Trailer weights (again)

[skc101fc]

Hi all.

A return to the old chestnut.

Wondering if there's anyone out there able to give a definite answer to the minefield of towing regs.

My situation is I'm hoping to save an extra ferry crossing from Ireland to uk, by combining a holiday/relatives trip with collecting a sawmill .

The tow vehicle in this case would be a petrol freelander (later version with improved engine, before everyone says sell it !!!) Pulling my 12' ifor williams max wt 3500kg unladen 600kg. The mill is a hm126 woodlands weighing about 0.5 tonne. The freelanders max plated towing is 1600kg I think.

My licence is the old 7.5 tonne plus very luckily 4t trailer.

I've trawled through god knows how many different gov. UK explanations and initially everything looks good til I find the bit about what the trailer gross weight was plated as irrespective of whether its empty, part loaded or up to full load.

From various forums it seems to very much up to which side of the bed the particular officer of the day got up from !

The alternative is to come over a second time at another €500 with my defender plus trailer, plus the extra time out of work.

I can't use the defender for the holiday as I'm taking elderly aunts etc out for lunches etc. Getting em in may be possible with a tractor loader ,but gettin em back out certainly won't be dignified.

[Peter]

As Long as the actual weight of the trailer doesn't exceed 1600kg then you can tow it with the Freelander.

[skc101fc]

That was my initial interpretation, until I stumbled into the area of what a trailer can potentially carry, taking it into potential overload.

Seems like a whole load of over regulation based on what someone might do. But could still do without arguing the toss at the side of the road.

[Peter]

Just print a copy of the letter in the op and take it with you.

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/arb-trucks/39906-good-news-vosa.html

[skc101fc]

Cool, nice one.

[Justme]

As you have BE on your licence its the real weights not the plated weights. Its only plated weights for non BE licence holders.

[Al Cormack]

Is there not a code 107 on your licence restricting you to a max weight of 8250kg, so a 7.5t plus max 750kg trailer?

 

 

http://www.cormacktreecare.co.uk

[agrimog]

you CANNOT be prosecuted for a possible offence, only an ACTUAL one, otherwisw every vehicle driver in the UK would be charged with speeding as there vehicle was capable of exceeding the posted speed limit......same as the plate on an hgv trailer, shows what is the maximum it can carry, not what it actually IS carrying.......plod and DVSA will try and bullshit you, ask for a supervisor and proof in black and white on an official DoT document

[skc101fc]

I transferred to an irish license when I moved over here, but carried what I already had which was 7.5t vehicle plus 4t trailer. A spectacular deal which I firmly intend to hang on to. Steve Burkitt, my boss at the time, god bless him ,told us all in the mid 1990's to urgently lose and renew our licences as legislation was about to come out removing the heavier weights from ordinary use.

Thank you steve if you read this for a trouble free life ( in many ways!!) since.

[Gary Prentice]

I transferred to an irish license when I moved over here, but carried what I already had which was 7.5t vehicle plus 4t trailer. A spectacular deal which I firmly intend to hang on to. Steve Burkitt, my boss at the time, god bless him ,told us all in the mid 1990's to urgently lose and renew our licences as legislation was about to come out removing the heavier weights from ordinary use.

Thank you steve if you read this for a trouble free life ( in many ways!!) since.

 

I wish I'd known that!