Will Rav4 Tow Caravan Ok

[Meldrew]

Having recently purchased an 03 Rav4 D-4D, I'm considering having a towbar fitted to tow

my caravan so that I can sell off my old tow car.

Loaded weight of caravan is 1150kg. Which I think should be within the Rav's towing capability

and legal.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience of towing a caravan with a similar vehicle, as

to its overall suitability, and how it behaves, or any other comments before I make the change.

Meldrew

[Hoovie]

Having recently purchased an 03 Rav4 D-4D, I'm considering having a towbar fitted to tow

my caravan so that I can sell off my old tow car.

Loaded weight of caravan is 1150kg. Which I think should be within the Rav's towing capability

and legal.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience of towing a caravan with a similar vehicle, as

to its overall suitability, and how it behaves, or any other comments before I make the change.

Meldrew

Can't comment directly about towing a caravan (I tow a little trailer with mine ), but I used WhatTowCar to check if I could tow a caravan I intend to buy in the future - hope this helps a litle :D

[xt4]

Having recently purchased an 03 Rav4 D-4D, I'm considering having a towbar fitted to tow

my caravan so that I can sell off my old tow car.

Loaded weight of caravan is 1150kg. Which I think should be within the Rav's towing capability

and legal.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience of towing a caravan with a similar vehicle, as

to its overall suitability, and how it behaves, or any other comments before I make the change.

Meldrew

Hi

My caravan has unladen weight of 950 kg Last year we towed up to Scotland from Essex, 4 up, awning, inflatable boat and outboard in the boot. Towing on the motorways was easy at 60 mph in 5th gear. Hill starts no problem. 1100 miles towing! and another 900 miles touring around. Still averaged 31 mpg towing with air-con on! No problems with cross winds or lorries. Super tow-car!!!!!

One point to watch, make sure you get the correct tow bar for your model. Toyota fitted different springs which change the ride height. If you get the wrong one the hitch is to low. I fitted a genuine Toyota detachable bar. When fitted the door will not open, but it is the correct height. I have spoken to other people with fixed bars and they problems towing over humps in the road.

xt4

[bothwell_buyer]

Pretty much as has been said. The weight is at the top end of comfortable towing - I've towed 2 tons with my 3 door and it was scary above 40mph but that was cos the XJS I had on the transporter was engine to the rear so the weight was off balance.

You can get spring assisters easily and cheaply if you need them to maintain ride height; and the point about the tow bar detachable is relevant on some models.

[Bezzer]

You'll have no problem weight wise and the icing on the cake is your 03 was caravan club towcar of the year in it's class that year B)

[Clive XT5]

Having recently purchased an 03 Rav4 D-4D, I'm considering having a towbar fitted to tow

my caravan so that I can sell off my old tow car.

Loaded weight of caravan is 1150kg. Which I think should be within the Rav's towing capability

and legal.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience of towing a caravan with a similar vehicle, as

to its overall suitability, and how it behaves, or any other comments before I make the change.

Meldrew

Hi Meldrew,

I tow a van with a MPTLM of 1220 kgs with no problem whatsoever. Very stable and will cruise all day at 60mph in 5th on motorways. MPG around 30. I am presuming your RAV is a 5 door and with your van at 1150kg laden you are also within the recommended towing guideline of the van being no more than 85% of the cars kerbweight.

I agree with XT4 about the towbar - go for a genuine Toyota detachable which ensures the correct ride height even though not being able to open the back door is a bit of a pain.

Clive XT5

[Hoovie]

I agree with XT4 about the towbar - go for a genuine Toyota detachable which ensures the correct ride height even though not being able to open the back door is a bit of a pain.

Clive XT5

Re the Towbar question...

The 'genuine' Toyota towbar is actually a rebadged Brink towbar and the Brink original can be found at a considerable saving sold by a company called Towequipe. I bought mine from their eBay shop.

