General Towing
- Thread starter Gnista
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General Towing
Well you bought the right model (120 bhp).
Out of the Kangoo, Berlingo and Partner it's by far the most powerful and it's also heavier which is good news if you want to tow a large caravan.
Strangely though, 'which caravan' (or some such caravan magazine) voted the Berlingo as small towing car of the year, their main reason being its powerful Deisel engine, which makes me wonder if they even bothered to test the 120 Doblo
.
If you haven't had a towbar fitted yet there are lots of helpful threads about this subject in the Doblo section if you do a search.
Here's one thread on the subject https://www.fiatforum.com/doblo/116217-towbars-here-we-go-again.html
Let us know if you have any problems as there are at least 2 or 3 forum members who have fitted there own towbars without too much trouble.
Out of the Kangoo, Berlingo and Partner it's by far the most powerful and it's also heavier which is good news if you want to tow a large caravan.
Strangely though, 'which caravan' (or some such caravan magazine) voted the Berlingo as small towing car of the year, their main reason being its powerful Deisel engine, which makes me wonder if they even bothered to test the 120 Doblo
.If you haven't had a towbar fitted yet there are lots of helpful threads about this subject in the Doblo section if you do a search.
Here's one thread on the subject https://www.fiatforum.com/doblo/116217-towbars-here-we-go-again.html
Let us know if you have any problems as there are at least 2 or 3 forum members who have fitted there own towbars without too much trouble
.
Well we tow with a 1.3 multijet 70hp Doblo, towing approximately 850kg caravan loaded with three children and two adult plus all the luggage in the back of the car and it tows OK, will cruise at 50mph to 60mph no trouble only time it slows down is when you come across a hill or long incline on the motorway, so I would have thought your 120 hp doblo will be very good.
My 1.9JTD 105 dobbin pulls like a dream, you don't even realise you've got a huge van on the back 'till you look in the mirror & realise the van has taken off
I also plumbed in my own towbar. Couple of hours for the metalwork, rest of the day for the electrics (I opted for a relay rather than splicing straight into the lighting).
I also plumbed in my own towbar. Couple of hours for the metalwork, rest of the day for the electrics (I opted for a relay rather than splicing straight into the lighting).
I know its a fair trek but can recomend Towone towbars in Hull (they fit the towbarsw for Jordans (where i had mine fitted to my GP....
also Doncaster towbars have a good reputation (they fit bars for Stoneacre so the salesman told me on the quiet)....
Other things to concider is if you want a "flange ball" (one with 2 bolts) which is handy if you want to fit say a cycle rack, bumper protection plate, rear step or a snakemaster ...
or a swan neck which is a much neater unit but you cant fit as much to it...
Do you want dual electrics? factor this into the fitting too. (Black N plug for road lights) and (Gray/white for fridge battery charger and caravan reversing lamp)
if you want to wire teh N plug yourself this might come in handy but i doubt the wires will be the same colour...
https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-pu...ng-towbar-12-n-socket-7-way-bypass-relay.html
Did you elect to get a towbar after you got bumped in that carpark then sludgeguts?
also Doncaster towbars have a good reputation (they fit bars for Stoneacre so the salesman told me on the quiet)....
Other things to concider is if you want a "flange ball" (one with 2 bolts) which is handy if you want to fit say a cycle rack, bumper protection plate, rear step or a snakemaster ...
or a swan neck which is a much neater unit but you cant fit as much to it...
Do you want dual electrics? factor this into the fitting too. (Black N plug for road lights) and (Gray/white for fridge battery charger and caravan reversing lamp)
if you want to wire teh N plug yourself this might come in handy but i doubt the wires will be the same colour...
https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-pu...ng-towbar-12-n-socket-7-way-bypass-relay.html
Did you elect to get a towbar after you got bumped in that carpark then sludgeguts?
Bit of both really.
A mate took his van to a camp & left it there for a few weeks for his kids to have a holiday. On his way home, his car got sick & the garage couldn't sort it for a couple of weeks (had to get parts in). As I was considering a towbar anyway, I said I'd bring his van back after the holiday (as I would be nearby on my hols). Bought the kit off ebay & had it on by the end of the week, meaning I could bring the van back the following week.
I've been looking for a cheap box trailer to store some furniture for an indefinite period (cheaper in the long run than self-store).
Of course, when the towbar arrived, I realised that the uprated bumper was something to behold:slayer:.
