Trailer Towing

[Dave]

As the thread title, can I tow a trailer with my standard driving licence acquired 6 years ago.....

I have a 306, so 1,100 kg or so....

I tried to look at the dvla/government websites but everything is so grey and im thick....

I understand there are many variable, but lets say a small trailer, under 350kg.

[samass]

Ive been looking into this, and the basics are thus:
The total weight if the tow vehicle, the trailer, and the load, plus passengers/etc cannot exceed 3.5 tons.
The trailer cannot exceed 750 kg unladen, and the total laden weight of trailer plus load cannot exceed the towing capabilities of the tow car.

I'm going to.be towing my car on a trailer with a v70, and this just comes under the 3.5 t weight limit.

Lso advisable to check your insurance company to make sure they cover you for towing and that.

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So, if you tow a trailer weighing 350 kgs with your 306, no dramas.

[Daniel306]

You can tow a trailer that's under 750kg, and any thing over that you need to do the test and the trailer must have brakes

[Ruan]

EDIT: Talking out my ass:

YOU are allowed to tow:

However, if you passed your test after January 1, 1997 then these restrictions apply:

Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and no more than eight passenger seats (ie: officially dubbed Category B vehicles and are typical cars) with a 750kg trailer (4.25 tonnes total Maximum Authorised Mass or MAM).
Category B vehicles with larger trailers i.e. more than 750kg, provided that the combined Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) does not exceed 3.5 tonnes and the gross MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle.

Your CAR is allowed to tow:

Trailer has no brakes (Unbraked Trailer)
Maximum 750kg gross trailer weight or half the towing vehicle's kerb weight - whichever is less.

Trailer has brakes (Braked Trailer)
Maximum 3500kg gross trailer weight.

So YOU are allowed to tow up to 750kgs, your CAR is only allowed to tow 550kgs - since half it's kerb weight is 550kgs.

[Daniel306]

Are you sure its not 750 total gross weight?

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http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Dri.../DG_192285

[Dave]

I just rang my local plod and they cant help either, f*cking useless, its hard to get a straight answer giving them the scenario you have. So assuming I have insurance cover for a trailer, I should be able to tow a tiny 350kg camping trailer?

Could always just bullshit your way past the popo if they ever pull you, but how do you get past that if you're in a smash.

I would have thought any govenment website would make this abit clearer really, makes me wonder how many people are actually legal for towing, and if they're ever pulled then the plod dont have a clue about it either so just dont worry about it....

/rant over

cheers for your input samass

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Right cheers for replies chaps, I will just go for the 550kg as ruan says...

[Ruan]

I've always taken it as MAX total of 3.5t... I.e. 3.2t van - you can only tow 300kg...

Max TRAILER of 750kg.

Then if half your VEHICLE weight is less than 750kg - you've got to go by that....

[samass]

That's basically what I'm gunna go on. After talking to the trailer rental bloke, that's what I've figured out. I reckon he should know the law about it... Eh?

[Niall]

its a difficult one. As said MAM cant total more than 3500kg. The car will have a maximum permissible towing weight which the weight of the trailer and car your putting on it cant exceed.
basically, finding a car/van that can tow a trailer and the car your towing and keeping the whole lot under 3500kg is difficult!

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I've always taken it as MAX total of 3.5t... I.e. 3.2t van - you can only tow 300kg...

Max TRAILER of 750kg.

Then if half your VEHICLE weight is less than 750kg - you've got to go by that....

nope. I spent f*cking ages looking into it when i was going to purchase a project

[kyleo92]

Make one of these 306 style

   

[Daniel306]

There was one of them for sale on ebay that had been made from a 306

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How come i see the likes of this towing 3.5 ton diggers all the time

[Dum-Dum]

Ruan I think thats wrong mate, we'll assume everyone pased after 1997.

You can tow up to 750kg unbraked if the vehicle allows it. A 306 hatch can only tow 700kg unbraked, an estate can only tow 600kg (iirc)

if your towing a braked trailer the gross train weight has to be less than 3500kg and the car has to weigh more than the trailer. You also have to bear in mind that your going off the maximum gross weight (on he plate) of the trailer not the actual weight.


I will add that towing takes some getting used to and I would advise taking a lesson in doing it or at least getting some practice in a very large and very empty car park before you actually go anywhere.

[Jonny81191]

Dum dum's right here, I'm 99% sure, I can tow the full weight of my car on a braked trailer. I.E the trailer and whatever is on it weighs less than the total weight of the towing vehicle, but obviously not exceeding the plate on the trailer.

For example, my car weighs 1200KG. Therefore, I could tow a BRAKED trailer weighing 375kg with a car weighing 825kg.

[THE_Liam]

As far as I know, having researched it online and asked coppers and trailer rental people, if a trailer is braked (the car transporters I tow now and again are), I can tow anything as long as the gross weight of car and trailer is under 3.5T and the car weighs more than the laden trailer (always used my lasses stepdads P38 Rangie so pretty much any small car is fine). I've had that from coppers, trailer rental people and forums, so I go with that

[Dave]

Ruan I think thats wrong mate, we'll assume everyone pased after 1997.

You can tow up to 750kg unbraked if the vehicle allows it. A 306 hatch can only tow 700kg unbraked, an estate can only tow 600kg (iirc)

if your towing a braked trailer the gross train weight has to be less than 3500kg and the car has to weigh more than the trailer. You also have to bear in mind that your going off the maximum gross weight (on he plate) of the trailer not the actual weight.


I will add that towing takes some getting used to and I would advise taking a lesson in doing it or at least getting some practice in a very large and very empty car park before you actually go anywhere.

Cheers for that Chris,

Ive got no issue towing and manoeuvring as used to tow lots before (but stopped because thought it was illegal haha)

[Toms306]

To save starting another thread.....

My dads got the older licence...because he's old lol. If I can borrow a trailer, would my dad be able to tow the golf on a trailer, on his y reg mondeo estate?

Answers on a postcard please, I get easily confused.

[samass]

if his license qualifies him to drive up to 7.5 ton, then yes

[Jonny81191]

as long as his car is heavier than the golf and trailer combined

[samass]

oh yeah, that too

[Niall]

providing he passed his test before 1997! there was a very very brief period they were issuing the paper licences on 3.5t

[Toms306]

He passed his test in the 70s lol. . He also used to drive royal mail lorries so I'd guess that's ok. It's just the weight thing then, I've no idea how much the mondy weighs tbh!

[Niall]

check the towing weight of the mondeo! Make sure the car + trailer = less than the towing weight of the mondeo. This whole make sure it isnt heavier than the towing car cant really happen if you dont exceed the towing weight of the towing car....if that makes sense

[Jonny81191]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ford+mondeo+estate+weight

[samass]

or look on the vin plate. thats the first thing the po po will look at if they pull you over if they have any suspicion.

[Toms306]

V6 mondeo braked towing weight is 1800kg. Hmm, trailer can't wiegh 200kg so I'd assume its ok....

[samass]

car trailers usually weigh around 500kg. ask the hire company

[Jonny81191]

500? sounds heavy... last time I used one it was 375.

[Niall]

the one i was going to hire was a twin axle braked one capable of carrying 1900kg car and that was a tad over 400kg

[samass]

just going by the company im gunna use, they said thats what theirs weighed. to be fair, they are pretty hench trailers...

[Jonny81191]

I reckon you'll be pushing it with the mondeo, Tom.

If you've got to hire a trailer anyway and your Dad's happy to help/drive, why not just hire a transit flatbed? Then you know you're good to go.