Trailers help

[monkeybusiness]

1 hour ago, EdwardC said:

Yes.

 

I had this discussion with, in order of appearance; the traffic police officer who pulled me, the Ministry testers who crawled over the vehicle and trailer trying to find something else to shaft me for, (they didn't), my solicitors, and the Magistrates. I ended up with fines and points on my licence. And this was in England. I was pulled off the M60 going anti-clockwiswe near Oldham into the test center at Middleton, and prosecuted in Rochdale Magistrates Court.  

 

As an aside the prosecuting officer said to the Magistrates, and I quote, 'the law is very confusing and very complicated, and I get a lot of people for this'. Of course it shouldn't have, but my mouth engaged before my brain and I responded by congratulated the officer on his diligence in keeping the community safe from burglars and rapists.

 

I had a 2000Kg plated trailer with a small stump grinder on it, total weight less than 750Kg, way below the plated weight, but that didn't matter, as I could have carried more on the trailer, and that is what matters, not the actual weight. The answer, I down plated the trailer and continued using it for the stump grinder, which was why I'd bought it.

 

It was a Batesons trailer, bought new from them, and they did the downplating.

What did you get prosecuted for? Incorrect driving licence or towing a trailer beyond the vehicle’s capacity? I’d imagine the former, but the thread is regarding the latter. 

[Ratman]

so from reading the above posts both myself and many hundreds of other people are towing trailers every day and braking the law, me old shape L200 and 10 x 5.5 ft ifor tipping trailer plated at 3.5 tonne L200 rated to tow about 2.8 tonne , and the cattle auction just down the road on monday mornings there is a que of landrovers and pick ups all with either twin or tri axel cattle trailers behind them , landrovers ok for weight towing but not many of the pick ups will be if what has been said above is correct about the towing viechale and the plate on the trailer ?,

According to the rule book yes, another instance, i owned a vw touran a few years back and that had a maximum towing weight of 1500kgs, the new caravan i wanted to buy had a MPTLM (maximum permissible towing laden mass) of 1540kgs.... simple terms, the car had to go! All for the sake of 40kgs!!! Your towbar should also have its manufacturers plate fitted with all its specifications displayed on it too.

[Ratman]

Some info taken from BRINK towbars website.

Laws and regulations

If you have a towbar installed on your car, several legal rules and requirements are in effect. If you are driving with a trailer, caravan, boat trailer or horsebox attached, there are many rules to follow at home and abroad as well.

MOT test

During the MOT test, your towbar construction is checked as well. Your towbar ball should not be too worn and the locking mechanism should function properly for a detachable towbar. In addition, three important requirements are checked.

Type test

The towbar has to have a type test. This is listed on the type plate of your towbar. If the type plate is missing, you may only tow a trailer that weighs less than 750 kg, load included. In addition, your trailer including load should not weigh more than the total weight of the towing car.

Wet en regelgeving
Indicators

When towing a trailer, your car should have indicators on the side.

Towbar and Nose Weight

The weight with which the coupling of your trailer, caravan, boat trailer or horsebox pushes down on the towbar, should not exceed the limit set by the towbar manufacturer. This value is listed on the type plate of your towbar. In addition, check the Hand Book of your car and the towed vehicle, as other values might be listed there. The basic principle is that the lowest value determines the maximum weight, which you should never be exceeded.

Visible license plate

It is not allowed for the towbar to (partially) cover your car’s license plate. If the plate is covered or partially covered, you need to move the license plate and adjust the license plate lights. A towbar with detachable ball could be an alternative.

Changes

The rules and regulations with regard to towbars and trailers are subject to change. We recommend regularly checking the DVSA website in order to stay abreast of the latest applicable rules and regulations.

[Billhook]

2 hours ago, Ratman said:

Some info taken from BRINK towbars website.

Laws and regulations

If you have a towbar installed on your car, several legal rules and requirements are in effect. If you are driving with a trailer, caravan, boat trailer or horsebox attached, there are many rules to follow at home and abroad as well.