They sell two different versions of this - one which is EXACTLY the one the supply Toyota and fouls the rear door - which is most annoying, I would say, and another which has the towball 20mm lower down, so the rear door clears it when nothing is attached, but does foul it when a hitch is on the ball.

I went for the 20mm lower version as I decided it would be more convienient and I currently only tow a small trailer.

The Brink towbar - as you would expect being the genuine Toyota one in reality - can still be fitted even with the rear step (it just goes in-between) and as a bonus the rear step does a great job of hiding the large bit of steel cylinder so when the detachable bit is removed, it looks nice and clean again :D

I don't know for sure, but suspect that the only difference between the high and low versions is the detachable bit itself, so I guess it could be possible to buy both it you find you need the extra 20mm tow height for a caravan, but the lower one works for other things you may tow and you like to keep the ball in place generally?

Question: what kind of difference would 20mm height in towball position really make assuming you bring the jockey wheel up to the highest position - could that really be a make or break difference?

[bothwell_buyer]

I agree with XT4 about the towbar - go for a genuine Toyota detachable which ensures the correct ride height even though not being able to open the back door is a bit of a pain.

Clive XT5

Re the Towbar question...

The 'genuine' Toyota towbar is actually a rebadged Brink towbar and the Brink original can be found at a considerable saving sold by a company called Towequipe. I bought mine from their eBay shop.

They sell two different versions of this - one which is EXACTLY the one the supply Toyota and fouls the rear door - which is most annoying, I would say, and another which has the towball 20mm lower down, so the rear door clears it when nothing is attached, but does foul it when a hitch is on the ball.

I went for the 20mm lower version as I decided it would be more convienient and I currently only tow a small trailer.

The Brink towbar - as you would expect being the genuine Toyota one in reality - can still be fitted even with the rear step (it just goes in-between) and as a bonus the rear step does a great job of hiding the large bit of steel cylinder so when the detachable bit is removed, it looks nice and clean again :D

I don't know for sure, but suspect that the only difference between the high and low versions is the detachable bit itself, so I guess it could be possible to buy both it you find you need the extra 20mm tow height for a caravan, but the lower one works for other things you may tow and you like to keep the ball in place generally?

Question: what kind of difference would 20mm height in towball position really make assuming you bring the jockey wheel up to the highest position - could that really be a make or break difference?

The ball height will depend on the hitch height of the caravan - its not so clever to tow with the nose up!!

[Hoovie]

The ball height will depend on the hitch height of the caravan - its not so clever to tow with the nose up!!

Sorry, but don't quite understand are you saying the ball height you NEED depends on the hitch height of the caravan? or are you saying that the ACTUAL ball height on the car somehow changes depending on the hitch height of the caravan??

The ball height of the car is the ball height of the car and will only vary slightly depending on how much the suspension is compressed which will be determined by the weight at the hitch point (max 50Kg I think) - and the weight in the car at the rear I guess.

If the ball height is too low, then that is another matter. There must be range of heights that are suitable for a towing ball (and maybe that range or level of tolerance may vary depending on the trailer/caravan being towed), as different cars do not all have identical heights for their towballs - that is the key factor, surely?

[bothwell_buyer]

The ball height will depend on the hitch height of the caravan - its not so clever to tow with the nose up!!

Sorry, but don't quite understand are you saying the ball height you NEED depends on the hitch height of the caravan? or are you saying that the ACTUAL ball height on the car somehow changes depending on the hitch height of the caravan??

The ball height of the car is the ball height of the car and will only vary slightly depending on how much the suspension is compressed which will be determined by the weight at the hitch point (max 50Kg I think) - and the weight in the car at the rear I guess.

If the ball height is too low, then that is another matter. There must be range of heights that are suitable for a towing ball (and maybe that range or level of tolerance may vary depending on the trailer/caravan being towed), as different cars do not all have identical heights for their towballs - that is the key factor, surely?

