Jayco Expanda and Subaru Outback

Elecmuso
Hi
First of all you must match the caravan to the vehiocle not the vehicle to the caravan ie buy the caravan first
You will need to find out the ATM ( Argate trailer mass) of the caravan.
Then see what the max weight the vehicle will tow. it should be in your vehicle manual.
Then you go on from there
Terry

I own a 16 foot expanda outback.
I have driven my elderly neighbour's Subaru Outback on occasion . I personally wouldn't like to tow my van with his vehicle even if it met all the weight criteria and was legal.I use a 2009 Triton GLX/R,much more suited to the work.
Just because the numbers say you can tow x amount, doesn't mean you should. Leave some room, don't tow to the limit of your vehicle. You'll only wear it out faster and maybe end with disaster.

G-day Elecmuso,

Being a novice it is important for you to have a basic understanding of some of the terms and issues.

It is extremely inportant that you are aware that if you exceed any stipulated weight of the vehicle or the van you may find yourself un-insured in the unfortunate event of an accident.

You advised "Snailbait" that the caravan has a tare weight of 1,455kg.
Tare is the unladen weight of the van before you add water, gas and all your personal belongings and equipment.
You need to find out what is the "Aggregate" weight of the van. This is the maximum weight which the van can legally be.

Once you know the aggregate mass (and assuming you load your items into the van so it is correctly balanced) you could ensure that the towball/hitch weight remained at/under 150 kg, but as others have advised you will likely be at a total van weight (aggregate) of 1,800 to 2,000 kgs.

The other weights which you advised to "snailbait" initially relate to the vehicle itself, not to any trailers.
I can't recall exactly what they were, but, once loaded and hitched up to a van, the vehicle weight cannot exceed the amount specified (2.200??kg) and the maximum weight over the back wheels (of the tow vehicle) cannot be greater than the 1,045?kg.

If any of these specified weights is exceeded you will be illegal.

I would guesstimate that you could legally tow that van with the subaru so long as the van was empty, but not once loaded.

Partially related to the above is (my belief) that most van manufacturers do not allow for enough carrying capacity for your personal equipment and effects. Be careful to calculate the difference between the "Tare" and "Aggregate" as this is the maximum weight of everything you can put into the van.

Also, before you buy a van ensure that it weighs in correctly at the specified "Tare". Some manufacturers are inclined to understate the actual tare, so that a naive person with a smaller than necessary vehicle is led to believe that the van is "OK" for their car.

This has become somewhat longer than intended but I hope it helps.

Peter

Guys

It looks highly likely we will be buying this Jayco Expanda. Before I write the cheque I'd like to know what I will be up for as far as a tow vehicle is concerned.

Is a Falcon or Commodore a good option? Then there are Ford Terrorys but that would be a significantly mnore expensive.

Please provide feedback asap as the seller needs an answer from me tonight.

Cheers