Ennisboyne

Member
A friend who wants me to move a number of loads of clay a distance of 40 miles has told me my Defender td5 has the capacity to pull 3.5 tons at a time. As I have just got a new clutch fitted, I was wondering if it would be foolish to oblige him.
Any ideas?
 
er nope, i usualy go fer 2 tonnes max, alternitivly the lr will take 1/4 tonne inside , take in to consideration the trailer weight too :)
 
A friend who wants me to move a number of loads of clay a distance of 40 miles has told me my Defender td5 has the capacity to pull 3.5 tons at a time. As I have just got a new clutch fitted, I was wondering if it would be foolish to oblige him.
Any ideas?

You might find this interesting:
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jhuKLrjJLg"]YouTube- Land Rover Defender Towing a 12 Tonne Truck.[/nomedia]

Ofc, it doesn't have to brake, but still.
 
its not really a case of what you can tow safely with a 90 or defender its more what the law say's as I have regularly moved artic trilers with mine both loaded and unloaded with no adverse effects.

1 with an unbraked triler its only a 1/4 tonnes
2. trailer fitted with over run brakes is 3.5 tonnes but trailer must have a M.A.M. of 3.5 tonnes min and be twin axle
3. if you are lucky enough to have a landy fiitted with a air brake coupled braking system like on a lorry the legally on the road you can tow 4 tonnes but the trailer would need to be plated and you would also have to pay road tax for the trailer.

Now the really sticky bit that could get you in bother with plod

1 if you passed your car test after 1998 the you are not licensed to tow a trailer bigger than 750KG's
2. again if you passed your test after 1998 as the combination train weight would be over 3,500Kgs your would need either a C1+E catogory or a C+E (class 1 lorry) on your licence.
3. if you passed b 4 1998 then you are ok on your car licence.

4. If you are towing for hire or reward. i.e. he's paying 4 the derv and bunging you 20 quid per load then you also need a tachograph fitted to your defender cos you will be over 3,500KGS which makes u an LGV. And this means you need an operators licence

5. if he that desperate tell him to email me and I'll rent him an artic and a driver and it wlll be all legal.

6. if its just a favour 4 a mate and everything else can be met that I have mentioned go right ahead but remeber when pulling away with a fully loaded trailer always use low range and then change up to high on the move. (this takes practice to do). If you do this then clutch will not suffer but your brakes may if there's n e big hills !!!
 
Tøxïc§øX™;1076577 said:
1 with an unbraked trailer its only a 1/4 tonnes
.....................3/4 tonne = 750Kg

Now the really sticky bit that could get you in bother with plod

1 if you passed your car test after 1998 the you are not licensed to tow a trailer bigger than 750KG's
not true you can tow a braked trailer upto the Max unladen weight of the towing vehicle but the GTW of trailer & car must not exceed 3500kg. With a 90 that's 1400kg (approx)
 
Anyone want a wreck of a Arrows 1 3/4t trailer its too wide to be legally towed by a LR apparently the brakes dont work and the hitch has had a knock any takers???? lol
 
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Anyone want a wreck of a Arrows 1 3/4t trailer its too wide to be legally towed by a LR apparently the brakes dont work and the hitch has had a knock any takers???? lol

Longitudinal cut & shut then?? :D or scrap yard Steels fetching a good price at the mo..
 
Anyone want a wreck of a Arrows 1 3/4t trailer its too wide to be legally towed by a LR apparently

Are you sure about that?? 2.55mtrs is max width. width of towing vehicle is irrelevant

Copied from DoT website Requirements for trailers

Requirements for trailers

Requirements regarding trailers used on the road are given in the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, as amended and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, as amended. The following is a summary of the main requirements.
Weight

