Question about Campers in the US vs Britten

[JustSomeOldDude]

Greetings all.
I was noticing on TV and youtube chanels that over in Britten, and the UK you see these long or midsize campers ( or Caravans as they call them) being pulled by small cars , like little VW's or Skoda or Voxhal orToyota's etc etc
However whenever i go out to camper shopping here in the US, they just about require a 3/4 ton truck or the like, to pull even the "lightest" mid size camper.

So why are UK campers so much lighter? or is that not the issue? :huh:

Thanks in advance.

 

[JustSomeOldDude]

For examle here's a picture of a camper in the UK who's weight specs are similar to one in the US. but it shows a little VW pulling it.
http://caravaningreisen.de/Freizeitfahrzeug/Wohnwagen/Knaus-Suedwind-Exclusive-580UF

 

[maki2]

you would have to look at the weights of the trailers...in the UK they are called Caravans to see why they can be pulled with smaller sized vehicles.

My fiberglass travel trailer was designed and marketed for being pulled by the VW bugs of the late 1960s early 1970s era. It came out of the factory, with a dry weight of just under 900lbs. Dry weight meaning no water in the 20 gallon fresh water tank.

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah let's see some specs. that link you posted is in German or something. for all I know it says don't do this. highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

From the link provided:

Key figures Knaus Südwind Exclusive 580 UF
overall length

7.82 m

Body length

6.64 m

overall width

2.50 m

maximum weight allowed

from 1,600 kg

Price incl. VAT

22.790, - €

Maybe the cars will tow more there than their counterparts here?

 

[bullfrog]

Years ago many of the imported vehicles that came to this country were not suited for our demands of speed limits, road conditions, longevity and eventually emissions standards. Even here we had many differences between states as far as emissions and therefore power that was available for towing. Many of the small "dirty" diesels and large gasoline engines were used overseas but not allowed here. There were large markets where there were few large grades and where there were, people accepted slow moving vehicles or put their lives at risk passing them which is illegal here. What governments and societies find acceptable there is not the same here due to the environment they are used in. In many countries cars seldom go over 50,000 miles before wearing out and never go above 60 miles an hour. I find it interesting that people in this country think our standards are universal throughout the world when in fact many of our states in the United States have different standards. Engineering logic and reason seldom get the same attention as economic gain, just look at the recent Volkswagen diesel scandal. Most times things are built to barely meet demands while giving the most profit.

 

[Gr8ful]

yeah let's see some specs.  that link you posted is in German or something.  for all I know it says don't do this.  highdesertranger

All you have to do is hit translate & it all turns to english.

 

[CityWoman]

Your link is to a German site, not UK or Britain.  The roads in Europe tend to be narrow, especially in towns that are centuries old. Hence, many cars, trucks, buses, etc. over there are narrow and tall.

 

[maki2]

Maybe the cars will tow more there than their counterparts here?

The answer is that they have lighter weight trailers.  It is not that the cars are stronger, it is that the trailers are lighter in weight.

In fact I just did a comparison with a UK database that shows trailers that can be towed with a 2006 Honda Element and some of they listed were 17' in overall length. I don't know of a single USA built travel trailer of that length that is light enough to be towed with my Element. They would be at least 1,000 lbs heavier than the Euro Caravans that were being recommended as towable with my car.

So the difference is that in the European market vehicles are typically smaller so the makers of the caravans have made their designs lighter in weight to match the need for something that can be towed with a small vehicle.

 

[B and C]

The one linked is 1600 Kg or somewhere near 3500 Lbs. Fairly light but we have them that weight here too but maybe not that long.

 

[RoamerRV428]

there are a lot of super lite campers here to buy. you just have to research the super lite rv's and see what you can get and then match up what can tow it. I mean, it boils down to is the picture showing truly a too heavy camper for what the little car is towing, probably LOL One thing to always remember no matter what pics ya see out there, safety in true towing capacity etc is super important.

I saw a smaller rv on the road with my Jeep Latitude type SUV pulling it and I said to hubby that is crazy and he said nope, your SUV can pull that smaller travel trailer and I thought, cool.....it was called XYZ something extreme lite. I thought, hmmm, so my SUV can pull my home later if needed, very good!

 

[makenmend]

Another consideration is that the vast majority of vehicles in the UK are diesels, so torque is a factor. My Sister pulls there caravan with a Kia Sportage ( 2 ltr diesel ). Another friend over there pulls with an Audi 2 ltr diesel, there trailers are lighter at approx 2,000 lbs plus I think they are limited to 55 mph whilst towing.

 

[bullfrog]

In my research there are not many self contained stand up small trailers that are "lightweight" enough to tow with a small car in the USA like they do overseas. This is one of the reasons the Teardrops and Tiny Trailers site is so popular. The other is the cost of the few that are made here. That XYZ one costs much more that a larger conventional trailer.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

What makenmend said.

Plus most vehicles in Britain are manual transmission.
And Britain is a small country; they usually don't drive far:
  ~ 600 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats and about 100 miles wide at its widest.

I wouldn't want to take the car/trailer shown in post #2 out west where 50 mph side wind gusts are not uncommon.  That rig would be uncontrollable.

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

Engine differences and lighter weight caravans, are only part of the equation.

Remember that people in the UK don't tend to pull their caravans very far.
From Land's End to John o' Groats is 603 miles straight line and by road it's only about 840 miles.
Many "caravaners" in the UK pull their caravan only a couple of hours out to a country caravan site; 100-200 miles max.
Many will take B roads which are usually barely two lanes wide; top speed is generally under 50mph.

The other thing is that, in general, UK people are much more sensible about driving and what to tow.
Personal liability for both traffic violations and not following manufacturer's guidelines is much higher in the UK and even the EU.
But once you start putting tow hitches on things in the US "a hitch is a hitch" to most people.
Here we have a very litigious society and it's always the trailer manufacturer's or car makers fault; not the guy towing a 4 ton camper with his Subaru.

Hence, the Mazda CX5 that is rated as 35o0lbs in the UK is not recommended for towing in the US.

 

[LargeMarge]

[edited for brevity]
...that over in Britten...So why are UK campers so much lighter?
[snip]

*****

On the rough forest tracks and Baja beaches we prefer, stout frame/tires/suspension/structure equals longevity.

2003, we converted a 1997 Ford CF8000 commercial truck to our concept of an ExpeditionVehicle.
2010, we converted a tandem commercial gooseneck trailer to our concept of a toy-hauler.
Twenty-four months twenty-four thousand miles around south America.Alaska, Panama, all over north and central America.

After nearly two decades full-time live-aboard -- and many dozens of caravans to remote regions -- we think stout is better.

 

[AeroNautiCal]

It's true, here in the UK and Europe caravans and trailers are generally smaller, narrower and considerably lighter than those available in the US.

We tend to have smaller cars and vans which run small, efficient engines giving good mpg in comparison to those found in the US.

The compination allows our smaller, low powered vehicles to be able to tow well.

 

[JDub]

One big reason for differences between U.S. and Euro vehicles specs in terms of performance basics: the gearing is VERY different. How do I know? 9 years living over there. BTW most caravans in Britain are pulled by SUV's anymore. Like things in the U.S., things just keep getting BIGGER... IYKWIM...

Cheers!