I was forced to tow my 14'6" Ifor Williams double axle trailer with the Skoda. It only had about 150kg, so total weight about 1 ton.
My advice to anyone thinking of doing the same - Don't!
I don't think I've clenched my buttocks so tightly, and for so long, in my life.
It was a case of the tail wagging the dog. The performance was worse than dire, the trailer tried (and was close to succeeding) to push you off the road at every corner, and over every bump the back of the car got yanked up and down so hard I thought it would break in half. The last couple of miles was down a windy gravel road covered in hard snow and ice. I'll not do that again, after having the car pushed into oversteer over the brow of a hill at 5mph, then watching the trailer follow the camber towards the ditch, and pulling me with it.
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Sounds fun! :-)
I've still not got enough experience with trailers, can count on one hand the number of journeys where i've towed a trailer.
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Sounds hairy! How far over the limit for the Felicia were you, Dave?
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i did a similar thing a few years ago and used an old 1.4 escort to carry a mondeo and car trailer.
it was only 6 miles but it was over the south downs and down a very narrow and steep road.
wont be doing that again
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>> I was forced to tow my 14'6" Ifor Williams double axle trailer with the Skoda.
Forced? Sounds a pretty risky undertaking, Dave. Was it really a matter of life and death or could another solution have been found?
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It sounds as if the trailer's brakes weren't adjusted properly.
The moment you slow down, the trailer catches up and should activate the over-run brakes.
Far from being pushed off the road, there should be a comforting feeling of the trailer slowing up as if by magic and boosting the car's brakes.
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"It sounds as if the trailer's brakes weren't adjusted properly" !
It doesnt matter how they were adjusted, towing a one ton trailer with a skoda Felicia is not to be recommended. Its kerb weight depending on model is only around 900KG and its FWD so there is insuffiecent weight over the rear axle to prevent the rear of the car being pushed around.
If you used the Cravan clubs recommended guide , max towing weight would be 765 KG and for the experinced 100% towing weight would be 900KG approx anything over the Kerb weight would be illegal unless it was 4WD
Towing heavey twin axle trailers with any car requires concentration and experince and you can see many on "police stop" waving around uncontrollaby when loaded incorrectly or connected to a light weight vehicle!
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>> It doesnt matter how they were adjusted, towing a one ton trailer with a skoda
>> Felicia is not to be recommended.
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I didn't say it was recommended, or even safe. I simply observed that it sounded as if the brakes were not working.
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Many years ago we needed to move a very heavy trailer (around ten tons) 100 yards or so across a yard. The only vehicle with a tow hitch was an old BMC JU250 van.
I finally got it moving only to try and stop the thing - it had no brakes.
I hate to think what I did to the clutch of that poor old van.
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I think the brakes are ok, Cliff, what was described would happen regardless if the vehicle towing was so light compared to the weight of the trailer and it would push the car before the overun had chance to work...
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The log book says max 350kg unbraked, 1100kg braked. So I was well (100kg anyway) within the limit. A single axle trailer may have been better, I guess.
Ha, the brakes work ok, just the momentum of a trailer wanting to go straight on all the time.
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Skoda Felicia - Towing a heavy trailer - Skoda
