Towing limits

[Trist]

I was told the other day that its ilegal to tow any trailer that has a capacity of 2.5 tonnes unless you have a commercial licence and a tacho graph

Is this true??

[BogMonster]

Capacity or gross weight?

The bigger Ifor Williams (gross 3500kg) must have a capacity of over 2500kg (i.e. I doubt the trailer weighs over a ton) and I would have thought you can tow those on a suitable car license with something rated to tow the weight (like a Land Rover), but I don't know.

[Dry_Doc]

For private or commercial use?

I think this is accurate, (but I stand to be shot down in flames.......)

With a B+E licence you can tow a vehicle combo of up to 8.25t, with a tow vehicle MAM of 3.5t. For private use you don't need a tacho or a commercial operator's licence.
If it's commercial use, then you need a tacho for any vehicle combo over 3.5t - unless you're carrying tools/materials/machinery for use in the course of your work and you are within 50km of your 'base of operations'.
You might also need a commercial operator's licence if the ULW of the trailer is greater than 1020kg.

Simples. (Not)

[Lets go boating]

if its private only and you have passed your test before 1997 its ok to tow what the car is capable of

if you passed aftr 1997 you have to take a trailer test if the cars and trailers combined weight over a certain limit (i think its 3500kg not to sure)

i had to do the test.

20 mins manourvering on a car park
50 mins driving on the road

boring as hell

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Trist

I was told the other day that its ilegal to tow any trailer that has a capacity of 2.5 tonnes unless you have a commercial licence and a tacho graph

Is this true??

Read the PDF on the sticky here:-

http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27183

[willk]

One of the benefits of being an old git is the "legacy" driver's licence - mine is good for a 7.5 ton truck with a 6.5 ton trailer, and then there's the heavy plant endorsement...

Sat my test in a Fiat SuperMirafiori, no trailer

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by willk

Sat my test in a Fiat SuperMirafiori, no trailer

That must have been no later than 1980, then willk.
All the Supermarioferraris had rusted away to nothing after then.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

That must have been no later than 1980, then willk.
All the Supermarioferraris had rusted away to nothing after then.

*raises eyebrow*

she was remarkably well preserved*, considering the abuse she got

1986, if I recall correctly.

* with Isopon

[Trist]

i do have a landy and legaly that can tow 3500kg but the police seem to be saying that any trailer towing that is rated to carry over 2.5 tonnes should have a licence even if it is for private use (ignoring the trailer test)

[Dry_Doc]

Originally Posted by Trist

i do have a landy and legaly that can tow 3500kg but the police seem to be saying that any trailer towing that is rated to carry over 2.5 tonnes should have a licence even if it is for private use (ignoring the trailer test)

The officer you spoke to is mistaken.
If it's a dual purpose vehicle (i.e. a 4x4 with more than 2 seats) then you're exempt from having a commercial operator's licence. Alternatively, if the ULW of the trailer is less than 1020kg, then it's ignored and you go with the plated weight of the tow vehicle.

WRT tachos, I was mistaken in my earlier post - If the plated weight of the combo is greater than 3.5 tonnes (which would put most 4x4 vehicles with even a small trailer over the limit!) then you fall under the EU driver's hours rules and will need a tacho fitted - but the 50km radius derogation still applies.
This only applies to good vehicles - I'm not sure whether a landy counts as commercial or private.......I suspect the former.

Some further reading (warning - the following may cure insomnia!):

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repositor...tober%2009.pdf

http://online.businesslink.gov.uk/Tr...s_vehicles.pdf

[Dry_Doc]

Originally Posted by Dry_Doc

WRT tachos, I was mistaken in my earlier post - If the plated weight of the combo is greater than 3.5 tonnes (which would put most 4x4 vehicles with even a small trailer over the limit!) then you fall under the EU driver's hours rules and will need a tacho fitted - but the 50km radius derogation still applies.
This only applies to good vehicles - I'm not sure whether a landy counts as commercial or private.......I suspect the former.

Actually, scratch that, it seems I was correct the first time. Even if it's a commercial vehicle, p10 of the EU drivers hours has the following exemption:

'Vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 7.5t used for the non-commercial carriage of goods'

This means that provided the GTW of the landy and trailer is less than 7.5t you're exempt from EU drivers rules if you're driving for private purposes. It does, however, mean that you're subject to GB rules, but these also allow exemptions for private use (p24).

[bosun]

I had an Isuzu NPR two car transporter that was rated at 7.5 tons that was allowed to tow a 750kg trailer, ON A CAR LICENCE! (if you're a old git like me)
so 8250kg gross, so the truck body builders down rated the truck to 6250kg so that the trailer could be rated at 2000kg
Back to 8250 GTW (gross train weight) with a useable loading on the trailer.

However with three reasonable size cars on it it was probably hugely overweight.
But it was new and shiny so the feds never bothered.

Even though the whole combo was forty feet long.

Had to have a tacho though and an operators licence, but no speed limiter because only 7.5 ton so it would cruise at 90 empty.

Probably why they changed the licence regs for you young whipper snappers

Happy days.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by bosun

I had an Isuzu NPR two car transporter that was rated at 7.5 tons that was allowed to tow a 750kg trailer, ON A CAR LICENCE! (if you're a old git like me)
so 8250kg gross, so the truck body builders down rated the truck to 6250kg so that the trailer could be rated at 2000kg
Back to 8250 GTW (gross train weight) with a useable loading on the trailer.

However with three reasonable size cars on it it was probably hugely overweight.
But it was new and shiny so the feds never bothered.

Even though the whole combo was forty feet long.

Had to have a tacho though and an operators licence, but no speed limiter because only 7.5 ton so it would cruise at 90 empty.

Probably why they changed the licence regs for you young whipper snappers

Happy days.

And make 7.5 tonners have a limiter now