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[Nick W]

When you see some of the mismatched units out on the road I really wonder how the driver would cope in unfortunate situation, last year I saw a caravan with its arse end nearly scraping the surface of the motorway , it was eventually stopped by one of the  highways agency vehicles we saw it being escorted into the services.

Lots of trailer owners have never serviced them, or even checked the tyres.
Many people massively overload them.
There are lots of homemade trailers that are utterly inadequate.
One of the better things to come out of the licence changes was the need for drivers new to towing to take some instruction.

[Rangie]

Got to agree with you there , but how often do you see Police doing any kind of checks now ? I bet a lot of drivers haven't got a clue about tyre pressures & age advice on tyres trouble is now with lack of foreign holidays there will be a lot of old & non serviced units taking to the road for the first time.

[Doctor Gollum]

DVSA are pretty hot on that sort of thing. And they don't take prisoners.

[johnnydog]

I have regularly towed a twin axle car transporter with my 3.2 saloon, with varying vehicles on it. Whilst it towed everything I have asked it to, and towed them very well I might add, I'm certain some vehicles on it would have been 'technically' and 'legally' putting the outfit over the maximum permitted train weight (or maw).
Car transporters are a lot heavier when laden than caravans, but tow a great deal better due to being twin or triple axles and not being 'slab sided'.
As stated earlier, many trailer are poorly maintained, and look like home made outfits. I have have always worked on the assumption that if an outfit (car and trailer plus load) looks ''the part" and is well balanced (towbar not scraping the road surface for example - one benefit of self levelling suspension), and is being towed sensibly (the trailer for example is not controlling the car on a downhill), the driver appears to 'know' how to tow a trailer, the load is strapped correctly, all lights work, the no.plates correspond etc etc, then it is not going to attract attention.
I do maintain my trailers well, they look the business, and despite being possibly a little over the maximum authorised weights on the odd occasion, I have passed VOSA vehicles, Motorway Police vehicles, and they have not batted an eyelid. I accept that you shouldn't be overweight, and I wouldn't suggest to anyone to be overweight, but I strongly believe that if an outfit looks right, and is not 'a puller' visually to the authorities, you will be left alone.
Before anyone says it, I do know about the argument about 'if something went wrong'.....

[Andy B]

....

One of the better things to come out of the licence changes was the need for drivers new to towing to take some instruction.

But you don't if your outfit is less than 3500kg and the trailer is not heavier than the car. A novice driver (I don't know if you now need to have had your licence for so long before you can tow) can hook up a 1740kg trailer to his/her 1750 car & off they go .... but they'd not be allowed to use my 2200kg car even though it'd be far safer.

[Doctor Gollum]

....

One of the better things to come out of the licence changes was the need for drivers new to towing to take some instruction.

But you don't if your outfit is less than 3500kg and the trailer is not heavier than the car. A novice driver (I don't know if you now need to have had your licence for so long before you can tow) can hook up a 1740kg trailer to his/her 1750 car & off they go .... but they'd not be allowed to use my 2200kg car even though it'd be far safer.

Only if you have +E on your car entitlement 

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

[Broomies Mate]

Only if you have +E on your car entitlement 

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

Licences issued from 1 January 1997

If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can:

    drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (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

Isn't that what Andy said?

[Doctor Gollum]

I have regularly towed a twin axle car transporter with my 3.2 saloon, with varying vehicles on it. Whilst it towed everything I have asked it to, and towed them very well I might add, I'm certain some vehicles on it would have been 'technically' and 'legally' putting the outfit over the maximum permitted train weight (or maw).
Car transporters are a lot heavier when laden than caravans, but tow a great deal better due to being twin or triple axles and not being 'slab sided'.
As stated earlier, many trailer are poorly maintained, and look like home made outfits. I have have always worked on the assumption that if an outfit (car and trailer plus load) looks ''the part" and is well balanced (towbar not scraping the road surface for example - one benefit of self levelling suspension), and is being towed sensibly (the trailer for example is not controlling the car on a downhill), the driver appears to 'know' how to tow a trailer, the load is strapped correctly, all lights work, the no.plates correspond etc etc, then it is not going to attract attention.
I do maintain my trailers well, they look the business, and despite being possibly a little over the maximum authorised weights on the odd occasion, I have passed VOSA vehicles, Motorway Police vehicles, and they have not batted an eyelid. I accept that you shouldn't be overweight, and I wouldn't suggest to anyone to be overweight, but I strongly believe that if an outfit looks right, and is not 'a puller' visually to the authorities, you will be left alone.
Before anyone says it, I do know about the argument about 'if something went wrong'.....

A 750kg car trailer is probably within the scope of the 3.2 Omega as long as you don't go over an 1,125kg load... 1,875kg max trailer weight. Depends on what you're transporting. Ultimately, the trailer will almost certainly carry more weight than the car might be type approved for.

The extra 225kg the E Class can tow doesn't sound like much, but if you go for a 500kg twin axle car trailer, then it will legally and technically tow a four cylinder Omega saloon. Just.

[Doctor Gollum]

Only if you have +E on your car entitlement 

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

Licences issued from 1 January 1997

If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can:

    drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (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

Isn't that what Andy said?

You're right, as was Andy, I took it to be a 750kg limit.

It does rather beg the question as to why you would do that though

[Broomies Mate]

It does rather beg the question as to why you would do that though

No.  It begs the question as to WHY this rule has been put in place.  As Andy quite correctly says, his 2,200KG car would be far safer towing a 1500KG trailer than a 1500KG car towing a 1500KG trailer.

The law is an ass!

[Doctor Gollum]

It does rather beg the question as to why you would do that though

No.  It begs the question as to WHY this rule has been put in place.  As Andy quite correctly says, his 2,200KG car would be far safer towing a 1500KG trailer than a 1500KG car towing a 1500KG trailer.

The law is an ass!

Indeed what I was thinking as I typed that was why buy the smallest towing vehicle for the maximum tow weight and not do any additional training... The training and a heavier tow car are both beneficial to anyone looking to tow anything more than a 250kg box trailer to the tip once a month.

[johnnydog]

The 750kg aspect is only relative to unbraked trailers - it is the maximum for any unbraked trailer irrespective of axles /size etc.

[Doctor Gollum]

From a licence perspective.

For clarity, in response to your car tailer post, that 750kg was with respect to the typical unladen weight of a heavy duty twin axle car trailer. 

You would probably struggle to get a three axle trailer much under a ton unladen.

[Nick W]

Indeed what I was thinking as I typed that was why buy the smallest towing vehicle for the maximum tow weight and not do any additional training... The training and a heavier tow car are both beneficial to anyone looking to tow anything more than a 250kg box trailer to the tip once a month.

Towing heavy trailers is an actual reason for owning a large 4x4 that won't get used off road. Although a large(ish) van is just as good.




Your first point applies to everything though; if you're constantly pushing the size limits of your equipment, you need different equipment.

[biggriffin]

It does rather beg the question as to why you would do that though

No.  It begs the question as to WHY this rule has been put in place.  As Andy quite correctly says, his 2,200KG car would be far safer towing a 1500KG trailer than a 1500KG car towing a 1500KG trailer.

The law is an ass!

 Sorry but it's to tempting. My works vehicle weighs 8.0t and tows a 8.5t trailer which in turn loaded weighs 44t... I know different gravey. I'll leave now.