mpg towing?

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si844

si844

New Member
Posts
368
Location
Southport, North-west
gonna be towing a car next week, does anyone know what mpg i could expect to get? will be pulling approx 2ton, get around the 30mpg without trailer.
thanks
 
A bit to a lot less.


















ffs - we dont know wot injun yu have got, the type of terrain etc. - either tow it or dont - wot we say wont make any difference.
 
Blimey, (or FFS!) there's so many imponderables it'd be impossible to even hazard a guess. Loads depends on how heavy your foot is plus wot Daft said and wot Ratty said.

One thing's for sure, you'll get less than you do at the mo'. ;)
 
on a dolly, ye i know it aint ideal but its gotta b done.

hmm 23mpg, did ya pull that out of ya hat or is that a realistic guess? sounds ok to me, just hoping its still in the 20's
 
Draggin 2 ton behind yer you'll be lucky to get 20mpg even on mostly flattish roads. If it's hilly it'll be more like 15 probably. Plan the time of your journey to avoid traffic if you can and try to pick a day when there's a tailwind:D
 
si844 said:
on a dolly, ye i know it aint ideal but its gotta b done.
Click to expand...

The reason I am asking is cos VOSA are cracking down on the towing of vehicles at the moment and pulling over everything in sight. If you are towing on a dolly that means you will be towing an unbraked trailer for which the maiximum permissible mass is 750kg. If they catch you with 2 tons on your towball they will throw the book at you. Also the vehicle must be fully road legal i.e. taxed, MOT'd and insured in it's own right as the road wheels will be on the ground. It must also be broken down. If it isn't within ALL of the above criteria you are not legally allowed to tow it regardless of it's weight. If the vehicle was to be put onto a braked trailer then you are legal to do so. You also want to check with your insurance that you are allowed to tow a propelled trailer i.e. a car cos many insurance companys do not allow this.
 
I dunno... I towed a hefty trailer with a mini estate on it and I only dropped a couple of mpg. Usually 36 on a run and got 34 in a 200 Tdi defender.

But... that's a braked trailer and I was very nice to it whilst towing by making sure I didn't floor it and allowed it to slow down by taking my foot off the throttle early rather than getting on the brakes.

Drive it nicely and I reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised... drive it like you've not got anything trailed and prepare for wallet rape.
 
I regularly tow approaching 2.5 tons and I'm lucky if I get 18 mpg. I use a 300Tdi and keep an eye on consumption. On a long run I get 35 ish and a heavy trailer halves that figure.
 
cheers for the replies, will take it easy on the throttle then.

ratty - i got the impression that once the front wheels were up in the air it became a trailer so didnt need to be legal, am probly rong tho. wil b motd & insured. it dont have to have brakes if its a broken down car?thats what i thort. i'l make it breakdown then!
 
si844 said:
cheers for the replies, will take it easy on the throttle then.

ratty - i got the impression that once the front wheels were up in the air it became a trailer so didnt need to be legal, am probly rong tho. wil b motd & insured. it dont have to have brakes if its a broken down car?thats what i thort. i'l make it breakdown then!
Click to expand...

All axles must be remotely braked if it weighs more than 750kg. A trailer by definition is 'a vehicle without it's own form of propulsion'. a car has an engine irrespective of wether it works at that time or not.

Make sure the rotor arm or crank sensor or something is fooked.;)
 
si844 said:
cheers for the replies, will take it easy on the throttle then.

ratty - i got the impression that once the front wheels were up in the air it became a trailer so didnt need to be legal, am probly rong tho. wil b motd & insured. it dont have to have brakes if its a broken down car?thats what i thort. i'l make it breakdown then!
Click to expand...

You can only tow a broken down vehicle to a reasonable place of safety. I:E the nearest garage mway Juntion or layby. If you pass any of these whilst been followed by plod then you're gonna get shafted.

Every thing that is connected the rear of your vehicle is a trailer. and if over 750kg all the axles on the trailer must have over run or close coupled brakes. In really really simple terms it is illegal to tow a car. except to a place of safety (see 1st paragraph) There are no clauses or loopholes that will allow you to get round this fact.
 
redhand said:
You can only tow a broken down vehicle to a reasonable place of safety. I:E the nearest garage mway Juntion or layby.
Click to expand...

didnt realise this, just thought any brokendown car could b towed anywhere.

i am listening,just wanna make sure i understand it proply. moral of the story - dont listen to wot ppl have told ya in the past

thanks 4 the help guys
 
si844 said:
didnt realise this, just thought any brokendown car could b towed anywhere.

i am listening,just wanna make sure i understand it proply. moral of the story - dont listen to wot ppl have told ya in the past

thanks 4 the help guys
Click to expand...

Nope basic law says any motor vehicle on the road must be taxed mot'd and insured. add that to construction and use regs for trailers that say every axle must be braked if over 750kg and it becomes impossible to tow any car unless it's on a purpose made trailer. The gov brought in the reasonable distance bit to make it legal for companies like the AA & Rac to tow broken down cars off the motorway.
 
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