Advice on towing please

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Can somebody please advise if I I can legally tow a Kia Picanto behind my Autotrail Scout. I think I can but would like some of the wise heads on here to confirm please.

Kia Picanto gross weight 1260kg
Autotrail Scout 3800kgs.
max gross train weight 6300kgs.

Am I right that I can tow up to 2500kgs.

Thanks for your help
 
With those weights you certainly can tow it.

Whether it's legal is another ball game but as nobody has ever been prosecuted I wouldn't worry.
 
pappajohn said:
nobody has ever been prosecuted
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to date, that is correct in the UK...

but plenty have had their wallets lightened and made to unhitch, both in Spain and Germany..

I presume the OP is talking about A framing and not on a trailer.
 
Yes it will be on an A frame. I tow a Smart car now but need something with 4 seats. The Kia Picanto will do the job nicely.

I did read on this forum that there was potentially new legislation coming out at the end of this year regarding A frames but as yet I've not heard anything.

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I have been towing a basic Picanto with a Burstner t615 for over 2 years now. We have just swapped everything over to a new top of the range Picanto. Brilliant little car with 5 seats and plenty of room. If you haven't got your towing system yet - look at 'towbars2towcars' in Grimsby. Brilliant company with an excellent electronic system.
 
You should check your V5 for the towing weight limit.
I'm having a debate with Autotrail who advised towing limit was 1250kg prior to purchase but V5 says 1050kg.
They are now saying, sorry we got it wrong!
 
Had an A frame installed by towbars2towcars on Mrs N's Fiat 500 in October. Well pleased, tows like a dream behind Apache 634. Not overly cheap, but you get what you pay for. Free courtesy car for the day as well. :xThumb::xThumb::xThumb:
 
Gellyneck said:
You should check your V5 for the towing weight limit.
I'm having a debate with Autotrail who advised towing limit was 1250kg prior to purchase but V5 says 1050kg.
They are now saying, sorry we got it wrong!
Click to expand...

Recent Autotrails come with a Certificate of Conformity... the max tow weight will be stated.. I have an Apache 700. 2012 and it's clearly stated as 1050kg... If you have chassis extensions this will limit your weight.....
 
tonka said:
Recent Autotrails come with a Certificate of Conformity... the max tow weight will be stated.. I have an Apache 700. 2012 and it's clearly stated as 1050kg... If you have chassis extensions this will limit your weight.....
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Pre-purchase Auto-trail advised 1250 however when the documentation was supplied it said 1050.

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I'm getting all confused now! My 2006 Autotrail Scout says a maximum gross train weight of 6300kgs. That leaves plenty for the Picanto of 1250kgs to my reckoning. Why are newer Autotrails so different.

Ninovan I've looked on the website and liked the look of the proportional braking system. I like the fact you an reverse with it. Not keen on the price though when I rang for a quote.
 
M1wor said:
I'm getting all confused now! My 2006 Autotrail Scout says a maximum gross train weight of 6300kgs. That leaves plenty for the Picanto of 1250kgs to my reckoning. Why are newer Autotrails so different.
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The gross train weight is a largely a legal limit. It doesn't take into account structural issues and other automotive factors which could dictate a lower towing limit.
 
With a 2006 model you are not so restricted.. My previous van was a 2005.. I cant remember the tow weight but I know it was more than 1050kg.... A 2006 scout should also be on an "Alko" chassis and as such no added on extensions, so all your figures could be correct.

On my 2005 van it had extensions and there were two ways to fit a towbar.. Cheap nasty where they just joined on to the extension arms which could result in damage if you towed to much / hard or placed something real heavy on the rear..
Or as some did they ran the support bars right back to the original chassis, a lot better as the Ducato van chassis was originally plated at around 6500kg train weight,.

With all the new rules and the COC having to be issued things have changed now.. From April 2012 motorhome tow bars have to be type approved, so you cant just make one up like before.. this may be part the reason the tow weight is now reduced as the new towbars are made to fit straight on to the chassis extension..

If the weight plate you are reading is the Autotrail one and it states train as 6500kg then I think your ok..
As for the A frame... I aint going there... :)
 
Tonka thanks for your input very helpful.

Thanks to all for your advice it's much appreciated. I know where I'm going now.

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I'm sure law has just come in that no new car can now be modified to be towed on an A frame.
 
Trailer would be safer, and looking ahead, if you decide to go abroad, may be a cheaper option in the long run.
 
Useful, downloadable pdf data sheet from the C&CC

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if link doesn't work .. scroll to bottom of page for link ..

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