General Towing Pandas?

[CaptainTuba]

Folks
I need some advice on towing Pandas.

I found kerb weight in another post (although it seems to vary with source):

• 1000 - 715kg
• Selectra - 745kg
• 4X4 - 800kg

If I have a road trailer rated at 750Kg does that mean the total weight of the trailer (trailer + load) must be a max of 750Kg i.e. you can't put a Panda on a 750Kg rated trailer.

So what size/rated trailer do you need?

What about using one of those towing-dolly things that picks up the front wheels?
Does any have any experience of using/renting one?

As a towing vehicle I have a PUG 806 2L diesel.

What other options are there?
I saw somewhere here a Panda in the back of a van (TB2)?

Your advice greatfully received.
Cheers
C.T.
P.S. Just been to scout our local breakers.
1 x Uno Street, 2 x Cinq, 1 x Tipo old, 1 x Tipo new.
Not much left off the Cinqs, Uno interior OK, half and engine.
Cinqs alloys had gone.

 

[petel]

If a Selecta, do not tow. Spec lift or trailer it.
Rgds.

 

[Alan.D]

The vehicle you are using to tow will have a gross train weight shown on the chassis, Vin or seperate plate. Of which the Panda 4x4 is 2100kg which is the max towing weight. That includes the weight of the towing car the trailer & what you are towing. However rule of thumb is that you shouldn't tow anything heavier than 80% of the towing car.

If towing anything heavier than 750kg the trailer/dolly/whatever needs to be braked. You can tow a Selecta on a dolly as long as the front wheels are NOT the ones rolling on the road but again the dolly needs to be braked (although I have heard that all wheels rolling have to be braked but unsure of this one)

 

[Neverstop]

The trailer will have a plate on it stating unladen weight and max laden weight. For example if the trailer has an unladen weight of 750kg and the Panda wieghs 750Kg you will need a trailer of min laden wieght of 1500kg and also a car with a min towing weight of 1500Kg

As for the towing vehicle the manufacturer will state max towing weight and nose weight, this should be in the handbook, but isn’t always!

Also are you sure the towing weight of a Panda 4X4 is 2100Kg?

 

[Alan.D]

Also are you sure the towing weight of a Panda 4X4 is 2100Kg?

Took me by supprise as well, but it's plated

The first No 1200kg is the gross vehicle weight
The Second No 2100kg is the gross train weight
The Third No 590kg is the gross weight first axle
The Forth No 680kg is the gross weight second axle

For obvious reasons I've blanked out the chassis/Engine No's

 

[urchin]

alan know all about pandas and towing

 

[Alan.D]

 

[Neverstop]

Good pictures, but is that the legal towing weight of a Panda, I would be suprised if it was, as a old petrol engined Trooper was only 2500Kg

 

[Alan.D]

That's what it says on the plaque, and is confirmed on the owners manual. That's also what the police would look at for towing weight.

 

[CaptainTuba]

Thanks for you help folks.

I've checked my Peugeots owners manual and looked at some trailer manufacturers websites for trailer specifications.

I concluded that:
PUG 806 + trailer + Panda 900 < Gross train weight
So I'm OK to tow.

Since the trailer will be more than 750Kg it will have to be braked.

Next question is:
Q: How do you tie down a Panda?
A: Get it married with a mortgage.

No what I meant was - how do you secure a Panda to a trailer without bending anything precious?

Thanks
C.T.
P.S. I did mean "Towing Pandas" not "Pandas towing"

 

[Tony M]

No what I meant was - how do you secure a Panda to a trailer without bending anything precious?

depends on the method of transportation... but rathchet straps around the front wheels seems a reliable method. if it's on a flat bed trailer... ratchet straps around all four plus hand brake.

 

[CaptainTuba]

I found some useful stuff on trailing at:

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/towing.htm
http://www.ntta.co.uk/law/index.htm

I can see from pictures on the web, that straps are put around the wheels:


I couldn't get a clear picture of how the car is really tied on:

Do you just anchor the strap to the trailer; lead it passed the wheel; around the back of the wheel at the top; then forward to the next anchor point and ratchet tight.

or

Anchor the strap; lead it behind the top of the wheel; around the front the wheel back around the strap; then forward to the next anchor point and ratchet tight.

or

Use some combination of the above with a special device such as a metal ring or short strop to keep the straps for slipping on the wheels.


I just found a neighbour who's willing to lend me his trailer that he uses for his Smart car. He tows it behind his camper.
However it is only single axle and the panda's bum will overhang the trailer by about a foot. This shouldn't be a problem as you are allowed a 2m overhang, not that a Panda can overhang by that much.

I think this should be OK - what do you think?

I don't want to get it wrong:

 

[Plug]

C.T.-

I brought both of my Pandas home on a trailer (not that there was anything wrong with them - it was just easier logistically). Fortunately, I have a mate with a proper, braked, 2 axle car trailer and used that.

Put the car on the trailer and get it positioned so the preponderance (towing hitch nose weight) is about right. It should be about 75Kg, but thats not easy to measure - just drive the Panda onto the trailer until the towing vehicle is pressed down slightly on the rear suspension compared to the unloaded condition. Imagine an 11 stone person sitting in the boot.

I lashed the car down on each wheel. Pass the ratchet straps around the wheel and over the suspension, lock the hooks on the end of the straps into the holes provided on the trailer and lock up the strap using the ratchet. I find it best to put them all on loosely to start with then go round and tighten one after another to pull the car down on to the trailer. Do the straps up mulleringly tight is my advice, the car will try and bounce around and loosen the straps if it can. I generally stop after about 5 miles and double check the straps to make sure they're OK. I've never hurt a car by doing the straps up as tight as possible, BTW, so I would'nt worry on that front.

With a nice heavy diesel tow car you should have no problems, I pulled a Panda and trailer with my Subaru Impreza which was a bit marginal - the trailer and Fiat weighed as much as the tow car. It was suprisingly easy to drive, though - 220 bhp helped a bit, I guess!

Best of luck, HTH.

Cheers,

Plug

 

[CaptainTuba]

Plug

Do the straps up mulleringly tight

Does this mean the same as:

Give they straps gurt loadsa welly my sonner.

:woot:

 

[dave]

see if you can hire a trailer if you only need it once, place i used was £50 for a day and it come with all the straps needed

 

[CaptainTuba]

I managed to borrow a trailer from someone round the corner.
He uses it to trail a Smart car behind his camper.
The trailer was just long enough:



It took a little while to figure the best arrangements of straps and slings.
(I was worried that the straps would case problems with the real brake pipes.)
From my point of view, it wasn't perfect but it did the trick. The trailer really need more attachment points.

It towed really well. We stopped after a few miles and tightened up everything.
No worries.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Alan.D]

One to add to the collection

 

[CaptainTuba]

Alan, how did one of those towing dollies handle?

 

[Alan.D]

No problem at all it was very stable even on the tight bends of the A66, you do however have to be carefull with the tyres as they are so little, anymore than max speed allowed i.e. 60 on the motorway and they can get very warm.

The one I used for the Barchetta wasn't quite as stable which had larger wheels but closer together and on pulling back in to lane 1 after overtaking the trucks had to be very delicate.

The benefit to them is weight and with the panda's if empty of fuel etc usually comes under or very close to the 750kg not requiring the dolly to be braked. Anything heavier and they are illegal if not braked.