In the case of light trailers, that is less than 3500kg maximum laden weight, there is not any specified relationship in UK law between the weight of the towing vehicle and the weight of the trailer.
For M1 category vehicles (motor vehicles used for the carriage of passengers and comprising not more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat) the maximum permissible trailer weight is quoted by the vehicle manufacturer. Alternatively, the vehicle manufacturer may provide a maximum gross train weight (the laden weight of the trailer plus the laden weight of the towing vehicle). If this is exceeded it is possible that the Courts or Insurance Companies may take the view that this constitutes a danger.
The maximum laden weight of a trailer which may be towed by a light goods vehicle depends on both the stated gross train weight of the towing vehicle (GTW) and the vehicle manufacturer's recommended maximum permissible trailer weight. Neither the maximum permissible trailer weight or the maximum gross train weight (the laden weight of the trailer plus the laden weight of the towing vehicle) should be exceeded. It is possible that the stated gross train weight is less than the sum of the stated maximum permissible laden weight of the towing vehicle and the stated maximum permissible laden trailer weight. In this case the towing vehicle and the trailer must be loaded such that each does not exceed its individual maximum limit and the sum of both does not exceed the maximum gross train weight.
It is not a requirement to display a notice of the unladen weight of the trailer or the towing vehicle, unless the towing vehicle is either a motor tractor or a locomotive, as defined in the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986.
Dimensions

If the towing vehicle has a permissible gross weight in excess of 3.5 tonnes the maximum width and length of the trailer are 2.55 metres and 12 metres respectively. If however the gross weight of the towing vehicle is 3.5 tonnes or less then the maximum permissible width and length are 2.55 metres and 7 metres respectively. In both cases the overall length of the towing vehicle and trailer must not exceed either 18m or 18.75m depending on the type of towing vehicle.
Brakes

Braking requirements are prescribed in Regulations 15 and 16 of The Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 as amended and essentially require a trailer with a maximum design laden weight of more 750 kg to be braked and allow an inertia (overrun) type braking system to be used up to a maximum permissible laden weight of 3500kg. In use it is not permitted to use an unbraked trailer the laden weight of which exceeds 50% of the kerbside weight of the towing vehicle. For trailers up to 1500kg laden weight it is permitted to use a secondary coupling, which in the event of separation (NOT failure) of the main coupling will retain the trailer attached to the towing vehicle, prevent the nose of the trailer from touching the ground and provide some residual steering of the trailer. Above 1500 kg laden weight the trailer must be fitted with a device to stop the trailer automatically in the event of separation (NOT failure) of the main coupling and this is normally achieved by a breakaway cable attached to the parking brake mechanism - the trailer becomes detached from the towing vehicle.
Lights

The requirements for trailer lighting can be found in The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended. A copy can be obtained from The Stationery Office, or see Section 5 below.
Legislation

The Regulations referred to above may be obtained through the Stationery Office under the references, SI 1986 No.1078 for the Construction and Use Regulations and SI 1989 No. 1796 for the Lighting Regulations. However, there have been many amendments to these base Regulations and it is important to obtain all of these in order to have the current situation. As an alternative, you may find it easier to visit a good, city based, reference library where there may be a copy of The Encyclopaedia of Road Traffic Law and Practice, published by Sweet and Maxwell. This publication tracks the amendments to legislation and presents them in an up-dated form. One of the volumes will contain both the Construction and Use and Lighting Regulations.
Other considerations

The above information relates to basic construction requirements and some aspects of the use of trailers. In addition it is recommended that you check that you have the appropriate Driving Licence entitlement and whether the vehicle or combination of vehicles requires a tachograph to record driver's hours. The latter will apply to most vehicles and combinations of vehicles above 3500kg gross weight where used for commercial purposes.
 
Longitudinal cut & shut then?? :D or scrap yard Steels fetching a good price at the mo..



Yea as soon as I finish my removable drop plate and ball for me nato hitch I've got a transporter trailer to collect from Rushden then I can start cutting it up to weigh in or make narrower and longer
 
Yea as soon as I finish my removable drop plate and ball for me nato hitch I've got a transporter trailer to collect from Rushden then I can start cutting it up to weigh in or make narrower and longer

you don't need to just looked and ya trailers only 2.4m wide so well within legal constraints.
 
.....................3/4 tonne = 750Kg


not true you can tow a braked trailer upto the Max unladen weight of the towing vehicle but the GTW of trailer & car must not exceed 3500kg. With a 90 that's 1400kg (approx)

Sorry the 1/4 tonne was my dislexic fingers

as for 1400 kgs of a trailer my wife passed her test in 2003 and we have a caravan (sowie) that has an unladen weight of 1100 kgs and she has been done once by plod for towing this ( 6 points) but has since took towing test which cost 135 quid and now can tow it no problem.
 

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