Towing limits

[thinfourth]

okay is another towing thread

okay i passed a standard car test in 93

the tow vehicle is a landrover 90 that weighs 1980Kg without me in it and its maximum train weight is 5900kg on the VIN plate and on the towbar it sayes 3500Kg

Now i have read the 85% thing is only a recommendation and has no legal basis

So how much can tow legally

Next question if i set up a car moving company that i might as i have lots of time off work then will this rig be legal? Or would i need a tacho fitted

Also what insurance would i need to get to run this business?

[cptsideways]

Most LWB modern landies can tow up to 3.5 ton though you'd want one with a decent engine to do this.

[vonhosen]

thinfourth said:

okay is another towing thread

okay i passed a standard car test in 93

the tow vehicle is a landrover 90 that weighs 1980Kg without me in it and its maximum train weight is 5900kg on the VIN plate and on the towbar it sayes 3500Kg

Now i have read the 85% thing is only a recommendation and has no legal basis

So how much can tow legally

Next question if i set up a car moving company that i might as i have lots of time off work then will this rig be legal? Or would i need a tacho fitted

Also what insurance would i need to get to run this business?

If you haven't passed a +E test on a Cat B licence for a combination of towing vehicle and trailer, the MAM of the combination must not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer must not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle.

The C1 on your licence only allows you to pull trailers up to 750kg on vehicles between 3500 & 7500Kg

[mechsympathy]

vonhosen said:

If you haven't passed a +E test on a Cat B licence for a combination of towing vehicle and trailer, the MAM of the combination must not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer must not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle.

The C1 on your licence only allows you to pull trailers up to 750kg on vehicles between 3500 & 7500Kg

But as he passed his test before 97 he gets automatic entitlement, Shirley??

www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/dl_towing_trailers.htm

[vonhosen]

mechsympathy said:

vonhosen said:

If you haven't passed a +E test on a Cat B licence for a combination of towing vehicle and trailer, the MAM of the combination must not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer must not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle.

The C1 on your licence only allows you to pull trailers up to 750kg on vehicles between 3500 & 7500Kg

But as he passed his test before 97 he gets automatic entitlement, Shirley??

www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/dl_towing_trailers.htm

A yes I missed that bit .

You can tow a maximum of 750 Kg with an unbraked trailer but you cannot exceed half the kerb weight of the towing vehicle. You can tow a trailer with a Gross Weight higher than your car’s towing limit as long as you only load it up to that limit. It is illegal to exceed the car’s towing limit.

Regards 85%, the 85% figure is a recommendation, not a legal limit. You can legally tow up to the car manufacturer’s towing limit. This may be in excess of 100% but only if you passed your car driving test before January 1st 1997

[winston_no1]

thinfourth said:

okay is another towing thread



Next question if i set up a car moving company that i might as i have lots of time off work then will this rig be legal? Or would i need a tacho fitted

Also what insurance would i need to get to run this business?

As far as I know you would definitely need a tacho if it was for business use (hire or reward). I had to get one in my van when I started towing a trailer and was told that as soon as the ability for a vehicle combination to exceed 3.5T capacity then it needed a tacho.

Local traffic cop who I know told me that if I ever ran the van and trailer for my own use (private venture) then I wouldn’t need to put a chart in the tacho. However I always put a chart in as soon as the trailer goes on so if I do get pulled up there are no problems, or so I hope.

As for insurance I had go through Norwich Union commercial as they were the only ones who would insure the trailer, and even so its only insured for when its coupled up to the trailer.

Hope this helps.

[winston_no1]

thinfourth said:

okay is another towing thread



Next question if i set up a car moving company that i might as i have lots of time off work then will this rig be legal? Or would i need a tacho fitted

Also what insurance would i need to get to run this business?

As far as I know you would definitely need a tacho if it was for business use (hire or reward). I had to get one in my van when I started towing a trailer and was told that as soon as the ability for a vehicle combination to exceed 3.5T capacity then it needed a tacho.

Local traffic cop who I know told me that if I ever ran the van and trailer for my own use (private venture) then I wouldn’t need to put a chart in the tacho. However I always put a chart in as soon as the trailer goes on so if I do get pulled up there are no problems, or so I hope.

As for insurance I had go through Norwich Union commercial as they were the only ones who would insure the trailer, and even so its only insured for when its coupled up to the trailer.

Hope this helps.

[GreenV8S]

vonhosen said:

You can tow a trailer with a Gross Weight higher than your car’s towing limit as long as you only load it up to that limit.

Are you certain about that? I distinctly remember reading about a pistonhead who was stopped while doing that, and told that there was some rule against towing a trailor which, if fully loaded, would exceed the towing limit of the car. It stuck in my mind at the time because it seemed so unreasonable.

[MartinD]

winston_no1 said:

thinfourth said:

okay is another towing thread



Next question if i set up a car moving company that i might as i have lots of time off work then will this rig be legal? Or would i need a tacho fitted

Also what insurance would i need to get to run this business?

As far as I know you would definitely need a tacho if it was for business use (hire or reward). I had to get one in my van when I started towing a trailer and was told that as soon as the ability for a vehicle combination to exceed 3.5T capacity then it needed a tacho.

Local traffic cop who I know told me that if I ever ran the van and trailer for my own use (private venture) then I wouldn’t need to put a chart in the tacho. However I always put a chart in as soon as the trailer goes on so if I do get pulled up there are no problems, or so I hope.

As for insurance I had go through Norwich Union commercial as they were the only ones who would insure the trailer, and even so its only insured for when its coupled up to the trailer.

Hope this helps.

While you would need a taco in a van as winston said you would NOT need one fitted in a Landrover or other 4x4. I cant remember exactly where I read it ,but I'm sure it was something like the dvla site as i was researching the same topic.

Edited by MartinD on Monday 7th August 15:23

[thinfourth]

okay that makes everything perfectly grey


I wish to stay legal as i am one of those ethnic minorities that can be legally picked on single heterosexual white male


Could one of the BiB that hangs around here before i give up and buy a 7.5ton transporter or burberry cap

[winston_no1]

Have a quick look at this link, it will either help or confuse even more

[url] www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/hgvpsvdrivers/tachographsanddrivershours/ecdrivers'hoursandtachographrulesforgoodsvehiclesfaq.htm#P39_2030 [/url]

Does suggest that you can use a large trailer to carry small loads below the 3.5tonne limit and not need a tacho. Look at the 3.5 tonne weight criterion section, especially the examples they have put up. It would suggest that you do need a tacho in a 4x4 or dual cab if it is for commercial purposes.

Also to confuse further - if the trailer exceeds a certain unlaiden weight, i THINK its 1020kg then you will need an operators license for it if its for commercial use.



Hope this helps.

[psimpson7]

towing 3.5 tonnes is fine. Almost all modern land Rovers have a 3.5 tonne towing capacity (or 4 tonnes with air brakes) (freelander being the only exception)

you would need a tacho if using anything to move cars for a buisness apart from if it was registered as a recovery lorry as far as I know