Morris Minor Owners Club

does anyone use their car to tow a caravan?

i am looking (after seing some gorgeous examples at vintage@goodwood) of buying a two berth vintage caravan - i know she would manage a teardrop, but what has anyone else maanged?

i say all this safe in the knowledge she barely managed a 1 in 6 hill with a suitcase and tent in on the way there...

Mark - I'll move this to general discussion as it's not really a 'useful tip'.

I've seen lots of Minors towing period caravans. Obviously you need to make sure that you don't exceed the towing weight but plenty of 'vintage' caravans such as an Eriba puck, Thomson Glen and Rapido and Estoril folding caravans are all towable by a Minor. Here's a traveller and caravan at Dorset Steam fair - not sure of the make but I think it may have been a sprite:[frame][/frame]

And I saw these lovely old caravans at Old Warden steam rally (the second one is a bit too big for a Minor though):[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

I'm sure a few on here will post up some pics of their Minors and caravans

I think a Sprite is a bit ambitious for a Minor too!

A 1275 transplant is a desirable option for towing a caravan although a 918 Series MM will manage a camping trailer or trailer tent provided you avoid the roads marked with little black arrows on the OS maps

It's not so much the pulling power that matters, or even the brakes (since caravan should have it's own working brakes) - it's the weight balance !!!

be carefull as bmc say its the weight or if you get it wrong and teh caravan has a blow out then it could take the car out as well
i have seen a small car towing a 16 foot caravan i said to him not you struggle towing he said no easy so what about the weight differnts i said he just went there ant any well this year see im again with new car and caravan
yes the caravan had a blow out and took teh car with it at the start of there hoilday not good
that why i tow our caravan 18 foot 750 kg unladen 950 kg laden with my transit as that will tow 3000 kg the traveller tows it as i have towed it about 15 miles slow but had to move it
just be carfull about the weight make shore you get a stablizer for it as well saving a lot of swaying and reduces teh snaking
or get a tent for the shows (I HAVE A 9 MAN 3 BEDROOM TENT FOR SALE ) lol

Having seen the earlier pictures of caravans, here are three more taken during Vintage at Goodwood.

Advice gleaned from The Caravan Club website

1. The lower the laden weight of a trailer caravan when towed on the public highway, the safer the outfit
2. In any case, the laden weight of the caravan should never exceed the kerbside weight of the towing vehicle.
3. The nearer the caravan laden weight approaches the one-to-one ratio, the more careful the driver must be.

The lower the percentage ratio between the car and caravan the better, so there is always an adequate reserve of power for overtaking and hill climbing and a sufficient weight margin for safety and extreme conditions, particularly on fast roads such as motorways. The Club recommends that 85% is the maximum ratio which should be attempted by novice caravanners and those with less powerful tow cars, and is also advisable for experienced towers wanting to travel at the maximum permitted speed limit on dual carriageways/motorways.
Also important is the weight the laden caravan will place on the car's towball - the noseweight. Most car manufacturers state a maximum permitted noseweight. As a guide, the optimum caravan noseweight is generally 7% of its laden weight (subject to the caravan‟s hitch limit), so before buying a caravan, check that this figure is not in excess of your car's limit. With modern cars, there is rarely a problem with vehicle suspension, but in the case of some older vehicles, even with compatible noseweights, the rear end of the car may sag. This may not only cause outfit instability but also require re-setting of headlamps if night driving is to be undertaken.

as that will tow 3000 kg

Only legally if you have one of the bigger ones (150/190 or 330/350) - I can't remember which you have! and it would have to be almost empty... in which case its the tail wagging the dog syndrome!

i got teh 100 matt on the id plate it say 3000 kg but i know will never get that much biggest will be 2500 kg that will be the new caravan if it comes 6 berth 21 foot not including the drwaw bar
but the old girl will needa turbo fitting

LouiseM wrote:Mark - I'll move this to general discussion as it's not really a 'useful tip'.

I've seen lots of Minors towing period caravans. Obviously you need to make sure that you don't exceed the towing weight but plenty of 'vintage' caravans such as an Eriba puck, Thomson Glen and Rapido and Estoril folding caravans are all towable by a Minor. Here's a traveller and caravan at Dorset Steam fair - not sure of the make but I think it may have been a sprite:[frame][/frame]

Pretty sure its a Fisher Holivan - theres one or two around in the Minor world. If I remembercorrectly they're 9 foot long and presumably light enough to tow with a Minor. (It was a Fisher Holivan that the infamous Snail camper was based on...).
Here's one I spotted on Newark showground a few years back.
[frame][/frame]

Not sure of weights, but the smallest Sprite (late 60s early 70s era) with the rear door is suitable for a Minor, as there used to be one in my local branch some years back, actively campaigned behind a standard 1098 traveller.

The one with the awning looks a lot longer than 9 ft! But otherwise - I agree - does look similar to the Fisher.

Well, I'm not blessed with the x ray vision to see the length of the side of that caravan through the huge awning that its got! But going from the front end it looks like a Holivan. They're quite distinctive being not much wider than a Minor, ie; narrower than most caravans otherwise the curved out styling under the window looks like a Bailey of the same era though they are nearer 6' wide. They tend to have that 'quilted look' panelling on the two toned centre panels too, though I think some older ones may have been ribbed or plain. Can't see any texture on Louise's photo.

Do vintage caravans have trafficators or indicators?
If the car only has trafficators, how about the caravan?

You use hand signals........

Maybe you could get trafficator extensions that stuck out further like caravan mirrors?

bmcecosse wrote:You use hand signals........

Would that be legally acceptable when towing though.

You'd also need extentions on your arms (Kenny Everett style?) as it would probably stick out either side of the Minor

Hello,

We use a Camplet camper trailer, although not a caravan it weighs only 220kgs and folds out to two double beds with 18 square metres of floor space and can easily be towed by a standard minor. Perfect!!!

Would love a Eriba Puck though

Was trying to remember what the smallest Sprite was called, so did some research and found this:

"In 1970 Caravans International decided to cater for the small car owner and introduced the Sprite Cadet, just 8' 6" long and with a door located unusually at the rear. It had a small wardrobe, basic kitchen and compact small dinette at the front. Designed to sell at £227 the model was first launched with a large plastic roof vent which soon earned it the name of the bubble-top. After one season the model was withdrawn and launched again for the 1971 season with a new sleeker shell."[frame][/frame]

Probably quite a rare caravan now.