Can my holden captiva diesel, will tow a Jayco expanda 16-49-1

Hi there. According to the Jayco website, the Expanda 16-49-1 has a Tare mass of 1355 kg, that is the empty weight of the Jayco, according to the manufacturer. Even if that is correct (and in most cases, the actual empty weight is above the stated Tare) then by the time you fill the gas and water and chuck in some food and bedding, the ATM will be up to the Captiva max towing weight.
The experts will say check the actual empty weight (perhaps Jayco include water or gas in the Tare, or perhaps you have some optional extras which add to the actual Tare (such as an air conditioner).
On the information provided, you would need to keep the Expanda completely empty to have any real margin.

Jason, I agree with comments made above by Chris. A " rule of thumb" factor of 300 Kg for water,gas & personal items etc. is often used. This added to your stated Tare would put you close to the towing limits of the Captiva. You need to look at the towing vehicle GCWR which will be in your vehicle handbook ( gross combination weight rating )

This is the combined weight of the trailer, the trailer load plus the curb weight of the vehicle & it's payload ( Passengers, luggage & accessories)

Cheers

Jason,

I have a Golden Eagle caravan (15'6" internal) with a tare of 1,320kg.

In 2008, my wife and I set off for a trip from Bathurst to Darwin, Cairns and back, a round trip of approx 14,000 kilometres.

The van had an ATM of 1,620kg, allowing for a load of 300kg, a load we struggled to keep under.

Our tow vehicle for this trip was a 2008 Captiva SX manual diesel, which had a tow capacity of 2,000kg and more significantly, had the self-levelling rear suspension.

The Captiva performed faultlessly,except for a failed throttle sensor in Darwin (fixed under warranty) but there were three issues that we felt made the vehicle unsuitable for long term touring:

1) First gear was not low enough to provide for confidence when performing multiple hill starts,

2) The fuel tank capacity of 65 litres (if I remember correctly) makes for very frequent fuel stops. We averaged 13.86 litres/100 klms when towing and carried two fuel jerry cans on the van, and

3) The spacesaver spare tyre effectively means that you do not a spare at all. This is because you cannot use it to replace a failed front tyre as this is the principal driving tyre (the Captiva is essentially front wheel drive) and you cannot use it on the rear as the tyre cannot support the weight of the car and towball. Also, while the spacesaver is rated to 80km/hr, I also understand that the tyre is only good for a distance of approx 80 kilometres, not much use in the Australian back country!

Jason, not putting the car down, we travelled 14,000 kiloemtres in nine weeks and my wife's and my back never once complained about all the driving, fantastic ergonomics, just not a towing proposition.


Peter F.