[ivor940]

Hi Des, Following is from "Practican Caravan" magazine:
• Make sure you know the details of your towcar: manufacturer’s towing limit, kerbweight, noseweight, gross vehicle weight, gross train weight (older cars only) and maximum authorised mass (newer vehicles only).
• Obtain the relevant details for the caravan you are considering: most importantly the maximum technically permissible laden mass (MTPLM), which includes user payload.
• Ensure the MTPLM is less than the car’s towing limit. Check the car’s limit doesn’t reduce when it’s significantly loaded.
• Ensure the MTPLM is less than the car’s kerbweight, and ideally no more than 85 percent of it.
• With car and caravan fully loaded, will the car’s maximum authorised mass be exceeded?
• The sum of the car’s gross vehicle weight and the caravan’s MTPLM must never exceed the vehicle’s gross train weight.
• Can your car withstand the van’s noseweight?
• Is the car powerful enough. Aim for at least 40bhp per tonne of train weight. • If the car fails any of these criteria by a modest amount, check the van’s user payload allowance. Is this sufficient for you to use the caravan appreciably below its maximum weight?
• If it fails by a significant margin, you should look for a different caravan.

I had come across the 40 BHP reference in a Caravan Club article