77 Sovereign

[boobyah]

I have a 77 31 ft Sovereign coming from the US I now find out that I will have to have a vehicle of 3.5 tons to tow it in UK Is this correct ? Is there anyway around this ? Is this also the case in Europe ? Does anybody want to buy it I am losing interest Please help
James

[juel]

I don't know anything about the laws in England or Europe; however, I recently purchased a 1976 31ft Sovereign, which I towed back to my home state a distance of about 900 miles. These vintage trailers are much lighter than the newer models and I had absolutely no problems towing it with my 07 Ford 5.4L V8, which is considered a 1/2 ton truck. The dry weight came in at about 5,500 pounds, well within the range of this Ford. I would certainly inquire with the proper authorities in you country as to why you are being told you need such an oversized tow vehicle. Perhaps other trailer owners can help you with the information you need.

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by boobyah

I have a 77 31 ft Sovereign coming from the US I now find out that I will have to have a vehicle of 3.5 tons to tow it in UK Is this correct ? Is there anyway around this ? Is this also the case in Europe ? Does anybody want to buy it I am losing interest Please help
James

What do you have now for a tow vehicle?

" now find out that I will have to have a vehicle of 3.5 tons"

Is that the gross weight of the vehicle required to tow?

[EllieZ]

We have several units in a much smaller size. The caravan you bought weighs in at about 7400 pounds, and we tow them with bigger USA built trucks. You need a decent size diesel to pull it up mountains and good hills. A 4.2L turbo diesel Land Cruiser will do the job. You have bought a caravan that is illegal in many ways in UK, and you probably bought on price and emotions with the low dollar rate against the GBP. Your tongue weight is too high, the width about 6" too much, and unless you use a big truck that outweighs it, you're illegal there also. The brakes are workable, but you need to deal with that separately.

My husband has been towing these all over Europe for years, and never had trouble, but he always uses a bigger truck. We avoid selling the larger ones if possible, because it takes a more knowledgable "risk taker" to manage one.

Its not rocket science, but you have to work through it. Maybricks can probably help you- contact them- they're really nice. Best regards, Elina

Originally Posted by boobyah

I have a 77 31 ft Sovereign coming from the US I now find out that I will have to have a vehicle of 3.5 tons to tow it in UK Is this correct ? Is there anyway around this ? Is this also the case in Europe ? Does anybody want to buy it I am losing interest Please help
James

[LI Pets]

The '77 weights 4500-6500 it varies a lot, I hit the scales at 4550, but have now added things I will guess it is now at 5,000.

But none that I know of are 7,000 +

[dork]

Hello James
There is a really good link I have pasted below with the rules and regs for towing Airstreams in the UK
Give Maybricks a call they have helped me loads with work and advice for my trailer and they may be able to sell it for you as well
Good Luck
James


Vintage Vices :: View topic - Is your Drivers licence legal for towing in the UK

[redtinman]

Originally Posted by boobyah

I have a 77 31 ft Sovereign coming from the US I now find out that I will have to have a vehicle of 3.5 tons to tow it in UK Is this correct ? Is there anyway around this ? Is this also the case in Europe ? Does anybody want to buy it I am losing interest Please help
James

Hi,

I tow a 31ft Sovereign with a 4ltr '86 Landcruiser it gets warm but it's legal. Despite advice to the contrary the DTLR vehicle standards and engineering branch VSE 4 020 799 2078 "requirements for trailers fact sheet" states it is the gross train weight of the towing vehicle that is the deciding factor so a 6.5 tonne GTV of a landcruiser is OK. Electric brakes are also not illegal. Not having a handbrake on the trailer maybe! Would suggest a Landcruiser Amazon as it has 175 horses.

Good luck