Towing a Xantia

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myglaren
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Post by myglaren »

Never been to France, which is probably very silly of me.

Looks just wonderful. The kids go regularly and bring back many stunning photographs.

I had planned on going there to see the lady in the picture next year but it looks as though it is going to be Belgium or Switzerland now instead.
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Post by andmcit »

This shows some interesting trees if you can see past the old Citroens:
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and this one shows a biiiigg Camper van though it's cropped badly off:
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The BEST WAY to trailer another car - no question or doubt in my mind:
Fantastic tow cars, CX estates!

Andrew
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Post by andmcit »

...actually thinking about it, my York - Swansea round trip was probably
a longer journey so the Germany trip is quite a way! Guess it depends
where you are in Blighty! :D

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Post by Stunned Monkey »

andmcit wrote:
But you've got it on the wrong way round!? :wink:
Those Cx mirrors get about the place too, don't they!
And still around in '98... :shock:

Andrew
No, I have it exactly the right way around... :D being mid-engined, the centre of gravity on the trailer needs to be just forward of the wheels.

Lotus Esprit and various TVRs also used the CX mirrors - when was the last Esprit year?
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Post by citronut »

wheeler wrote:
citronut wrote:you are allowed to tow a car with no MOT/ROAD TAX and/or INSURENCE, as long as one axle is off the ground, the only thing you might fall foul of the law on is as some one has said is the towed weight braked or un/braked,
Im pretty sure all wheels must be off the ground if the car is not taxed.
The AA will not tow a car without tax unless it is full lifted on a flatbed.
just one axle must be off the road to meet legal requirements,

Richard
it would be better to trailer the car, but then it would defenatly put your towed weight well over the limit,
how fare have you got to move the XANT,

a couple of years ago i hired ahydraulic tilt bed trailer from TRIDENT TRAILERS in tunbridgewells, when i went up to nottingham to collect my dead DS, we pulled it with a TD tr***it, and that strugled at times, the trailer cost me 56 squid from friday eve to monday mornning, it was supperb,

i also know of a wide wheel base braked towing dolly i can borrow for a small fee, not one of those silly ones with both wheels about two foot appart

regards malcolm
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Post by Pleiades »

Dont know anything about towing legalities except that I have been told that you are not allowed to tow on a motorway, except towing a breakdown off.

I do remember towing a CX estate using a GSA as the tow car, we towed it on a rope and as the CX was a non runner, we removed the spark plugs and towed the thing in gear so that the hydraulic pump would be running to keep the hydraulics working. it was a tow of about 30 miles on fairly good roads and the little GSA coped very well.

I guess that this was on the foul side of the law, but when needs must as they say!

Regards,
Martin.
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Post by citronut »

thats a cruel thing to do to GSA Martin
regards malcolm
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Post by andmcit »

An old 1300 GSA and I managed to tow a stricken 2.0 CX for about 20 miles
without any real struggle/effort and was immensely impressive. The G series
always feels a bigger engine than the measly French tax dictated cc size;
feels more like a 1600 or 1800!

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Post by petercook44 »

Car can be towed without M.O.T,tax or insurance as long as engine isn't running is my understanding of law. Best way to make sure is ask a copper
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Post by citronut »

petercook44 wrote:Car can be towed without M.O.T,tax or insurance as long as engine isn't running is my understanding of law. Best way to make sure is ask a copper
you are not ment to have or keep a complete un/taxed/moted or insured motor vehicle on a public highway for any reason,

although quite a few years ago some one gave me there GS which i had diagnosed with a colapsed rear sub frame, they parked it out side my house whilst i was out, we had just had a jumped up beat copper asinghed to our estate to clean up, he saw me moving the G to park it off the road and i ended up going to court, the judge said i had to seek lagal advise and pointed me in the direction of the in house solicitor, he said if i had removed the battery i could have got away with it, as you could not start the car and drive it

regards malcolm
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Post by RichardW »

This is of interest regards the legal towing angle:

http://www.ttas.co.uk/towsafe.cartransport.html

I believe that the unbraked limit is absolute (unless as defined above, the manufacturer sets a lower limit, or it's above 50% of the vehicle's 'weight' - whatever that might mean). The braked towing limit is, AFAIK, based on the weight the car will pull away with on a 1:4 slope - hence the higher towing weight limits for HDi 110 Xantias. The 85% rule is suggested by the caravan club as a 'sensible' limit for stable towing, but has no legal basis. Note that if you put a load of gear in the car this may reduce the the amount you can tow, since you must not exceed the maker's gross train weight for the car and trailer.

Clear :?: :roll:
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Post by citronut »

i always thought the weight limit of what you can/could tow was intended, so what every you were towing could not take the control away from the towing vehcile, it was usualy rule of thumb in all the garages i have worked in, you should not tow anything which weighs more the two thirds of what your towing with

regards malcolm
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Post by handyman »

Thanks for all the information, relevant and otherwise. So it looks like towing a Xantia, on a trailer with a Xantia is a definite no-no, as the whole vehicle train would be over 3.5 tonne, thereby taking the whole lot into a different classification of towed vehicles.

Anybody know of a reliable vehicle collection company? :roll:

Handyman
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Post by dnsey »

lthough quite a few years ago some one gave me there GS which i had diagnosed with a colapsed rear sub frame, they parked it out side my house whilst i was out, we had just had a jumped up beat copper asinghed to our estate to clean up, he saw me moving the G to park it off the road and i ended up going to court, the judge said i had to seek lagal advise and pointed me in the direction of the in house solicitor, he said if i had removed the battery i could have got away with it, as you could not start the car and drive it
IMHO, that explanation seems very unlikely, simply because the GS was one of the last cars to be provided with a starting handle - so it could still be started without the battery (probably do the alternator etc no good though) !
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Post by Xaccers »

dnsey wrote:
lthough quite a few years ago some one gave me there GS which i had diagnosed with a colapsed rear sub frame, they parked it out side my house whilst i was out, we had just had a jumped up beat copper asinghed to our estate to clean up, he saw me moving the G to park it off the road and i ended up going to court, the judge said i had to seek lagal advise and pointed me in the direction of the in house solicitor, he said if i had removed the battery i could have got away with it, as you could not start the car and drive it
IMHO, that explanation seems very unlikely, simply because the GS was one of the last cars to be provided with a starting handle - so it could still be started without the battery (probably do the alternator etc no good though) !
You think the Judge would know that about a GS?
More likely without the battery the court would have agreed the car wasn't being "driven" on the road.
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