[Pikey]

Do you mean for the purposes of licensing, Redhand or for committing an offence for driving overladen?

Licensing Because plod has no way of knowing what a car and trailer weighs (without a trip to weighbridge) the rules apply to the MAM of the trailer regardless of whether it's empty or loaded. you could have a titanium/carbon fibre trailer weighing 300kg If it's plated as having a mam of 3500kg or if the MAM of the trailer is higher than the weight you can tow without B+E then you can't tow it..

 

[mick 1986]

Actually it's the MAM of the trailer which would have to be trailer weight + max load on trailer. and even if the trailer was empty it would still be the MAM that counted. you can't tow an empty 3.5toone trailer if you passed your test after 97. even if the empty weight was less than 750kg

That's only if you don't have B+E.

 

[Pikey]

That's only if you don't have B+E.

not necessarily if the mam of the trailer was 8500kg then you'd need HGV or whatever the new rating is called?? even if it weighed less than 3.5tonnes empty..

 

[ashleywood.ash]

Actually it's the MAM of the trailer which would have to be trailer weight + max load on trailer. and even if the trailer was empty it would still be the MAM that counted. you can't tow an empty 3.5toone trailer if you passed your test after 97. even if the empty weight was less than 750kg

thats what i said, it always maximum figures of vehicle and trailer regardless of whether they are fully loaded or not.

and min weight of car has to be higher than max weight of trailer so a car with kerbweight of 1300kg cannot tow trailer with MAM of 1400kg if before 97, even if max tow weight of car is 2000kg

 

[ashleywood.ash]

oh and even if you change your plates etc, Plod always have access to weighbridge.
also for those of you interested you can legally have the MAM of caravan etc changed by the manufacturer. i had a caravan with MAM of 1550kg on the plate but my max was 1450kg as i passed in 2001 so i paid £40 and Lunar (make of caravan) remade me the plate stating that the MAM was 1450kg. but this is only legal if you stick to the new weights etc.

 

[nathan5346]

no problem fella, but you won't find a trailer that weighs 0.05 tonnes

:d

 

[Adz]

Licensing Because plod has no way of knowing what a car and trailer weighs (without a trip to weighbridge) the rules apply to the MAM of the trailer regardless of whether it's empty or loaded. you could have a titanium/carbon fibre trailer weighing 300kg If it's plated as having a mam of 3500kg or if the MAM of the trailer is higher than the weight you can tow without B+E then you can't tow it..

Indeedy... I phoned VOSA a while back to clarify much the same thing, spoke to one of their 'enforcers' or whatever they're called.

When it comes to overladen the only test is a weighbridge, nothing else will do. So for the OP, get someone with a Defender to drag your boat to the nearest weighbridge for you and find out the gross mass of the boat and trailer and freeloader. If the combined mass is less than the plated gross train weight (this will be on the VIN plate in the engine bay) then you can legally tow it. If not, then you can't. Whether or not it's advisable to tow such a big tail with such a small dog (as you might find yourself being 'wagged' all over the motorway by it) is another matter

Be aware that things like a full tank of fuel, luggage, vehicle occupants etc. can all change the total mass of the vehicle plus trailer. So deliberately turning up running on fumes, with all the carpets stripped out and hiring a midget to drive it for you is a bit pointless if you're going to tow 5 up, with a roof box full of lead sheet and your house packed into the boat

 

[Pikey]

thats what i said, it always maximum figures of vehicle and trailer regardless of whether they are fully loaded or not.

and min weight of car has to be higher than max weight of trailer so a car with kerbweight of 1300kg cannot tow trailer with MAM of 1400kg if after 97, even if max tow weight of car is 2000kg

Edited for accuracy

 

[ashleywood.ash]

Indeedy... If the combined mass is less than the plated gross train weight (this will be on the VIN plate in the engine bay) then you can legally tow it.

doesnt matter if the gross weight is 1 tonne, if the plate says MAM of 4tonne your cant tow it, so it matters what it says on the plate of the trailer and vehicle, not what it weighs, we only use weigh bridge to check overloading i.e the MAM of the trailer is 1 tonne but you have it loaded with something that is clearly heavier than 1 tonne, the bridge will prove this for prosecution

 

[Adz]

doesnt matter if the gross weight is 1 tonne, if the plate says MAM of 4tonne your cant tow it, so it matters what it says on the plate of the trailer and vehicle, not what it weighs, we only use weigh bridge to check overloading i.e the MAM of the trailer is 1 tonne but you have it loaded with something that is clearly heavier than 1 tonne, the bridge will prove this for prosecution

Can you post a link to the law for that as all I can find is this:

Car licences held before 1 January 1997
All drivers who passed a car test before 1 January 1997 retain their existing entitlement to tow trailers until their licence expires. This means they are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes MAM. They also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kgs MAM.

(my emphasis)

Taken from: The driving licence you need to tow a caravan or trailer : Directgov - Motoring

 

[Pikey]

As it says Adz it's the MAM or maximum authorised mass. that is counted. Not the unladen weight and you add mam of trailer and towing vehicle to arrive at the figure

 

[caravan doctor]

so, have i got this right, if i passed my test after '97, using my hippo, i "could legally" tow a caravan, aslong as it, fully laden weighs no more than 1450kg????

 

[Adz]

Exactly my point Redhand old buddy. If the MAM of the trailer and the MAM of the towing vehicle combined don't exceed 8,250kgs on a pre '97 licence then you're licensed to tow. Post '97 licence is 3,500 limit unless CAT B+E.

If the combined ACTUAL mass of the trailer and towing vehicle doesn't exceed the PLATED gross MAM (train weight) of the vehicle or any other of the manufacturers stipulations then you are not overladen.

They're separate issues, although easily confused.

 

[Pikey]

so, have i got this right, if i passed my test after '97, using my hippo, i "could legally" tow a caravan, aslong as it, fully laden weighs no more than 1450kg????

If the plate on the caravan says max load 1450Kg (or less) YES!

 

[Pikey]

Exactly my point Redhand old buddy. If the MAM of the trailer and the MAM of the towing vehicle combined don't exceed 8,250kgs on a pre '97 licence then you're licensed to tow. Post '97 licence is 3,500 limit unless CAT B+E.

If the combined ACTUAL mass of the trailer and towing vehicle doesn't exceed the PLATED gross MAM (train weight) of the vehicle or any other of the manufacturers stipulations then you are not overladen.

They're separate issues, although easily confused.

yep you can drive a 5tonne truck with a 3.25 tonne trailer on a pre 97 license.

 

[ashleywood.ash]

caravan dr yes you can as redhand said,

and sorry i dont have a law link.... i am the plod so just know for job.... sorry and calm the boos

think i once saw it on the directgov website though

 

[fanatic]

caravan dr yes you can as redhand said,

and sorry i dont have a law link.... i am the plod so just know for job.... sorry and calm the boos

think i once saw it on the directgov website though

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIcen_eRgtc"]YouTube - The Very Best of Hot Fuzz[/nomedia]

Don't take it personally

 

[ashleywood.ash]

check the "for example" on here adz

Towing trailers or caravans with vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes : Directgov - Motoring

 

[ashleywood.ash]

YouTube - The Very Best of Hot Fuzz

Don't take it personally

my hero

that was me doing the flip over the fence

 

[fanatic]

my hero

that was me doing the flip over the fence

Hmm I was thinking the other one, still seasons greetings