Thicky alert - trailer question

[Seajet]

Onesea,

I know it's hassle nowadays to get a spare number plate made up - log book etc - but it really would be worth getting your own lighting board & number plate; otherwise you're making yourself easy meat for the laziest plod !

 

[ffiill]

You can pick up a light board on e bay for under £20 .Similarly a socket and wiring kit for the car.
If you present a car for an mot with a tow ball its supposed to have functioning trailer electrics.Remove the ball and bar becomes a bit of metal attached to car!

 

[Lakesailor]

Not actually correct.
It's only if it's a 13 pin socket that it needs to work.
If it's a 7 pin socket it only needs to be securely attached. http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_190.htm

Also

If a tow ball or pin is not fitted at the time of test, e.g. because it is detachable, has been unbolted or otherwise removed, but the attachment brackets are still in place, any trailer electrical socket should still be assessed.

 

[ribdriver]

Buy a license plate from eBay as a 'show plate'. No hassle and no need to produce v5 etc. They're not legal on the vehicle but I think you're ok on the trailer.

 

[Lakesailor]

What's the big deal. Go to the motor factors (or a car dealer) with your V5. Easy.

 

[VicS]

What's the big deal. Go to the motor factors (or a car dealer) with your V5. Easy.

Anything to avoid doing it the legitimate way, I think

 

[oldharry]

What's the big deal. Go to the motor factors (or a car dealer) with your V5. Easy.

+1. Why invite trouble? Trailer board with legal number plate and working lights and you will not attract plods attention. Anything else you couldfind yourself wasting a lot of plod time, sorry time with plod, instead of sailing.

As to weight, if the trailer isnot plated, and has no brakes then the legal limit s is 750kg all up. (I.e.
otal weight of trailer and load.) If it looks overloaded plod will make you go to an official weighbridge . Again, time wasted when you could be sailing..
:
Tyre pressure, depends on load. Too soft the trailer will swing about uncomfortably at speed. Too hard and it will bounce over every pothole, and could end up damaging the boat.

 

[Croak]

750kg unless the car is plated to tow less.

 

[Lakesailor]

I just sold a 6x4' trailer to a bloke who was going to tow it with a Fiat Panda. Without brakes he could only tow 440Kgs. The trailer was braked and plated at 750kg, so he could tow that amount.

 

[oldharry]

I just sold a 6x4' trailer to a bloke who was going to tow it with a Fiat Panda. Without brakes he could only tow 440Kgs. The trailer was braked and plated at 750kg, so he could tow that amount.

No. If he puts more than manufacturers max permissible weight on the tow car its overloaded an::d illegal. Otherwise you could put a braked trailer of any legal size on it. Manufacturers also spcify a maximum all up weigh for car, load and trailer load. Maximum allowable mass its called.

 

[JumbleDuck]

No. If he puts more than manufacturers max permissible weight on the tow car its overloaded an::d illegal. Otherwise you could put a braked trailer of any legal size on it. Manufacturers also spcify a maximum all up weigh for car, load and trailer load. Maximum allowable mass its called.

According to a Fiat dealer, the Panda has towing limits of 400kg unbraked and 800kg or 900kg (according to model) braked.

http://www.new-fiat-panda.co.uk/new-fiat-panda-specifiation

 

[Lakesailor]

Yes. I was going to add that but didn't think anyone would need it explaining. I was wrong.

I repeat: The trailer was braked and plated at 750kg, so he could tow that amount.

 

[VicS]

Yes. I was going to add that but didn't think anyone would need it explaining. I was wrong.

Leave a "t" uncrossed or an "i" undotted and someone will pick up on it ........ you should know that by now

 

[balladsailor]

Worth checking driving licence. If you passed your test relatively recently, you may not be covered for towing. Found this out when my stepson did some towing and then checked; his licene did not cover him for towing, and I think he passed his test at least 15 years ago!

 

[Seajet]

Worth checking driving licence. If you passed your test relatively recently, you may not be covered for towing. Found this out when my stepson did some towing and then checked; his licene did not cover him for towing, and I think he passed his test at least 15 years ago!

How can that be right, when there's no test to pass for towing ?

I think it's a confusion with car insurance, I can well imagine some policies having loopholes about towing.

 

[colingr]

How can that be right, when there's no test to pass for towing ?

I think it's a confusion with car insurance, I can well imagine some policies having loopholes about towing.

I think you'll find there is nowadays. Don't know when it came in though. Long after I took my test.

 

[VicS]

Worth checking driving licence. If you passed your test relatively recently, you may not be covered for towing. Found this out when my stepson did some towing and then checked; his licene did not cover him for towing, and I think he passed his test at least 15 years ago!

How can that be right, when there's no test to pass for towing ?

I think it's a confusion with car insurance, I can well imagine some policies having loopholes about towing.

I think you'll find there is nowadays. Don't know when it came in though. Long after I took my test.

Drivers who tow trailers
If you want to tow a trailer weighing more than 750 kilograms when the combined weight of the towing vehicle and trailer is more than 3,500 kilograms you will have to pass a further test in category B+E.

You will then be able to tow trailers up to 3,500 kilograms. To pull a heavier trailer you must pass a C1E test.

If you got your driving entitlement before 19 January 2013 you will retain it. There are no further changes to rules on towing trailers.

For further information on towing trailers please see booklet Requirements for towing trailers in Great Britain (INF30)(PDF 488kB).​

Link to PDF mentioned https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf30-requirements-for-towing-trailers-in-great-britain

 

[Seajet]

I learn something every day from these forums !

So presumably this affects caravans too; serious weights for ' normal ' trailers but I can see car trailers falling foul.

Sadly my test was considerably before 2013...

 

[landlockedpirate]

Yep, there are now 3 different groups of licence for towing depending on when you passed your test. Pre 1997, 1997 to Jan 2013 and Post Jan 2013, they can all tow different amounts. Its all stupidly complicated, but basically if you want to tow anything bigger than a camping trailer and passed post '97, you need a test.

 

[Lakesailor]

It is frankly about time the bureaucrats got their heads out of their arses and cleaned all this up.