portafold.co.uk

I have been trying to determine the max towing weight for my car, but now I have found some details I am even more confused

For a "trailer" without brakes it says 600lbs max, or without brakes 1300lbs. I thought brakes were supposed to help the car / safety so why aren't the figures the other way round?

As the fold has brakes I guess I'm restricted to 600lbs (going to take the fold to a weigh bridge once finished to determine the actual weight...

Thanks all.

There's some good guidance on towing weights on the NTTA website:

https://ntta.co.uk/safe-legal-towing/

It's all rather dependant on the car your towing it with. As the NTTA says, as long as the caravan/trailer weighs no more than 85% of the kerb weight of the car you'll be fine. (Kerb weight is the weight of the car plus a full tank of petrol plus 75kg for the driver and luggage). You'll be fine with your Honda.

Plus, you really have to go overboard with loading the Portafold up before you'll get over the 609.63kg, which is the maximum weight the chassis can handle. Mine fully loaded comes in at 450kg, and that's with the original sink unit.

Also, some nose weight bits we've already talked about:

http://www.portafold.co.uk/forum/viewto ... ing+weight

It's not the Honda but the Fig I am thinking about - and yet to get confirmed the manufacturers towing limit as it's not confirmed in any of the documentation I've bought which has been converted to English, and local Nissan were as helpful as the proverbial chocolate tea pot...

Although my Uncle did suggest writting to Nissan...

Will be using the Honda normally but there is a Fig met next year I would like to take the Portafold to (this is where I first saw a Portafold) - perhaps I'll drive the fig and get someone else to tow the Portafold with the Honda (not!)

You only need to know the kerb weight of the car, and that should be in your handbook. But the Portafold will be fine behind it. If you can tow one with a Reliant Regal (as Paul~3 does) and a Citreon 2CV (as Stuart bubbles and Grumm do) you'll be fine.

Hi Meg,

I can't find a weight-listing either for your Fig, so maybe they weren't officially sold in this country? And those here were grey imports. This would explain the lack of info; I daresay you already know all that.

They're based on a Micra, which is about 15 or 16cwt (1680 - 1792lbs) but they're much heavier. You've the extra stiffening for the roll-top, plus aircon & auto transmission. Assume 19cwt, & that's unladen as well.

19 x .85 = 16cwt 17lbs! That would be the maximum advised towing weight. Should you carry anything in the car, such as people, luggage etc., the car's weight increases & therefore its max. tow weight goes up too.

Your data's been inverted during translation, not unusual with Jap stuff. You're quite right, a given car can safely manage a much heavier braked trailer than it can an un-braked one.

A standard Portafold weighs 7cwt, with a further 5cwt. carrying capacity which would take it up to its 12cwt. max weight. Most folk don't get anywhere near this; mine's one of the heaviest in the Club 'cos of all its extra gear & even I have to work at reaching 12cwt.

So, as Matt says, you've nothing to fret about weight-wise at all. One thing I would advise; towing, a small-engined automatic puts a lot of heat into its transmission. Check that the gearbox is in good condition, this is easily done by removing the gearbox dipstick & smelling the oil! If there's a burnt odour, its clutches and/or bands are slipping under load & these should be attended to before you tow. Also make sure the intercooler & its pipes are serviceable as the oil receives all the extra heat generated - it functions as the gearboxes' coolant.

Hope this is helpful,

Steve Lord

Many thanks for that. I'm not at all technically minded - but thought the weights must be the wrong way round.

Helpful tip too, regarding the gears.

"Meg" is the figaro - hence "Misty Meg" (and yes they were never sold in the UK - only a limited number in Japan). She's my baby and with the turbo I am unsure I want to tow anything with her - it's just she looks so individual and so does the Portafold I think they would go great together.

Apart from one Figaro rally a year I would be using an old Honda Civic (which I got a tow bar for from a scrap yard - £37 to buy and that's with someone else doing the electrics - so that was my bargain of the year!) To do the same with Meg I'd have to go to a specialised company which would be expensive, so for once a year I don't think I can justify it, but I'm still deliberating....

Misty Meg wrote:To do the same with Meg I'd have to go to a specialised company which would be expensive...

Don't be to sure, just had a towbar fitted to my PA Cresta £120 all inc by a local towbar company.

Hi Meg, towing with a turbocharged car, the turbo seldom gives additional trouble providing the engine's servicing has been done at the specified intervals, or more frequently, & the correct oil is used. The engine's cooling system has plenty of reserve capacity. It's the gearbox wot gets the extra load, as its cooling arrangements are of a 'by-pass' nature rather than 'full-flow' like the engine's.

Full-flow means that all the cooling medium is pumped through the cooler, as with the engine. By-pass means that some of the cooling medium is bled off from the pump output to go through the cooler, but most goes directly to the hydraulic consumers (in the case of a gearbox). So, if there's an obstruction in the cooler or piping, there'll be little or no flow through the gearbox cooler & the first you know about it is when the 'box packs up through overheating as it'll work normally like this for local use. A gearbox cooler system sometimes incorporates a pressure filter as well (more usually with '60s & '70s designs) should yours have this it must be changed or cleaned before towing.


Some small autos aren't fitted with oil coolers. These can't reliably be used for towing without being equipped with one. I'm pretty sure your Figaro will have one - Japan's very hot & if a car has aircon as standard I can't imagine the Nips wouldn't fit autobox cooling; they don't do things by halves. Obviously this gets checked when the intercooler & piping is looked at!

Steve Lord