Hi to everyone, just joined the Grey Nomads forum. My name is Peter (68) and wife Kate (66) and we live on the sunshine coast, Queensland.
This topic maybe has been covered before, but I couldn't see a couple of points members may be able to help with. Firstly, and I think it will be ok, will our 2003 petrol XTrail be capable of towing a 13ft coromal compac pop top van without huge dramas? Secondly, has anyone any knowledge if it will fit into a panel door garage just a smidge under 2.2 opening, so up to 2.1 will squeeze in. Not sure about the small slope up to the garage if it will affect it too much.
Any thoughts or knowledge will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Peter.
Hi Peter and welcome to the forum.
I towed both a 13' Jayco and a 14ft Coromal with mine no problems, I did not use WDH. I did however have Pedders replace my rear coil springs with heavier gauge ones (no noticeable ride difference when not towing or towing) to lessen any sag. Did it with ease.
Please not there is some differences in the towing weights between some of the models of Xtrail, eg; Manual/Auto/Diesel etc, so check your log book etc for more details.
Not sure about your garage heights though.
-- Edited by Duh on Saturday 17th of August 2013 03:45:10 PM
peter45 said
07:05 PM Aug 16, 2013
Hi to everyone, just joined the Grey Nomads forum. My name is Peter (68) and wife Kate (66) and we live on the sunshine coast, Queensland.
This topic maybe has been covered before, but I couldn't see a couple of points members may be able to help with. Firstly, and I think it will be ok, will our 2003 petrol XTrail be capable of towing a 13ft coromal compac pop top van without huge dramas? Secondly, has anyone any knowledge if it will fit into a panel door garage just a smidge under 2.2 opening, so up to 2.1 will squeeze in. Not sure about the small slope up to the garage if it will affect it too much.
Any thoughts or knowledge will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Peter.
dazren said
07:37 PM Aug 16, 2013
Hi Pete. I reckon your x-trail will walk it in ? from memory the X-trail can tow up to 2000kg and a 13ft van would be way, way, under that fully loaded, Are you aware about Nissan [and Hayman reece] stating that a WDH [ weight dist/hitch ] IS NOT to be used ?? as it can cause the chassis to crack, ?? however imho I would tow a 13 ft van behind an Xtrail anyday, without the WDH, Good Luck and Happy Travels.
peter45 said
08:23 PM Aug 16, 2013
Thanks dazren. Yep did read about WDH not to be used. However, what form/shape does that take?
Cheers.
ozjohn said
08:48 PM Aug 16, 2013
peter45 wrote:
Thanks dazren. Yep did read about WDH not to be used. However, what form/shape does that take? Cheers.
A 13' van (Not Heavy Off Roader though) using the 2 round bar WDH (Level rides) rated around 80Kg shouldn't pose any problems as about all they'll do is take some of the bounce out of the rig without applying much pressure to the tow bar or chassis. But if in doubt phone Hayman Reese for their advice as Nissan will say no to everything. Ozjohn.
peter45 said
09:07 PM Aug 16, 2013
Ok, thanks ozjohn.
eureka said
09:48 PM Aug 16, 2013
Hi Peter and Kate, welcome to the forum,
My xtrail and 12ft caravan are a great match ..... that is, they travel well together. No problems at all.
Helen
Zoomtopz said
10:07 PM Aug 16, 2013
G'day Peter . We have a 13ft Coromal , I would tow it behind "Herself's" 4x2 X-Trail .
But I prefer my 2.5 turbo diesel Kia even though Herself has a new XT.
peter45 said
12:52 AM Aug 17, 2013
Thanks guys, reassures me. Helen, what is your 12 footer, and can you fit it into the garage?
peter45 said
12:53 AM Aug 17, 2013
Good thought about the rear coil springs.
Cruising Cruze said
01:00 AM Aug 17, 2013
Hi Peter 45
welcome to this site first of all
the high of your roller door seems to be ok
But here is the trikky one Do you have an TV aerial on top of the caravan
I Nearly got stuck with that one so please be careful when you try to fit it in the garage
Cheers John
peter45 said
01:08 AM Aug 17, 2013
Thanks Cruising, looking at one tomorrow, sure it doesn't have one.
