Ade

Just mulling over some ideas as I'd quite like to be able to tow a track car on a trailer. The car in question that I'm thinking of maybe putting a tow bar on is my Mk4 Escort Estate which is running a ST170 on throttle bodies.
I know it may sound a bit silly, but it's got plenty power and torque and space on the back for spare wheels etc.

I know most people tend to tow car trailers with bigger vehicles (including me in the past), but wondering about the legalities and if it even sounds like it would all work together well enough?!

The track cars in questions are my Saph and Capri, both fully stripped and V6 powered.

fraser9764

iTrader: (3)

towing a sierra/capri with an escort?! no chance.
do it properly, even if you buy a beaten up old few hundred quid transit just for towing dutys.

Munch

For towing advice, Speak to Fudgey....He's the expert!


lol

Ade

It is a 200BHP Escort, and there's no chance I can ass yet another car to the fleet, got WAY too many!

phil_focus

tow car aint gonna be heavy enough, completely illegal. if the trailer starts going one way it'll drag you with it!! hence why there are towing laws.

i suggest you read up on the legalities involved with towing and go from there. there must be some towing forums out there too or websites with all the info.

depending on your liscence and the MAM's involved you'll prob find you need to do a towing test to add to your liscence too.

phil_focus

fuck me i just cracked a rib

Icurus

Its not the power of the tow car, although that is a factor, but its what the Ford state it can safely tow, and I doubt very much it could tow a trailer with your Saph on it, as the combined train weight would be higher then the Escort estate could legally tow.

Of course I don't know what the estate will tow, but my Transit Connect can only tow 800kg! So I would be surprised if the Escort estate could tow more.

Ade

There are towing forums?! That sounds like an awesome read
I've got a proper licence (1995), not one of those kiddy-spec ones

800kg?! That's bloody useless

Icurus

Indeed it is Ade, I did not check it out before I brought the van, as I too wanted to tow my track car and wrongly assumed the Connect would be able to do so, but nope

Still a good van for my work though

Ade

Just out of interest, anyone know what a MK4 Escort Estate is allowed to tow?
Plus say a 2.9 Sierra and Granada Estate too?

phil_focus

i don't know mate but the granny is going to have the greatest towing capacity out of the three as its the heaviest.

STUCOS

iTrader: (8)

ade have a look here http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehi...frequently4577

cheeRS stu

STUCOS

iTrader: (8)

And here http://www.uktow.com/towing%20capaci...make=Audi#tab1

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

There was a thread on it with a link in the last week so a quick search should find it.

I'd guess anything 4x4 or transit etc would be fine,I've never been stopped once in my grand Cherokee.tbh mate,if you don't want to spend too much a mk1 maverick could be yours from £500 upwards,if you consider the fines/hassle of being stopped by plod it's a small price to pay.

I'd give you a good price on that old unpopular red lhd escort you've got!!???!!

Ade

I'm not going to get an additional car, and I really don't want to get rid of my current Estate, but really would like the option of being able to tow as well! Arghh....

Haha, the LHD Mk3 is staying with me for good!

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

Can't blame a man for trying!!the mk3's are going the way of the mk2 now,up and up,well worth hanging onto.

Any progress on it?the thread hasn't been updated in a while!!

As for a towcar,the granny estate could make the grade,I imagine your about a 1500kg car,say 1300 towing capacity so you've got upto 2800kg train weight,that's car,trailer and towcar combined,be pushing it I reckon.what may go in your favour is that most cops won't have the kerb weight of an older car.

A lot of it's visual,IMO if the towcars smaller than the car being towed,your overweight.

Nick-001

http://retrorides.proboards.com/inde...y&thread=88559

Get this as your towing car mate :P stick another cosworth v6 in it like all your other cars and bobs your uncle

bj928

from what i can find a 1990 escort estate can tow 1200kg, so even with the lightest trailer you will be over the limit, even a light brian james is around 400kg leaving just 800kg for car.

even some transits can't tow much, an old 80 or 100 and most the new front drive transits can only tow a light weight trailer legally, can can tow heavier easy, but not legally, thats why i always used a 190/350 or 150/330 transit, they can tow about over 3 tonne, and thats why the RAC use them and not the baby transits, i've been towing for the last 25 years and know most the ins and out as i've had to keep checking i'm legal

Rs Baz

that was stupid thinking it will tow enough its only a bloody small postman pat van

ive just bought a peugeot 806 6 seater for towning my trailer with, minor side damage £500 1.9 td

Ade

There's a page on it in this month's Fast Ford
Will update the thread soon enough...

