Towing cars on trailers

[garethcolley]

Im considering not using the Nova on the road and just having it as a dedicated track car. I would therefore have to tow it to the track on the back of a trailer. Whats the rules about towing, how much heavier does the car towing the trailer need to be or does it go on physical size? Ie, could i tow it on say a Vectra with no issues, or would it need to be a van or 4x4?

Thanks in advance. :thumb:

[let_nova]

rough idea
1.When towing a trailer you are restricted to a maximum speed of 50mph on single carriageway roads, and 60mph on dual carriageways and motorways, provided no lower limit is in force. In the UK you are not allowed to use the outside lane of a three or more, lane motorway when towing, except where there are lane closures which restrict the lanes to two or less, or when instructed to do so by the Police.

2.If you tow a small trailer without brakes, the weight of the trailer is limited to 50% of the kerb weight of the car or 750kg, whichever is less.

3. When towing larger trailers that have brakes fitted, the weight of the vehicle should not (as a rule of thumb) exceed 85% of the kerb weight of the towing vehicle. If brakes are fitted they must work whether they are a legal requirement or not.

4. Most vehicle manufacturers state the maximum towing limit in their hand books, but you must bear in mind the total weight including passengers and luggage, also any items put in the caravan or trailer. The weight can soon add up.

5. You must be licensed to tow. You need C1 to drive vehicles exceeding 3.5t mam (Maximum Authorised Mass) with a trailer exceeding 750kgs mam and B+E to drive a car/car derived van or small goods vehicle not exceeding 3.5t mam pulling a trailer exceeding 750kgs mam up to the gross train weight of the vehicle concerned.

6. Whilst towing you must have third party cover for your trailer as well as for the tow car.

7. If you are towing a boat with an outboard motor you must use a reinforced plastic bag or bucket or the propeller and outboard legs. Similarly masts there must be no sharp edges which could cause injury.

8. The lightboard should be no more than 1.5m from the ground or 2.1m if the structure of the vehicle makes it impracticable. Indicators must flash in unison with those of the towcar and a dashboard warning light or buzzer must be fitted.

9. The number plate on the trailer must be identical in shape, and colour to that on the towcar.

Towing Tips


1. Make sure your trailer is regularly serviced and maintained. It is not wise to leave your trailer unused for the majority of the year before taking it out on the road without checking it for serviceability, brakes and tyres in particular.

2. If your trailer has brakes, a common problem that may occur is that brake cables and linkages could seize. This may cause the brakes to bind, over heating the wheel bearings. This may result in the wheel, complete with the hub assembly, parting company with the trailer.

3. Check all lights are working and that electrical cables do not drag on the road.

4. Many problems associated with towing a trailer are caused by incorrect loading. Try to put all heavy items over the axle and make sure they are secured to prevent movement when cornering or braking. If possible, put heavier items in the car and larger lighter items in the trailer.

5. The trailer should be level.

6. If towing in France it is recommended that a complete set of replacement light bulbs and a warning triangle is carried in the car.

7. As long as the trailer is evenly loaded, nose weight is correct and the whole outfit sits level on the road you are unlikely to experience a problem with snaking.

8.A stabiliser will reduce snaking by increasing the turning friction between towing vehicle and trailer. However a stabiliser will not compensate for bad loading, weight distribution.

[Welsh Dan]

rough idea
5. You must be licensed to tow. You need C1 to drive vehicles exceeding 3.5t mam (Maximum Authorised Mass) with a trailer exceeding 750kgs mam and B+E to drive a car/car derived van or small goods vehicle not exceeding 3.5t mam pulling a trailer exceeding 750kgs mam up to the gross train weight of the vehicle concerned.


Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_10013073

With a class B license you can still pull a reasonable trailer provided you've got the towcar for it.

Example:

http://www.xen0phobiak.f2s.com/mondeo_vin.jpg

The MAM for my Mondeo is 2035KG, and its unladen weight is around 1535KG. The combined MAMs must be less than 3500kg, so 3500-2035=1465kg. With my class B license I could tow* a trailer with a MAM of up to 1465KG. If I had a B+E license then the GWT or Gross Train Weight for the car of 3750kg would be the limit, meaning I could tow a MAM of 1715kg.

