Towing and Launching a 5.3m RIB?

Will Lankston · 11 April 2007, 20:13

What is the smallest car that would get away with towing and launching a 5ish metre rib?

Cheers
Will

Nos4r2 · 11 April 2007, 20:18

Depends on the weight of the car and whether the trailer's braked or not.

Something I only just found out-a car can LEGALLY only tow up to half it's weight as an unbraked trailer-so you'd need a big car to tow a 5.3m on an unbraked trailer.

Realistically you're going to need something of around the size of a Mondeo and a braked trailer (and a licence to tow a braked trailer!)

You don't want to be looking at 'the smallest possible'. It's going to cause you problems if you do that. The police don't recognise things like 'only just over the weight limit' etc, they just stop you moving the vehicle.

Hightower · 11 April 2007, 20:18

You'll have to look at the gross weight towing capacity of the car to dictate the minimum size of car that can tow your rig with.

I guess a Golf size car though. RWD or 4x4 if the slip is gravel or shingle or really steep.

Will Lankston · 11 April 2007, 20:22

And whats is a braked trailer and what does it do?

Hightower · 11 April 2007, 20:25

Quite simply means a trailer with brakes

Will Lankston · 11 April 2007, 20:27

Do the trailers brakes lead into the car's brakes somehow?

Cheers

Will

Hightower · 11 April 2007, 20:31

General rule is that loads to 750kgs don't need brakes, but loads over 750kgs do.

The brakes are attached to the tow hitch and as you brake the trailers momentum pushes into the back of the car tow hitch and compresses the hitch brake mechanism which in turn applies the brakes on the trailer.

Brakes are undesirable on a boat trailer because they often sieze up with the ingress of salt water, but it's a legal requirement.

Hope that helps a little.

Nos4r2 · 11 April 2007, 20:32

Google 'NTTA' and 'Trailer brakes' and you should come up with enough info to make an informed decision.

National Trailer and towing association

Will Lankston · 11 April 2007, 20:34

So an Audi A3 towing a 5.3m RIB would be okay without a braked trailer?

Nos4r2 · 11 April 2007, 20:40

Maybe-depending on the weight of the A3 and the weight of the trailer.

The car would do it without a problem-recovery might be hard on a steep slipway with a front wheel drive. It's just the legalities of weight you need to look at.

Hightower · 11 April 2007, 20:44

A typical 5.3m RIB and outboard with gear, fuel and trailer will IMHO weigh more than the 750 kgs limit for an unbraked trailer. You'll have to get the Rig weighed just to make sure.

Will Lankston · 11 April 2007, 20:48

Cool, will look into it....Thanks for answering all the questions guys!

Will

Poly · 11 April 2007, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

A typical 5.3m RIB and outboard with gear, fuel and trailer will IMHO weigh more than the 750 kgs limit for an unbraked trailer. You'll have to get the Rig weighed just to make sure.

I posted a thread on here a while ago on how to measure the weight without taking it to a weigh bridge.... ...will see if i can find it and post a link.

Beware whilst NO car can tow > 750 kg legally without brakes some cars are less - and it can depend on the exact "model" of car - so you need to check the manual or find the details on the manufacturers site. A quick google suggested that an A3 will be somewhere between about 640kg and 750kg.

here is the link http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?...ghlight=weight (post 9.)

mdt · 11 April 2007, 21:14

http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?...highlight=audi

Searider · 11 April 2007, 21:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

A typical 5.3m RIB and outboard with gear, fuel and trailer will IMHO weigh more than the 750 kgs limit for an unbraked trailer. You'll have to get the Rig weighed just to make sure.

My 5.4 Searider with 90hp 2 stroke was under 750kg gross weight - had a purchaser wanting to know if his car would tow it. Cost me about £5 to put it on a weighbridge one evening - they can be found in yellow pages.

Neil Harvey · 11 April 2007, 21:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Something I only just found out-a car can LEGALLY only tow up to half it's weight as an unbraked trailer-so you'd need a big car to tow a 5.3m on an unbraked trailer.

Not a lot of people realise it, but Nos is right. Unbraked, you can only legally tow 50% of the weight of the car.

Talken from the link he posted:-
"Type 01: unbraked trailers - max. 750kg gross trailer weight or half the towing vehicle's kerb weight - whichever is less. "

So for a 750kg rig, you have to have a pretty big car, like a vauxhall Omega or ford scorpion in the large saloon market or a 4x4. Freelanders for example come in at about 1500kg.

Hightower · 11 April 2007, 21:26

My 5.3 BWM was very much over weight for the trailer. It did have a 90hp 4 stroke on but had three 1.5 jockeys and a rear bench as well as a 110 liter fuel tank.

So 350kgs for hull and seats, 195kgs for engine, 100kgs for fuel and 50 kgs of gear. The trailer was at least 150kgs I recon. I only did the 6 miles each way to the slip and wouldn't want to cover long distances with it. That's why with my new RIB I've gone for a 1250kg carrying capacity trailer for my next RIB, just to make sure

Endeavour · 11 April 2007, 21:37

My C-max will tow 1300kg (with brakes) so i imagine an A3 will be in the region of 1500kg...

Pete7 · 12 April 2007, 07:40

Will, to give you some idea, my Pug 106 will tow 400 kgs unbraked and 750 kgs on a braked trailer. As mentioned you need to do a bit of research and choose the right car / rib combination.

Pete

MikeCC · 12 April 2007, 08:12

Regardless of the legalities, I'd have thought a biggish trailer behind a smaller car would arouse plod's suspicion more than anything - ie if it looks wrong they're more likely to look at it.