As an example, my LR has raised suspension. I needed a tow bracket fitted with a ball and pin fitting as different things will be towed. The existing caravan, which is around 2+ tons is a twin axle job with uprated running gear and coupling. However, it does sit lower and so i had to have the LR fitted with a way of altering the ball hitch to a lower position, otherwise I have a danger of grounding the rear of the caravan due to the front (nose) of the caravan being too high. thats an extreme case perhaps but with the laws of physics, a 2+ ton weight will tend to push the rear of the tow car upwards whilst slowing and maybe put stress on parts of the rear bracket.

Obviously with a single axle trailer, this problem is not quite so critical in that the nose weight can be altered more easily than a twin axle.

(making heavy weather of this I think)

You're right - the car rear suspension will go down to some extent. However, it is not advisable to have a heavy weight like a caravan sitting behind you with the nose up as it will not be as stable under heavy braking, and could affect the vehicle stability. In the past, I had a Citroen BX19 estate which with its suspension, would alter to accommodate the caravan weight...the best scenario.

Most cars you see pulling caravans are fairly level or are down at the rear.

I could ramble on some more!!

The tow bar i have on the RAV is a fixed ball and clears the rear door on opening, but doesn't allow the door to open when a coupling is hitched on. one thing I did find annoying was the electrical coupling was difficult to access without getting down on the knees.

[Wudzy]

The ball height will depend on the hitch height of the caravan - its not so clever to tow with the nose up!!

Sorry, but don't quite understand are you saying the ball height you NEED depends on the hitch height of the caravan? or are you saying that the ACTUAL ball height on the car somehow changes depending on the hitch height of the caravan??

The ball height of the car is the ball height of the car and will only vary slightly depending on how much the suspension is compressed which will be determined by the weight at the hitch point (max 50Kg I think) - and the weight in the car at the rear I guess.

If the ball height is too low, then that is another matter. There must be range of heights that are suitable for a towing ball (and maybe that range or level of tolerance may vary depending on the trailer/caravan being towed), as different cars do not all have identical heights for their towballs - that is the key factor, surely?

[Wudzy]

Having recently purchased an 03 Rav4 D-4D, I'm considering having a towbar fitted to tow

my caravan so that I can sell off my old tow car.

Loaded weight of caravan is 1150kg. Which I think should be within the Rav's towing capability

and legal.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience of towing a caravan with a similar vehicle, as

to its overall suitability, and how it behaves, or any other comments before I make the change.

Meldrew

It seems that the height should be between 350- 450mm car fully laden to the centre of the ball and I seem to remember 16" in old money.

Towing a single axle it should be slightly nose down for a stable tow and a twin axle as near as dam level.

I have yet to fit my bar on my 2001 5door petrol RAV and will post the pro's and con's of the bar I have purchased.

Only had the Rav a month but love it to bits and looking forward to the caravanning days again as I am sure you will.

[bothwell_buyer]

Having recently purchased an 03 Rav4 D-4D, I'm considering having a towbar fitted to tow

my caravan so that I can sell off my old tow car.

Loaded weight of caravan is 1150kg. Which I think should be within the Rav's towing capability

and legal.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience of towing a caravan with a similar vehicle, as

to its overall suitability, and how it behaves, or any other comments before I make the change.

Meldrew

It seems that the height should be between 350- 450mm car fully laden to the centre of the ball and I seem to remember 16" in old money.

Towing a single axle it should be slightly nose down for a stable tow and a twin axle as near as dam level.

I have yet to fit my bar on my 2001 5door petrol RAV and will post the pro's and con's of the bar I have purchased.

Only had the Rav a month but love it to bits and looking forward to the caravanning days again as I am sure you will.

Now, thats a nice practical succinct answer !!

[Hoovie]

Having recently purchased an 03 Rav4 D-4D, I'm considering having a towbar fitted to tow

my caravan so that I can sell off my old tow car.