That's awesome, I'd love a sorted one of them!

Well, I'd only be about 200-300kg over.... maybe worth a go!

dug112y

iTrader: (1)

yeah so i have heard,are you buying the carpark???the full car park will be yours by the time all the cars are home. It will be an artic car transporter youll be needing lol

harvcore

iTrader: (8)

Ade i looked into this for my mk4 estate to tow my mk1 xr2 autocrosser ,can keep within limits and safe with a towing dolly but they are only for recovery and car needs t+t and insurance

Retro Al

iTrader: (1)

I would even bother you need to get a bigger vehicle

Neil@FastFord

Don't do it mate.

Kverna

iTrader: (1)

In Norway the max towing weight is printed in the cars logbook. Not like that over there ?

steves24V's

iTrader: (7)

I tow with a range rover i would never tow with anything less than a 4x4 or large heavy van you need the weight to keep it in a straight line at speed and to stop.

BRIGSPORT

iTrader: (2)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110603243703&ssPageNam e=STRK:MESELX:IT;

Icurus

Calm down, I brought the Connect primarily for work for which it is perfect, and as a bonus I hoped it would tow, but it wont, end of, no big drama.

Forgot to say its a LWB 220L, not a postman pat SWB :P

They make various load rated Connects, but as far as I could tell, they all have the same tow limit.

But my next van will be a Transit for sure.

Ade

They are tempting. Does rule out my money saving idea of having non-road legal track cars in future though. And if something happens suspension wise (which it has before) then you're kinda stuffed for towing it on its own wheels....

I know.... we had 5 cars outside the flat the other week.... can't imagine the neighbours were too chuffed

Fudgey

iTrader: (4)

ade, take my advice, don't do it with the mk4

either buy a tank, or better still get someone else to d it.

te 406 estate I used is heavier than the mk4, an when it went wrong thre wa fuck all I could do save it.

Ade

Just weighing up all my options just now really....

Think my Escort Estate may just constantly do a rolling burnout if I hooked up a trailer to it to be fair

Northants Ford Fan

as said before in this thread, its not just the size of the towing vehicle that matters it the max train weight as quite a few people wrongly assume that something like a swb transit will be able to tow a trailer and car legally, if its your own car your towing and can prove it its easier than doing as a job as you have to have a tacho if it goes over a certain weight if i remember correctly if its for business, and the amount of people that think that any transit recovery truck can carry anything over a mid size hatchback legally is unreal as even with a light alloy body they cant carry that much. Your best bet is to get a decent sized transit if thats what you want and sleep in the back at shows as its drier and safer than a tent.

edited: as you like the older motors you could get something like a mk2 twin wheel transit and fit your favorite engine the cosworth v6 as it would definately have the grunt up hills then

155lee

iTrader: (10)

its maybe irrelevant but i have been looking at new mondeo estates and a duratorq 2.0 ecoboost with the powershift box can have a combined weight of 4200kg,the car weighs in just under 1600kg.
i have a tdci estate and with a normal sized duncan mcintosh/ifor williams sized trailer and the saph on the back it pulled no problem on the motorway,up hills etc.
another thing to remember,if you take spare tyres,spare fuel,a mate,tools,have 2 burgers instead of 1 thats all adding up to your max weight.

fraser9764

iTrader: (3)

This is always my problem, with my 2.5tdi VW transporter lwb van, the 205, and our home made trailer i can just about get away with it on my post 97 license,
When you start taking 10 spare wheels and tyres, couple of toolboxes, 60l of fuel, 3 people in the front, few boxes of spares, clothes for 3 people, generator, food, water, jack, axle stands, and all the rest ive forgotten it must be WELL over 3.5 tonne so i have to get my dad to drive when out on events.

155lee

iTrader: (10)

thats the other killer,a trolley jack.mine must weigh about 35kg on its own.its about £500 for a towing licence if you dont have 1 isnt it?i know so many folk who dont have 1 but tow anyway,some tow trailers behind their works vans for their companys and dont have the correct licence!

Ade

Hmm, yep I do take at least a dozen wheels to events too generally!

Really don't want a van though. An Estate would be a lot more handy for my other non towing needs as well....