Towing advice, please?

[NealB]

Can anyone advise, please, on what weight a 1994 1.4 petrol Fiesta hatchback can legally tow?

The handbook, gives the car's EC base kerb weight as 1102kg (if that's relevant).

I want to shift an empty braked boat trailer that weighs, at a wild guess, around 250kg.

Thanks.

 

[paulburton44]

You will have no problem with 250kg with all most any car.....especially if it is braked.

 

[VicS]

The VIN plate gives you a gross train weight. That's what must not be exceeded

BUT
BUT
BUT

the trailer weight you have to take into account is its maximum gross weight if fully loaded ! Does not matter if its not loaded and therefore within the weight limit if the max gross weight is too much then tough luck

the car would easily tow 250Kg but for the above nonsense. So forget your wild guess. What is the max gross weight for the trailer?

 

[NealB]

The VIN plate gives you a gross train weight. That's what must not be exceeded

BUT
BUT
BUT

the trailer weight you have to take into account is its maximum gross weight if fully loaded ! Does not matter if its not loaded and therefore within the weight limit if the max gross weight is too much then tough luck

the car would easily tow 250Kg but for the above nonsense. So forget your wild guess. What is the max gross weight for the trailer?

Hmmmm......trust you to complicate things, Vic (hey, I'm joking, I'm joking...I know you're just the extremely helpful messenger, trying to keep me on the straight and narrow!).

The truthful answer to your question about gross weight is that I haven't a clue about that either....nice Mr Plod wouldn't accept another wild guess, I suppose?

Maybe this is a special type of trailer, designed to be always towed around unloaded (for reversing practice, maybe)?

 

[exfinnsailor]

Trailer Towing

Also depends on driving licence ..

Our neighbours daughter asked me to tow a horse box to Newcastle as her driving licence did not let her tow a trailer ..

Just a thought ..

 

[NealB]

Also depends on driving licence ..

Our neighbours daughter asked me to tow a horse box to Newcastle as her driving licence did not let her tow a trailer ..

Just a thought ..

I passed my test on 15th Feb 1973, so I don't think my licence is a problem, but a good point, thanks.

 

[tabernacleman]

NTTA advice

What unbraked trailer can I tow? You can tow a maximum of 750 Kg with an unbraked trailer but you cannot exceed half the kerb weight of the towing vehicle. You can tow a trailer with a Gross Weight higher than your car’s towing limit as long as you only load it up to that limit. It is illegal to exceed the car’s towing limit.

seems to make sense

 

[Cliveshep]

Can anyone advise, please, on what weight a 1994 1.4 petrol Fiesta hatchback can legally tow?

The handbook, gives the car's EC base kerb weight as 1102kg (if that's relevant).

I want to shift an empty braked boat trailer that weighs, at a wild guess, around 250kg.

Thanks.

Look here for the Law on towing: http://www.ntta.co.uk/law/index.htm

 

[oldharry]

What unbraked trailer can I tow? You can tow a maximum of 750 Kg with an unbraked trailer but you cannot exceed half the kerb weight of the towing vehicle. You can tow a trailer with a Gross Weight higher than your car’s towing limit as long as you only load it up to that limit. It is illegal to exceed the car’s towing limit.

seems to make sense

Thats not quite right. All cars have a maximum towing weight and a maximum allowable mass defined by the vehicle manufacturer for each specific model. The MAM is the maximum total all up weight of the car, its load, and any trailer and load attached. Clearly a trailer weighing 250kg will not exceed this, BUT, the trailer will also have a maximum designed load. THAT - daft though it is - is the figure that makes up the actual MAM on the road, as well as the maximum trail weight. So If your 250kg trailer has a 1500kg load capacity, then it would be illegal to tow it behind an 1100kg car even if the actual weight is only 250kg. Crazy!

If the trailer has been built in the last 15 years or so, it is supposed to have a plate which defines the maximum load it can carry, usually on or near the towbar.

No good asking the Police, they will never commit themselves - not until they have caight you on the road and decide your outfit is illegal.

 

[Ludd]

Quite legal to put it on the roofrack!

 

[Strathglass]

Can anyone advise, please, on what weight a 1994 1.4 petrol Fiesta hatchback can legally tow?

The handbook, gives the car's EC base kerb weight as 1102kg (if that's relevant).

I want to shift an empty braked boat trailer that weighs, at a wild guess, around 250kg.

Thanks.

The maximum braked trailer that your car can legally tow is 900kg.

I found this by looking at the technical specifications of a matching car on the Autocar website. They do not have a figure for an unbraked trailer.

For an unbraked trailer it appears (as far as I can find) to be about 425kg

Those figures should be listed in your vehicle handbook.

A 250kg empty braked trailer will tow very easily behind your car.

Cheers

Iain

 

[fisherman]

Trailers and the law:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/requirementsfortrailers

 

[Egbod]

Driving licence and towing

Beware! Older drivers may not be able to tow trailers over a certain weight. When you got your paper licence it did cover you. If you have renewed your licence when you moved address (and got a photo card licence) you must have ticked the trailer box on the form. If not you lose the trailer part. You can correct this if you apply to reinstate it within two years. If more than two years ago you have to take the trailer test.

Also beware the photo licence only lasts 10 years, many now need renewing- when did you get yours?

No I am not an expert- I just tried to find out more about trailer law and gave up. Some of the legislation information is not available as the Acts of Parliament are out of print!

 

[Lakesailor]

you cannot exceed half the kerb weight of the towing vehicle.

From the Dept of Transport link

there is not any specified relationship in UK law between the weight of the towing vehicle and the weight of the trailer.