MOT test

During the MOT test, your towbar construction is checked as well. Your towbar ball should not be too worn and the locking mechanism should function properly for a detachable towbar. In addition, three important requirements are checked.

Type test

The towbar has to have a type test. This is listed on the type plate of your towbar. If the type plate is missing, you may only tow a trailer that weighs less than 750 kg, load included. In addition, your trailer including load should not weigh more than the total weight of the towing car.

Wet en regelgeving
Indicators

When towing a trailer, your car should have indicators on the side.

Towbar and Nose Weight

The weight with which the coupling of your trailer, caravan, boat trailer or horsebox pushes down on the towbar, should not exceed the limit set by the towbar manufacturer. This value is listed on the type plate of your towbar. In addition, check the Hand Book of your car and the towed vehicle, as other values might be listed there. The basic principle is that the lowest value determines the maximum weight, which you should never be exceeded.

Visible license plate

It is not allowed for the towbar to (partially) cover your car’s license plate. If the plate is covered or partially covered, you need to move the license plate and adjust the license plate lights. A towbar with detachable ball could be an alternative.

Changes

The rules and regulations with regard to towbars and trailers are subject to change. We recommend regularly checking the DVSA website in order to stay abreast of the latest applicable rules and regulations.

And amongst all these regulations, is there a rule regarding the correct loading of a trailer for its balance, especially if  tail heavy and braking down a hill causing  out of control snaking.  This can happen even withing legal weight limits and I would argue is more important than the finer points of plates and licences

[monkeybusiness]

3 hours ago, EdwardC said:

I was towing a trailer beyond the vehicles capacity. That led me to being prosecuted for having an ncorrect driving licence, and because I didn't have a licence my insurance wasn't valid so I got hit for driving without insurance as well.

If you’d held a towing licence I’m sure you would have been legal though. Without a towing licence you can only tow a trailer with a gross weight (which is what it has to be plated at) of 750kg, and this is what you will have been prosecuted for. Otherwise you would simply have been prosecuted for being overloaded surely? 

If you hold the correct licence to tow whatever weight trailer you are hitched to, the plated weight of the trailer doesn’t matter providing its actual total loaded weight doesn’t exceed any of the various limiting weights (train weight/axle weights/hitch weight etc). If this wasn’t the case the majority of 3.5 tonne trailers on the road (empty or full) would be running illegally, as not many vehicles have a 3.5 tonne towing capacity. From your case history all of these drivers wouldn’t be licenced or insured either. I feel confident that there would have been a major clamp down on this glut of unlicensed uninsured drivers before now - I think your case isn’t actually the answer to this query. 

[Ratman]

Not sure about a “law” but you can be held accountable for a lost load or unstable load if your pulled over, it is defo your responsibility to ensure your load is safe and secure.
At work we have to strap every pallet which in our case is 10 pallets of cement down each side of a tautliner stacked 2 high, 10 straps in total. And that is “law” in scotland because it is under hgv laws, uk is not law yet but advisory, i would imagine it will come in soon though.

[Justme]

22 hours ago, scraggs said:

you need a copy of this
Sorry for the poor quality

vosa-ifor williams.pdf

Lol That is soo out of date now.

[Justme]

On 27/09/2018 at 16:12, Ratman said:

Plated weight

Not for this law no.

 

Its plated for licences only.

[Justme]

20 hours ago, antarty86 said:

That’s precisely what I’ve been looking for! Thanks ratman. I don’t suppose you know the law in regards to older homemade trailers with no plates on them?  Thanks ant 

Trailers with no plate use the combined tyre load index.

[Justme]

20 hours ago, Ratman said:

Possible to down rate a trailer, you have to go through dvsa and required to meet type approval too.

No you dont to any of them.

 

That only applied to real plated vehicles like lorries & trailers over 3500kg.