neilnruth said
02:40 AM Aug 17, 2013
Welcome to the forum peter45. We have been towing a 14.5ft 1982 Viscount with our XTrail for 8 years. While we have had no problem pulling it as it is not very heavy, we have had a problem with a cracked chassis. Nissan fitted a Nissan towbar to our XTrail when we bought it. We have done over 250000km in the 8 years and in the last 20000km we kept hearing a knock. In June they discovered 2 of the 4 bolts holding the towbar had cracked the chassis. It has since been welded and a 'sleeve' has also been fitted between chassis and towbar. It seems something like this should have been done in the first place. The mechanic fitting the towbar may not have put the 'sleeve' between the towbar bolt and the top side of the chassis because it was 'too hard'. We would strongly recommend you ask your service man to remove the towbar and check if there are any cracks before you tow. The cracks could not be seen until our towbar was removed. We were very fortunate that it was finally discovered as we would have been towing with only 2 bolts holding the towbar. One of the problems seems to be that most chasses (not just XTrail) are made from steel that is too thin. All the best. Hope this doesn't put you off. As stated, the XTrail pulls it well - just bad design/fitting of their towbar. And by the way, Nissan takes no responsibility for the problem even though it has been happening for many years! (PS XTrails are not the only car getting cracked chasses either.)
Duh said
12:13 PM Aug 17, 2013
I raised my roller door a bit so I could get my then Hi Ace under it, it was a later model which had bigger wheels hence higher, it was a pop top.
With mine I raised the side runners myself, didn't need to remove the roller itself, just move the runners up (which includes the stopper) requiring drilling a couple of new holes from memory.
I think you said in your post yours was a panel door which could be a different kettle of fish altogether as they slide flat and level under the ceiling .
-- Edited by Duh on Saturday 17th of August 2013 03:40:30 PM
Duh said
03:56 PM Aug 17, 2013
This test link provides a bit of info on towing, the towing info is further down the page on the link;
-- Edited by Duh on Saturday 17th of August 2013 04:01:42 PM
eureka said
05:19 PM Aug 17, 2013
peter45 wrote:
Thanks guys, reassures me. Helen, what is your 12 footer, and can you fit it into the garage?
Hi Peter
My caravan is a 1980 Millard and I have a drive thru carport with an auto roller door.
I use to push up the roller door just a touch after adding the new awning, for clearance as the roller door hung below the frame of the carport.
Then bugger! one day I forgot to do the push up before driving out and caught the tip of the awning, no damage to the awning but a big dent in the bottom of the roller door.
I called the roller door people and had the door lifted a little and rolled up a bit more. The caravan stands (at the awning tip) at 2.05mtrs (top down) and the roller door opening is 2010mtrs high.
You can see, now the roller door sits evenly with the carport frame with no chance of me doing more damage.
i feel that I need to share our experience with our 2010 auto petrol 2.5 lt Xtrail and towing our magnum 450 pop top Coromal (NOT the off road model). Approx length 4.5 and 1.30T
We recently towed it from Atherton to the Coromal dealer in Townsville to get a warranty service sorted out, no big issue. The distance was apprx 450 klms And the van was not packed to travel. It was a VERY windy day and we travelled into the head wind. We had to refuel at a service station about 20 ks north of Townsville because the fuel gauge wasflashing. We would not have made it to Townsville. The car was struggling all the way into the wind and particularly when travelling up the Cardwell range or any substantial hill. We felt that the CVT transmission was working very hard.
After much soul searching we very reluctantly changed up to a Pajero. It was a terrible decision to make as we loved our Xtrail and there was only 55,000 on the clock. Now in the Northern Territory, we are happy that we have changed up. We considered carrying extra petrol, but were reluctant to do so. We are steady drivers keeping our speed just under the recommended level.
Sorry to impart our negative experience, as I know others don't have a problem. I think you need all cards on the table to make a decision. Good luck.
Homer and Marge
glendadon said
10:25 PM Aug 17, 2013
Hi Peter I pull an old 1979 viscount van with no problems,its a 17ft and with a Tare weight of 650 so when I tow I tow in all wheel drive and so I don't put pressure on the auto I tow with the overdrive turned off, but I do use a bit more fuel .
Duh said
12:27 AM Aug 18, 2013
Ask about your settings on the electric brakes when you pick them up Peter, you will (or should) get some printed instructions with it or google your electric brake model.
Just remember the van will cut the corner a bit when turning so leave enough space from the kerb to accommodate that, keep and eye on overhanging trees and power poles & street signs etc, also any building overhangs. Don't get too close to parked cars either.
When trying to fit your van into the garage (don't forget to measure the height to the highest point on the van first to make sure it fits, allowing a bit for the driveway angle, if you think it is ok, then get your passenger to watch as you back it in all the way. Take your time backing it even if it means a number of goes to get it right, and don't hesitate to get out and have a look yourself (But make sure you have your brakes on and vehicle in park, if on a slope get you partner to put a brick or piece of wood behind the wheel when you do, but don't run over your observer, LOL !
