Car trailer hire - central Scotland?

[Davie]

Bit of a complicated one this...

Basically, as I only have a cat B license I can only tow up to a maximum of 3500kg which is fine as I've worked out the unladen weight of my car is 1400kg, the car I'm towing is 1000kg and thus I have 900kg to play with (give or take) however whilst most trailer weigh less than this, it's based on their plated weight and so I'd need a trailer with a plated weight of 2000kg or less.

I've rung a couple of places who do trailer hire and both have a 3.5T trailer, which is an instant non no for me as that plus my car is more than I'm allowed to tow. So, I'm looking for a company in the central belt who hire out trailers that have a lower carrying capacity. 2 tons or below.

Anybody able to recommend?

Regards

[TWJPToyota]

Get someone with the proper license to sit with you while towing with 'L' plates on. problem solved

[Davie]

TWJPToyota said:

Get someone with the proper license to sit with you while towing with 'L' plates on. problem solved

Feel free to correct me, but surely that can't be legal? Plus, L plates on a car with a laden car trailer would be like a red rag to a bull as far as the police are concerned!

[chrisblades]

Not centrally located, but depending on how desperate you are, might be worth considering Sandy at;

http://www.inverurietrailerhire.co.uk/

It would be a couple of hours each way to collect/return the trailer but depending on your project that might not be such a big deal.

[Davie]

Thanks Chris. Seems he has a smaller trailer plated at 2.1 tons which would in theory be ok assuming my car does indeed have an unladen mass of 1400kg (though I suspect it'll be more on a weighbridge) however taking the cost of two round trips to him into account, plus hire costs and the trip south to collect the car... we may actually be better off using the likes of Shipley for a straight pick up and deliver.

Appreciate the efforts though chap, cheers.

[Allandwf]

Fife Trailer Centre

Carnock Rd,
Dunfermline
Fife
http://www.locatrade.com/business/GB-2022284.htm
KY12 9NX
01383-850325

Hired one from here many years ago, not sure if they still have it.

[OlberJ]

There's a place just off the M77 i've used before that do the smaller trailers IIRC.

Fen something or other. Sorry i can't be more help but they were good trailers and very reasonably priced.

[Humper]

OlberJ said:

There's a place just off the M77 i've used before that do the smaller trailers IIRC.

Fen something or other. Sorry i can't be more help but they were good trailers and very reasonably priced.

Fenwick Motors, aka Fenwick Mobile Exhibitions. The guy you're looking for is Ross McGillvary. Though afaik all their trailers are 3 ton tilting jobs ( look for a post by me in the classic car bit, my Vitesse is on one )

[TWJPToyota]

Davie said:

Feel free to correct me, but surely that can't be legal? Plus, L plates on a car with a laden car trailer would be like a red rag to a bull as far as the police are concerned!

How else do you learn? I know a few people that do it as its the only way to learn how to drive with a trailer.

[Davie]

Yes, but learning will involve a trailer with a much lower plated weight - usually a small box trailer, which I can legally tow on my B class license. Anybody with a B license can tow within certain restriction, however for an E license (ie to tow heavier trailers etc) you need to sit a trailer test which involves an examiner. Once passed, you get E class entitlement. Plus I very much doubt you're taught how to tow with a fully laden car trailer?

I'm pretty confident if I towed a 3.5T plated trailer with my 1400kg car on my current B license I'd be breaking the law even with L plates and a mate with an E class license beside me.

I can legally tow a trailer just now as long as the gross train weight does not exceed 3500kg and the combined trailer weight doesn't outweigh the unladen weight of the car. So, my car weighs 1400kg, I'm looking to tow a 1000kg car so need a trailer that weighs no more than 1100kg. However, weirdly it's the plated trailer weight that also matters... so a 3.5ton plated traielr is illegal for me, even unladen as that plus the weight of the car exceeds 3500kg.

Hence, I need a trailer plated at 2tons gross... ie, 2,000kg gross weight trailer + 1400kg unladen tow car = 3,400kg and a 1400kg tow car, 1000kg load and a 400kg trailer = less than 3,500kg plus the towed weight is less than the unladen weight of the car.

Very complicated... but basically, I'm legally allowed to tow but would need a trailer plated at 2,000kg of less.

I'm sure towing a 3.5T trailer on L plates would be illegal on my license.

[OlberJ]

Is it not a case of towing a trailer with anything on it, has to come to no more than 80% of the tow car's weight?

Total weight of the whole caboodle, inc. tow car, cannot excede 3.5 tonnes?

So if you have a 1400kg tow car. Your max towable weight would be 1,120kg.s

Therefore towing a 1 tonne car on the trailer, that trailer must weigh 120kg's or less.

[Davie]

OlberJ said:

Is it not a case of towing a trailer with anything on it, has to come to no more than 80% of the tow car's weight?

