Have a question about Towing and my legal limit with my drivers license. I have a standard Category B licence

 

I passed my test in October 2011 , which means i cannot drive as much as the pre 97 drivers can, However what it does say on the DVLA website is:

 

If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can:

• drive a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
• tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

Looking at the 2nd point, does this mean i could tow a 1000kg Trailer, with a 1000kg car (on the trailer), provided the tow car was under the remaining 1500kg weight allowance?

 

i.e. 1000 + 1000 + 1500 = 3500kg. or in other terms 1500kg Towing Vehicle with a 2000kg trailer? (although i have been told its not sensible to tow more than the towing cars weight)

I don't think so as at 2.0T the trailer and load will seriously exceed the towing capacity of the car.

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I don't think so as at 2.0T the trailer and load will seriously exceed the towing capacity of the car.

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it was a bad example as i picked numers out of the air. 

 

So its a juggling act of getting a vehicle with sufficient towing capacity and keeping it under the 3.5T limit?

I would suspect that you would not be able to tow more than about 1.5T.

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The Yeti fits that category; a shade under 1500kg with a towing weight of 2000kg - do you know of one you could borrow?

The Yeti fits that category; a shade under 1500kg with a towing weight of 2000kg - do you know of one you could borrow?

 

So if i were to use for example a Yeti, on my current driving license i should be fine?

My understanding (passed in 2011) is that you can have a train weight of up to 3500kg, but the towing limit of the towing vehicle mustn't be exceeded. So if you could find a 1500kg car with a towing limit of 2000kg, you could tow a 1000kg trailer + 1000kg car with it, but I'll think you'll struggle to do that.

 

I suppose if you could find a light trailer, you could have more options

The Yeti fits that category; a shade under 1500kg with a towing weight of 2000kg - do you know of one you could borrow?

Is that braked?

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You can drive upto 3500kg maximum train weight (combination of everything car and trailer)

 

Its not the actual weight either its what the car chassis plate and trailer plate says,

 

If you look on cars chassis plate it has 4 weights on it

 

1st one is max front axle weight

2nd is max rear axle weight

3rd is max car weight

4th is max train weight

 

So if the 4th weight is above 3500kg then you have to be careful what trailer you put on back,

 

If 4th is above 3500kg then the 3rd number and trailer must not exceed 3500kg

 

my octy vrs can tow braked 1300kg so i can tow my 1300kg trailer fully loaded as the 4th figure is below 3500kg

 

I also have a car trailer with a plate weight of 1700kg but as my octy can only tow 1300kg i can only put 900kg on it as the trailer already weighs 400kg

 

It is all very complicated and ill be suprised if many police offices actually know the law

Have a question about Towing and my legal limit with my drivers license. I have a standard Category B licence

 

I passed my test in October 2011 , which means i cannot drive as much as the pre 97 drivers can, However what it does say on the DVLA website is:

 

If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can:

• drive a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
• tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

Looking at the 2nd point, does this mean i could tow a 1000kg Trailer, with a 1000kg car (on the trailer), provided the tow car was under the remaining 1500kg weight allowance?

 

i.e. 1000 + 1000 + 1500 = 3500kg. or in other terms 1500kg Towing Vehicle with a 2000kg trailer? (although i have been told its not sensible to tow more than the towing cars weight)

 

No, as the gross weight of the trailer, which includes the load, would be 2000kg, and therefore greater than the kerb weight of the car. at 1500kg. You've missed out the next paragraph of the Legislation that says the total trailer weight cannot be greater than the kerb weight of the towing vehicle.

How does a braked or non braked trailer have an effect on the towing weight?

Is that braked?

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Any trailer with a maximum loaded weight of more than 750kg has to be braked.

No, as the gross weight of the trailer, which includes the load, would be 2000kg, and therefore greater than the kerb weight of the car. at 1500kg. You've missed out the next paragraph of the Legislation that says the total trailer weight cannot be greater than the kerb weight of the towing vehicle.

 

Dont think you read my OP properly

 

i.e. 1000 + 1000 + 1500 = 3500kg. or in other terms 1500kg Towing Vehicle with a 2000kg trailer? (although i have been told its not sensible to tow more than the towing cars weight)

 

as in a 2000kg Gross weight of the trailer including load.

 

and i was only going by the infomation provided on this webpage: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/driving-licence-rules-and-what-you-can-tow

How does a braked or non braked trailer have an effect on the towing weight?

 

A braked trailer is generally more than 750kg, although I have known trailers of less than that braked.

Generally anyone can tow a 750kg trailer, as long as that is not greater than the kerb weight of the car.

One extra piece of info I found on trailers, if it isn't plated with the mass etc, vosa treat it as the combined weight of the load rating of the tyres, so a 750kg trailer with 2 tyres rated at 1 ton is in effect a 2 ton load.

How does a braked or non braked trailer have an effect on the towing weight?

If the trailer is braked then when the towing car brakes the trailer brakes also activate. Braking is shared between the car and the trailer.

If the trailer is unbraked then the towing car assumes all the braking for the car and trailer combined.

 

So a braked trailer is allowed to carry more weight than an unbraked trailer for the same towing vehicle.

All you have to remember is you can struggle and tow a car on a trailer with a focus or drive a Land Rover discovery and tow a Harold's special 50kg box trailer.

If you going to be towing regularly stump up do the useless course and test. For around the £700 it costs. But remember this corse is basically a driving test with a trailer on the back. It dies not tell you how to best load a trailer/caravan for safe use

What are you wanting to tow Taylor? Have you seen a trailer you want to buy or are you thinking of borrowing one that's in a lockup in the East End!

If you need any help with needing a driver for collecting something, you only have to ask.

It was mentioned yesterday when i was in the said east end garage and i was wondering about whether i could actually use a Yeti to tow a 1000kg car on a 500kg trailer with my current license.

It is as has already been said, all about the plated weights.

Or get yourself CE on your licence, that's fun!

It was mentioned yesterday when i was in the said east end garage and i was wondering about whether i could actually use a Yeti to tow a 1000kg car on a 500kg trailer with my current license.

 

See my first post,

 

I paid 500 to get my trailer licence altho failed it on the first attempt when a car pulled out on me on a rounderbout so had to take test twice,

 

It dropped quiet lucky as i ended up buying a volvo xc90 and that has nearly a 5000kg Max authorised weight on chassis plate and 2000kg towing weight

So if i were to use for example a Yeti, on my current driving license i should be fine?

Yes. Its only when it strays over 3.5 ton that an additional trailer licence is needed.

Or atleast i think thats what my local training centre told me.

The trailer test is about the same as the bike test. So £500-£600 all in. So not something youd pay just because 'it'd be nice to have' like i was thinking when i looked into it

Yes. Its only when it strays over 3.5 ton that an additional trailer licence is needed.

Or atleast i think thats what my local training centre told me.

The trailer test is about the same as the bike test. So £500-£600 all in. So not something youd pay just because 'it'd be nice to have' like i was thinking when i looked into it

Spot on Oli, been looking at doing it in the next year or two so I can get my own car transporter trailer for the forever breaking down fleet

Just be aware that not all the Yeti models have the same allowed towing weights. They range from 1200Kgs at the lower end and up to 2100Kgs at the top end, all for braked trailers. Unbraked range from 670Kgs to 750Kg

If you are not sure what your car can tow then check out Parkers Guide.

Look under car reviews and then facts and figures then select your vehicle and it should list the vehicle weight and towing weights.