Towing question
Discussion
When towing a car, is it subject to the normal rules of the road regarding tax, mot, insurance and driver licensing?
A mate reckons that the person in control of the vehicle does not even need a license, but I cant see it, so was wondering about the technicalities for the vehicle being towed?
A mate reckons that the person in control of the vehicle does not even need a license, but I cant see it, so was wondering about the technicalities for the vehicle being towed?
If the car is on a trailer then it is irrelevant whether or not it is insured, taxed, etc. It is just a trailer with a load on it. HOWEVER (yes it's a big however) - there are many things you must first consider.
The trailers MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissable Laden Mass - the weight of the trailer and its payload) must not be exceeded.
The cars max tow weight must be exceeded by the weight of the trailer, the vehicle on the trailer and weight of things in the car on the trailer (i.e. fuel, s
te in the boot, etc). (The recommended car - trailer ratio is 85% for the sake of stability). The cars tow weight must typically be reduced by any additional weight in the towing vehicle including passengers.
The whole outfit must be stable (i.e. the weight on the trailer should be slightly forward of the axle giving an appropriate noseweight on the towball).
If you passed your test after 1996 (if you sat the theory test) then the entire outfit must not be capable of legally weighing more than 3500kgs. Even if the outfit weighs less than 3500kgs it is still illegal to drive it without Cat B+E on you license if the trailers capable load and the cars capable load exceeds 3500kgs.
That's all off the top of my head and might not be 100% accurate - I tow a caravan that's far lighter than my car allows (just to be on the safe side! - leaves plenty of performance to overtake other caravans doing 30 in a 60 too!)
The trailers MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissable Laden Mass - the weight of the trailer and its payload) must not be exceeded.
The cars max tow weight must be exceeded by the weight of the trailer, the vehicle on the trailer and weight of things in the car on the trailer (i.e. fuel, s
te in the boot, etc). (The recommended car - trailer ratio is 85% for the sake of stability). The cars tow weight must typically be reduced by any additional weight in the towing vehicle including passengers.The whole outfit must be stable (i.e. the weight on the trailer should be slightly forward of the axle giving an appropriate noseweight on the towball).
If you passed your test after 1996 (if you sat the theory test) then the entire outfit must not be capable of legally weighing more than 3500kgs. Even if the outfit weighs less than 3500kgs it is still illegal to drive it without Cat B+E on you license if the trailers capable load and the cars capable load exceeds 3500kgs.
That's all off the top of my head and might not be 100% accurate - I tow a caravan that's far lighter than my car allows (just to be on the safe side! - leaves plenty of performance to overtake other caravans doing 30 in a 60 too!)
Edited by flakeypaul on Wednesday 30th June 21:44
^^^^ What he said ^^^^
Remembering that if the car being towed is a non-runner then it will not only have no power steering but also no assistance on the brakes too! - doesn't give you much time to react when you're only 6 feet from the car pulling you! I found best practice was for the towcar to use its engine only and the car being towed to do the braking (stops any risk or arse-ending the towcar!). Of course this requires lots thinking ahead and gentle use of the controls!
Remembering that if the car being towed is a non-runner then it will not only have no power steering but also no assistance on the brakes too! - doesn't give you much time to react when you're only 6 feet from the car pulling you! I found best practice was for the towcar to use its engine only and the car being towed to do the braking (stops any risk or arse-ending the towcar!). Of course this requires lots thinking ahead and gentle use of the controls!
Edited by flakeypaul on Wednesday 30th June 22:20
flakeypaul said:
^^^^ What he said ^^^^
Remembering that if the car being towed is a non-runner then it will not only have no power steering but also no assistance on the brakes too! - doesn't give you much time to react when you're only 6 feet from the car pulling you! I found best practice was for the towcar to use its engine only and the car being towed to do the braking (stops any risk or arse-ending the towcar!). Of course this requires lots thinking ahead and gentle use of the controls!
I found using a bar makes all the difference. And for the price of one it really is a no-brainer...Remembering that if the car being towed is a non-runner then it will not only have no power steering but also no assistance on the brakes too! - doesn't give you much time to react when you're only 6 feet from the car pulling you! I found best practice was for the towcar to use its engine only and the car being towed to do the braking (stops any risk or arse-ending the towcar!). Of course this requires lots thinking ahead and gentle use of the controls!
Edited by flakeypaul on Wednesday 30th June 22:20
Fort Jefferson said:
Alex@POD said:
IIRC if you tow it with all four wheels on the ground, it needs to be fully road legal.
Even if it's got two wheels on the road it has to be.Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff