Towing rules

[Jack]

I'm thinking that at some point I'll need to invest in a trailer to drag the super bee round with, but everywhere I look seems to have completely different information on what weights you can and can't tow. Can anyone shed any light on the subject?

Some people have said that so long as the trailer + load are within the towing limits for the vehicle it's fine; e.g. towing a 500kg trailer with an 800kg Nova on a car that can pull 1400kg. But then I've seen other people saying that the tow car needs to be able to pull the maximum weight, so if you have (for example) a 500kg trailer with a 2000kg max load, the tow car would need to be capable of pulling 2500kg. Even if you only had a 800kg Nova on it.

[brucer]

If you'l be towing the bee then you'l no doubt need a full trailer license.

in your first example the trailer would have to be plated less than the vehicle weight and total less than 3.5t

Tow vehicles gross train weight as plated cant be exceeded. Although you can max at 3.5t some vehicles are 3.2t etc

Eg. 1600kg loaded car + trailer plated 1300kg = 2900kg

[Royston]

How heavy is the Super Bee, a little more than a Nova!

best place to look is the dvla web site, been covered on here many times, have you used the search function

I suspect it will be difficult to get a combination to pull the Super Bee within the requirements not to require B + E licence

[Jack]

Yeah, I plan on getting a trailer licence, realised pretty early on I'll need one!

The DVLA website is a bit thin on info, all it says is that the MAM of car + trailer shouldn't be more than 3.5t (or more if you have B+E) and that most cars have maximum towing weights:

Licences held from 1 January 1997
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 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
For anything heavier you need to take a category B+E driving test.
...
2. Car towing weight and width limits
Most cars have a maximum weight they can tow. It’s usually listed in the handbook or specification sheet.

Alternatively the vehicle’s ‘gross train weight’ may be listed on the vehicle identification number (VIN) plate on the car. This is normally under the bonnet or inside the driver’s door.

The gross train weight is the weight of the fully-loaded car plus fully-loaded trailer and must not be exceeded.

If your VIN plate doesn’t list a train weight, you should not use your vehicle for towing.

That second bit doesn't say if the max towing weight applies to a trailer MAM or actual weight. And there's various other websites out there with completely differing information, the concerning bit being that most of them are supposedly driving school websites.

Sooo... let's say I have a trailer that weighs 600kg and has a max load of 2000kg, i.e. MAM of 2600kg. I would need a car that a) weighs 2600kg+, b) can tow 2600kg and c) has a max train weight within the limit of the car and is under 8.something tons for the B+E licence?

I did use the search, all it came up with was threads about shonky nova GSi tow cover flaps for £100

[Iain]

I would have thought all the DVLA info is regarding what you can and can't do on your licence, not what is legal in terms of vehicle/trailer combinations.

I've not thoroughly looked into the rules so I won't offer any opinions, but you can have trailers replated if you're still unsure upon buying one.

[Iain]

This is the only info I can find to imply it's fine to tow a higher rated trailer, which isn't an official source in the slightest. http://www.barlowtrailers.co.uk/Trai...ht-Information

[total_vauxhall]

What jack has posted there is correct you can tow a combined weight of upto 3.5 without b+e anything over you need b+e .

However your trailer / stuff on it should not weigh more than the vehicle you are using to tow it with unless it states on the vin plate it can like landrover defender ect . In other words you cant tow a trailer with a cav on with a nova even though you would be under 3.5 still

[pottersrebel]

its as above but you also need to make sure the vehicle your towing with also is rated to tow the weight it is towing which should be stated on the vin plate. its a legal mine field tbh I rang the dvla and vosa numurous times stating all the weights etc and got told different answers depending on who I spoke too, 50% percent of the time I was ok. the interesting thing is if you have the right vehicle,trailer etc but not the towing part on your licence you can still tow it with L plates on and a legal driver (pre97) as a passenger

[Southie]

What year did you pass your test

Licences held before 1 January 1997

If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you’re generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM.
This is the weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely when it’s being used on the road.
You also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM.

[Will F]

I have towed A LOT and due to the ambiguous nature of the 'rules' and 'regs' I've never been stopped/questioned... I am just sensible - and work by the above facts that if the trailer/car weigh more than the car pulling it then you're OK!