Hi All,

Just looking for some advice ref the topic title.

Basically can you tow a caravan with DSG?

I retire in a years time and it is one of the thoughts going forward into twilight years to do something completely different. ;<)

 

Never towed before so complete novice.

Where do i start if Yes to above Q?

 

Bidey fae Perth

You technically can, it has a max approved tow weight of 1200KG, but I don't know how that relates to caravan sizes.

Yes the 1.4 DSG will tow.

 

As above you may be limited with the towing weight.

 

I seem to recall the 7 speed 'dry' box being quite sensitive to clutch temperatures. Basically if you are doing lots of manouvering with weight behind you and the clucthes are having to slip they can get hot and the gearbox goes into a limp mode till they have cooled.

 

The 6 speed doesn't really have this problem as the clutches are lubricated/cooled with oil.

 

Phil

I was looking at this a while back and I could tow a caravan with my 1.2 105ps Rapid. The one I was looking at was the Lunar Ariva. You can go smaller and go for something like the Freedom Microlite which is tiny or the slightly larger Sterckeman Alize 370CE

 

The Octavia 1.2 105ps was voted best towcar in the £16,000 to £20000 category and the Superb 2.0 TDI DSG was voted towcar of the year.

 

Check out the towcar website which lists practically everything. Just plug your details in for your car and the caravan ou're looking at and it tells you how good or bad the match is. The three I've listed were some of the few that we can actually tow with the Rapid

 

 

In the end we decided to stick with the tent for another few years

Edited 17 October, 201411 yr by Delberthot

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the the great advice and it will start the old thought process

Whats the "braked" version how does that work in connecting car to caravan??

 

Thanks again

The unbraked and braked refers to the caravan/trailer.

 

Some don't have their own brakes and so you are limited by weight as it has to rely on the cars brakes.

 

A brakes trailer/caravan has it's own brakes that are operated when you brake the force on the tow bar operates a brake cylinder and brakes the wheels.

 

Phil

Get the biggest car you can afford, trust me you will need it. That's why you see a good deal of 4x4 type vehicles towing. Failing that you will be restricted to a miniscule size caravan with the Rapid. Plenty of advice on the Caravan Club website and of course a another site UKcampsite.

Most of the cars in the sites i go to towing caravans are Honda CRVs with the occasional Skoda Yeti and even a Dodge Ram now and again

Yawn!

I tow with a DSG equipped 105BHP 1.6CR, not caravans, but heavy trailers.

Since the 1.4TSI is 122 BHP it should be fine.

Except for the low speed, in particular reverse manouvering "idosyncaries"

Towing requires brainpower more than horsepower imho.

Marcus

I think you need to think about the big white thing that fills your rear view mirror when towing, it will slow you down more than a trailer, hence a bit more grunt needed under the bonnet. It's not all about weights, although you should stick with a suitable car for the job, ie a loaded caravan/trailer no more than 85% weight of the towing vehicle.

Having towed cattle trailers(with moving livestock for added frission), in my youth/early days, I am aware of the buffetting a slab sided bluff trail encounters.

Anticipation counts for a whole lot more when towing, than when driving solo, but then? (as he whistles merrily) do any of us routinely drive without paying attention.

Course not.

And trailer brakes do work, really well, given the extra split second the over-run mechanism need to activate, as opposed to "slamming" on the anchors.

But we all knew that too?

i.e.

Towing is a whole nother ball game and should be approached as such.

cheers

m

Edited 28 October, 201411 yr by dieseldogg

Having towed cattle trailers(with moving livestock for added frission), in my youth/early days, I am aware of the buffetting a slab sided bluff trail encounters.

Anticipation counts for a whole lot more when towing, than when driving solo, but then? (as he whistles merrily) do any of us routinely drive without paying attention.

Course not.

And trailer brakes do work, really well, given the extra split second the over-run mechanism need to activate, as opposed to "slamming" on the anchors.

But we all knew that too?

i.e.

Towing is a whole nother ball game and should be approached as such.

cheers

m

Thanks for all the useful advice,,well appreciated. Not sure which way i will go (wife wants a mobile home typo thing!!!)

Thanks for all the useful advice,,well appreciated. Not sure which way i will go (wife wants a mobile home typo thing!!!)

 

We have one and we love it.

 

We like that all the fresh/waste water is built into tanks unlike caravans where you have seperate external tanks.

 

We also like that you don't have to plan too much with your loading in terms of weight. Just sling all your gear in and you're off.

 

The major down-sides are:

 

Extra set of tax

Extra insurance policy

Can be worse on fuel than towing a caravan with a car

Not having transport once you're parked and set-up

 

We can't really complain with the mobile home though as it cost us nothing to buy- just a few quid in importing it etc so it owes us nothing!

 

We have discussed getting a caravan next.

 

Phil

How come it did not cost anything? I will have one of those !!! ;<)

 

Bidey fae Perth

Haha.

 

It belonged to my other half's grandparents in Germany (owned since about 1988).

 

Due to their age and ill health they gifted it to us and my mother in-law.

 

Phil

Edited 28 October, 201411 yr by Phil-E

A Hymer on a Merc Chassis? :clap:

Dribble n drool

Edited 28 October, 201411 yr by dieseldogg