Advice for a towing novice
Discussion
Hi everyone,
I’m looking to start towing my seven to track days this summer.
The tow car will be a 2020 focus, 1.5T petrol. The payload will be a hired car trailer + my ~500kg seven. A local company offers a 'lightweight car transporter trailer' for hire which looks about right.
I’ve never driven with a trailer before, and am getting bogged down a bit with allowances, MAMs, ‘unofficial 85% rules’ etc. Common sense suggests that this isn’t an overly heavy setup (i.e. under the 3500kg license allowance), and I’m not being overly optimistic in hooking up a 500kg car + trailer to a 1400kg tow car (i.e. this satisfies the 85% rule about having the majority of the weight in the towcar). The internet suggests the focus is rated to tow 1200kg, which again sounds a lot less than I’ll be doing in practice.
Can someone confirm that I’m not going crazy and this is ok?
On top of this, any tips on how to start driving with a trailer would be great. I expect I’ll do a few practise reverses in a nearby empty carpark, and generally driving very cautiously, but any insights would be welcome.
I’m looking to start towing my seven to track days this summer.
The tow car will be a 2020 focus, 1.5T petrol. The payload will be a hired car trailer + my ~500kg seven. A local company offers a 'lightweight car transporter trailer' for hire which looks about right.
I’ve never driven with a trailer before, and am getting bogged down a bit with allowances, MAMs, ‘unofficial 85% rules’ etc. Common sense suggests that this isn’t an overly heavy setup (i.e. under the 3500kg license allowance), and I’m not being overly optimistic in hooking up a 500kg car + trailer to a 1400kg tow car (i.e. this satisfies the 85% rule about having the majority of the weight in the towcar). The internet suggests the focus is rated to tow 1200kg, which again sounds a lot less than I’ll be doing in practice.
Can someone confirm that I’m not going crazy and this is ok?
On top of this, any tips on how to start driving with a trailer would be great. I expect I’ll do a few practise reverses in a nearby empty carpark, and generally driving very cautiously, but any insights would be welcome.
I played a lot of trucking games on my phone, which all came in handy when I bought a caravan and had to reverse it. Even so, you won't be an expert straight off will have the occasional brain fart!
Probably goes without saying but don't put too much weight beyond the axle line of the trailer - keep it mid-up front without putting to much weight on the tow bar (nose weight)
Probably goes without saying but don't put too much weight beyond the axle line of the trailer - keep it mid-up front without putting to much weight on the tow bar (nose weight)
https://www.mp-dt.co.uk/ is not far from you - he got me through my trailer test a few years back (when it was still a requirement). Highly recommended.
Togneri said:
Hi everyone,
I’m looking to start towing my seven to track days this summer.
The tow car will be a 2020 focus, 1.5T petrol. The payload will be a hired car trailer + my ~500kg seven. A local company offers a 'lightweight car transporter trailer' for hire which looks about right.
I’ve never driven with a trailer before, and am getting bogged down a bit with allowances, MAMs, ‘unofficial 85% rules’ etc. Common sense suggests that this isn’t an overly heavy setup (i.e. under the 3500kg license allowance), and I’m not being overly optimistic in hooking up a 500kg car + trailer to a 1400kg tow car (i.e. this satisfies the 85% rule about having the majority of the weight in the towcar). The internet suggests the focus is rated to tow 1200kg, which again sounds a lot less than I’ll be doing in practice.
Can someone confirm that I’m not going crazy and this is ok?
On top of this, any tips on how to start driving with a trailer would be great. I expect I’ll do a few practise reverses in a nearby empty carpark, and generally driving very cautiously, but any insights would be welcome.
If you are hiring a trailer, make sure they bundle in trailer insurance as part of the deal. I hired a trailer once and when I arrived they said ‘and where is your insurance’. Might be a rare case, but check just in case.I’m looking to start towing my seven to track days this summer.
The tow car will be a 2020 focus, 1.5T petrol. The payload will be a hired car trailer + my ~500kg seven. A local company offers a 'lightweight car transporter trailer' for hire which looks about right.
I’ve never driven with a trailer before, and am getting bogged down a bit with allowances, MAMs, ‘unofficial 85% rules’ etc. Common sense suggests that this isn’t an overly heavy setup (i.e. under the 3500kg license allowance), and I’m not being overly optimistic in hooking up a 500kg car + trailer to a 1400kg tow car (i.e. this satisfies the 85% rule about having the majority of the weight in the towcar). The internet suggests the focus is rated to tow 1200kg, which again sounds a lot less than I’ll be doing in practice.