To be fair to other road users, I have installed a reversing camera, the added advantage is in being able to park a c0ck hair away from other cars - and the look on a driver's face as they see you reversing towards their car
And BTW, all these people who take the P out of the dobbin.
I was towing a 15' van plus awning, 15kg calor, 3 tents& a BBQ AND had my boot full with dog cage & luggage for 8 people and 3 adults, a teen & a big dog in the seats. On the motorway, 5th gear & struggling to keep my speed down to 60. Kept wandering up to 70 & towing the van was almost like flying a kite.
drove like a dream & still plenty of room under the pedal.
No idea what fuel economy was like for that journey but over the tankful I achieved my usual 40mpg (what I normally get around town) so I guess any economy that you normally get on a run was lost to all the weight in & behind the motor.
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nothing quiet like a nice large lump of metal bolted onto the back of your car for added piece of mind
i discovered this week that the flipping bracket fowls the tow eye screw point On my G.punto which isnt the best thaught out idea
going to get a shackle with an internal diameter of circa 40mm when i have chance so i can loop it round the tow ball if i have to tow someone to eliminate the risk of the rope slipping off over the topHi
All thanks for information. I have had towbar fitted by garage in Knaresborough it was the cheapest quote from local trailer centres. I did not fancy trying to fit it myself mainly electrics being problem.
The reason I asked about towing was I have change from a Citreon C5 less HP 110 but greater torque 190 lb ft against the Dob 120 and 155.
All thanks for information. I have had towbar fitted by garage in Knaresborough it was the cheapest quote from local trailer centres. I did not fancy trying to fit it myself mainly electrics being problem.
The reason I asked about towing was I have change from a Citreon C5 less HP 110 but greater torque 190 lb ft against the Dob 120 and 155.
you have to go by the figures quoted in the cars hand book..... If your involved in an accident and its found you are overloaded your in for the high jump..
its also important that the "d" value or more commonly known as the nose weight is not exceded..
How long have you been passed your driving test? if it was before 1997 you can tow more (upto 8.25 tonnes)
Car licences held before 1 January 1997
"All drivers who passed a car test before 1 January 1997 retain their existing entitlement to tow trailers until their licence expires. This means they are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes MAM. They also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kgs MAM."
after 1997
Category B: Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM and with up to eight passenger seats
Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM.
more info here:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_10013073
Hope that helps..
Never bother working out weights etc, just hitch up & go.
If the back end drops off I know I've overloaded it:devil:.
Puts me in mind of the Fosters advert where they fill the back of the pickup with cans, when they add a couple of bottles of sherry, the suspension gives out - I was like that with my pickup.
Had a concrete sectional garage on the back once, even with me leaning over the steering wheel I couldn't get the front wheels on the ground.
Had to shift it in three trips
Good thing about the diesel engines though, they'll certainly shift far more than their petrol equivalents.
If the back end drops off I know I've overloaded it:devil:.
Puts me in mind of the Fosters advert where they fill the back of the pickup with cans, when they add a couple of bottles of sherry, the suspension gives out - I was like that with my pickup
.Had a concrete sectional garage on the back once, even with me leaning over the steering wheel I couldn't get the front wheels on the ground.
Had to shift it in three trips
Good thing about the diesel engines though, they'll certainly shift far more than their petrol equivalents.
according to italiaspeed, the 120 produces torque of 200 Nm (20.4 kgm) at between 1750 and 3000 rpm. (whatever that means
)Edit;
Just found this chart
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nothing quiet like a nice large lump of metal bolted onto the back of your car for added piece of mind
I used to have a Mazda B1800 pickup & the previous owner (a builder) had welded a girder to the back that stuck out 18" (it also had a towball & pin).
The thing about that pickup was the column gearshift and, most importantly, the dash mounted handbrake. Because the pickup was powerfull yet very light, the handbrake was extremely effective.
A Fiesta full of chavs thought they could intimidate me into driving faster by driving on my bumper. Can you imagine the sounds made as I yanked on the handbrake & the pickup stopped on a sixpence?:devil:
Can you imagine the state of their underwear?
I just carried on driving as though nothing had happened - of course, nothing did happen - to me or my pickup, never felt a thing
This was my first pickup, a petrol engine. When I got the diesel (PUG) I missed havig the extra ironwork on the back, although the diesel performed much better.
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