Loaded weight of caravan is 1150kg. Which I think should be within the Rav's towing capability

and legal.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience of towing a caravan with a similar vehicle, as

to its overall suitability, and how it behaves, or any other comments before I make the change.

Meldrew

It seems that the height should be between 350- 450mm car fully laden to the centre of the ball and I seem to remember 16" in old money.

Towing a single axle it should be slightly nose down for a stable tow and a twin axle as near as dam level.

I have yet to fit my bar on my 2001 5door petrol RAV and will post the pro's and con's of the bar I have purchased.

Only had the Rav a month but love it to bits and looking forward to the caravanning days again as I am sure you will.

Now, thats a nice practical succinct answer !!

Just measured my setup (I have the towbar that allows that door to open) and the height is 350mm from ground to ball centre AND that is with the car boot near enough empty and no one in the car - so I would think the lowered towbar is too low for a bigger van, especially a twin-axle

[bothwell_buyer]

Having recently purchased an 03 Rav4 D-4D, I'm considering having a towbar fitted to tow

my caravan so that I can sell off my old tow car.

Loaded weight of caravan is 1150kg. Which I think should be within the Rav's towing capability

and legal.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience of towing a caravan with a similar vehicle, as

to its overall suitability, and how it behaves, or any other comments before I make the change.

Meldrew

It seems that the height should be between 350- 450mm car fully laden to the centre of the ball and I seem to remember 16" in old money.

Towing a single axle it should be slightly nose down for a stable tow and a twin axle as near as dam level.

I have yet to fit my bar on my 2001 5door petrol RAV and will post the pro's and con's of the bar I have purchased.

Only had the Rav a month but love it to bits and looking forward to the caravanning days again as I am sure you will.

Now, thats a nice practical succinct answer !!

Just measured my setup (I have the towbar that allows that door to open) and the height is 350mm from ground to ball centre AND that is with the car boot near enough empty and no one in the car - so I would think the lowered towbar is too low for a bigger van, especially a twin-axle

Buy a helium balloon and tie it to the rear bumper??

[lomaximus]

I hate to be a spoil sport but was the DMF (dual mass flywheel) fitted on the 03 model D4D the toyota modified one??? I wouldn't be too keen to tow if its running on the earlier model dmf. What mileage has your car done and has the car any history of having the dmf replaced?

[anchorman]

I hate to be a spoil sport but was the DMF (dual mass flywheel) fitted on the 03 model D4D the toyota modified one??? I wouldn't be too keen to tow if its running on the earlier model dmf. What mileage has your car done and has the car any history of having the dmf replaced?

I know what you mean but I think that being wary of something that might not happen only takes away the point of owning the vehicle. I would sell mine rather than be afraid of it.

[Bezzer]

I know what you mean but I think that being wary of something that might not happen only takes away the point of owning the vehicle. I would sell mine rather than be afraid of it.

Nicely put, couldn't agree more

[Meldrew]

I hate to be a spoil sport but was the DMF (dual mass flywheel) fitted on the 03 model D4D the toyota modified one??? I wouldn't be too keen to tow if its running on the earlier model dmf. What mileage has your car done and has the car any history of having the dmf replaced?

I know what you mean but I think that being wary of something that might not happen only takes away the point of owning the vehicle. I would sell mine rather than be afraid of it.

This DMF thing worries me, first I have heard of it, my D4D is Sep 03 registered, its done 72k,

no mention of DMF being replaced in service history. :(

Should I tow with it? I am looking at serious mileages in France towing my van.

Help!! Meldrew

[Parts-King]

Although DMF has been an issue for some, it is by no means a daily replacement job! Forums are fantastic places for finding out information on vehicles, but as with most things in life, you hear the bad things first! Sure, DMF on RAV has been an issue, but don't let it spoil your enjoyment of the car. Contrary to popular belief, we don't sell DMF's on a daily basis, in fact, I don't think we have sold one this year. That will probably put the mokkers on yours now :o but seriously, stop worrying and enjoy your RAV

Kingo

[Hoovie]

I hate to be a spoil sport but was the DMF (dual mass flywheel) fitted on the 03 model D4D the toyota modified one??? I wouldn't be too keen to tow if its running on the earlier model dmf. What mileage has your car done and has the car any history of having the dmf replaced?

