Understanding weights on data plate

[Fez_uk]

Everyone should be on a level playing field on what they can max tow, it's just stupid that if you passed before 97 you can drive big trucks, tow big trailers etc.

For instance my mum can tow a big trailer, she has never towed one before ever. She can also ride big motorbikes (can't remember what cc, maybe 1000?) because she passed her driving license in germany back in the day, She has never ridden a motorbike in her whole life, even a 50cc!

 

[harpoonlouis]

I just got off the phone from Bateson who confirmed that the rules have change so that any prosecution has to be based on the actual weights of vehicle and trailer at the time of the offence regardless of what is stamped on the plates. They also said that they can and have "down rated" trailers at the request of owners so that they complied with the law when it was the displayed weights. They ahve this in writing from VOSA.

As for the down rating for autos that has to be precautionary and easliy overcome by driving sensibly. Heating is caused by work rate of the engine less the energy transfered into speed or height gained and lost to drag so moderate your speed and don't flog it up hills plus I have the additional transmission cooler fitted. I know that doesn't increase my plated weight but it means that I won't actually experience any harm to the motor or tranmission.

Very useful answers from everyone, many thanks.

 

[vince]

so i passed my my test after 97 so.... my t2 weighs 2580kg (according to the plate) so looking at the DVLA website i can either tow upto 750kg as the combined weight would be 3330kg combined weight, or, i can have a total train weight of 3500kg which is the car plus 920kg worth of trailer. have i understood this properly? oh, then i have to take into account any passengers too. does anybody know what an average 5/6 berth caravan weighs as we were going to buy one but not if i have to take another bloody driving test!!!

 

[melissachels]

so i passed my my test after 97 so.... my t2 weighs 2580kg (according to the plate) so looking at the DVLA website i can either tow upto 750kg as the combined weight would be 3330kg combined weight, or, i can have a total train weight of 3500kg which is the car plus 920kg worth of trailer. have i understood this properly? oh, then i have to take into account any passengers too. does anybody know what an average 5/6 berth caravan weighs as we were going to buy one but not if i have to take another bloody driving test!!!

yes thats right, u most likely will have to do the test due to the weight of the terrano taking up so much of your 3500kg limit. as long as your trailer doen't weight more then the car & you don't go over the 3.5t train weight u'll b fine.
That why I towed my pony with my 406 & not a 4x4 (i would of been pushing the limit) but have little - no need to tow now so not fussed really.

 

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

so i passed my my test after 97 so.... my t2 weighs 2580kg (according to the plate) so looking at the DVLA website i can either tow upto 750kg as the combined weight would be 3330kg combined weight, or, i can have a total train weight of 3500kg which is the car plus 920kg worth of trailer. have i understood this properly? oh, then i have to take into account any passengers too. does anybody know what an average 5/6 berth caravan weighs as we were going to buy one but not if i have to take another bloody driving test!!!

I fear a 5/6 berth caravan is going to be well over 920kg unless its a very old light weight abi monza or equivalant. we had a 4/ berth 14 foot body length 1992 sprite musketeer that was a 1000kg gross. my 20 foot 4 wheeler grosses out at 1660kg.

it does seem crazy that you have a heavier car in the t2 which is a better anchor for the caravan but then cant tow a realistic size, yet down sizer to a mid to large car that grosses at say 2 tonnes and you have 1500 kg spare for the caravan.

or bite bullet and get a +e ticket for your b licence, I have it by grandfather rights as passed in 86 so gives me c1 to 7.5 tonnes + 750kg, or sub 7.5 t with larger sub 3.5 t trailer upto 8.25 t train. though would be hard pressed to find a combined of more than 7t 3.5 t + 3.5 t. my current set up is max at 4.2tonne.

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

I fear a 5/6 berth caravan is going to be well over 920kg unless its a very old light weight abi monza or equivalant. we had a 4/ berth 14 foot body length 1992 sprite musketeer that was a 1000kg gross. my 20 foot 4 wheeler grosses out at 1660kg.

it does seem crazy that you have a heavier car in the t2 which is a better anchor for the caravan but then cant tow a realistic size, yet down sizer to a mid to large car that grosses at say 2 tonnes and you have 1500 kg spare for the caravan.

or bite bullet and get a +e ticket for your b licence, I have it by grandfather rights as passed in 86 so gives me c1 to 7.5 tonnes + 750kg, or sub 7.5 t with larger sub 3.5 t trailer upto 8.25 t train. though would be hard pressed to find a combined of more than 7t 3.5 t + 3.5 t. my current set up is max at 4.2tonne.

1650k is that all? :lol

 

[vince]

since i posted ive looked into doing my +E licence, just waiting to hear what itl cost. iv been towing a trailer for years and a caravan with my mondeo so just feels like bollox that i cant with my terra. i reckon its just ANOTHER way to get more money from the law abiding.

 

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

1650k is that all? :lol

funny that when had troll, the ratio was about 70% so was toying with getting
trailer up rated so could carry more stuff, ie batteries and gas to be more self
sufficient, but with terrano am back to 85%.

if have car and caravan thats within 3500 can do b+e with them, a local
commercial driving school uses something like a car derived van and a smallish
load lugger trailer. think you have to have a solid e bodied trailer just as for the
hgv/lgv flat beds were out lawed for test purposes.

