Towing Confusion

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Itsaworldofdiscovery

New Member
Posts
38
Hi

I am looking at buying a mini as a toy and need to get it collected on a trailer!
The question is, can i do this legally?

I only passed my test in 2007.
i have a 1992 landrover discovery
and a mini weighs 700 kg roughly
and i am planning on hiring a trailer weighing roughly 400-500 kg.

I am really confused now as i thought i was allowed to tow a "train weight of 3.5 tonnes, which would be fine but on the direct.gov website they keep wittering on about m.a.m. is there even a figure for this for the old discos?

can anyone shed any light on this as its annoying me now!!!! haha

cheers
 
Itsaworldofdiscovery said:
Hi

I am looking at buying a mini as a toy and need to get it collected on a trailer!
The question is, can i do this legally?

I only passed my test in 2007.
i have a 1992 landrover discovery
and a mini weighs 700 kg roughly
and i am planning on hiring a trailer weighing roughly 400-500 kg.

I am really confused now as i thought i was allowed to tow a "train weight of 3.5 tonnes, which would be fine but on the direct.gov website they keep wittering on about m.a.m. is there even a figure for this for the old discos?

can anyone shed any light on this as its annoying me now!!!! haha

cheers
Click to expand...


The m.a.m. is the maximum authorised mass. You need to take the gross weight of the landy and add the gross weight of the triler to get your m.a.m.. At a guess your landys gross weight will be about 3ton. This means that the gross weight of the trailer must not exceed 500kg. Both the landy and the trailer should have the weights learly displayed.

In short NO you can't tow the mini.
 
Itsaworldofdiscovery said:
Hi

I am looking at buying a mini as a toy and need to get it collected on a trailer!
The question is, can i do this legally?
......cheers
Click to expand...

No.

Simple but not very sweet answer I'm afraid. The combination you describe will lead to a MGTW of well over 3500kg.

There are 4 weights you need to be concerned with.

Kerbweight of your towing vehicle. Dont have this to hand, but its around 2000kg I think. Im sure someone with a Haynes or handbook will be along soon with the correct figure. It basically the weight of your disco with fuel and driver, nothing else, it varies from model to model, engine, transmission, a/c even sunroofs and electric windows can affect this weight.

Maximum Gross Vehicle Weight (MGVW) of your vehicle, this I do know, 2720kg for a D1. This is the max weight of your vehicle and load, this load includes the weight the trailer puts on your towball. If you are fully loaded and then put on a trailer with 75kg noseweight you must remove 75kg from in the disco.

Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) of your trailer, the max weight of trailer and its load, for an average car-carrying trailer this is going to be 2000-3500kg. It should be on a plate on the trailer, usually on the drawbar.

Maximum Gross Train Weight (MGTW). This is the MGVW of your disco + the trailer MAM.

For a >97 licence, the rules are.....

1. MAM of trailer must be less than kerbweight of your vehicle.

2. GTW must not exceed 3500 kg*


* there is an exception to this, but it only applies to trailers with no brakes and a MAM of less than 750kg.

The weight of the trailer empty, and the weight of the load are not really relevant, it is about capabilities and maxmimums rather than what you are actually doing.

There is very little a driver such as yourself can legally tow with a disco without taking and passing a seperate +E test, even most caravans are off-limits to you. Of course if you know someone with a pre-97 licence, that has +E grandfather rights, they can sit beside you, you can put L plates on your disco and the trailer then off you go. You cannot buy them a pint, make them dinner, or slip them a tenner unless they are an ADI.
 
Last edited:
This might be a bit late but.......was there a sudden increase in trailer related accidents or some such thing to get all of this pushed through and or did they just not bother to tell anyone again about new legislation which involves me, the taxpayer and license holder as i have heard nor seen anything on this from the dot, apart from when i went to see an instructor friend and said hoes it going.....marvelous...what with this new ruling and all....i'm making a fortune.....
 
Thanks byway, that helps me out actually as I was asked to tow a trailer with a Toyota Hilux on the back by a Disco 3 of it for a friend today. Was hmming and harring and was about to go off to find out if I could actually tow it legally. Then saw this post. I wont be doing it now! My license is 2002...friend has a Disco 3 which has a Max Gross weight of 3230KG (damn thats a heavy car!)...trailer I am guessing will be about 750KG (thats probably on the low side for a big car trailer?)...Hilux guesstimate Max gross weight 2000KG...so the Maximum Gross Train Weight will be 5980KG...just a tad over eh!
 
