TOWING TIPS
Now if you’re thinking, “I don’t want to tow anything, I don’t need a towbar!”, hang on a second. A towbar isn’t just about towing. It’s much more than that – a universal attachment point that allows you to carry anything from bike racks (see issue 245) to storage boxes. As a bonus, you can even tow stuff with one!
Towing has all sorts of benefits, from decanting excess weight to a small trailer, to carrying those inconveniently bulky items you’d rather not stash inside (kayaks, I’m looking at you).
If you own a larger motorhome, you might even want to tow a couple of scooters or a car. This can make it easier to tour the area around your campsite and shop for supplies, without having to find a space for your 8m-long A-class.
In addition, the frame that the towbar bolts to can beef up the rear of your motorhome and protect the delicate rear panel from damage. So the humble towbar can add versatility and extra safety to your motorhome, too.
Know your weight
No, not those lockdown pounds – the weight of your motorhome! While your V5C and the chassis plate on the ’van itself will indicate the MTPLM and individual axle weights of your motorhome, you need to know your actual weight. MTPLM minus the actual weight is your payload.
There is only one way to do this: visit a public weighbridge (or farmer’s yard/scrapyard) and have your front and rear
