towing a trailer

[misser]

passed driving test pre 97 so should be legal to tow, might seem a daft question but if the van is plated to tow 2000kg is it ok to tow a trailer plated at 2700kg even though we will not exceed the 2000kg...excuse my ignorance on this common sense would say its ok but common sense doesn't always prevail......any comments or assistance appreciated....atb....misser

[shoot and be safe]

As long as you dont exceed the weight limits for the towing vehicle, all perfectly fine

[Doggone]

passed driving test pre 97 so should be legal to tow, might seem a daft question but if the van is plated to tow 2000kg is it ok to tow a trailer plated at 2700kg even though we will not exceed the 2000kg...excuse my ignorance on this common sense would say its ok but common sense doesn't always prevail......any comments or assistance appreciated....atb....misser

I think you need a tacho if the train weight is more than 3500kg, if you're using it for business.

Andy

[Andy_Roo]

 

Licences held before 1 January 1997

If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you’re usually allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM. View your driving licence information to check.

You’re also allowed to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/driving-licence-rules-and-what-you-can-tow

 

[misser]

thanks gents for the info...am a bit wiser now...

[Jamesey1981]

I think you're ok, these regulations are needlessly complicated to be honest.

The maximum plated weight is what matters for working out what you can tow on your license, but as long as you're within those (which you will be as you can drive a combination up to 8250kg) then it's the ACTUAL weight that will used to determine if you're legal or overloaded.

Do check your maximum train weight though, if you're towing a trailer that's right up to your maximum towing weight AND you load up the van you could well be over it, and then you won't be legal.

 

As for common sense, don't think the people that made the rules have any, I passed my test after 97, so I'm within the much more restrictive laws for towing within category B, but I also have a category D license (buses) which allows me to drive an articulated bus that weighs about 30 tons loaded as long as the engine is in the trailer section, (and I did frequently), however if the engine is in the front section I would need D+E to drive it, even though the trailer section can't be removed.

So I can legally drive an 18 metre long articulated bus, but will struggle trying to tow legally with a car/van.

I can also drive any rigid bus or coach I like, a standard double decker is about 11 metres and 12 tons empty, and most coaches are considerably heavier and go up to 16 metres, but I can't drive a van over a gross weight of 3.5 tons unless I fill it with passenger seating, then I can drive the same van legally.

Also, the rules on automatic and manual licenses for buses and goods vehicles changed a couple of years ago, used to be that if you took your test in an automatic bus or lorry you got an automatic license for that class of vehicle, but now if you already had a manual car license you get a manual C or D license even if you've never even driven, let alone demonstrated competence in an equivalent manual vehicle, so now we have a situation where we can have lorry and bus drivers taking out manual vehicles legally with no idea how to drive them, and trust me, they're very different to a manual car, not so much buses apart from the weight, but it's still a lot more difficult than an auto unless you're used to it, but goods vehicles have really complicated gearing, and having a fully loaded articulated lorry rolling backwards down a hill towards you because the inexperienced driver has fluffed their gears and stalled wouldn't be fun.

The whole thing is daft.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Jamesey1981