magicmat Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Haha, i dont need to get there really fast its just the car i have ! its my first real car (after a mini) and i want to use a rack for space purposes and im pretty sure that my licence (had it 5 years) doesnt cover pulling a trailer, although that never stopped me fitting a towbar to the mini and pulling the heavy-ist homemade two bike trailer ! so id like to be abit more legal, I had a look on that kerbweight website and it says my ball weight is 52kg and obviously a bike and rack is pushing 75, So my plan is to get a third party rack (from a scrappers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phb Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 a friend carried his scorpa on a rack on a 306 he had to put spring assisters on the rear as the car sat very low, but technically you would be breaking the law as the car isn't rated to carry 75kg on the tow bar, i believe that you can tow a bike trailor no problem even though you have only had your licence 5 years, the law was designed to stop you towing large caravans and trailers i think..........so check on the dvla web site on max weight you are allowed.......as for the autobars rack's they are very good value and well made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul w Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 i think the rating is on the towbar not the ball, as there are a few different factors to consider when rating these things. check this link. or call autobars direct. http://www.towsure.com/product/5466-EC_Tow...Hatchback_93-97 the mountings are designed for pulling, not having far too much "nose weight" , having said that a mate of mine carried a 200 ktm all over the country doing enduros on a rack on the back of a 600 rover ! hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beta bodger Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Try http://www.davecooper.co.uk These are the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoyo Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 I've used one to transport bikes before and they are a cheap, simple and convenient way to go about it. I used to use mine on a 2.5 V6 mondeo estate and even with a light bike on the back you could certainly feel the bike there - that's with a heavy car with a long wheelbase. I wouldn't like to say what 85kgs of machine and all your riding kit/fuel etc will feel like in a small car. You've got to remember that with the weight slung all that way back then you'll be taking weight off of the front of the car and the wheels. Those wheels are your driving wheels (less traction), steering wheels (less grip for cornering) and most of the braking forces are transferred to these....... Also remember - your nose weight has to take into consideration the weight of the rack too - so do your research well. Good luck! Shaun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magicmat Posted January 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hmm, alot to consider there, i dont really want to be adding different springs. Im going to have to do my research. The rack offers convience and will take up less space than a trailer. Thanks for the replys i will have a chat with some people, other 306 owners and maybe the rack makers themselves. Cheers ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcgods Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 I have had my license about the same time as you and a quick and fast rule is the maximum trailer weight you can pull (without sitting an additional test) is 750kg. I tried a bike rack on the back of my Renault Megane and it didn't feel right with all the weight on the rear (Bultaco 250). Trailers are the best way to transport a bike in my opinon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benj Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM. dvla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pa. Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 One rider here has two additional fixing points for his rack. They are where normally the tie down or tow rings are. This way the weight on the towbar is much less and does not exceed the allowed loading. By the way this guy is a engineer. Keep the bike as close to the car as possible to minimize the leverage effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastandyc Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 does anyone know if its possible to fit a bike rack to a swanneck towbar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magicmat Posted January 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Cheers for the advice, esp PA. My old man is a fabricator so can modify the rack if need be. fastandyc as far as im aware you cannot fit to a swanneck, because you normally bolt the rack behind the actual ball part. And a swan neck does not have plate for you to bolt the rack to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 I had a Peugeot 306 for years. Bought it nearly new and kept it as a second car until it eventually died. My gut feel is the suspension was too soggy on the 306. The GTI may be harder, I had the XTdi, but Peugeot's/Renaults always give me that soggy feeling You can buy supports that bolt in between the springs to stop them compressing so much and I think I looked at rubber balls at one time. Don't know how effective either of these are. I remember carrying about 6 bags of sand in the peugeot and it was scraping the mudflaps. Have you thought about these trailers which dismantle? My old man's got one that fits in the boot of his car. I seem to remember nearly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magicmat Posted January 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 Id really appreciate some details Cheers Bikespace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 (edited) I'm fairly sure he got it off Ebay. I've had a search and this looks like the bloke. Note that this is the trailer frame only, it doesn't include suspension, mudguards or wheels at that price, so I think that's where the Edited January 18, 2008 by bikespace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronoc88 Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 I agree with rcgods a trailer is a better way to transport your bike, much less stress on the car. I used to have a 306 also and there was a noticable difference in traction with the boot loaded and the trailer on. One thing to note is that the 306 doesnt actually have any springs on the rear. They use a kind of torsion bar system. I know this because I made my bike trailer from the rear axle of another 306. The torsion bars are on splines on either end you can remove the two ends and lower or higher the car on jacks then just pop them back in, its fairly simple. See the attached picture, the trailer in that pic is not the one made with the pug axle. Conor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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