can i drive this combo

[big bloke]

i passed my test in 2000, and i want to tow a caravan with a discovery, can i legely drive this set up, or do i need to take another test?

[oldcynic]

Maybe.what weights are involved?

[big bloke]

car 2100kg

caravan 1095 kg

[oldcynic]

Sounds ok to me. Max train weight 3500 kg, car must weigh more than trailer as far as I remember. Check the regulations to be certain - google is your friend.

[mph1977]

big bloke said:

car 2100kg

caravan 1095 kg

unladen weights or MAMs ?

[big bloke]

unsure, now geting conflicting advice

Edited by big bloke on Sunday 21st August 21:17

[craigjm]

big bloke said:

i passed my test in 2000, and i want to tow a caravan with a discovery, can i legely drive this set up, or do i need to take another test?

I thought if you passed your driving test after Dec 1996 you have to have a separate test to tow trailers and caravans?

[mph1977]

craigjm said:

I thought if you passed your driving test after Dec 1996 you have to have a separate test to tow trailers and caravans?

I thought people actually read the information leaflet that comes with their licence or any one of the thousands of threads discussing these topics

[With these feet]

Car driving licence first obtained since 1 January 1997

Drivers who passed a car test on or after 1 January 1997 are required to pass an additional driving test in order to gain entitlement to category B+E and all larger vehicles.


Think this may be the bit that applies.

[jagracer]

mph1977 said:

big bloke said:

car 2100kg

caravan 1095 kg

unladen weights or MAMs ?

car 2100kg is the kerb weight, the MAM of a Disco is around 2700kg with a gross train weight of around 6000kg

[mph1977]

With these feet said:

Car driving licence first obtained since 1 January 1997

Drivers who passed a car test on or after 1 January 1997 are required to pass an additional driving test in order to gain entitlement to category B+E and all larger vehicles.


Think this may be the bit that applies.

except of course that the 'plain' categories allow you to tow unbraked trailers (limited by law to an MAM of 750 kg regardless) and UK cat B holders have a derogation in the UK to drive combinations which technically should be B+E if the MTM <3500kg , and to drive D1 vehicles in certain circumstances...

[oldcynic]

jagracer said:

car 2100kg is the kerb weight, the MAM of a Disco is around 2700kg with a gross train weight of around 6000kg

Sounds tight then. You'd need a smaller car to tow that caravan with that licence in order to stay under the 3500 kg actual train weight.

Eta: unless of course you're not carrying any passengers or luggage!

Edited by oldcynic on Sunday 21st August 22:02

[Big Rod]

oldcynic said:

You'd need a smaller car to tow that caravan with that licence in order to stay under the 3500 kg actual train weight.

What a ridiculous rule!

[RemaL]

Big Rod said:

oldcynic said:

You'd need a smaller car to tow that caravan with that licence in order to stay under the 3500 kg actual train weight.

What a ridiculous rule!

Agreed,I passed my test in 94/95 and tow a twin wheel van with a Maximum Technical Permissible Laden Mass of 1800kg. pulled by a 4x4. I waas asked do i have the licence to pull both which I have but had to check after

for a caravan of only 1095KP is MTPLM you would only need something like a 2ltr family car. my BIL pulls a 1100KG van with his 1.9oil burner ford which is above the tow weight etc... and other legal crap

[Steameh]

Why did the changes come in to force? Seems daft to me.

[oldcynic]

Big Rod said:

oldcynic said:

You'd need a smaller car to tow that caravan with that licence in order to stay under the 3500 kg actual train weight.

What a ridiculous rule!

Indeed.

Directgov said:

Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM.

So if the MAM of the Disco is 2700Kg then you can only pull a trailer with an MAM (maximum laden weight) of 800kg.

Assuming the 1100kg is the unladen weight of the caravan it will most likely have a MAM of about 1400kg. You therefore need a car weighing at least 1400kg unladen (to match the MAM of the caravan) but with a MAM (max laden weight) of no more than 2100kg. Obviously you need to substitute actual figures to get the correct answer.

Clear as mud...

ETA: I was wrong last night. The actual weights don't matter - just the maximum permissible weights of both parts, and the unladen weight of the car.

[Jonny_uk]

I tow a fair bit with my Defender 90 (and post '97 licence.) i down plated my plant trailer to allow me to tow up to my maximum weight without doing a waste of time trailer test!

ie

Defender weighs around 2000kg, My plant trailer was 2500kg so i down plated it to 1500kg

2000+1500 = 3500kg and the weight of the trailer does not exceed landrover kerbweight

Your maximum train must be no more than 3500kg

The weight of the trailer should be no more than the kerbweight of the tow vehicle. (Kerbweight is with driver and full tank of fuel)

As previous posts said. this isnt actual weight but permissable weights.

[oldcynic]

Jonny_uk said:

Stuff

Either I've misunderstood the regulations, or your maths is wrong.

You need to add together the maximum laden weight of the defender and the maximum laden weight of the trailer. If the defender is 2000kg unladen then you need to take a trailer test.

[mph1977]

Big Rod said:

What a ridiculous rule!

alternatively we could abandon the derogation as our continental friends never had such lax regulations and require anyone who wants to tow a braked trailer to undertake the B+E test ...

the purpose of the derogation was to try and keep 'normal family car' + 'normal touring caravan' out of the scope of B+E in the UK , the equestrian fraternity were all up in arms at that time despite the (high) risk profile of a lot of their B+E and C1 driving...

Edited by mph1977 on Monday 22 August 13:01

[jagracer]

oldcynic said:

Jonny_uk said:

Stuff

Either I've misunderstood the regulations, or your maths is wrong.

You need to add together the maximum laden weight of the defender and the maximum laden weight of the trailer. If the defender is 2000kg unladen then you need to take a trailer test.

Depending on the model a Defender can be similar to a Disco at 2700kg MAM up to and above 3500kg MAM so jonny uk is wrong in his calculations. Also, I stand to be corrected but I was under the impression that the 3500kg MAM of the tow vehicle meant gross train weight.