Can someone confirm that I’m not going crazy and this is ok?
On top of this, any tips on how to start driving with a trailer would be great. I expect I’ll do a few practise reverses in a nearby empty carpark, and generally driving very cautiously, but any insights would be welcome.
Edit: I’m sufficiently old enough that I have grandfather rights for towing, but still find reversing a bloody nightmare, so training whether you legally need it or not is a *very* good idea.
How to start towing.
I started by towing things forward, take corners wide and keep an eye on your mirrors to avoid going over things with the trailer. I usually stop a couple of miles into a journey to make sure the straps are still secure.
Allow extra distance for braking and be ready for the surprise fuel economy.
And most importantly, avoid reversing a trailer in front of anyone else until you’re super confident!
Bigger trailers (up to a point) are easier to manoeuvre as things happen slower and you can see them in the mirrors.
I started by towing things forward, take corners wide and keep an eye on your mirrors to avoid going over things with the trailer. I usually stop a couple of miles into a journey to make sure the straps are still secure.
Allow extra distance for braking and be ready for the surprise fuel economy.
And most importantly, avoid reversing a trailer in front of anyone else until you’re super confident!
Bigger trailers (up to a point) are easier to manoeuvre as things happen slower and you can see them in the mirrors.
On the face of it it sounds ok, a very lightweight single axle trailer will be 400kg ish, so + Caterham 900kg. That’s 65% of the Focus. It looks like (but worth checking) the GVW for the Focus is 3400kg so you’re ok there too.
Since the rules changed a few years ago they now assess actual weights not limits, so you will be fine if the trailer is rated for say 1500kg total where previously this wouldn’t have been ok.
All that said, towing is least stressful in a powerful car with a twin axle trailer. Twin axles tow better (they don’t crash so much over bumps and react slower), but are harder to manoeuvre by hand.
Since the rules changed a few years ago they now assess actual weights not limits, so you will be fine if the trailer is rated for say 1500kg total where previously this wouldn’t have been ok.
All that said, towing is least stressful in a powerful car with a twin axle trailer. Twin axles tow better (they don’t crash so much over bumps and react slower), but are harder to manoeuvre by hand.
Practice, practice, practice. 
There's enough stress and excitement getting to a track day without having it being your first time with the car on a trailer in the paddock.
And remember, if you get into a tight spot you can always unhitch the trailer and push it around (it's easy, even with the Caterham on it).
There's enough stress and excitement getting to a track day without having it being your first time with the car on a trailer in the paddock.And remember, if you get into a tight spot you can always unhitch the trailer and push it around (it's easy, even with the Caterham on it).
Look at what your car is rated for. It's likely to be only 750kg for an unbraked trailer and 1500kg for a braked one.
data on the ford site if this is your car
https://www.ford.co.uk/content/dam/guxeu/uk/docume...
data on the ford site if this is your car
https://www.ford.co.uk/content/dam/guxeu/uk/docume...
Getting the weights right on the trailer makes all the difference in the world.
Basically if you as presumably a normal healthy bloke can just about lift the loaded trailer at the front to hitch it onto your towball, you won't be far off for perfect towing stability.
Do not attempt to tow unless you have the balance centre/forwards, if the balance is towards the rear (worst case) or unevenly balanced on the most likely single axle you will have the classic case of the tail wagging the dog, that is a bad thing.
This is worth a few mins of your time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeEEC5eVNCk
One thing i don't think they mentioned, if you put too much weight forward the overrun brake slide won't operate properly, it will stick.
Basically if you as presumably a normal healthy bloke can just about lift the loaded trailer at the front to hitch it onto your towball, you won't be far off for perfect towing stability.
Do not attempt to tow unless you have the balance centre/forwards, if the balance is towards the rear (worst case) or unevenly balanced on the most likely single axle you will have the classic case of the tail wagging the dog, that is a bad thing.
This is worth a few mins of your time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeEEC5eVNCk
One thing i don't think they mentioned, if you put too much weight forward the overrun brake slide won't operate properly, it will stick.
Edited by Smint on Friday 4th April 13:07
Edited by Smint on Friday 4th April 13:09
Reversing is just something you get good at with practice. Put your hands on the bottom of the wheel, if you want the trailer to go right, lift your right hand, left, lift your left hand. This guided me well.
I'm one of those who, pre covid, did the trialer test to enable me to tow my caravan when i changed cars. I actually proactised reversing in my garden with a ride on mower, some cones and small erde 4'x3' trailer.