*I don't have a towbar fitted yet

Everything towing related goes off a MAM or Maximum Authorised Mass, which is the maximum permittable combination of the mass of the vehicle or trailer plus its load.

If a trailer has a MAM exceeding what you and your vehicle can tow, its an offense to tow it even if it is not loaded.

[supernovaxe]

mate, can i just say, dont even bother with a trailer. invest in an A frame, their more reliable than a trailor, easyier to use and much easier to store. ive towed a mk5 astra over 400 miles and it was like there was nothing attached to me, rally easy to drive with and as long as you and the car you are towing doesnt exceed 3.5t then your all good on a normal liscense. all you need is a fully working tow board with lights and number plate, ive used mine about 20 times now on all differnet cars, have to say its the best £180 i ever spent!:thumb:

[let_nova]

i just copied and pasted

[16v Nova Kev]

it sucks im 28 this year and my licence does not permit me to pull a car on a trailer:(

[let_nova]

sit your test. im only 23.........

[16v Nova Kev]

what test

[Paul]

Yes it does

[Welsh Dan]

The Class E test.

[Welsh Dan]

mate, can i just say, dont even bother with a trailer. invest in an A frame, their more reliable than a trailor, easyier to use and much easier to store. ive towed a mk5 astra over 400 miles and it was like there was nothing attached to me, rally easy to drive with and as long as you and the car you are towing doesnt exceed 3.5t then your all good on a normal liscense. all you need is a fully working tow board with lights and number plate, ive used mine about 20 times now on all differnet cars, have to say its the best £180 i ever spent!:thumb:

Thats fine while you get away with it, but an A frame is only supposed to be used for recovery, not for transport, in the eyes of the law.

[garethcolley]

Thanks for all the info guys, i'll go through it this evening as im currently at work.

[brucer]

Thats fine while you get away with it, but an A frame is only supposed to be used for recovery, not for transport, in the eyes of the law.

Agreed, ive got an a frame and its a good bit of kit. The police dont necessary know the law on them themselves.

Ive used mine on my nova and manta with no problems. Only problem is, is that they wont always suit every type of bottom arm. The novas one is perfect though. Also to mention if the car was low then the frame may foul the bumper.

Id like to get a trailer instead,but unsure of if I can use one on my license.

[ChrisMk1]

You would need to take a trailer test IF you have passed your car driving test after the 1st of Jan 1997.
Before that date you would qualify on the old test rules.
I have used both, trailer & A Frame for moving my Mk1 about with a Vectra B.
Personally, i preferred the trailer, The A frame is a quick loading bit of kit, but if you're just doing track days and have an off, it would be easier to drag it onto the trailer than dragging up the motorways with 3 wheels on.
Most truck/van driving schools have a caravan/trailer course, so may be worth having a look at it.
There is a big variety of trailers for sale, but a few bargains about if you are not in a rush to buy one.

Chris

[burgo]

i much prefer towing with a trailer. much easier than a dolly or A frame. not that i have done any towing you understand ;)

[Paul]

YOU CAN TOW ON A CLASS B LICENSE IF:

The Maximum authorised mass of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the vehicle. And the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes.

So for example:

I have a Woodford Lightweight trailer, which weighs 320kg. The heaviest load i can put on there is 980kg. The maximum authorised mass of the trailer is therefore:

320+980= 1300kg

So the trailer will have a plate on it stating:

M.A.M 1300KG
Payload 980KG

My Vectra B Saloon GSi weights 1379kg.

Therefore the unladen weight of the Vectra exceeds the M.A.M. of the trailer and I can tow it with my Vectra.

Now:
trailer + Car = must be under 3.5tonnes M.A.M.
1300kg M.A.M. + 1900kg = 3200KG

Therefore I CAN tow the trailer with my Vectra on a Class B license.

Ignore any other nonsense anyone else tells you. THIS IS THE LAW as confirmed on multiple occasions by the DVLA.

[burgo]

i know you can but i was using my nova to tow. which weighs 740kgs lol the fiesta alone weighed that

[Welsh Dan]

What's the Gross Train Weight of the Vectra Paul? It probably doesn't affect you, but it might affect others with different tow cars.