If the ridiculous regulation regarding the maximum permissible trailer weight even if unloaded creates a problem you could load the trailer onto a trailer with a lower maximum permissible trailer weight and tow it as the load.

In reality the Police don't have a good grasp of most of this and a Police Vehicle Examiner I sold a boat to seemed oblivious to most of the regulations.

He drove off with his (cardboard and felt tip) number plate on the trailer board which was upside down so the wrong indicators operated!

In this area it seems that as long as your lights work, you have a correct number plate and have mudguards on the trailer you're pretty safe. If it looks right that's most of the battle.

 

[Avocet]

Thats not quite right. All cars have a maximum towing weight and a maximum allowable mass defined by the vehicle manufacturer for each specific model. The MAM is the maximum total all up weight of the car, its load, and any trailer and load attached. Clearly a trailer weighing 250kg will not exceed this, BUT, the trailer will also have a maximum designed load. THAT - daft though it is - is the figure that makes up the actual MAM on the road, as well as the maximum trail weight. So If your 250kg trailer has a 1500kg load capacity, then it would be illegal to tow it behind an 1100kg car even if the actual weight is only 250kg. Crazy!

If the trailer has been built in the last 15 years or so, it is supposed to have a plate which defines the maximum load it can carry, usually on or near the towbar.

No good asking the Police, they will never commit themselves - not until they have caight you on the road and decide your outfit is illegal.

I'm intrigued! Can you cite a source for that? My understanding is that it's NOT the case. Quite simply, the weight of the car PLUS what you're towing at the time you're stopped is what counts. The fourth number on the car's VIN plate is the "Gross Train Weight" (i.e. maximum Authorised Mass of the combination (car plus trailer). If that is exceeded then you get "done". If not, you're fine. Note that if the car is loaded up heavily, this reduces the amount you can tow. If it's empty, you can tow more. It's the total that matters.

Also, although the MAXIMUM you can tow (unbraked) is 750kg, the car manufacturer may impose a LOWER number for that particular vehicle (often more like 500kg for small cars).

I believe the "half the kerb weight" rule is now outdated and no longer used.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

I'm intrigued! Can you cite a source for that? My understanding is that it's NOT the case. Quite simply, the weight of the car PLUS what you're towing at the time you're stopped is what counts. The fourth number on the car's VIN plate is the "Gross Train Weight" (i.e. maximum Authorised Mass of the combination (car plus trailer). If that is exceeded then you get "done". If not, you're fine. Note that if the car is loaded up heavily, this reduces the amount you can tow. If it's empty, you can tow more. It's the total that matters.

Also, although the MAXIMUM you can tow (unbraked) is 750kg, the car manufacturer may impose a LOWER number for that particular vehicle (often more like 500kg for small cars).

I believe the "half the kerb weight" rule is now outdated and no longer used.

If you exceed the manufacturer's towing limit you'll normally invalidate your insurance so, although you'd right on the towing law, you'll actually be driving without insurance. (I think).

 

[DownWest]

This came up before over a rental. Indespension refused to rent out a trailer that was plated for a gross wt. over the car's MTW, even though the boat or load involved was half the capacity of the trailer.
On a more practical view, I used to tow lots of trailers in the UK on delivery,and always set up some sticks and tapes to make it clear at other drivers eye level We had a couple of events when people went for gaps without looking and whacked the trailer. Never happened when loaded or with 'sight' stuff set up.

One ' could ', if it is not plated, claim it as home built and make up a plate that gets you in the limit. Jack up one wheel and put the bathroom scales under, lower gently in case it is more than they will take. Double that reading and add it to the jockey wheel reading. Then if Plod checks, your base wt is OK. Put on a max load within the car's limit and screw plate on. Or just paint it on near the tow hitch. (Not sure if paint is still OK) Around here it is a good idea to stay away from motorways, as plod is more active on loads there.
A

 

[Lakesailor]

Yep. Indespension also denied me a rental because my car at the time wasn't rated greater than the trailer was rated.
Searching the web it seems that it depends on the licence you hold. If you passed your test before 1st January 1997 you're licence will be for all categories and Trailer MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) may not be an issue. The source of this is the Government Website
The relevant sentence being

Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM

Note that it doesn't say the actual gross weight of the trailer but the MAM which is the figure on the trailer plate.
However, the web sites which used to state that it didn't matter if the trailer was loaded or not seem to have changed and now refer to exceeding the Maximum Authorised Mass, which infers the trailer plus it's load.
Even Indespension's site seems to be a bit less certain about the regulations. Perhaps their stance, and that of others, has been tested in court?

Helpfully this is all the Avon and Somerset police have to say.

One way around it, which is quite legal, is to have a new trailer plate made to show a lower Gross Trailer Weight. That limits what you can carry on that trailer ,legally, even behind a big 4x4.

AlistairR bought a trailer and had that done for moving furniture and had that done, I believe.

 

[maxi77]

The simple answer is to de-rate the carrying capacity of the trailer whilst towing it empty. I understand that the interpretation that Mr Plod uses the plated capacity of the trailer is that without access to a weighvbridge that is the only data he has. Of course if you de-rate the trailer when moving it empty, you should remeber ti restore it's rating before using it loaded. You used to be able to buy trailer rating plates for self builds.

 

[fisherman]

"there is not any specified relationship in UK law between the weight of the towing vehicle and the weight of the trailer. "

That's the bit I read before towing a 1250kg trailer with a 1050kg Volvo on it, with my Volvo 940, at 1300kg.

It was only when I got back I read the rest...

"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."