Towing a trailer with 2019 Jimny

Hello! 

I just got my first Jimny. Love it so much!

I want to tow a trailer with two motorcycles on it, so overall weight will be around 450kg. While official unbraked towing figure is 350kg, will there be a problem if I tow 450kg? What I should look for? 

Thank you!

Towing limits are not just pulled out of a hat. An unbraked load of 350 kg will dramatically upset the balance of your Jimny.

I built an unbraked "A" frame to tow my Gen.2 Jimny behind my Land-Cruiser. I tried a short test run that included a rapid braking test. The Gen.2 nosedived and nearly lifted the back end of the LC off the ground.

I converted the "A" frame to a braked system and everything was fine.

I suggest you do the same.

Roger

Thank you for your reply.

I will upgrade my trailer with electric brake system.

So, as I understand electric brakes on the trailer and 450kg won't be a problem, right?

In the UK the maximum towing weights for the Gen.4 are 1,300 kg for a braked trailer/caravan and 350kg un-braked. .These limits apply to manual or auto g/box Organisations such as the Caravan Club suggest lower limits ie a max of 80% of the tow vehicles weight as they take into account practical experience.

Roger

I think you might find that your insurance will be invalid if you go over the maximum tow weight for the vehicle, certainly if you have an accident and they decide the trailer is at fault.

wrote:

In the UK the maximum towing weights for the Gen.4 are 1,300 kg for a braked trailer/caravan and 350kg un-braked. .These limits apply to manual or auto g/box Organisations such as the Caravan Club suggest lower limits ie a max of 80% of the tow vehicles weight as they take into account practical experience.

Roger

That 80% rule from the caravan club seems to be a figure plucked either out of thin air, or from their backsides. I'd suggest at best it is 5 decades out of date or more likely, just bad advice that should be ignored completely.

Logically and rationally if you should only tow 80% of the rating, then every vehicle would be rated 20% lower. But they aren't.

As for the op. Really depends very much on the laws in the country you are in. And how risk adverse you are. 450kg is not really significantly heavier than 350kg. I'd be amazed if 100kg would make any real difference under normal road and driving conditions.

The only thing I'd really suggest above and beyond what has already been mentioned, is to check the actual weights. 450kg seems fairly light for 2 x motorbikes and the trailer. If in the UK you will need to know the MAM of the trailer too.

From the Defender 90 upwards, all Land Rovers have been rated to tow 3.5 tons.
My KZJ 70 Land-Cruiser was rated to tow 2 tons. Does this mean that Toyota were more conservative than Land-Rover? In a word, Yes.
The Caravan Club specified 80% of the towing vehicles weight, not 80% of the vehicle manufacturers stated towing limit. There is a big difference and the CCs limit takes into account actual towing. Some years ago I tried to find out if there was a government test to evaluate limits. There isn't one, so the limits are set by the manufacturer to their own formulae.
Doc Robin is correct, as the police would prosecute if you had an accident towing anything that was over the limit and your insurance company would jump at the chance of declining to pay out and that would mean your costs and the other persons.
Looked at mathematically, 450kg is "only 100kg" more than 350kg but if you want to risk it in the light of information typed in this string, then don't come back to us if it all goes pear shaped.

wrote:

Are the caravan club still insisting on the (insert massive swear here) ridiculous 80% thing? I'd have thought in this day and age of persecution of misinformation in all its forms that would have been stamped on by now?


 I have a small caravan which weighs 900kg and it is calculated as 79% of the GEN4 kerb weight with the caravan clubsite outfit match website. They recommend not to tow a caravan more than 85% of a cars kerb weight