Anyone here understand towing law and max weights?

[RichardT]

I don't, despite trawling VOSA, farming and caravan sites and getting an industrial strength headache into the bargain.

 

I've a pre-97 license, a SWB Trooper, a borrowed Ifor flatbed and a small tractor to pick up.

 

For the sake of argument and simplicity the Trooper + driver is 2T, the trailer max loaded weight 3.5T, the trailer + tractor 3T, max train weight 6T and the towing max capacity 3.3T.

 

Am I legal because the whole train weight is under its max and the loaded trailer is under its max, or illegal because, irrespective of actual trailer weight, the theoretical max is above the towing capacity?

 

It seems like a simple question but I'm f*****d if I can find a definitive answer.

 

Help!

[Kev Stephenson]

I would have said legal.

 

A year or so ago my brother (post 97 license) was driving the landy and it was stopped at a VOSA check. There was no trailer on the landy and nothing in the chip box so all was legal however the VOSA officer stated my brother could not drive the landy as it had a tow bar on it and had the capability to tow more than the 750kg his license entitled him to tow. I asked him what car he drove (BMW 320, I think he said) and told him surely it wasn't allowed on the road as it was capable of exceeding the 70mph limit for british roads.

 

He agreed with my argument but also said the towing laws were subject to interpretation in a number of ways, some of which are plain rediculous like the above.

 

In my opinion you legally allowed to tow up to 3.5 tonne

 

Your trailer is capable of carrying the load

 

The gross trailer load is less than the 3.5 tonne trailer limit and less than the 3.3 tonne towing vehicle limit.

[grumpydavesmith]

you are within the law mate. DVLA website explains it all clearly if in doubt phone them

[twistedhicap]

as the trailer has the "potential" to carry more than the tow motor technically they could get upset over it in reality its not so well known and as oyu say you wont be loaded above the tow vehicles max tow weight then you could get away with it !

 

The vosa guy who stopped your brother sounds like a jobs worth ! there is nowhere anything mentioned that the vehicle has a tow bar your not allowed to drive it WTF

 

you may be in the realms of a tacho if your doing this for work !

 

its quite a mine feild and the best bit the old bill are not all that clued up the traffic officer who came out to the accident did not know about weights and limmits etc !

 

like been said the info is there if you trawl for it !

[tommer9]

Wait until you get stopped, and go from there. VOSA officials on the side of the road rarely know the law to the letter, and cops even less so, and on first offence you are almost certainly going to get away with a warning and an explanation of what you should or shouldnt have been doing. Obviously dont flount any laws, but if you ARE in doubt, but think you are within the law, then TBH you shouldnt have too much to worry about.

[treequip]

Theoretically you are illegal but the fix is so simple it’s embarrassing

 

Take a strip of gaffer tape and obscure the trailer plate, now take a marker pen and write a legally acceptable weight on the tape. Job done.

 

If it were your own trailer you could remove the plate and replace it with a new one available from ebay

 

TRANSPORTER TRAILER A FRAME AXLE WEIGHT RATING PLATE Kg on eBay (end time 08-Mar-11 20:36:56 GMT)

[tothby1]

you might find that they get pickie over the trailer as its capacity exceeds the towing capacity of the towing vehicle . and they wood recomend downrating trailer.

dont shoot the messenger as i know a mate who got done

[RichardT]

That's 3 'legals', 2 'illegals' and 1 'suck it and see'.

 

See what I mean?

 

Does the DIY derating thing actually have any legal force?

 

The idea that a loaded trailer weighing below the towcar's capacity is illegal because it's capable of carrying more seems comical, a bit like busting a driver after one pint because he's capable of sinking 10.

 

Then you remember we're paying people to dream this stuff up and enforce it. Ah well.

[ecolojim]

Might be interesting to know that the above was my understanding, that it is based on the 'potential' of the trailer to carry say 3.5t when the towing vehicle can only tow say 2.7...

 

However, according to my copy of towing roadcraft published by the stationary office in association with the police foundation, you can tow a trailer plated at 3.5tonnes so long as the weight of the trailer and its contents does not exceed the 2.7 tonnes

 

If i can track down the book (just moved house) I'll happily scan the page in question

 

go figure

[treequip]

 

Does the DIY derating thing actually have any legal force?

 

 

 

Yes it does. Because trailers under 3500kg mam aren’t subject to test you can DIY it and its weight is anything under its design weight and anything over what it weighs empty plus a little for payload.