question about car transporter trailer

[Jamie-Bora]

Was thinking about buying a car transporter for the van as it will always come in handy.

Does anybody know if i would have to do a test or something as i heard you have to do a test to tow a trailer and also do you have to have insurance for a trailer and if so, who would insure a trailer....

thanks for the help

 

[Coog]

You don't need the test provided you meet a certain set of MAM rules. I think that with a van you may fall outside those rules and need to do the test. It's all on here and the DVTA website, should some up with a quick search for trailer test. Test would be the smart way to go and it's not that difficult to do either...

Check with your insurance company if you are insured to tow. As for insurance for the trailer and anything on it... I'm not sure.

 

[Nicky]

Your own company will cover you for trailer insurance, no doubt, but you will have to get it from them in writing as it may need to be extended cover (likely not covered for recovery/seek and reward purposes).

As for the licensing, if you fall short of the MAM rules, you will need the B+E category, which will entitle you to tow a trailer (not exceeding a 3.5ton train weight).

As Coog says, check out the DVTA website for full info

 

[pablo]

you dont need the test if before 97 or something from memory.

 

[Paul RS]

Correct, but even a tiny trailer requires you to do a test now IIRC

 

[Doovde]

anything over 750kg and you'll need the licence

 

[Jamie-Bora]

cheers for the advice lads, i could just torque the trailer down the road on the bora,but i feel the van would be better for the job,so il prob just go and do the test

cheers lads

 

[Coog]

Curtis & Paul - both wrong. You can go over 750kg provided the rig meets certain and somewhat confusing mam requirements lol.

 

[big cyril]

The other thing is brakes, a lot of the cheaper transporters don't seem to have brakes which you'll need as most things can't tow more than about 700kg unbraked.

 

[Doovde]

Curtis & Paul - both wrong. You can go over 750kg provided the rig meets certain and somewhat confusing mam requirements lol.

category B but with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg. The total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 3,500 kg. The weight of the trailer, when fully loaded, can’t weigh more than the unladen weight of the vehicle

It is a bit of a faff, as you have to know the weight of your car, plus the weight of the trailer and the load.

Bora's are around 1300kg, so can only tow 1300kg, but anything over 750kg requires a braked trailer.

Does mean that you can have a 3500kg MAM in total, but the car must be the same weight as the trailer+load, which only allows up to a max of 1750kg where-as the B+E licence allows you to drive a vehicle up to 3500kg with up to 3500kg behind, effectively raising your MAM to 7000kg. However the B+E licence doesn't require that the car towing the weight must be the same weight as the load AKA a 1000kg car can tow the full 3500kg as long as its rated to do so. Or so I believe

Edit: and just to add more confusion. Taken from the Direct.gov website...

B+E - As category B but with a heavier trailer that isn't covered in the descriptions for category B

 

[Andy044]

TBH i never fully understood the correct way of it, i figured better safe tho
Did the test with only a few lessons passed no bother

During the summer i would pull up to 2.5ton behind my landrover never been stopped yet

 

[Nicky Glanza]

i find this quite confusing lol basically all i want to know is am i legal to drive with a trailer on behind my vivaro? im 20 btw held the license 2 years>?

 

[scoobyman]

i find this quite confusing lol basically all i want to know is am i legal to drive with a trailer on behind my vivaro? Im 20 btw held the license 2 years>?

no........

 

[Nicky Glanza]

no........because im gay

well done ricky for coming out of the closet

 

[Graham]

Depends on size and max weight of the trailer. Generally the rules are so confusing i just tow away, not that i pull a transporter too often but used to tow a boat a lot which would have been over the weight limit but mam would have been ok.

 

[scoobyman]

well done ricky for coming out of the closet

no point in trying to hide it i always knew by the cars u bought

 

[Nicky Glanza]

Depends on size and max weight of the trailer. Generally the rules are so confusing i just tow away, not that i pull a transporter too often but used to tow a boat a lot which would have been over the weight limit but mam would have been ok.

im the same graham i thought you werent allowed to tow at my age at all but seems after reading this thread its only certain weight etc

ile be driving a vivaro from next week once its psv'd, would be nice to see if im legal to tow my dads nugent trailer??