I'm one of those who, pre covid, did the trialer test to enable me to tow my caravan when i changed cars. I actually proactised reversing in my garden with a ride on mower, some cones and small erde 4'x3' trailer.
Togneri said:
I expect I’ll do a few practise reverses in a nearby empty carpark
If you're practicing with the trailer empty, remember that your rear visibility will be seriously impaired when you have your car on there.That doesn't make it much harder, just different. I can't see my car trailer in my rear view mirror at all when empty (it's too low) so totally reliant on camera/wing mirrors, but when it's loaded all I can see in the rear view mirror is the load.
Make sure you have decent straps and take time to figure them out properly. Have seen more than one person not work out how the ratchet works and proceed to overfill it, get straps twisted, or the ratchet end up in an awkward position. It's a lazy way of doing it, but a roll of duct tape can help deal with the loose end.
I tow boats around regularly (lighter than the OP's setup, but a similar physical size).
The worst thing is dealing with other car drivers on the motorway, particularly at weekends when there are fewer lorries around to keep the morons at bay. The variable speed MLMs are the worst, they will come past you because you must be really slow because your are towing a trailer. They then realise they are accidentally doing about 80 doing that, panic that they are about to get speeding ticket and leap on the brakes whilst drifting left towards you.
If you're driving in town, expect suicidal pedestrians to cross the road between the trailer and car, climbing over the tow hitch just as you're setting off from the lights. Idiots on bikes and those stupid E Scooters will also choose to overtake the trailer on the nearside when you're stopped and then hide in your blindspot alongside the drawbar.
Other than the people around you, the mechanics of actually towing the trailer aren't too bad, you just to leave a bit more space when going round corners. Reversing a decent length trailer is easy as long as you don't think about it too much.
The one thing which can be an unexpected nuisance is that, other than at motorway services or your final destination, it can be quite tricky finding suitable places to park unless you uncouple the trailer - many places seem to have got rid of drive through parking spaces, or put trees in between a lot of them.
Final tip would be take a wheel clamp and hitch lock - leaving the trailer attached to the car offers no security!!
The worst thing is dealing with other car drivers on the motorway, particularly at weekends when there are fewer lorries around to keep the morons at bay. The variable speed MLMs are the worst, they will come past you because you must be really slow because your are towing a trailer. They then realise they are accidentally doing about 80 doing that, panic that they are about to get speeding ticket and leap on the brakes whilst drifting left towards you.
If you're driving in town, expect suicidal pedestrians to cross the road between the trailer and car, climbing over the tow hitch just as you're setting off from the lights. Idiots on bikes and those stupid E Scooters will also choose to overtake the trailer on the nearside when you're stopped and then hide in your blindspot alongside the drawbar.
Other than the people around you, the mechanics of actually towing the trailer aren't too bad, you just to leave a bit more space when going round corners. Reversing a decent length trailer is easy as long as you don't think about it too much.
The one thing which can be an unexpected nuisance is that, other than at motorway services or your final destination, it can be quite tricky finding suitable places to park unless you uncouple the trailer - many places seem to have got rid of drive through parking spaces, or put trees in between a lot of them.
Final tip would be take a wheel clamp and hitch lock - leaving the trailer attached to the car offers no security!!
eltax91 said:
Reversing is just something you get good at with practice. Put your hands on the bottom of the wheel, if you want the trailer to go right, lift your right hand, left, lift your left hand. This guided me well.
I'm one of those who, pre covid, did the trialer test to enable me to tow my caravan when i changed cars. I actually proactised reversing in my garden with a ride on mower, some cones and small erde 4'x3' trailer.
Smaller the trailer the harder it is to reverse. My 5' trailer is harder to reverse than my 20' twin axle caravan. Practice helps.I'm one of those who, pre covid, did the trialer test to enable me to tow my caravan when i changed cars. I actually proactised reversing in my garden with a ride on mower, some cones and small erde 4'x3' trailer.
LightweightLouisDanvers said:
eltax91 said:
Reversing is just something you get good at with practice. Put your hands on the bottom of the wheel, if you want the trailer to go right, lift your right hand, left, lift your left hand. This guided me well.
I'm one of those who, pre covid, did the trialer test to enable me to tow my caravan when i changed cars. I actually proactised reversing in my garden with a ride on mower, some cones and small erde 4'x3' trailer.
Smaller the trailer the harder it is to reverse. My 5' trailer is harder to reverse than my 20' twin axle caravan. Practice helps.I'm one of those who, pre covid, did the trialer test to enable me to tow my caravan when i changed cars. I actually proactised reversing in my garden with a ride on mower, some cones and small erde 4'x3' trailer.
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