krowe79 Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 Hi has any one done this course I need to do this so I can tow a caravan .i have been towing for the past year only to find out am not coved on my licenses do need to sort it to keep on the right side of the law is it hard course range from 1day and test to 4days and test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav912 Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 I done mine a couple of years back, I didn't find it hard but I'd been driving tractors and trailers for 16 years beforehand. The best thing to do is find an instructor who will take you for a 1 or 2 hour evaluation then recommend how much instruction you need, it was only a few hours in my case to get me back up to test standards. The test itself consists of a reverse park, unhitch and reattach trailer then some driving, it's basically the Articulated lorry test with a few adjustments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet1747 Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 Us oldies don't need it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essex Keeper Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 Easy mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 As long as your train weight (car + trailer) doesn't exceed 3500kg you dont need to do the test. That being said it is very easy to exceed the weight once you load up the caravan and car for you trip. The course is fairly straightforward as far as I've been told, I got "grandfather rights" so didn't do the course. Phone atound a couple of difrent training companies and ask whats involved and the costs. Just remember to clip on the breakaway cable on when towing, it carries a fixed penalty and 3 points if its not connected or damaged. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Roo Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 Did mine last year after finding the same out (ie passed driving test in '97 but missed the Jan cut off by a few months). If you have previous trailer experience then the practical should be easy enough. Just need to show the examiner the correct way to hitch and unhitch. It's all formal stuff like the car test, correct approach to trailer, safe loading, hitching sequence and trailer awareness. I'm sure if you towed before then you'll be fine, might be worth a quick lesson prior to any test just to make sure As long as your train weight (car + trailer) doesn't exceed 3500kg you dont need to do the test. That being said it is very easy to exceed the weight once you load up the caravan and car for you trip. The course is fairly straightforward as far as I've been told, I got "grandfather rights" so didn't do the course. Phone atound a couple of difrent training companies and ask whats involved and the costs. Just remember to clip on the breakaway cable on when towing, it carries a fixed penalty and 3 points if its not connected or damaged. Good luck If you passed your car test pre Jan '97 then you're fine, if after then you are restricted to 750kg braked until you have B+E entitlement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 If you passed your car test pre Jan '97 then you're fine, if after then you are restricted to 750kg braked until you have B+E entitlement.That is what I thought and I advised a few people to do the test to stay leagle. I asked the driving training company we use at work and he told me that as long as the train weight doesn't exceed 3500kg you are covered under the "B" classification as the trailer is classed as part of the vehicle. He did give me a web link to check it out, I will ask him again for it and post it on here. My personal advice to anyone wishing to pull a trailer would be to go for the test as you will learn the correct way to do things and avoid the penalties for doing it wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/driving-licence-rules-and-what-you-can-tow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krowe79 Posted April 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2016 AV been looking and the cheapest is £575 that's 1 1/2 day training with test not cheap but need to get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesH Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 I did mine about 3 years ago - day of tuition the day before test was about £350 and then the test itself was about £120 if my memory is working right. Just had to get it done, the tuition was worth it just so I knew what to expect on the test and so I could use the instructors car and trailer (if I had used my own it would have only got me an automatic gearbox version of the licence). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seph234 Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 I need to do this too. so watching with interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadshotnot Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 Do you need to retake the theory test as well or is it purely practical. I'm another that needs to take it due to missing the 97 cut off by a few days (3 to be precise :( I failed my basic car test 1st time around and the next slot I could get was just after the deadline! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Roo Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 (edited) Do you need to retake the theory test as well or is it purely practical. I'm another that needs to take it due to missing the 97 cut off by a few days (3 to be precise :( I failed my basic car test 1st time around and the next slot I could get was just after the deadline! ) All practical, you need to know the 'theory' behind safe loads, how to secure trailer correctly (which will be part of the test as well). Just like the car test the examiner will ask you about general car maintenance when on test such as washer res location, tyre tread depth etc. The Prac test is more about how you handle trailer on road, positioning and safety etc. Hope that helps! Andy Edited April 25, 2016 by Andy_Roo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferguson_tom Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 What's your car and caravan combination? You may find it is legal on the normal car license as long as the mvw of both car and caravan added together is less than 3500kg (weights are plates weights not actual weight of the vehicle at the time). Even something like a Ford mondeo towing quite a large caravan is legal. As for the test it's pretty easy assuming you can reverse a trailer but you do have to know the "right" way to hitch and unhitch. Also they are examining your general driving not just your towing ability so remember mirror, signal, maneuver and big head movements etc. As I have towed for years before doing the test I did a mornings training with a local company and the test in the afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 As long as your train weight (car + trailer) doesn't exceed 3500kg you dont need to do the test. That being said it is very easy to exceed the weight once you load up the caravan and car for you trip. The course is fairly straightforward as far as I've been told, I got "grandfather rights" so didn't do the course. Phone atound a couple of difrent training companies and ask whats involved and the costs. Just remember to clip on the breakaway cable on when towing, it carries a fixed penalty and 3 points if its not connected or damaged. Good luck Got given your Licences during the war then SABS :rolleyes: Also the breakaway caable needs to be attached to something fixed other than the towball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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