Transit for towing…..

Was looking at a VW Transporter, but the price difference between it and a Transit can’t be ignored. Add to that the fact that it’s going to get abused and therfore lose any value pretty quickly.

have been looking at second hand and most 9 seaters tend to be 101PS. is that going to be a problem pulling a trailer full of bikes up hills all day long?

my T5 with 2.5ltr 130PS has loads of torque and doesn’t flinch.  Should I be looking at Transits with a bit more umph?

I just towed a BMW 5 series on the back of my mk6 transit 2 litre and it was no issue.

What are the torque figures for each one, rather than hp?

Power and torque figures are not the be all and end all. My 102HP T5 does just fine loaded upto the gunnels for a 2 week camping trip – far more weight than a few mountain bikes and cruises all day long on the motorway at typical motorway speeds and hauls stuff up hills no problems. All about gearing really.

Sure it can be a bit sluggish accelerating above about 60mph, so for example if you want to pull out into the outside lane to overtake you need to make sure there is nothing coming up quickly behind, so there is a sense that once you get it upto speed you want to keep it rolling, but that adds to the fun and challenge of driving it. I was going to re-programme it to 140bhp ish, but don’t think i’ll bother now.

As above bhp is not the be all for towing. Some big van > 3.5 t have only 100bhp but haul massive amounts

If your camping gear weighs more than a trailer full of bikes and a van full of riders your no longer camping.

Now while on the flat a low power model can tow ok , when you hit the hills you will want something with more go. I have a 115bhp 3.5 tonne van and when it’s loaded you know it’s loaded -but only on the hills (and you hardly notice the hills when it’s empty). Now I could throw a 2.8 ton trailer on the back ….. Hills would be 3rd gear job. If I was climbing the Alps that’s going to be an issue.

Our 85hp transit was a joke on hills even without the trailer or a load, it had neither power or toruqe The 3.0 Merc with 200bhp towed the digger on the trailer back loaded & 5 up in the cab and you barely knew it was not empty.

It wasn’t the bhp that did it. It was the torque it was just endless.

Your essentially going to be ragging the tits off it all day long climbing hills loaded up with no torque this is not good for anything – reckon you’ll lunch the gearbox before you damage the engine though .

Essentially you can tow with anything occasionally but for long term constant towing in harsh environments buy the right tool.

Do you ever travel into Norfolk ?

You see plenty of Transits towing all manner of wheeled trailers..

Do you ever travel into Norfolk ?

You see plenty of Transits towing all manner of wheeled trailers

that’s kinda the point… i’m talking about driving up a hill with 8-10% gradient and over 3000ft of evelvation….and that several times a day, every day of the week.

i don’t know much about motors other than you need the right one for job.

what should i be looking at?

cheers!

haha bikebouy naw …. i am scarred for life for last time i was in norfolk it was for dusk till dawn and it rained pelters for 48 hours and blew a hooolie …. i honnestly thought if i fell in a puddle id be swept to sea and washed up on the european mainland !

what should i be looking at?

Torque figures for a start, in NM or lbs/ft.  It’s not the whole story, but it’s a start.

Iveco seem popular for the trades which tow, not sure why. A good choice also if you aren’t bothered about residuals or badges.

Our two mobile exhibition unit customers both use them.

Iveco are popular as they are cheap secondhand!  Mine is an ultra-rare end of line model with all the toys, I bought it at 2 years old and 12,000 miles and it was half its £25,000 price when it rolled out of the dealership.

Mine is ‘only’ 130ps but will tow 3500kg, 7000kg train weight.  It does slow up on the hills but the worst a trunk road dish out can be dealt with in 3rd gear with a 3000kg trailer.

Back to Transits…take care on the models.  Your ‘bog standard’ Transit 260 has an almost useless 750kg tow limit, whereas if you get a Transit 350 with a towing differential, it will tow 2800kg. (however, mine was a 2009 110ps model and it only towed 2250kg…I think the latest range can tow a bit more but I’m out of touch since I bought my current van)  However, the models with a towing diff can be tiring at cruising speed, my work van (which got retired last week) was a 5 speed with a towing diff, at 70mph the engine is buzzing away at 3500rpm.

Get the one with the most power – then it will be easier on the engine over time.  Simple.

Torque is the pulling power.  Torque x revs = BHP.   Remember you have a gearbox, so for towing in a van pick torque over BHP.

I take it you will be abroad somewhere? I would look at what the locals have as if it goes wrong you need to be able to get it fixed quickly.

We’ve got a transit 100 and 125ps at work, like all turbo diesels they’re utterly gutless above about 2700rpm, thankfully 6 gears and the aerodynamics of a brick means you don’t need to find that out except when trying to accelerate.

What’s more important is what would the all up weight be? People + trailer + bikes. Unless its a full 16 seater and a trailer and 16 bikes its unlikely to even get above 3.5t.  We load our work vans up to the limit and they’re fine even on hills, you just spend more time flooring it in lower gears.

What would a trailer of bikes weigh? 500kg? I’d be surprised if it was over 750kg (and if it was then maybe look at an aluminium trailer if you’ve got to buy one anyway).

Swb 100ps transit rarely have more than a 1 tonne payload. Some even as low as 780kg. Depending on year – for good reason they are gutless with weight in.

9 burly blokes in riding gear. At a conservative 85kg each doesn’t leave much. -even less when you factor in seats. Marjority of people driving the larger mini bus’s full of adults are well over the limits of their license and the van  and sadly they neither realise not care.

Last thing you want to do is get pulled in a weigh in gets expensive quickly.

Last thing you want to do is get pulled in a weigh in gets expensive quickly.

When I was sat at the DSA place waiting on my truck test, there was a steady stream of transits towing trailers being escorted in by the police for a shot on the weigh bridge. Obviously an easy target!

Transits (front  wheel drive versions) have ridicoulsly low trailer towing weights, be very very careful with them.

Check the chassis plates and make yourself aware of the overall train weight limits.