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Old 10-08-2007, 03:22 PM   #1
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Hi all,

In Europe there is a new small caravan "link" for a small car!

Ciao a tutti

Rob
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Old 10-08-2007, 03:33 PM   #2
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Wow. What a combo. Are there pictures of the inside available?
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Old 10-08-2007, 03:42 PM   #3
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The little video has some interior shots. And the top pops up.

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Old 10-08-2007, 05:06 PM   #4
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Courtesy of Google's translation service, and some manual editing out of nonsense, here's a translation of the web site's German text, with alternate measurement units in { } and stuff I didn't fix in quotes.

Quote:
Technical details:
  • Panel body length: 272 cm {107" or 8'11"}
  • Width: 160 cm {63" or 5'3"}
  • Height: 168 cm {66" or 5'6"}
  • Unloaded weight approx. 220kg {484 lb}; smarts may tow up to 330 kg {726 lb} (300 kg {660 lb} of trailer weight plus 30kg {66 lb} trailer hitch tongue load)
  • maximally permissible total weight (GVWR) to 750kg {1650 lb} available
  • 100km/h permission in "Abhaenigkeit" of the towing vehicle and trailer equipment possible
starting from 3950 Euro including VAT

Options / Variations
* "Window, inclusive Rolo for collusion and fly protection window according to desire in different ones sizes of and positions applicably."
* "Tail entrance on the right of or on the left of as Tuere, or as flap above (Vorzelt hang upable), to arrange or down as bringing in ramp."
* Various colors (e.g. towing vehicle color) available.
* LED lighting as "Einstigs/ Vorzelt" lights in the tail available.
Of course, here in North America I assume that the rated towing capacity of a Smart Fortwo is zero, not 330 kg (726 lb) - and even in Europe, I'm just taking the trailer maker's word for the rating, including the bizarre axle plus tongue weight spec (not generally a safe thing to do...)

As you can see in the photos the body length (not including tongue) of the trailer is only a few centimetres (inches) longer than the car... which is significantly shorter than the body of a common 13 ft egg.
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Old 10-08-2007, 05:10 PM   #5
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Cool. I am beginning to see that car around Chicago.

CindyL
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Old 10-08-2007, 05:15 PM   #6
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An interesting comment in the Monaco -> Palermo trip report:
Over a distance of 4238 km (2633 miles) they report using 260 litres of "finest Diesel" for an average consumption of about 6.20 L/100km (38 miles/USgal), with the trailer in tow. The maximum rate of consumption was 7.12 L/100km (33 miles/USgal), and the minimum was 4.67 L/100km (50 miles/USgal). He also noted that "one can also drive 80km/h, lol"... yes, I believe that's "laugh out loud", so I guess they were managing better than that (better than 50 mph)!
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Old 10-08-2007, 08:15 PM   #7
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That thing is too cute..

and they did European fittings, as would be expected.

I'd say a step up from a teardrop.. but... there is no stepping involved
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Old 10-09-2007, 06:16 PM   #8
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Is the weight spec bizarre? Axle weight plus tongue weight is the way some US manfs do that; I believe Scamp and Casita dry weights are that way, although it isn't clear...

BTW, that implies a dry TW of 10%.
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Old 10-10-2007, 09:56 AM   #9
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Quote:
Is the weight spec bizarre? Axle weight plus tongue weight is the way some US manfs do that; I believe Scamp and Casita dry weights are that way, although it isn't clear...
While a trailer manufacturer might list axle rating and tongue rating separately, and some even list the dry weights separately (I believe in order to de-emphasize the overall weight), it's hard to see why the auto manufacturer would rate them that way. They don't care about trailer axle load... they are concerned with how much load the vehicle has to move and control (the total trailer weight), and how much it has support with the hitch (the tongue weight).

Quote:
BTW, that implies a dry TW of 10%.
Well, really 9% (of the 330 kg total)... but this is another reason that the spec seems strange: it seems high to me for a Euro vehicle spec.

In the entire 64-page brochure available on-line from Smart UK, which includes accessories such as rear bike carriers, there is not even a mention of "trailer" or "tow", let alone a rating.
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Old 10-10-2007, 02:45 PM   #10
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for more informations, this is the link of Smart
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Old 10-10-2007, 05:38 PM   #11
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That master Smart site is where I found the link to Smart UK, which in turn is where I found the brochure... with no mention of towing. The Smart Canada site has specs... again not mentioning towing (no surprise there!). I also checked the Smart Germany site... still no mention of towing capacity or towing accessories (no, I don't speak German, but tech specs are easy enough to follow).

I really don't think Daimler wants people to tow with this vehicle, so I don't know where the caravan people are getting their rating. Nice-looking caravan, and maybe a reasonable load to tow with the Smart... I just don't see any specific justification for the rating.
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Old 10-11-2007, 10:41 PM   #12
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America's Aliner Alite 400



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Axle Weight 452 pounds
Hitch Weight 50 pounds
Cargo Capacity 549 pounds

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