towing

[POH]

was wondering if I should get a tow bar fitted so looked at v5 and there is not a figure to say how much the van can tow see attached photo

 

[Phill D]

Look at the weight plate on the Slam panel under the bonnet.
All the weights are listed there and will be what the official figures are.

 

[tonyidle]

Look at the VIN plate - info will be there.

Too late

 

[U.Toadifact]

Should also be in your handbook.

 

[gus-lopez]

& if there is nothing on the weight plate panel the vehicle is not legally allowed to tow anything.

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[Manic]

You need to find the converters plate , that should show mass train weight

 

[cmcardle75]

Yes, the figure about trailer weights is pretty meaningless in law. The only thing that directly limits your towing capacity is the declared Maximum Train Weight on the plate. If there isn't one of those, it can't tow, which is not unheard of for a motorhome, particularly when the rear end has been reconstructed in lightweight materials only really suitable for holding up the furniture, not pulling a tonne or two of trailer.

 

[Jonno1103]

Would be nice to know which motorhome it is so those with a similar model could comment?

 

[POH]

oops sorry it is a Pilote 740fc Evidence

 

[Jonno1103]

If it hasn't been up plated and it's on the 3500kg chassis you've got round 450kg payload to play with before the cost options, passengers and gear were added. Is there scope to add a 30kg towbar?

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[Phill D]

oops sorry it is a Pilote 740fc Evidence

This is what u are looking for.
In my case the one on the left is the converters plate and shows 3500kgs as yours is likely to.
The max train weight is 5500kgs so assuming you are at 3500 for the van you max towing is the difference.

 

[Phill D]

You need to check what your numbers are

 

[Blue Knight]

oops sorry it is a Pilote 740fc Evidence

If it's on the light chassis and registered at 3,500kg then bear in mind that your chassis will finish immediately behind the rear axle.

This means that you'll need chassis extensions and a tow bar so aim for a 80kg extra loading if it can be done at all.

Personally speaking it sounds as if your van is not designed to tow anything.

Good luck.

 

[POH]

If it's on the light chassis and registered at 3,500kg then bear in mind that your chassis will finish immediately behind the rear axle.

This means that you'll need chassis extensions and a tow bar so aim for a 80kg extra loading if it can be done at all.

Personally speaking it sounds as if your van is not designed to tow anything.

Good luck.

a friend is having a tow bar fitted next week on his G740 a class which to all intense and purpose is the same van as mine only the front is different so hoping i can fit one as well.

 

[Phill D]

a friend is having a tow bar fitted next week on his G740 a class which to all intense and purpose is the same van as mine only the front is different so hoping i can fit one as well.

Have you found your weight plate and noted the weights?

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[POH]

photos of the weight plates 1st one is the fiat one the second I'd the Pilote's

 

[Phill D]

so your max train weight is 6000kgs, so in theory with the van at 3500kgs ( including the towbar etc within that ) you have 2500kgs to play with.

so to answer your original question you have a potential towing capacity of 2500kgs.

 

[cmcardle75]

photos of the weight plates 1st one is the fiat one the second I'd the Pilote's

The Fiat plate is irrelevent. The Pilote plate is the only one that now applies.

It says that the maximum weight of the motorhome is 3500kg. The front axle must not exceed 1960kg. The rear axle must not exceed 2000kg. There is no third axle. The total weight of the motorhome and trailer must not exceed 6000kg.

This would allow a 2500kg trailer if the motorhome was fully loaded. It may allow a heavier trailer in the unlikely event the motorhome is underloaded. This would depend on the characteristics of the towbar permitting this, which is not stated on the plate.

 

[Blue Knight]

With my experience of our previous 2018 Pilote P740 on a Fiat Camper Chassis, I would not wish to tow a car or trailer behind it.

I found it quite unstable driving on the motorway at 60mph with full water, weighing 3,560kg; the rear end is just too far behind the axle and we would get blown from pillar to post when a big truck or bus came by. We had VB semi air fitted to the rear too

The addition of a towbar and all of the extension metalwork to the chassis would have taken me well over our 3,650kg limit since a van of this size is not exactly blessed with usable payload (and we travelled very light).

I'll be interested to see how the G740 fairs on a weighbridge once it has been fitted with a towing system as a standard payload for a Galaxy is not as good as a Pacific model.

 

[Grummyb]

If your only wondering about getting a towbar your probably won't use it so why waste your hard earned