antnee
Member
Registered: 30th Dec 07
Location: Cov Drives: Clio 197
User status: Offline
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I understand the rules if you passed your test after 97 and don't have the +E catagory, but what are the towing laws if you have taken and passed the +E catagory regarding car and trailer weights? Is the limit just increased?
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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If you have +E then you can tow a trailer up to the weight limit of the car you're using to tow with.
There is no train limit of 3.5t and there is no requirement for the car to be heavier than the trailer.
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antnee
Member
Registered: 30th Dec 07
Location: Cov Drives: Clio 197
User status: Offline
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So if I got the +E I could get a beefy trailer instead of some lightweight thing to tow with as long as the tow car is still heavier?
Have you done your +E? How much did you pay?
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Chris F
Show Staff
Organiser: East Anglia
Premium Member
Registered: 26th Dec 05
Location: Newmarket Drives: Escort Van 1.8
User status: Offline
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I hate these laws, warren swerves them like a boss tho.
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Basically you can tow anything that weighs equal to or less than your tow car's max towing limit as long as it fits within certain dimensions which iirc are 7 metres long by 2.55 metres wide. I have seen something saying that a trailer can't be more than 2 feet wider than the tow vehicle but I'm not sure how up to date that is as it's obviously using an imperial measurement.
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by antnee
So if I got the +E I could get a beefy trailer instead of some lightweight thing to tow with as long as the tow car is still heavier?
Have you done your +E? How much did you pay?
You could tow anything that your tow car is plated to do, full stop. Like my Disco can tow 3.5t even though it only weighs 2.2.
I didn't pay anything, joys of being an old bastard.
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antnee
Member
Registered: 30th Dec 07
Location: Cov Drives: Clio 197
User status: Offline
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Hmmm, this could work for me. I haven't got anywhere to store a trailer, but have 2 I could borrow which are both over 1500kg MAM, if I take the test and get a suitable tow vehicle I should be fine to use either of them 
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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My +E was £450 all in. With the +E there's no requirement for the tow car to outweigh the trailer, it is the better balance to have though. I towed with the BMW at the weekend and even though the car was still heavier than the trailer and Corsa, you could feel trailer movement more than I can when towing with the Transit which has at least an extra 400kg over the BMW.
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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I'm glad I did the +E rather than trying to work around it with light cars and trailers etc. Willay will tell you the same too, the training alone makes it a lot less daunting when you first take a trailer out alone.
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Graham88
Member
Registered: 16th Apr 07
Location: South East Kent Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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Is the trailer weight taken into account aswell as the car when calculating towing weight? I'd presume it is
[Edited on 01-05-2012 by Graham88]
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Yeah
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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Yeah total weight as hitched up, doesn't matter about the ratio between the trailer and the cargo.
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Chris x
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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Im guessing im not allowed to do this then? Im 22. 
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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Yeah that's probably an overloaded trailer which weighs more than the tow car and over 3.5t in total. Three offences and that's before you check the load index on the trailer tyres.
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Chris x
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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Maximum load on the tyres was 600kgs each I think. Is that what you mean my load index?
If I had passed my test before 96, would it be legal? Can my Defender legally tow that trailer and Land Rover?
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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Yeah so you have 2.4t capacity on the tyres assuming the axles are loaded equally, might be OK in that case, they just looked a bit old and shit.
Old licence you should be OK, Defender is OK with that weight behind it.
What is the trailer plated to?
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Chris x
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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The whole trailer is shit IMO, only borrowed it 
Cant remember what the plate says, will have to check that.
Do you know what the maximum weight is I can tow with the Defender?
Edit: Just googled it, 3.5 t? 
[Edited on 02-05-2012 by Chris x]
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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I know it's 3.5 on new ones. Just have a look on your VIN plate, the first weight is gross vehicle weight and the second weight is max train weight so subtract the first from the second and that's what it can tow, assuming the tow bar is type approved for it.
[Edited on 02-05-2012 by Mike]
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Phillips_91
Member
Registered: 20th Jan 10
Location: Blackpool. Drives: Sapphire Black Mk4 Astra 1.8
User status: Offline
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so basically i passed my test in 09 so i could actually tow a trailer with a car on it as long as i dont total over 3.5t and my tow car is heavier than the car and trailer that im pulling? all without taking an extra test? or have i worked it out wrong?
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antnee
Member
Registered: 30th Dec 07
Location: Cov Drives: Clio 197
User status: Offline
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If the MAM of the trailer is less than the unladen weight of the tow car and the 2 combined are less than 3.5T then yes
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Phillips_91
Member
Registered: 20th Jan 10
Location: Blackpool. Drives: Sapphire Black Mk4 Astra 1.8
User status: Offline
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Learn something new everyday... i thought i couldnt tow a car full stop.
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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MAM of the trailer has to be lower than the unladen weight of the car and the MAM of the trailer plus the gross vehicle weight of the tow car can be no more than 3.5t. The actual loaded weight of the trailer needs to be within the tow cars max towing limit too.
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Phillips_91
Member
Registered: 20th Jan 10
Location: Blackpool. Drives: Sapphire Black Mk4 Astra 1.8
User status: Offline
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how do you know the max towing limit of the car?
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Look on the VIN plate, there's 4 weights on there, the top 2 are gross vehicle weight and gross train weight, subtract the gross vehicle weight from the gross train weight and that's your max towing weight.
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Adster
Member
Registered: 8th Jul 10
Location: Leyland, Lancs
User status: Offline
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Im always towing caravans too and from each depot at work
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