andys
New Member
Posts: 27 
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Post by andys on Dec 2, 2015 20:52:00 GMT 10
I've been considering building an EH Wagon as the tow vehicle for our Olympic Riviera (when that's finished anyway !). Plan was to build a modern equipped EH, with a later V6 or V8 motor, disc brakes, AC etc. From my limited research, it seems that the tow bars for EH Holden's are limited to 1000Kg which would make towing the Riviera very borderline.
Excuse my naivety, however is it possible to have a larger capacity tow hitch for a car built ? or do I have any other options available ? Many thanks |
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Post by Rodnet on Dec 2, 2015 23:00:15 GMT 10
Thats what they towed Olympics with back in the day, what makes you think that it would be different today?
What other types of cars do you seeing towing them back in the sixties? Not trying to be clever, but thats the way it was done.
Good luck
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andys
New Member
Posts: 27
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Post by andys on Dec 2, 2015 23:21:57 GMT 10
I understand that Caramel, however I'm assuming that back in 1969 the insurance company didn't refuse a claim if the total weight of the van exceeded the legal towing capacity of the car towing it.
Hence my question, I'd really prefer an EH, but need to work out if my van is simply too heavy in the 'modern' world
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Post by JBJ on Dec 3, 2015 6:30:04 GMT 10
Hi,
My thoughts.
Understand that none of us know what state you live in, as you don't show any location on your avatar.
Seeing you are considering seriously modifying the EH, it's extremely likely that you will be needing the services of an engineer approved by your state's registration department.
That person ( in the case of NSW) needs to also certify the tow bar fitted as part of his certification, if it is not a later model vehicle fitted with a towbar certified by the manufacturer to the relevant australian standards.
If the vehicle is pre ADR vintage, that responsibility becomes the engineers I believe. The towbar on my Dodge was built by a truck body builder, & my engineer just looked at it, & said "I can't see that every breaking"
As far as allowable towing weights, I think you will have problems getting a straight answer from the relevant authorities, but I have found certain sections of NSW's RMS to be a lot more approachable & helpful lately.
I even received emails after an approach I made in their "shop front office", setting out what I requested in writing.
I guess you have to find out yourself, & decide what to do.
But rest assured, if you break the rules with weight, & have a major accident, the investigating authority is very likely to research your accident, & come down hard if you breach something obvious.
Best of luck
JBJ
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Post by firefighter on Dec 3, 2015 7:02:22 GMT 10
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blomy
New Member
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Post by blomy on Dec 9, 2015 8:27:57 GMT 10
Hello I am new to this page so sorry if I get this wrong with have nearly completed the renovation of a 1969 Vicount Ambasadore 6 Birth Caravan and chasing info on it, the best I can find it is around 1969 model but have no old papers to say how long it is or its weight? I believe it is 16 foot wiith double bunks at rear and table at front folds to double bed. Will post a photo when I work the site out
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 9, 2015 21:49:44 GMT 10
Hi Blomey,
Welcome to the forum. Great to hear about the work you are doing on your Viscount Ambassador.
There's some information on Ambassadors in the Down History Lane section, and maybe you've found that already? If not, go to the index at the top of the DHL section and look for Ambassador and click on the link. Make sure you click on the right one though. There were also some Ambassador branded caravans built in Adelaide that were not connected with Viscount.
As you'll see (or have seen) from the Viscount Ambassador thread there are a couple of things that will help you confirm the date of your van. First the shape of the coloured flash on the side of your van (assuming it's still there and not painted over), and second the serial number on the A-frame which enable you to see where it fits with the serial numbers on other 1969 Ambassadors. The third thing to look for is a hand written date underneath drawers, in cupboards, etc. Quite a lot of Ambassador owners have found the build date of their van written in places like that.
In terms of the length of your van, the length that is quoted is for the length of the body or cabin (ie not including the A-frame), so a 16 foot van refers to a body that is 16 feet long (give or take a few inches often). I think one of our caravan experts on the forum has said that the length of the body is usually measured about a foot up from the floor level or something like that.
If you can confirm the date and length of your van, we may be able to give a general indication of its weight. For example a 15 foot 6 inch Ambassador built in the NSW Viscount factory (there is no mention of a 16 foot model in the info I have) weighed 15 hundredweight. However, you'll probably need to take your van to a weighbridge before registering it, because if it was built in a Viscount factory other than in NSW it may have a different weight. In addition, if it's had some modifications or additions to its equipment, that will obviously mean that its weight could be different to what it was when the van came out of the factory.
There's info on how to post photos on the forum using Photobucket or one of the other online photo storage websites in the 'Forum Guidelines & Helpful Hints' section of the forum. It will be great to see some pics of your van and the work you've been doing. Let us know if you have any working out how to post photos and we'll try and help you do it. (Note the 'Attachment' button on the forum for posting photos isn't operational at the moment.)
Don Ricado
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Post by Warrenk on Mar 12, 2016 20:28:36 GMT 10
I've been considering building an EH Wagon as the tow vehicle for our Olympic Riviera (when that's finished anyway !). Plan was to build a modern equipped EH, with a later V6 or V8 motor, disc brakes, AC etc. From my limited research, it seems that the tow bars for EH Holden's are limited to 1000Kg which would make towing the Riviera very borderline.
Excuse my naivety, however is it possible to have a larger capacity tow hitch for a car built ? or do I have any other options available ? Many thanks Currently I am looking at the same issue, except the vehicle is a XP Falcon ute. Because the vehicle is pre 1988 the towing capacity that is accepted by all Australian states is 1.5 times the kerb weight, so the towing capacity of the Falcon (as well as the EH )would be approx 1.8t, well within the ATM of the Riviera (approx 1280kg). The issue is the towbar, which are still available for the Falcon. They have a compliance plate which states max capacity 1000 kg and ball weight of 80 kg. As you mentioned makes it borderline. I see there are 2 options. Find a towbar towbar that was built pre 1988 that has got no compliance plate for load rating, this will mean the only limit is the vehicle's tow rating, or get a custom made towbar. As there are not a lot of Falcon ute pre 1988 towbars available I probably will be getting a heavy duty custom towbar made. With the EH wagon you might be be able to find a pre 1988 towbar. There is a 3rd option, but I don't know if homemade towbars are acceptable these days. Warren |
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Post by strugglebrook on Mar 14, 2016 8:35:53 GMT 10
There is a reason why the compliance plate says 1000kg, you can make the tow bar as heavy duty as you want but the end result weather it be a XP or an EH is you are only bolting up to a light frame and sheet metal. I have seen on more than one occasion new cars with extra bracing fitted for a heavier bar rating distorting due to the job it has been asked to do. We have an EH which we towed a teardrop unbraked about 400kg loaded and presently tow our 10'6" Supalite braked about 600kg loaded quite comfortably. We will be taking our 14'Wand/Franklin to South West Rocks behind our HJ using a Hendy dolly wheel setup with the whole show coming in about 1000 kg with electric brakes. That is as heavy as I would drag behind an old non chassis car, now watch me get howled down. Our other tow car is a HQ 350 Monaro so it`s not about power it is what the body can handle.
JD.
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