has a maximum load rating of 250kg, so in theory at least, that means you have to tow such a camper trailer with the car pretty much completely empty.
    (Whereas the Disco has a tow hitch load rating of 350kg, for example.)
    2016 Disco 4 SDV6 SE - LR tank, RWC, Gap IID, UHF, GOE compressor guard, Hema HX1.
    2008 Mercedes E350
    2012 Mercedes 250 CGI Estate (sold)
    2012 L322 TDV8 Luxury (badly missed!)
    2010 RRS 3.0 (sold)
    2007 Audi TT Quattro 3.2 (sold)

  7. #7
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    I was a tad worried about this as I know I was at around 300kg on the ball when we left Brisbane on our trip to the Red Centre. But in the end, we towed a 3.2-3.5t (fully loaded with water it was closer to 3.5t) caravan 7000km with no issues at all. I had a fridge in the back of the car - nothing else. Took the spare out of the rear floor and put it and a second one on the roof so don't suppose that made a massive difference (maybe we had slightly more wheel weight towards front than with spare in the floor). I packed the van as best I could and moved water around a bit (the van had 6 tanks!) but I couldn't get the tow ball weight (measured via those tow ball scales you can buy) at less than 280kg with the Bushtracker in tow.

    No doubt the Insurers might have been an issue for me in a hypothetical "disaster" scenario. I guess it was a risk I accepted and I did put my faith in the RR engineers that they were being conservative....!

    By the way, the actual tow hitch assembly is rated to 350kg ball weight. That was important in my considerations.

    So, not sure if that all helps - at least is some real world experience if nothing else!!

    I note the L322 is the only RR that is rated at 250Kg ball weight (P38, Classic and Sport and L405 are all 350kg). Odd.
    L405, Vogue SE, 4.4SDV8, 8 speed, Rear e-diff

  8. #8
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    I was under the impression that the max ball loading was 150kg on the p38 - both my caravan and camper are 120kg packed .

    Not that I want to increase it , I'm getting old and weak !

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by CSBrisie View Post
    I was a tad worried about this as I know I was at around 300kg on the ball when we left Brisbane on our trip to the Red Centre. But in the end, we towed a 3.2-3.5t (fully loaded with water it was closer to 3.5t) caravan 7000km with no issues at all. I had a fridge in the back of the car - nothing else. Took the spare out of the rear floor and put it and a second one on the roof so don't suppose that made a massive difference (maybe we had slightly more wheel weight towards front than with spare in the floor). I packed the van as best I could and moved water around a bit (the van had 6 tanks!) but I couldn't get the tow ball weight (measured via those tow ball scales you can buy) at less than 280kg with the Bushtracker in tow.

    No doubt the Insurers might have been an issue for me in a hypothetical "disaster" scenario. I guess it was a risk I accepted and I did put my faith in the RR engineers that they were being conservative....!

    By the way, the actual tow hitch assembly is rated to 350kg ball weight. That was important in my considerations.

    So, not sure if that all helps - at least is some real world experience if nothing else!!

    I note the L322 is the only RR that is rated at 250Kg ball weight (P38, Classic and Sport and L405 are all 350kg). Odd.
    Thanks Chris, that gives me some comfort anyway. I'm just wary of overloading the suspension, particularly with those silly 55 profile tyres...with that kind of load on the back, it'd be perilous letting the tyres down to anything below about 35psi on the rough stuff.
    2016 Disco 4 SDV6 SE - LR tank, RWC, Gap IID, UHF, GOE compressor guard, Hema HX1.
    2008 Mercedes E350
    2012 Mercedes 250 CGI Estate (sold)
    2012 L322 TDV8 Luxury (badly missed!)
    2010 RRS 3.0 (sold)
    2007 Audi TT Quattro 3.2 (sold)

  10. #10
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    Good point re tyre pressures Greg - fully laden on the Plenty I had around 36psi in the rears I think. We just went slowly
    L405, Vogue SE, 4.4SDV8, 8 speed, Rear e-diff

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