Could someone please explain to me why these are used?
The way I see it is that the owners have 2 insurances to pay and 2 road taxes. I understand that they park up the camper and use the little car but weighing everything up wouldn’t they be better with a caravan
If anyone has one - or knows the logic…please post and un baffle me
its a easy reason, most people tow the car so they can park up the motorhome and go site seeing, its alot easier to park up a car in the towns than a motor home due to height and length it makes it difficult to park in some places and it costs more. also a motorhome can park anyway where due to the tax 
(called wild camping) so its a tad better than using a caravan which has to be put on a campsite!
hope this helps
dri-diddly-iver:
Could someone please explain to me why these are used?The way I see it is that the owners have 2 insurances to pay and 2 road taxes. I understand that they park up the camper and use the little car but weighing everything up wouldn’t they be better with a caravan
If anyone has one - or knows the logic…please post and un baffle me
Nor me, thought the idea of a camper was to get rid of the trailed bit 
, once saw a transit sized camper pulling a Mondeo estate WTF, bet that was fun when it came to stopping in a hurry 
I guess they’re classed as trailers, but shouldn’t a trailer have some sort of coupled brakes at over 750kgs 
But many countries are tightening up on this, instead of towing a smart car on an ambulance, it has to go on a trailer with brakes
Hutchie:
a motorhome can park anyway where due to the taxhope this helps
Ahh…caravans can’t be parked/used in a layby then?? (■■■■■■ excluded) A motorhome can be! That makes sense to me now.
Is all that legal stuff…just curious.
Taking around your home and parking it in any old area isnt an attractive thought. You will have TV’s, laptop and other bits that get left in a car park with no proper security. Anyone can really break in and steal your stuff. You will also struggle to park if you have a large motorhome due to height restrictions. They are also normally crap on fuel. They will normally have this smaller car for use when they arent away so it isnt really any extra tax/insurance/running costs because motorhome or not they would have a car.
People will have a motorhome not just to get rid of the towing side. Some motorhomes are nicer inside then a normal caravan. Take a look at the Carthago’s and Dethleffs.
Some have what is known as a garage and will have a small motorbike in it! There is a proper carrier you can buy which helps you to get the bike in and out.
We have a few customers who will have one driving the motorhome and the other driving the car.
One thing that is usually safe to say is caravanning and motorhoming isnt really that cheap.
I’ve travelled round europe in a motorhome and parking is a right pain somtimes, its hard to get within walking distance of the places you want to visit. When we got to amdsterdam we drove around for hours trying to find somewhere suitable to stay.
Our other driver has a Grandad spec Nissan Micra which he uses to get himself to and fro work and take his missus shopping. On the front underneath the bumper is a horizontal bar that allows him to connect an a-frame and tow it behind his motorhome, it also has a cable attachment which will activate the brakes on the car when he brakes in his motorhome. He’ll often go away and park up somewhere nice and then has his little car to go and visit whatever towns, countryside or dogging spots appeals to him. Alternatively he can tour around and stop ad hoc which with a caravan is usually only reserved for the caravan using nomadic travellers.
Maybe he’d be better off with a bigger car and caravan but it works for him.
Big Joe:
Nor me, thought the idea of a camper was to get rid of the trailed bit
But I guess it’s much nicer to drive big camper with a small car behind than a (relatively) small car with a big caravan…
The proper ones have fitments that allow the brakes to be used,not that it would matter, a 40ft RV with airbrakes would stop with no problem whether a car is attached to the rear of it or not.
nickyboy:
The proper ones have fitments that allow the brakes to be used,not that it would matter, a 40ft RV with airbrakes would stop with no problem whether a car is attached to the rear of it or not.
That isn’t the problem, if the car weighs more than 750kg it has to go on a braked trailer and there are not many small cars that weigh under that figure. Belgium, Germany, France and Spain are quite strict on this already.
As you can see on this table, there are no cars under 800kg listed
i tow a classic mini or a citroen saxo if its raining behind my american camper on an a frame which both have cable which pulls the brake pedal on overun as there classed as a trailerwhen being towed and regardless of weight as there fitted with brakes have to work
the lights on both cars are wired so the lights work when connected to camper
i like having a big camper rather than a caravan although mines only 25ft long and i like the idea of towing the car with the caravan rather than the other way round either way one bit gets left on the campsite
my motorhome does about 17 to the gallon but doesnt do many miles a year so doent cost a fortune whereas if ihad a big caravan i would need a big motor to tow it so would have a vehicle that only did 20 ish to use the rest of the year
so it works ok for me
A frames are only allowed to get the second vehicle to a place of saftey. If I have to recover a motorhome towing a car on A frame, then the m/home gets recovered not the car
SWEDISH BLUE:
A frames are only allowed to get the second vehicle to a place of saftey. If I have to recover a motorhome towing a car on A frame, then the m/home gets recovered not the car
At least the motorhome owners have something handy to get to a hotel with 
Them A frames with a cable attached to the brake pedal seems like a right lash up. Shouldn’t be allowed imo, a small trailer can be had for not to much money.
I know there are all sorts of genuine reasons for running a camper and car combination but every time I see one I can’t help myself in thinking they have got the idea of caravaning the wrong way round.
W
SWEDISH BLUE:
A frames are only allowed to get the second vehicle to a place of saftey. If I have to recover a motorhome towing a car on A frame, then the m/home gets recovered not the car
which is why a few places in europe now stop motorhomes towing a car on a A frame…also why when you see french motorhomes in this country they usually have the car on a trailer…
Saaamon:
Them A frames with a cable attached to the brake pedal seems like a right lash up. Shouldn’t be allowed imo, a small trailer can be had for not to much money.
Its not a lash up if done properly which ive done with mine the brakes work properly and if it comes unhitched and breaks the safety cable will lock all four wheels on the car
ive fitted safety chains so if pulls off the front of the car the brakes come on although highley unlikely when you see how there fastened on
the problem i have with a trailer is where you put it when on site and you gennerally get charged for car and trailer as an extra
i personally dont see a problem with a frames if done properly and we have all seen some of the messes that caravans get into
and i like a big caravan and a small car so it works for me
march717:
Saaamon:
i personally dont see a problem with a frames
they are only to be used for recovery to a safe place, cars do not become trailers just because you are towing them
march717:
Saaamon:
Them A frames with a cable attached to the brake pedal seems like a right lash up. Shouldn’t be allowed imo, a small trailer can be had for not to much money.Its not a lash up if done properly which ive done with mine the brakes work properly and if it comes unhitched and breaks the safety cable will lock all four wheels on the car
Excuse my ignorance, but how is the A frame connected to the brakes of the car?
Also, are there not issues with gearboxes not getting oil splashed around from towing a ‘stopped’ engine? I don’t think I’ve worded this right - is it making sense?