Towing a Caterham with V40D

[Fishy Dave]

Hi,

My first post here

I have just bought a 2000 V40 1.9D XS to act as a general runabout and tow car for my Caterham. It's my first Volvo, and whilst not exactly exciting compared to the Celica 190 I had before, it seems a sturdy beast.

Firstly, any thoughts or experiences of this model as a towcar? I really should have asked this before buying! I can see I will be within the safety margin for weight (Caterham is around 550kgs, braked trailer will be about 200kgs I'm guessing)

Secondly, it doesn't have a tow bar fitted, and searching online shows a multitude of options. So, which one to go for? Is it easy enough to self fit one, if so, where are the electrics attached in car?
I'm not looking for the cheapest, rather something that looks neat and isn't going to rust away.

Many thanks, David

[JIM C]

I fitted a brink detachable bar on my S60 which I bought from Towequip who advertise on ebay. This is the make of towbar volvo use. If I was you I would use a stabiliser for towing. An Alko or Winterhoff to make it more stable and safer. This works on the towball with 2 friction pads.
Best of luck.

[Alec Dawe]

Just a recommendation, but if you do fit your own towbar, could I suggest that you paint the thing FIRST. Most towbars come in makers black, which is not the worlds most rust resistant paint, so a poper coat of any decent paint greatly adds to the life of the towbar, and the life of the car's attachment points. Its also a good idea to get some sort of rustproof down the INSIDE of the towbar sections too, when I was in the Camping and Caravan club, several members reported towbars failing from the inside out, very unnerving!

[Fishy Dave]

Thanks very much guys

[Paddler Ed]

I regularily used to drag a canoe trailer with a max weight of 1500kg with out too many problems. Even with the aerodynamics of an estate car being dragged behind it wasn't too bad

I'd load it up with about 8 canoes (each boat is 30ish KG) and the trailer was the best part of 400kg so it's not quite as weighty as your Caterham and trailer.

Just check the kerb weight of the V40, if the overall trailer is greater than 85% of the kerb weight it starts to get a bit more interesting. Avoid going over 100% is the best rule.