Should towing/vehicle weight laws change?

[chuck norris]

Before reading I recomend, looking through this thread: for a bit of context

In my opinion the current UK towing laws are very restrictive, and have a adverse effect on the growth of small businesses (EG tree surgeons, builders and what not). I think that the current laws should be amended, so that a vehicle can weigh up to 4 tons and the towing weight increased to 5 tons. I think this will help, by giving small businesses access to larger equipment, that otherwise would not be feasible to transport. This would allow small businesses to compete with larger company's on big contracts.

 

I also think this would help solve the problem of vehicles being routinely overloaded (often by us ARB folks).

 

On the flip side I think that the current regs, around tractors and trailer, are completely ridiculous. For those of you that don't know you can drive a tractor with a 18 ton trailer on a standard class B car license. This means you can drive a trailer tractor combination up to 40 tons, without even a standard towing license. I don't quite know, how you would go about solving this. since requiring a HGV license could put a significant dent, in the already unstable agriculture/forestry sectors.

 

Thanks for reading my rant. If anyone has any opinions, I would be very interested to hear.

[gdh]

I agree, towing weights should be increased a bit as the sizes are now out of date. Maybe an option to allow towing over 3.5 ton if the trailer has an mot?

 

Max weight for an agricultural trailer is 18tons by the way, only change is they upped the total from 25 to 31 tons to allow for heavier tractors.

[Daniël Bos]

I agree, towing weights should be increased a bit as the sizes are now out of date. Maybe an option to allow towing over 3.5 ton if the trailer has an mot?
 
Max weight for an agricultural trailer is 18tons by the way, only change is they upped the total from 25 to 31 tons to allow for heavier tractors.

This is already so.
On a strong enough vehicle equipped with the appropriate braking system you are allowed to tow more than 3.5t.

Any trailer over 3.5t already needs an mot.


IMHO the rules are fine as they are.
The trailer weight limit is dictated by the brakes. If you use better (air) brakes, you can tow more.

[richy_B]

A lot of what has been said in the thread I agree with. To play devil's advocate though - the options are there already. If you need to carry more or tow more, you go up a weight class to C1+E and 7.5t vehicles. It comes at at a not insignificant cost but it's benefits may outweigh (no pun intended) the costs over the medium term.

In regards tractors/agri - it is crazy the sizes and weights that can be legally towed without any specialist training or certification.

[richy_B]

It's does seem sensible that trailers over 750kg to 350kg used on the public highway should have some element of regular, independent testing.

[chuck norris]

 

 

4 hours ago, Daniël Bos said:

This is already so.
On a strong enough vehicle equipped with the appropriate braking system you are allowed to tow more than 3.5t.

Any trailer over 3.5t already needs an mot.


IMHO the rules are fine as they are.
The trailer weight limit is dictated by the brakes. If you use better (air) brakes, you can tow more.

I was under the impression that you could not tow anything heavier, than 3500kg with a standard pickup/landrover.

 

5 hours ago, gdh said:

I agree, towing weights should be increased a bit as the sizes are now out of date. Maybe an option to allow towing over 3.5 ton if the trailer has an mot?

 

Max weight for an agricultural trailer is 18tons by the way, only change is they upped the total from 25 to 31 tons to allow for heavier tractors.

In my opinion all trailers, over 750kg, should have a MOT (I have seen some pretty iffy trailers out there).

Thanks for the correction, about the tractor weight , I have edited the original post.

 

Edited October 29, 2017 by chuck norris

[josharb87]

Seems a strange thread to me.

 

Theres nothing stopping you getting bigger vehicles/heavier trailers, but it comes across as if you don't want to go to the effort, but think the law should change instead? Its the same rules for everyone 

 

FWIW, i read somewhere that trailers with over-run brakes are "safe" at a maximum of 80% of the towing vehicles weight. so a 2 ton pickup will be safe towing 1600kg.

[roseyweb]

I'm a small company I don't earn much more have big contracts, or any contracts actually.

 

I did my class one, about 2k 

i got my on licence 400 odd quid if I remember 

I bought a lorry for 10k less than I spent on a second hand transit 

 

I can't see how it's prohibitive. I personally think 7.5 tonners drivers in grandad rights are a absolute danger, I see them cutting up artics all day as they have no lane discipline on round abouts. 

I occationally tow my 3 tonner with my ford ranger, not sure I'd ever want to tow anything bigger with it and I live in the realativly flat Midlands. 

 

Tractors are destined for a farmer for short distances to bring his crop from the field to his shed on small roads it's only us arbs who abuse that with unimogs and use them as lorries 

[roseyweb]

Personally I would like to see the whole commercial vehicle thing better regulated, perhaps a commercial licence type thing 

[Alycidon]

Pulling a fully laden 2.7 tonnes gross trailer behind my Defender TD5 I would not want to be pulling any more than that thank you.   Even a few more horses under a Disco TD5 does not make a whole lot of difference.

 

A