Just take a few deep breaths before you take off, adjust your mirrors, tow ball hooked on and seated properly and lock lever down, chains on secure AND MAKE SURE THE CARAVAN HANDBRAKE IS OFF before you take off....
Have a safe trip home.... PS: Write a little check list out for when you hitch up and both of you take a walk around the van and vehicle and make sure you haven't forgotten anything, easy to do, even with experienced caravaners if distracted, tired, etc.
-- Edited by Duh on Sunday 18th of August 2013 12:43:23 AM
peter45 said
12:34 AM Aug 18, 2013
Thanks everyone for all the replies and advice. Got the pm Duh, thanks. We paid a deposit on a 2007 Coromal 13ft pop top caravan today and picking it up Tuesday with the XTrail. Electric brakes fitted Monday.
Bit nervous about towing it 2 hours home in traffic, but have to bit the bullet sooner than later.
Caravan comes with sway bar and tortion??? bars (I call them). Are they the same as the WDH thingos?
After much homework will probably not use anything at first. What do you reckon?
Never used electric brakes before, how should I set them when I pick the van up and venture into traffic?
I think this is all a lack of confidence thing, as I have driven (without a caravan) without second thoughts for many years here and overseas (left hand side) and drove a 4 tonne pantech for 10 years also.
Hope it fits into the garage, only because there is nowhere else to park it - might be a cheap caravan for sale!!!
Looking forward to all the happy times travelling short and longer trips.
neilnruth said
02:11 AM Aug 18, 2013
We use the sway bars (or torsion bars) on ours with no problem. Keeps the van level. We also have the tow bar neck turned over (have done that for years too but not sure if it's really allowed) which also helps to keep it level. But the Coromal may be a bit higher than the old Viscount.
Cruising Cruze said
03:16 AM Aug 18, 2013
Hi Peter after 3 minutes you wont know any better
It's not a big thing believe me you will be laughing thursday night when you've got it home
Safe travels my friend
Cheers John
peter45 said
10:18 PM Aug 18, 2013
Thanks, let you know the results on Tues night.
Cheers.
peter45 said
12:39 AM Aug 22, 2013
Ok, got home okay. The caravan won't fit into our garage after all our measurements, so is the small slope which has upset things. Had a bit of a dingle with the top back aluminium chanel they had for an awning, so that is getting a couple of pop rivets put back in and should be ok. Caravan is back at the garage as they didn't wire the electric brakes properly for the XTrail, so came home without the benefit of the caravan brakes, which was no problem. Caravan and car back in overnight to get that sorted, brakes and my little dingle.
Anyone got any bright ideas of getting it up the little slope and into the garage? By measuring, it should fit, must be the slope, and I used a few planks but came unstuck. Have cleared the garden away from the driveway and, hopefully, will be able to get the car past and into the garage, leaving caravan in driveway. Will be close.
stay tuned for further developments.
Duh said
12:48 AM Aug 22, 2013
Is there anyway you could make a side paved area for the caravan Peter and just use that for the caravan, I know it means leaving the van outside but will give you more room to get your car in and out, or maybe just leave the van in the driveway and the side paved bit for the car? Good luck with it, not sure what else you can do, maybe someone else can help.
Do you have any pics of the driveway and front yard etc? Blank out your rego number and house number using Microsoft Paint....
neilnruth said
02:10 AM Aug 22, 2013
Don't be like a friend of ours who burnt his clutch out trying to back his little van up the driveway!! All the best. Duh's idea is good.
hako said
02:52 AM Aug 22, 2013
Try letting the tyres down to about 5psi...it will do them no harm if you reinflate when parked....then let down again when you take it out. That will give you about 100mm extra height.
neilnruth said
03:11 AM Aug 22, 2013
That's what our daughter's boyfriend does to get his 4WD into his shed. Works well.
peter45 said
02:43 AM Aug 23, 2013
Ok, van is parked outside, got the car into the garage, inches to spare coming past the caravan, but hey?
Maybe in the future try the van inside again, but happy at least get the car into the garage.
Lots of drama with the electric brakes and Anderson plug, but finally all sorted (had to change my battery as getting a little sad in the cold weather), so brakes fitted to car, anderson plug hooked up, changed islolater? in car so car battery charges first, new battery for car, cost $900. Fair?
Damn, money extra never thought about, but I believe the caravan was a good price.
Cheers, happy travelling.
It is very hard to explain unless someone is with you on the spot to show you, but hope you can read enough to get the drift.