 

[vince]

just incase anyones interested an lgv training centre in hull uses a car and trailer and charges £32/hour plus £115 for your test. they say people need between 8 and 12 hours training. thats £370!!! it takes the urine that i need to do this as its no different to what i already drive in essence. but i cant see it taking 8 hours, i passed my car test after 2 lessons (4hours) as id been driving off road and have had bikes for years, hope this is the same

 

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

just incase anyones interested an lgv training centre in hull uses a car and trailer and charges £32/hour plus £115 for your test. they say people need between 8 and 12 hours training. thats £370!!! it takes the urine that i need to do this as its no different to what i already drive in essence. but i cant see it taking 8 hours, i passed my car test after 2 lessons (4hours) as id been driving off road and have had bikes for years, hope this is the same

based on that, perhaps better going for c1+e, though suspect will need to pass c first so will double time but atleast tick of useful 7.5 tonne ticket. also the new c1+e gives you a 12000kg train weight as the 7.5t can tow 4.5t. but only if do test, for us gandfather rights c1+e maxs at 8.25t gross train.

theres also a d1+e ie 16 seater+ trailer, might come in if were working for a public body, even volunteer then they'll fund course?

 

[vince]

if you go for the D test you have to do a physical first which il fail ( i have tourettes, which i dont have to inform dvla about and i just drive/ride when im upto it) but iv been into my local dvla office to ask about minibus driving and the official line (which i got in writing) is that on a post 97 licence you can drive upto a 17seater, BUT you cant get insurance on one you own and you cant use it for proffit even if its rented. so i can drive one if its for a registered charity on my current licence. and the C licence is a lot more money unfortunately. so il have to bite the bullet and pay the money, but il wait til winter closes in again first ( about 4-6weeks isnt it?) as itl be coming out of my playing out money.

 

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

d1 is 9 to 1 seats, 8 seat + driver is limit of cat b.

those with grandfather can drive d1 provided not for hire/reward.

d1 proper I had as had full psv, now pcv big bus.

as said if for commercial either over 3.5t or over 8 passengers puts you
into same medical standards as big trucks n buses.

 

[Barrbeast]

I always thought that was a strange loop hole, at 14, I could drive a rear wheel steering Climax or Manatou Fork Truck, with 2 x 4 wheel, front boggied trailers, each trailer having 7.5 tones of sweet corn on them, along the notorious Thanet Way, on my own, and be totally legal. But I could not legally sit in the passenger seat of a car on my own with the keys left in the ignition...

If you want a puzzle, try reversing two, front wheel steering coupled trailers, with a rear wheel steering fork truck, I did it so often, it became second nature to me.:lol

Would have loved to see that! Nearest I've come is 2 x 14t twin axle grain trailers (empty)... was some road train, reversing was just as intresting as negotiating narrow entrance ways! My mate makes reversing them round corners look so easy it makes you sick! :lol

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Would have loved to see that! Nearest I've come is 2 x 14t twin axle grain trailers (empty)... was some road train, reversing was just as intresting as negotiating narrow entrance ways! My mate makes reversing them round corners look so easy it makes you sick! :lol

Every morning I would load up 14 huge boxes onto the 2 trailers, using the forktruck, then hitch to the front, and drag them off to the sweetcorn fields, Spend the day taking a box at a time up and down the field, tipping the corn into them from the smaller boxes the pickers used, then at lunch, take the fork trunk home for lunch (It liked bake beans, before anyone asks:naughty) Then return for the afternoon, finally bringing the 30 boxes back to the farm, and unloading them into a cold store.

To be honest, tight corners were actually easy, as the rear wheel steering of the fork truck, kicked the first trailer out wide, so the second trailer actually followed the line of the fork truck.

 

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

Every morning I would load up 14 huge boxes onto the 2 trailers, using the forktruck, then hitch to the front, and drag them off to the sweetcorn fields, Spend the day taking a box at a time up and down the field, tipping the corn into them from the smaller boxes the pickers used, then at lunch, take the fork trunk home for lunch (It liked bake beans, before anyone asks:naughty) Then return for the afternoon, finally bringing the 30 boxes back to the farm, and unloading them into a cold store.

To be honest, tight corners were actually easy, as the rear wheel steering of the fork truck, kicked the first trailer out wide, so the second trailer actually followed the line of the fork truck.

Reminds me of the novelty road train sea side outfits, a tractor mocked up as steam loco and couple may be three carriages, 4 wheelers with front steer. Seem to be able to make some tight u-turns. Now thinking back at Lands End same sort of thing but coupling between carriages differed so didnt cut corner as much rather like your rear steer tug. think each trailer had a trapizium coupling maybe which then m made steer take a line further out to offset its natural cut in. Or it wasnt so much an a frame dolly front axle as a bar controlling a car like rack steer front end, complicated but effective. Anyone seen it just to show not dreamt it!

 

[melissachels]

feck i learn very quickly how not to reverse with a trailer when i was raking up hay with a john deere :doh s**t myself when i seen the spinning rake so close to the window but I've never done it since :thumbs