I know what you mean but I think that being wary of something that might not happen only takes away the point of owning the vehicle. I would sell mine rather than be afraid of it.

This DMF thing worries me, first I have heard of it, my D4D is Sep 03 registered, its done 72k,

no mention of DMF being replaced in service history. :(

Should I tow with it? I am looking at serious mileages in France towing my van.

Help!! Meldrew

reading the sticky about the DMF, it says this:

”The issue regarding Dual Mass Flywheels relates to RAV4 CLA20 and CLA21 models (early diesel vehicles) and was found to be that under hard use (towing etc) the flywheel securing bolts were unable to provide sufficient tightness. This was remedied by an improved flywheel and revised fastening and tightening processes, which were introduced into RAV4 vehicle production from August 2002. The improvements were made from VIN numbers,

JT EYG20V400009863

JT EHG20V600026183

JT EHG20V606013132"

So your 03 RAV *should* not be affected - and to make totally sure, check the VIN - if it is later, then I guess you should just relax and not worry ;)

[Meldrew]

I hate to be a spoil sport but was the DMF (dual mass flywheel) fitted on the 03 model D4D the toyota modified one??? I wouldn't be too keen to tow if its running on the earlier model dmf. What mileage has your car done and has the car any history of having the dmf replaced?

I know what you mean but I think that being wary of something that might not happen only takes away the point of owning the vehicle. I would sell mine rather than be afraid of it.

This DMF thing worries me, first I have heard of it, my D4D is Sep 03 registered, its done 72k,

no mention of DMF being replaced in service history. :(

Should I tow with it? I am looking at serious mileages in France towing my van.

Help!! Meldrew

reading the sticky about the DMF, it says this:

”The issue regarding Dual Mass Flywheels relates to RAV4 CLA20 and CLA21 models (early diesel vehicles) and was found to be that under hard use (towing etc) the flywheel securing bolts were unable to provide sufficient tightness. This was remedied by an improved flywheel and revised fastening and tightening processes, which were introduced into RAV4 vehicle production from August 2002. The improvements were made from VIN numbers,

JT EYG20V400009863

JT EHG20V600026183

JT EHG20V606013132"

So your 03 RAV *should* not be affected - and to make totally sure, check the VIN - if it is later, then I guess you should just relax and not worry ;)

My VIN is V200046916 is this later? I cannot understand the progression.

[bothwell_buyer]

Doesn't the Ford transit have a DMF ? And many other cars? It doesn't seem to stop them from selling or being bought.

Its a bit like the RAV4 front spring recall on '96 cars - its taken 10 years for them to find out about a flaw in a batch of springs, but it hasn't stopped loads of folk buying new RAVs.

Enjoy the motor. If you really want a sturdy lump to haul a caravan, i can recommend a LR as its safe, has a great towing record, and travels along at 30mph on the flat quite comfortably. Just add in a month if yer driving tae france!!

[Meldrew]

My VIN is; JtheG2OV200046916. is this later than the VIN numbers given by Toyota as being

the change over date to the improved DMF?

Anybody know how the numbers progress? my 4D4 is reg. Sept. 2003, should be modified DMF

but numbers confusing.

Thank you all for your previous help and advice.

[bothwell_buyer]

My VIN is; JtheG2OV200046916. is this later than the VIN numbers given by Toyota as being

the change over date to the improved DMF?

Anybody know how the numbers progress? my 4D4 is reg. Sept. 2003, should be modified DMF

but numbers confusing.

Thank you all for your previous help and advice.

Hmmmmmm

wot size is yer left shoe??? B)