Note: Roll awning in and out with roof up, pull out slightly (make some slack in awning) with pop top to help with raising pop top, and don't forget to open van door when raising or lowing pop top.
-- Edited by Duh on Sunday 25th of August 2013 07:09:36 PM
Hi Peter and welcome to the forum.
I towed both a 13' Jayco and a 14ft Coromal with mine no problems, I did not use WDH. I did however have Pedders replace my rear coil springs with heavier gauge ones (no noticeable ride difference when not towing or towing) to lessen any sag. Did it with ease.
Please not there is some differences in the towing weights between some of the models of Xtrail, eg; Manual/Auto/Diesel etc, so check your log book etc for more details.
Not sure about your garage heights though.
-- Edited by Duh on Saturday 17th of August 2013 03:45:10 PM
Hi to everyone, just joined the Grey Nomads forum. My name is Peter (68) and wife Kate (66) and we live on the sunshine coast, Queensland.
This topic maybe has been covered before, but I couldn't see a couple of points members may be able to help with. Firstly, and I think it will be ok, will our 2003 petrol XTrail be capable of towing a 13ft coromal compac pop top van without huge dramas? Secondly, has anyone any knowledge if it will fit into a panel door garage just a smidge under 2.2 opening, so up to 2.1 will squeeze in. Not sure about the small slope up to the garage if it will affect it too much.
Any thoughts or knowledge will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Peter.
Hi Pete. I reckon your x-trail will walk it in ? from memory the X-trail can tow up to 2000kg and a 13ft van would be way, way, under that fully loaded, Are you aware about Nissan [and Hayman reece] stating that a WDH [ weight dist/hitch ] IS NOT to be used ?? as it can cause the chassis to crack, ?? however imho I would tow a 13 ft van behind an Xtrail anyday, without the WDH, Good Luck and Happy Travels.
Cheers.
A 13' van (Not Heavy Off Roader though) using the 2 round bar WDH (Level rides) rated around 80Kg shouldn't pose any problems as about all they'll do is take some of the bounce out of the rig without applying much pressure to the tow bar or chassis.
But if in doubt phone Hayman Reese for their advice as Nissan will say no to everything.
Ozjohn.
Hi Peter and Kate, welcome to the forum,
My xtrail and 12ft caravan are a great match ..... that is, they travel well together. No problems at all.
Helen
G'day Peter . We have a 13ft Coromal , I would tow it behind "Herself's" 4x2 X-Trail .
But I prefer my 2.5 turbo diesel Kia even though Herself has a new XT.
welcome to this site first of all
the high of your roller door seems to be ok
But here is the trikky one Do you have an TV aerial on top of the caravan
I Nearly got stuck with that one so please be careful when you try to fit it in the garage
Cheers John
I raised my roller door a bit so I could get my then Hi Ace under it, it was a later model which had bigger wheels hence higher, it was a pop top.
With mine I raised the side runners myself, didn't need to remove the roller itself, just move the runners up (which includes the stopper) requiring drilling a couple of new holes from memory.
I think you said in your post yours was a panel door which could be a different kettle of fish altogether as they slide flat and level under the ceiling .
-- Edited by Duh on Saturday 17th of August 2013 03:40:30 PM
This test link provides a bit of info on towing, the towing info is further down the page on the link;
http://www.motoring.com.au/advice/2012/tow-test-nissan-x-trail-ti-32619
PS: I have sent you a pm also.
-- Edited by Duh on Saturday 17th of August 2013 04:01:42 PM
Hi Peter
My caravan is a 1980 Millard and I have a drive thru carport with an auto roller door.
I use to push up the roller door just a touch after adding the new awning, for clearance as the roller door hung below the frame of the carport.
Then bugger! one day I forgot to do the push up before driving out and caught the tip of the awning, no damage to the awning but a big dent in the bottom of the roller door.
I called the roller door people and had the door lifted a little and rolled up a bit more. The caravan stands (at the awning tip) at 2.05mtrs (top down) and the roller door opening is 2010mtrs high.
You can see, now the roller door sits evenly with the carport frame with no chance of me doing more damage.
Hi Peter,
i feel that I need to share our experience with our 2010 auto petrol 2.5 lt Xtrail and towing our magnum 450 pop top Coromal (NOT the off road model). Approx length 4.5 and 1.30T
We recently towed it from Atherton to the Coromal dealer in Townsville to get a warranty service sorted out, no big issue. The distance was apprx 450 klms And the van was not packed to travel. It was a VERY windy day and we travelled into the head wind. We had to refuel at a service station about 20 ks north of Townsville because the fuel gauge wasflashing. We would not have made it to Townsville. The car was struggling all the way into the wind and particularly when travelling up the Cardwell range or any substantial hill. We felt that the CVT transmission was working very hard.