Total weight of the whole caboodle, inc. tow car, cannot excede 3.5 tonnes?

So if you have a 1400kg tow car. Your max towable weight would be 1,120kg.s

Therefore towing a 1 tonne car on the trailer, that trailer must weigh 120kg's or less.

The 85% recommended towing weight is exactly that, recommended. On mine that works out at circa 1200kg however the maximum gross weight it can tow is stated at 1600kg.

On a cat B license, your total train weight cannot exceed 3500kg.

I have a 1400kg tow car, so that leaves me 2100kg. The load weighs 1,000kg so traielr can weigh 1100kg unladen.

However, the towed weight must not exceed the unladen weight of the tow car (1400kg) so in this case, if the load is 1000kg that means the trailer cannot weigh more than 400kg unladen.

But strangely, regardless of load etc... the trailer plated gross weight also comes into consideration. So a traielr weighin 500kg and a 1400kg car you'd assume was fine but only if the trailers plated goss weight + the car's unladen weight is less than 3500kg.

Hence, I could be prosecuted for towing an empty, 500kg trailer with my 1400kg car if the plated gross weight off the trailer was 2,100kg or more.

I think...

[Davie]

Humper said:

Fenwick Motors, aka Fenwick Mobile Exhibitions. The guy you're looking for is Ross McGillvary. Though afaik all their trailers are 3 ton tilting jobs ( look for a post by me in the classic car bit, my Vitesse is on one )

Gave them a ring, didn't speak to Alan but spoke to very helpful lady. Unfortunately their trailer is rated at 2750kg so again, too heavy for my license.

Thanks anyway chap.

[Davie]

I apologise if any of the information is incorrect, I'm basing my limited knowledge on the Directgov website which states:

B license
Motor vehicles with a MAM of up to 3,500 kg, no more than eight passenger seats, with or without a trailer - weighing no more than 750 kg

As category B but with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg. The total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 3,500 kg. The weight of the trailer, when fully loaded, can’t weigh more than the unladen weight of the vehicle.

Example of category B with a trailer weighing over 750 kg: Motor vehicle with an unladen weight of 1,500 kg and a maximum weight of 2,000 kg towing a fully loaded trailer with a weight of 1,500 kg – total weight 3500.

Even more weights to confuse me further but going on the example above, my car is 1415kg unladen and has a maximum weight of 2100kg so as long as the towed weight is less than 1415kg, and the gross train weight doesn't exceed 3500kg then it's ok.

What's confusing me is when it states "the weight of the trailer when fully loaded..." does that mean the unladen mass + the load or does it mean the plated gross weight regardless of load?

I think given how bloody complicated this is, I'd be better/safer getting it collected!

P.s... the man at Indespension reckoned on a B license you couldn't tow any braked outfit, only light trailers without brakes but there's no mention of that on the various official sites? It only ever refers to weights/plated weights.

[OlberJ]

When did you pass your test?

[Davie]

OlberJ said:

When did you pass your test?

November '98, thus don't have automatic E entitlement.

Found this on the Volvo forums, same information but a little clearer...

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=152...

One thing that appears here and nowhere else is this...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR B LICENCES
The Gov sites are not that good at explaining this so I have managed to find a simple way of determining whether a driver can tow something on a B only licence -

To tow over 750 kgs with a B licence you need to say NO to the following:-
1.Is the plated MAM of the trailer more than the UNLADEN/KERB/EMPTY weight of the towing vehicle?
2.Does the GVW of the towing vehicle plus the plated MAM of the trailer add up to more than 3500 kgs?
3.Is the ACTUAL weight of the empty trailer and its load more than the listed towing capacity?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Number 1 is something until now, I wasn't aware of... and give that the PLATED gross weight of the trailer must be less than the unladen weight of the car, which in this case is 1400kg so on that note... the chances of finding a trailer with a plated gross weight of 1400kg, that can carry a 1000kg load and weigh 400kg or less unladen is looking highly unlikely.

I appreciate your input gents but it's looking like unless I sit a trailer test, I won't be able to do what I want (ie tow a loaded car trailer) and so I'll need to look into some alternatives.

I've found a company who hire car transporters, failing that... Shipley.

Many thanks

[OlberJ]

It's about £100 to sit your trailer test IIRC.

[Davie]

OlberJ said:

It's about £100 to sit your trailer test IIRC.

£115 is the recommended price rising to £145 on bank holidays, evenings etc. There are a few local companies doing it for £70 however most recommend a minimum of a one day tuition even if 'experienced' with prices starting at £300 all in to well over £500 for a more intensive course. Given I've rarely got the need to tow anything lardy, I'm really not sure if it's a worthwhile exercise just now. Certainly not worth it for a one off journey.

Actually quite surprised at how expensive it is.