Towing with transit
Discussion
Started to read the other thread & apart from now a bit confused still in formative looking as though the van is far from suitable & also need to check on correct license. I am pre 1997 License think it said 1987 to be exact, only car license nothing more which might work in my favour but need to make sure
Edited by Nebby on Wednesday 9th April 21:59
Nebby said:
On the vin doesn't actually say gtw or gvw, it has 4 x kg figures from the top 2455, 3500, then 1400 twice but none have gtw or gvw next to them?
That probably works out as the following2455 gross vehicle weight
3500 gross train weight
1400 front axle
1400 rear axle
When you look at the weight of the car (mondeo) being around 1300kg to 1500kg and then add in 400kg of trailer your soon upto 1700kg.
You then need the weight of the van and add that figure to the towing weight.
Edited by Turbofocus on Thursday 10th April 00:39
Edited by Turbofocus on Thursday 10th April 01:30
Nebby said:
So going by them figures if they were correct, it would be about 500kg over.
It all depends on what the van weighs,that's the next figure you need now.Say the van weighs 1800kg then it would be close if the tow weight was 1700kg if not over.
The problem is,you don't want the trailer to weigh as much as the tow vehicle.
So in the case of towing a mondeo etc in a decent trailer I would want the tow vehicle to weigh more than a transit.
Edited by Turbofocus on Thursday 10th April 11:32
Right I've misunderstood that again, obviously the 2455 figure is the van fully loaded, the 3500 figure is what it can pull total with the van included is that right? I take it I would be able to find out what the van weighs in a handbook ( which I don't have ) so is there somewhere I can find these figures for current van or possibly changing the van, i would want to stick with a van as I have other uses for it already. From what you've said I guess I need something that is around 2000-2500kg vehicle to be able to tow something as big as a mondeo or similar.
Nebby said:
Right I've misunderstood that again, obviously the 2455 figure is the van fully loaded, the 3500 figure is what it can pull total with the van included is that right?
Yes that's correct.If you ring a Ford dealer they should be able to give you the weight of the van if you can not find the handbook.
Many thanks for your help so far, need to look further into current van but looking at other specs on transits it looks as though the 2.4 rwd swb has a gvw of 3300 payload of 1487 is about right just trying to find out the gtw of one. My only other question would be am I allowed to drive this on a car license if I was to be paid for delivering a vehicle as a job for a customer not as a favour for a friend/relative. I have towed before many times just not something this size trailer.
Nebby said:
Many thanks for your help so far, need to look further into current van but looking at other specs on transits it looks as though the 2.4 rwd swb has a gvw of 3300 payload of 1487 is about right just trying to find out the gtw of one. My only other question would be am I allowed to drive this on a car license if I was to be paid for delivering a vehicle as a job for a customer not as a favour for a friend/relative. I have towed before many times just not something this size trailer.
Copied from another site for you.If there is one area of van fleet management that causes more confusion than any other, it must be that of towing and the law.
The rules are relatively simple, but it seems that many operators are either ignorant or wilfully dismissive of the law regarding tachographs and who is allowed to drive vehicles with trailers.
This is a surprising fact bearing in mind the legal consequences in the event of a crash.
Next time you walk past a 3.5-tonne gvw van with a trailer, see if there’s a tachograph fitted.
The chances are the dashboard will be bare – and in that case the van you are looking at is more than likely breaking the law.
It is reckoned that of all the vans on UK roads with towbars fitted, less than 1% have a tachograph.
Exceptions to the rule
The law states that the weight of the trailer must be added to the gross vehicle weight of the van.
So if the van has a gvw of 3.5 tonnes and it’s towing a two-tonne trailer, the vehicle effectively weighs 5.5 tonnes and must have a tachograph – and you’ll need an O-licence to operate it too.
There are exceptions to this rule and the main two that may apply to Fleet Van readers are:
• If the vehicle is not being used for hire and reward
• If the vehicle doesn’t travel more than 50km (33 miles) from its base.
Van fleet operators could also fall foul of the law if they don’t adequately check drivers’ licences too.
Staff who passed their tests before January 1, 1997, will be allowed to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes gvw on their ordinary licences, but those who passed after that date are limited to 3.5 tonnes.
Therefore, if a 3.5-tonne van has a trailer fitted, it will go over that limit and the younger person won’t be entitled to drive.
The regulations stipulating which drivers are qualified to tow trailers were amended in 1997 so that anyone who passed their driving test since requires a Category B or BE entitlement.
Changes to the rules from January 13, 2013, will further restrict the weight that drivers qualified after 1997 can tow without a separate qualification.
Yes some definite grey areas then, so as I passed my test way back in the prehistoric times of 1987 I presume I can legally drive a van with trailer to a combined weight of 6-7 ton albeit with or is that without? a tachograph which I would only go about this I the legal way anyway if I'm looking for a payment from a delivery.
Turbofocus said:
Staff who passed their tests before January 1, 1997, will be allowed to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes gvw on their ordinary licences, but those who passed after that date are limited to 3.5 tonnes.
Therefore, if a 3.5-tonne van has a trailer fitted, it will go over that limit and the younger person won’t be entitled to drive.
The regulations stipulating which drivers are qualified to tow trailers were amended in 1997 so that anyone who passed their driving test since requires a Category B or BE entitlement.
Changes to the rules from January 13, 2013, will further restrict the weight that drivers qualified after 1997 can tow without a separate qualification.
Just to add a little extra info on, the B entitlement actually states "any combination upto 3500kg OR a vehicle and trailer combination over 3500kg where the trailer doesn't exceed 750kg and the total combined weight doesn't exceed 4250kg"Therefore, if a 3.5-tonne van has a trailer fitted, it will go over that limit and the younger person won’t be entitled to drive.
The regulations stipulating which drivers are qualified to tow trailers were amended in 1997 so that anyone who passed their driving test since requires a Category B or BE entitlement.
Changes to the rules from January 13, 2013, will further restrict the weight that drivers qualified after 1997 can tow without a separate qualification.
So you can tow UPTO 750kg with a 3500kg van on a B license.
Not that this affects the OP as he passed in '87 so will have B+E which covers upto 7500kg, but might be useful for other people like myself who have a Transit 350 (3500kg) and are wanting to tow a small trailer (upto 750kg) on a B-Only license.
Oh and also the trailer weight is based on DESIGNED WEIGHT not actual weight at the time, so for example with a 3500kg van you couldnt tow a big car transporter trailer on the basis that you only have a washing machine on so it doesn't exceed 750kg, because the trailer is rated to tow more - this may be relevant to the OP!!
Tbh the fwd transits are terrible for towing & won't be any good pulling a car
The rwd ones will do it fine though if you want to retain the smaller van though look for the orange ex rac ones
These had the uprated rwd running gear under the smaller van & would be perfect for what you want
The rwd ones will do it fine though if you want to retain the smaller van though look for the orange ex rac ones
These had the uprated rwd running gear under the smaller van & would be perfect for what you want
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