 

[scoobyman]

im the same graham i thought you werent allowed to tow at my age at all but seems after reading this thread its only certain weight etc

ile be driving a vivaro from next week once its psv'd, would be nice to see if im legal to tow my dads nugent trailer??

ffs how u going to see over the van steering wheel ive a booster seat if u need it

 

[Nicky Glanza]

ffs how u going to see over the van steering wheel ive a booster seat if u need it

im 6ft you strange angry wee man
just cause your a migit

 

[Andy044]

Nicky I used the 750kg thing as a guideline

But realistically speaking once you load anything into the trailer it will exceed this weight
Better safe

I did a lesson with Ians in belfast, First lesson was discounted
and 2 lessons with a fella from banbridge direction iirc

Will get you the number if you want

 

[Nicky Glanza]

Nicky I used the 750kg thing as a guideline

But realistically speaking once you load anything into the trailer it will exceed this weight
Better safe

I did a lesson with Ians in belfast, First lesson was discounted
and 2 lessons with a fella from banbridge direction iirc

Will get you the number if you want

do lovely andy mate! must call out with you next week if i remember as need to take the van to psv fs! but sure sooner were on the road the better

 

[Coog]

Remember that it's got very little to do with weight (unless you've an old trailer), its Max Authorised Mass. For example an empty transporter could have a MAM of 4000kg, therefore you could be over your MAM allowance without having anything on the trailer. I reckon this is to help the Police if they pulled you over - saves them taking a rig to a weigh bridge as all they need to do is check some plates (all trailers built in the last few years must carry a load plate), your vehicle data and license at the side of the road. If you don't have a load plate then it'll be down to rig weight (I've had no load plates on any of my trailers yet). The weight of your vehicle isn't the kerb weight (despite common opinion), again, it's MAM - so weight of vehicle filled with people, fuel and stuff.

So for example a Boras kerb weight is 1500kg but has a MAM of 1800kg, trailer weighs 1300kg with car on it (small car ) but has MAM of 2800kg - then you won't be able to tow, whereas if you were looking at just weight (not MAM) then you would be able to. (weights entirely made up, I haven't a clue what a bora could tow)

A van is going to have a 3500kg MAM on it's own (or be close) so IMO with a van you can tow sweet F.A

The rules are quite confusing and I dare say that if you got stopped you'd probably get the old 750kg or less arguement from the Police as this for some odd reason is what everyone believes the limit to be, which is wrong.

I contacted the DVTA a long time ago to discuss this in detail, even they were a bit confused. There's some useful info here:

http://www.reallymeansounds.com/forum/car-chat/49837-b-e-trailer-test.html

Best bet would be to just get the license, it's not very difficult and you could have it in 4 weeks or less if you double up on lessons and it will teach you a few handy/practical tips and keep you and the rest of us safer.

 

[Nicky Glanza]

Remember that it's got very little to do with weight (unless you've an old trailer), its Max Authorised Mass. For example an empty transporter could have a MAM of 4000kg, therefore you could be over your MAM allowance without having anything on the trailer. I reckon this is to help the Police if they pulled you over - saves them taking a rig to a weigh bridge as all they need to do is check some plates (all trailers built in the last few years must carry a load plate), your vehicle data and license at the side of the road. If you don't have a load plate then it'll be down to rig weight (I've had no load plates on any of my trailers yet). The weight of your vehicle isn't the kerb weight (despite common opinion), again, it's MAM - so weight of vehicle filled with people, fuel and stuff.

So for example a Boras kerb weight is 1500kg but has a MAM of 1800kg, trailer weighs 1300kg with car on it (small car ) but has MAM of 2800kg - then you won't be able to tow, whereas if you were looking at just weight (not MAM) then you would be able to. (weights entirely made up, I haven't a clue what a bora could tow)

A van is going to have a 3500kg MAM on it's own (or be close) so IMO with a van you can tow sweet F.A

The rules are quite confusing and I dare say that if you got stopped you'd probably get the old 750kg or less arguement from the Police as this for some odd reason is what everyone believes the limit to be, which is wrong.

I contacted the DVTA a long time ago to discuss this in detail, even they were a bit confused. There's some useful info here:

http://www.reallymeansounds.com/forum/car-chat/49837-b-e-trailer-test.html

Best bet would be to just get the license, it's not very difficult and you could have it in 4 weeks or less if you double up on lessons and it will teach you a few handy/practical tips and keep you and the rest of us safer.

that actually makes sense gonna get the number of andy and just keep myself right! used to drive a tractor and trailer for the da so cant see it being too difficult

 

[Pumesta]

If you want to die. If the load is heavier than the car the trailer will push the car along if you want to stop in a hurry. It is recommended that you do not exceed 85% of the kerb weight of the car and never over 100%

 

[Doovde]

If you want to die. If the load is heavier than the car the trailer will push the car along if you want to stop in a hurry. It is recommended that you do not exceed 85% of the kerb weight of the car and never over 100%

However stuiped or dangerous it may sound or be, according to the DVLNI (or whatever its called) it is fine. You said yourself it is recommended that you never tow more than 85% of the weight of the tow car not law or enforced in any manor. Not to mention that what you quoted was a hypothetical situation as you will never find a car weighing 1000kg with a towing rating of 3500kg.