In addition to what Paul said, trailer MAM and car MAM must be under 3.5 tonnes, not just weigh under 3.5 tonnes.

[Paul]

In addition to what Paul said, trailer MAM and car MAM must be under 3.5 tonnes, not just weigh under 3.5 tonnes.

No its the gross weight that must not exceed 3.5t not the MAM as far as im aware?

[Welsh Dan]

According to the link in my main post:


a vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.25 tonnes could be driven by the holder of a category B entitlement. This is because the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes and also the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle

Its easier for them to enforce it that way - they just need to check the plates on the vehicle and trailer plus the categories on the drivers license.

[Paul]

I stand corrected. I will edit my post

[MattBrown]

**do not take this advice**

An officer told me, when I got pulled towing with the 1.0 nova, that if I don't do my test and get cought towing, all they can do is impose a £60 fine, so surely, it's cheaper to take the risk than to pay £250 say to do both parts of te test?

I know it's not the best idea, but it doesn't seem rediculous?

And the trailer I was using that day. Was a cut up caravan, he wasn't even arsed about it! Lol

he said, "if the plates aren't there" how can I check them?

I was pulled, as I had loads of car bits on the trialer, and a motox bike, thought I was a thief lol

[Paul]

you can get done for driving 'otherwise in accordance with your license'

[MattBrown]

[QUOTE=Paul]you can get done for driving 'otherwise in accordance with your license'[/QUOTE

hence I would never do it!

Seems a massive pain in the groin tbh!

I'll just get mummy to drive me lollol

[Novasport]

Plus when you stack the lot as can be easily done by an inexperienced driver, the insurance company will give you the finger and walk away!

[supernovaxe]

a frame

[brucer]

ok, so to clarify.... i passed my test in 2005, i havnt taken a trailor test. i drive a vectra b hatch (would presume the MAM and all that is the same as what has been said previous) so i could legally tow a trailor with a nova on aslong as it doesnt exceed the trailors payload weight+ trailor+vectras weight. which is most likely possible as the novas very light??

what about insurance? someone mentioned that the tow'd vehicle has to be insured?

[blue_peg_16v]

ok, so to clarify.... i passed my test in 2005, i havnt taken a trailor test. i drive a vectra b hatch (would presume the MAM and all that is the same as what has been said previous) so i could legally tow a trailor with a nova on aslong as it doesnt exceed the trailors payload weight+ trailor+vectras weight. which is most likely possible as the novas very light??

what about insurance? someone mentioned that the tow'd vehicle has to be insured?

if the towed vehicle has all 4 wheels off the ground it isnt being used on a public highway so dosent need to be insured

the trailer will only be covered for 3rd party damage to other vehicles whilst attached to your veichle by your car policy so your fine legaly but if you write the whole lot off and its your fault the only thing the insurer will pay out for is the insured vehcle (tow car) and any 3rd party, trailer and nova would be your problem

and yes provided you meet the weights your fine

[brucer]

thanks for that. may look into getting a trailor. :)

[_JH_]

It doesn't matter if the average policeman knows the trailer/a-frame laws or not - VOSA do.

And it's 9 points if you're caught towing above what your licence allows. I can't remember the break down, but it is a combination of driving without the necessary entitlement and driving without insurance - which is of course invalid due to lack of entitlement.

It's pretty obvious judging by the replies as to who tows regurlarly/knows the law and who is just replying for the sake of it lol

[Hobbit]

Now what you need is a licence like mine...

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p72/wiggardywoo/img007.jpg

then you can tow what you like :d :p

[burgo]

show off

[Welsh Dan]

Now what you need is a licence like mine...

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p72/wiggardywoo/img007.jpg

then you can tow what you like :d :p


I don't see suicide kart on there! :p.

[scott.parker]

All this legality smiz and taking tests due to passing after 97 etc is totally why I'm not bothering with the trailor i have, it's just not worth the extra hassle/money etc, and IMO it was the government again putting red tape every ware to gain more revenue..

I understand it's all necessary NOW but if it was so important why don't they make my dad take this test??

It's just like the hidden tax of being made to re-apply for the cad license to change the photo every 10 years, hidden tax, just think how much the government is getting from all the driving license each year that need new photo cards!!

*reminds me, need to do mine* lol