Those of us (cough!!) over a certain age will have the trailer licence entitlement to pull a train weight of 7.5 t .. so depending on where you are, you might get someone offer to tow it for you ... for a few beer tokens anyway .. :)

Go into userCP and enter where you live, town, whatever ...:)
 
Paul D said:
Those of us (cough!!) over a certain age will have the trailer licence entitlement to pull a train weight of 7.5 t ..
Click to expand...

ere i got one of thems licences and i ain't that old...............ok maybe i am compared to some of the young pups that passed their test this side of 2000:eek:
 
njh2 said:
This might be a bit late but.......was there a sudden increase in trailer related accidents or some such thing to get all of this pushed through and or did they just not bother to tell anyone again about new legislation which involves me, the taxpayer and license holder as i have heard nor seen anything on this from the dot, apart from when i went to see an instructor friend and said hoes it going.....marvelous...what with this new ruling and all....i'm making a fortune.....
Click to expand...

Nah, I dont think its about a rash of incidents, more bloody EU harmonisation seems to be the reasoning behind it. If you passed your first car test before 1/1/97 you have grandfather rights to some much bigger combinations, plus things like minibuses, light lorries up to 7500kg, and various trailers.

I have however heard of people losing such entitlements when sending their licence back to DVLA for any reason, they shouldnt lose them but Swansea are a typical government department, and trying to get them back is to all intents and purposes impossible.
 
byway-basher said:
Nah, I dont think its about a rash of incidents, more bloody EU harmonisation seems to be the reasoning behind it. If you passed your first car test before 1/1/97 you have grandfather rights to some much bigger combinations, plus things like minibuses, light lorries up to 7500kg, and various trailers.

I have however heard of people losing such entitlements when sending their licence back to DVLA for any reason, they shouldnt lose them but Swansea are a typical government department, and trying to get them back is to all intents and purposes impossible.
Click to expand...

7500kg van & 750kg trailer. is the max on grandfather rights.
 
Blimey i wasnt expecting this kind of responce!
thanks!!!!

Right so am i right in saying that i can do this if i take my granfather with me, as he has got a pre 97 licence and stick some l plates on i will be completly legal to tow?????

Does this also mean that because i am displaying l plates i cant go on the motorway????

Man i hate the rozzers, they always well and truely screw you over. them and insurance companys!!! (rant over)

fank you!:D
 
Itsaworldofdiscovery said:
Blimey i wasnt expecting this kind of responce!
thanks!!!!

Right so am i right in saying that i can do this if i take my granfather with me, as he has got a pre 97 licence and stick some l plates on i will be completly legal to tow?????

Does this also mean that because i am displaying l plates i cant go on the motorway????

Man i hate the rozzers, they always well and truely screw you over. them and insurance companys!!! (rant over)

fank you!:D
Click to expand...
:hysterically_laughi
 
Itsaworldofdiscovery said:
Blimey i wasnt expecting this kind of responce!
thanks!!!!

Right so am i right in saying that i can do this if i take my granfather with me, as he has got a pre 97 licence and stick some l plates on i will be completly legal to tow?????

Does this also mean that because i am displaying l plates i cant go on the motorway????

Man i hate the rozzers, they always well and truely screw you over. them and insurance companys!!! (rant over)

fank you!:D
Click to expand...
Yep, youd be a learner so learning rules apply, no motorway for you.And you need to have him with ya all the time.Test for trailer is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO expensive
 
bollox, dont think i can get from coventry to surrey without goin on da motorway!

does any1 know actual cost for the test's and how difficult they are?
I officially hate the law!!! :mad:
 
Hi,

How much do the Caravan Club charge for a towing course? Check you local Yellow Pages for driving schools. You have a long life in front of you, so a B+E licence is worth having. My local council send ALL their drivers on a towing course. Join the TAs ;-)

How much to hire a small car transporter truck? Buy some planks, load it onto the back of a hired Transit flatbed. Check Ebay for collection services, usually about £1 a mile, but they have their own ideas about milage. Join a local car club.

602
 
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