49 replies to this topic

[mini danny]

will do found a second hand one for 50 posted

[Spud_133]

Make sure the trailer doesn't have brakes, as you can't drive a trailer with brakes.


The laws are stupid though, I can drive a 32t rigid lorry but I can't take a car with a trailer over 3.5t!

[Jordie]

errr yes you can pull a trailer with brakes. thats a rediculous comment.

[mini danny]

that's a bit stupid I can't have brakes hahaha and Ya the law law pretty crap


Dan

[Jordie]

you CAN tow unbraked or braked trailers.

A trailer must be braked over 750kgs.

A braked trailer is much more preferred over unbraked where possible.

[Spud_133]

Sorry for repeating the rediculous comment which my driving instuctor told me. I have also been told by many expirenced drivers who say that they're not really needed on such a low mass.

[Sam]

https://www.gov.uk/t...hat-you-can-tow

Have a look at this.

I believe that webpage is incorrect, in particularly this:

"a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as it is no more than the unladen or ‘kerb’ weight of the towing vehicle (with a combined weight of up to 3,500kg in total)"

I have always understood it to be MAM of the trailer should not exceed the unladen weight of the tow car, and the combined MAM that should not exceed 3500KG when driven with a category B licence.

It seems the recent update of the gov.uk page is conflicting with previous advice and needs to be addressed.

I've done my trailer test and have B+E.

[jd24-7]

A-frame is for recovery only. You can only use them to tow to the next nearest safe location, also the car on the A-frame must be legal, ie. taxed, tested and insured. Its abit of a grey area sometimes, but trust me, my dad had his own recovery firm for many years with the police contract for recovery/removal.

Dolly is another grey area, technically by mounting the two front wheels to the dolly, the car towed becomes a trailer. I think nearly all cars (bar afew) weight 750kgs or more, so the dolly+towed car = trailer weight and you'd be overweight using one of those too. Also, the towed car (trailer) should display the towing vehicle registration and warning triangles and functional lights *easy way to do this is to use a trailer board attached to the towed vehicle*

Nothing wrong with towing a car on an A frame. I have never heard of a limit on the towing distance for a car on a frame, and the car does not need to be taxed, mot d or insured. With the a frame on it is a trailer.
The "trailer" must meet trailer regulations tho. Brakes if over 750kg , legal tires, lights etc.
Same applies to dolly.
The problem is usually brakes, or lack of, for "trailers" over 750 kg.

[Dan]

As I read that the quote you disagree with is exactly the same as what you have written after it.

A car has to be taxed if it has any wheels on the road, whether being towed or not.

Edited by Dan, 15 March 2013 - 10:26 PM.

[jd24-7]

As I read that the quote you disagree with is exactly the same as what you have written after it.

A car has to be taxed if it has any wheels on the road, whether being towed or not.

as you say, a car has to be taxed etc. However, a trailer does not. A car on an AA frame is a trailer, not a car. Only trailer rules apply.

[Croker]

Just found this online re a-frames and dollys.

http://assets.dft.go...and-dollies.pdf

[M J W J]

you CAN tow unbraked or braked trailers.

A trailer must be braked over 750kgs.

A braked trailer is much more preferred over unbraked where possible.

I was told that it had to be an un-braked single axle trailer. I agree that it seams ridiculous but it is to stop younger drivers from towing some light weight caravans apparently.

Try this company

http://www.transporterhire.co.uk/

They will let you rent a car transporter truck for £95 a day as long as you are over 21. You can put 1.5 tons on the back of it and still drive it legally on a car licence. This gets round the whole towing issue. You also get tie down straps and an electric winch thrown in.

[liam_italian]

You can pull a trailer as long as the combined weight of your vehicle, trailer and load do not exceed 3500kg

[R0G]

Hi, I joined to try and clear this issue of towing on a B licence

Some of you may know me from advising on this on other forums

The Govt sites do not make things as clear as it could be ... no surprise there

Put in the simplest way possible .....

Towing on a B licence .....
The GVW of the vehicle added to the plated MAM of the trailer must not be more than 3500 kgs
The trailer plated MAM must not be more than the kerbweight of the vehicle

General towing rules .....
No plated weight must be exceeded - GVW MAM MPTLM GVM GTW
GTW means the actual weight of both vehicle and trailer when weighed together - it does not mean the total of the GVW/MAM weights
Manufacturers recommended max towing capacity is not law but exceeding it may make the combination unstable which then lands the driver in court


This would be legal on a B licence .......
vehicle
GVW 2000
Kerbweight 1500
Towing capacity 1400
GTW 3400 (this is usually the GVW + towing capacity - but not always)

Trailer
unladen 400
MAM 1500

Max trailer load of 1000 so as not to exceed the towing capacity


A classic mini could easily be towed on a trailer by a B only licence holder with the right towing vehicle


The new rules after 19/01/2013 ....
No change at all to B licence towing
Those that passed both B and B+E after 19/01/2013 will be limited to a trailer MAM of 3500 kgs for the trailer which in reality affects hardly anyone

Edited by R0G, 07 April 2013 - 09:07 AM.

[charie t]

you CAN tow unbraked or braked trailers.

A trailer must be braked over 750kgs.

A braked trailer is much more preferred over unbraked where possible.

over 500kg i was told when i did my test

Edited by charie t, 07 April 2013 - 10:17 AM.