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towing and the law.


Albert 888
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I reckon you would be needing an HGV licence to drive any rig weighing in at 2300kg + 7.5 tonne, and I am doubting the internet site.

 

My A, D, E licence allows me up to 7.5 tonne plus a trailer of max 750kg (never sure if it was that or 8250kg gross with a trailer).

 

Any trailer over 3500kg gross prolly needs power brakes as well (not over-run) as well. A friend runs a rangerover as it can tow 3500kg gross trailed weight with over-run brakes.

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Police run weigh bridge stops all the time and secondly, if you crash and don't have the right license then no insurance payout and many many points on your license! Not worth the risk as a trailer test isn't that expensive and quite informative if you've never towed before.

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We learned (how difficult it was) to reverse 4 wheel trailers with a turntable - and without separate rear wheel brakes on the tractor. There are a lot of 'drivers' out there that have trouble reversing a vehicle, let alone with a trailer behind.

 

When I first met my wife she would never park anywhere she might need to reverse, either to park or to get out of the parking space. She only parked at supermarkets where she could drive through one space into another; she never frequented supermarkets at busy times! Among other things I had to teach her was not to turn the steering while waiting to make a right turn.

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yesterday I saw a hilux towing a trailer with an l200 on it - surely that exceeds 3.5ton and would have been illegal??

Without looking it all up, the Hilux can probably tow 2.8 tons legally (may even be more).

The L200 probably weighs 2 tons, possibly less. The trailer would probably weigh somewhere around 600kg.

Most likely legal.

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Without looking it all up, the Hilux can probably tow 2.8 tons legally (may even be more).

The L200 probably weighs 2 tons, possibly less. The trailer would probably weigh somewhere around 600kg.

Most likely legal.

 

Aye but would the combined weight not be over 3.5T (2T Hilux+ 2T L200 + Trailer), i have towed 2.5 or 3T mini diggers before but not sure it is legal (infact pretty sure its not)

 

Amazing how complicated it seems to be.

With an older licence u can drive a 7.5T wagon (but no trailer) and tow a trailer up to ur cars limit or the 3.5T

 

With the new licence u can tow up to 750kg, i know a ot of wood chippers are making chippers sub 750 just for that to save all the youngstes needing trailer tickets

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Why do people find these towing laws so difficult they are there in black and white. The bits in blue are Taken from: https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

 

Category B:

 

You can drive vehicles up to 3,500kg Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) with up to 8 passenger seats (with a trailer up to 750kg).

 

You can also tow heavier trailers if the total weight of vehicle and trailer isn’t more than 3,500kg. (For this you have to use the plated MAM of the vehicle and the trailer not the actual weight at the time, this make it easier for VOSA to throw the book at you)

 

Category B+E

 

You can drive a category B vehicle with a trailer when they have a combined weight over 3,500kg. So you can basically tow whatever you want assuming its withing the limits of the car or van.

 

The C1 and C1 + E are separate thing all together, before 1997 people got given them automatically (grandfather rights) now you have to take test for them.

Edited by ferguson_tom
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I passed my driving test in sept 97 with a manual. Because i needed to tow heavier trailers i did my b+e test. However i did this trailer test with a auto ford explorer so i am only able to tow heavy trailers over 3.5t combined with an auto!!

What was the point in doing the trailer test in an automatic if you needed a manual.

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I passed my driving test in sept 97 with a manual. Because i needed to tow heavier trailers i did my b+e test. However i did this trailer test with a auto ford explorer so i am only able to tow heavy trailers over 3.5t combined with an auto!!

 

I have heard of this before but have you got a specific B+E Auto category on your license? The category is not listed on any of the GOV pages, is it a special note on the license or something? If not if you have just BE on your license then you may be okay to tow with a manual as well.

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