After much soul searching we very reluctantly changed up to a Pajero. It was a terrible decision to make as we loved our Xtrail and there was only 55,000 on the clock. Now in the Northern Territory, we are happy that we have changed up. We considered carrying extra petrol, but were reluctant to do so. We are steady drivers keeping our speed just under the recommended level.
Sorry to impart our negative experience, as I know others don't have a problem. I think you need all cards on the table to make a decision. Good luck.
Homer and Marge
Hi Peter I pull an old 1979 viscount van with no problems,its a 17ft and with a Tare weight of 650 so when I tow I tow in all wheel drive and so I don't put pressure on the auto I tow with the overdrive turned off, but I do use a bit more fuel .
Ask about your settings on the electric brakes when you pick them up Peter, you will (or should) get some printed instructions with it or google your electric brake model.
Just remember the van will cut the corner a bit when turning so leave enough space from the kerb to accommodate that, keep and eye on overhanging trees and power poles & street signs etc, also any building overhangs. Don't get too close to parked cars either.
When trying to fit your van into the garage (don't forget to measure the height to the highest point on the van first to make sure it fits, allowing a bit for the driveway angle, if you think it is ok, then get your passenger to watch as you back it in all the way. Take your time backing it even if it means a number of goes to get it right, and don't hesitate to get out and have a look yourself (But make sure you have your brakes on and vehicle in park, if on a slope get you partner to put a brick or piece of wood behind the wheel when you do, but don't run over your observer, LOL !
Just take a few deep breaths before you take off, adjust your mirrors, tow ball hooked on and seated properly and lock lever down, chains on secure AND MAKE SURE THE CARAVAN HANDBRAKE IS OFF before you take off....
Have a safe trip home.... PS: Write a little check list out for when you hitch up and both of you take a walk around the van and vehicle and make sure you haven't forgotten anything, easy to do, even with experienced caravaners if distracted, tired, etc.
-- Edited by Duh on Sunday 18th of August 2013 12:43:23 AM
Bit nervous about towing it 2 hours home in traffic, but have to bit the bullet sooner than later.
Caravan comes with sway bar and tortion??? bars (I call them). Are they the same as the WDH thingos?
After much homework will probably not use anything at first. What do you reckon?
Never used electric brakes before, how should I set them when I pick the van up and venture into traffic?
I think this is all a lack of confidence thing, as I have driven (without a caravan) without second thoughts for many years here and overseas (left hand side) and drove a 4 tonne pantech for 10 years also.
Hope it fits into the garage, only because there is nowhere else to park it - might be a cheap caravan for sale!!!
Looking forward to all the happy times travelling short and longer trips.
It's not a big thing believe me you will be laughing thursday night when you've got it home
Safe travels my friend
Cheers John
Cheers.
Anyone got any bright ideas of getting it up the little slope and into the garage? By measuring, it should fit, must be the slope, and I used a few planks but came unstuck. Have cleared the garden away from the driveway and, hopefully, will be able to get the car past and into the garage, leaving caravan in driveway. Will be close.
stay tuned for further developments.
Is there anyway you could make a side paved area for the caravan Peter and just use that for the caravan, I know it means leaving the van outside but will give you more room to get your car in and out, or maybe just leave the van in the driveway and the side paved bit for the car? Good luck with it, not sure what else you can do, maybe someone else can help.
Do you have any pics of the driveway and front yard etc? Blank out your rego number and house number using Microsoft Paint....
Maybe in the future try the van inside again, but happy at least get the car into the garage.
Lots of drama with the electric brakes and Anderson plug, but finally all sorted (had to change my battery as getting a little sad in the cold weather), so brakes fitted to car, anderson plug hooked up, changed islolater? in car so car battery charges first, new battery for car, cost $900. Fair?
Damn, money extra never thought about, but I believe the caravan was a good price.
Cheers, happy travelling.
This link might help Peter, see;
http://www.rvwarehouse.com.au/assets/docs/OPERATING_YOUR_ROLLOUT_AWNING.pdf
It is very hard to explain unless someone is with you on the spot to show you, but hope you can read enough to get the drift.
Note: Roll awning in and out with roof up, pull out slightly (make some slack in awning) with pop top to help with raising pop top, and don't forget to open van door when raising or lowing pop top.
-- Edited by Duh on Sunday 25th of August 2013 07:09:36 PM