CRV Towing Jayco Campervan

I'm told older Jaycos are more solidly built than current ones so best to ring the factory and get the figures on weight.

And of course tare weight is less than loaded so if it's already over your allowable ball weight the idea's not going to fly.

Forget the unloaded weight You are towing the loaded weight so what is that Its called the ATM and is on the compliance plate Its also usually 300kg more than the Tare so all would be out of the CRV's legal capacity

Would be getting the van checked over before buying and have the brakes checked to ensure they do work.

Thanks guys. From what I've gathered from some brief web searching, the older Jayco swans were actually lighter than the newer, fibreglass ones. Whether the 'older' portion of this statement applies to the period I'm looking for I'm not sure.

Thanks for the info re ATM weight. I knew that there would be additional weight when loaded, but wasn't sure how much. I've come across some rough figures of 300kg, which includes gas and water. Does this sound about right?

We won't be taking any water, and probably won't be loading much inside the van either, so hoping I can get it to 200kg's or less, which might just get it into the legal limit. I am assuming this ATM weight limit is variable, and if caught, the actual weight of van and contents will be determined, rather than some arbitrary figure (e.g. 300kg) added to the tare weight?

Knowing nothing about brakes and vans in general, I'll be getting an inspection done on any purchase. At this point I'm just trying to work out if it's feasible and legal to tow with our current car before getting too far in, as changing cars is not an option at this point.

I'm looking at an ad for an '87 Swan (which is about what I'm after) that lists the tare weight as 810 kg's. I've noticed similar weights on all the mid 80's vans swan's I've seen listed, so I think it should be within the limits even when fully loaded.

The newer model swan's have a tare weight of 1067 kg. I would have assumed, like an earlier poster, that the older models would be heavier, but it seems that it's not the case.

I reckon you will be fine with an older 80s Jayco. Most I have seen are around 800-900kg tare, so by the sounds of it you would have it loaded no more than 1100kg. The crv will tow it easily, you don't need a big 4x4 to tow it. Take one for a test behind the crv, you will be surprised! A serious seller would let you try it, I know I would if it meant a sale...

The more important issue would be tow ball weight as the jayco camper trailers are known for having high towball weights. My 2005 outback dove has a tare of 1050kg, atm of 1309kg and an empty towball weight of 139kg.