towing law for drivers who passed post 97

[kbekl]

i am getting confused with the way they are wording it

it says i can have a vehicle and trailer weight of 3.5 tons but can not tow a trailer/caravan over 750 kg

how does this equate in real terms

if my mav weighs in at 1800 kg i can tow a trailer/caravan of 1700 kg or i can only tow 750kg

[(RIP) PLANK]

it's a confusing law mate, there are lots of postings on trailer towing on here allready it might be worth doing a search

[theron]

The 750Kg limit is for unbraked trailers.

Note the MAM of the Terrano will be on a plate under the bonnet. You must use the figures off the plate, not the actual weight of the car.

So if the MAM of the Terrano is 2100Kg then the trailer must have a plated MAM of less than 1400Kg (even if empty).

This might help: http://www.towing-solutions.co.uk/tr...0Flowchart.htm

[Deleted account DD]

Thats a very neat flowchart

The blurb is here http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...es/DG_10013073

[kbekl]

right cheers for that so should be ok to tow a caravan then lol

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

vehicle <=3500kg can tow trailer <750kg, making train gross 4250Kg

however 3500 kk gross train is limit if gross of trailer is >750kg.

btw its gross weight not kerb weight of car, so T2 comes in around
2600Kg so trailer limit will be say 950kg.

also on b only licence car must weigh more than trailer.

we've had this before where a t2 in a family was less legal than
say a vectra, despite the t2 being heavier and a much better
anchor to caravan.

best bet is get trailer licence (+E) then world is oyster almost.

[Muckypup]

Something I didnt know, there is a maximum length of trailer a 4x4 or car can tow. I nearly towed a 9m climbing wall the other day until I realised mr plod would have stung me...

This led me to thinking about some of the larger caravans members tow, and quickly realised a lot of big caravans exceed the limit of 7m overall (sorry if this applies to you and is new news )

For example, the caravan below would not be permitted to be towed by a 4x4 as it exceeds the limit by almost a full meter!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Swift-Charisma...ans_Motorhomes

The law only applies to cars (4x4s included) and not to goods vehicles. So if you wanted to tow the above caravan you would need to use a Transit or similar...

Its all explained in this page :
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehi...ntsfortrailers

Hope this info saves anyone who didnt know their licence

[kbekl]

i knew about the max length but thought it included the size of the tow vehicle

well at least i know i am legal with my trailer tent @ 400kg lol

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

Originally Posted by Muckypup

Something I didnt know, there is a maximum length of trailer a 4x4 or car can tow. I nearly towed a 9m climbing wall the other day until I realised mr plod would have stung me...

This led me to thinking about some of the larger caravans members tow, and quickly realised a lot of big caravans exceed the limit of 7m overall (sorry if this applies to you and is new news )

For example, the caravan below would not be permitted to be towed by a 4x4 as it exceeds the limit by almost a full meter!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Swift-Charisma...ans_Motorhomes

The law only applies to cars (4x4s included) and not to goods vehicles. So if you wanted to tow the above caravan you would need to use a Transit or similar...

Its all explained in this page :
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehi...ntsfortrailers

Hope this info saves anyone who didnt know their licence

sorry mate thats incorrect, thats just like mine but does need a B+E ticket.

the van will weight around 1800kg.

btw trannies are under 3500 so classed plg and can be driven on a b.

the 650 is a model designate, the body, being a bristish swift will be around
20 foot long and 7 foot six wide., well in scope of a terrano/troll, providing
driver has qualification, either by grandfather rights like me, passed in 86 or
passed a trailer test for +e if post 97 licence.

also if you later get an LGV (HGV) with trailer entitlement this passes back
to car side of licence.

[rustic]

Originally Posted by Muckypup

Something I didnt know, there is a maximum length of trailer a 4x4 or car can tow. I nearly towed a 9m climbing wall the other day until I realised mr plod would have stung me...

As far as I am aware, your 9m climbing wall may have been legal, I tow a 7 metre boat on a 7 metre boat trailer, the boat/engine overhangs the rear by a metre.

You are allowed to have an overhang on a trailer carrying a load, as long as it is properly identified, rag or something for a short overhang and tail light for longer loads.

If the climbing wall is fixed to the trailer then this is a different matter.

On Boat trailers they are exempt from additional side lights or any side warning lights. I guess because they are often submersed, however I fitted the conventional White/Red light on the mud guard, which is essential when towing the empty trailer at night or poor visability.
These remove quickly and plug into a socket in the tail board.
I have also put an extra earth lead from the tailboard to the chassis as the cable length was so long that when the indicators flashed the side lamps went dimmer.
Best regards, Rustic