Towing Vehicle Weight

How can I find out my car’s towing capacity? Every vehicle manufacturer has to give a maximum towing limit. This can be found in the vehicle handbook and also on the chassis plate, usually found under the bonnet. The information can be presented in a variety of ways. The clearest is when the plate gives the towing limits for both braked and unbraked trailers. Sometimes the car’s Gross Train Weight (GTW) is given. This is the combination of the car’s Maximum Permitted weight (MPW) sometimes called Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and the trailers Gross Trailer Weight (GTW). To get the towing limit simply deduct the MPW from the GTW. It is an offence to exceed the car’s towing limit.

I am confused about my car’s kerb weight as the handbook says that it includes the driver. Is this correct? The usual definition of kerb weight is a vehicle in its ready to use condition with all tools, spare wheel etc. and a full tank of fuel. Many vehicle manufacturers are, however, now following European Directive 95/48/EC which specifies the kerb weight as a car in ready to drive condition with the fuel tank 90% full, a driver on board weighing 68 kg and luggage of 7 kg. Any extras or accessories fitted after purchase will increase the weight and reduce both payload capacity and hence the towing limit. When looking at a car’s specification in a brochure please check the method of determining the kerb weight. If it is to the EC Directive you must allow for the weight of any other passengers and luggage and deduct that weight from the towing limit accordingly. This could easily reduce the towing limit by 250-300 kg. If in doubt please check with the car makers technical department directly. Do not rely on a car dealer’s salesman, as they are often uncertain on towing information.

From the National Trailer and Towing Association
http://www.ntta.co.uk/faq/default.htm

PS Gross Vehicle Weight is basically the all up weight maximum for car with full fuel tank, passengers, baggage etc.
 
I think GVW means fully loaded with all the kids, mother in law, luggage, etc etc and kerb weight assumes only a driver and half a tank of fuel.

No doubt some of our motor trade bretheren will be along soon.
 
If you exceed GVW, you will be prosecuted for overloading your vehicle, particularly in France where they are much hotter on overloading than our Police.

Gross train weight, now called I think Maximum Allowable Mass (MAM) is the maximum weight all up of the car, passenegers, luggage, outboards, dinghy on roof rack, plus the boat and its trailer and all the gear. Plod likes this figure because they can easily put you on a weighbridge, and prove you are overloaded!

The car Vehicle plate will show the maximum permissible trailer weight: again this is the all up weight of the trailer and its load.

If the trailer is unbraked, it may not exceed 750kg all up weight when loaded. A rule of thumb is that trail weight should not exceed 80% of kerbweight unless the vehicle is plated by the maker to allow more - e.g. RV's, and vans.

Engine size is no indication: My old Sherpa Van with a 2 litre 70 hp diesel can tow up to 1750kg, while my 2l turbo diesel car at 95hp can only legally tow 1100kg. It has to do with chassis design, suspension and braking characterisitics.

Finally check that your licence entitles you to tow: if you passed the test since 1997, you may only tow a trailer up to 750kgs without taking a supplementary test. Prior to that you can tow up to 3.5tons.
 
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Can anyone please explain to me the difference between Gross Vehicle Weight and Kerb Weight. According to the "book" my VW Touran has GVW of 2,260kgs and a KW of "between" 1,600 & 1,700 kgs. I'm confused as to how much I can tow.

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Kerb weight. Weight of vehicle in a ready to drive state. Includes allowances for spare wheel, fuel, oil, coolant and driver )sometimes. Used to get a Kerb Weight (dry) figure - i.e. no fluids in it at all and stripped out of all unnecessary stuff..

GVW (or GVM) is the maximum weight allowable of the vehicle and all its contents (including a roofrack and load if applicable). If the vehicle is put over a weighbridge and the total weight exceeds tte GVM then you are in trouble.
Maximum Train Weight - is the maximum weight the drivetrain can cope with. If vehicle and trailer is run over a weighbridge then the sum of the load applied by all the axles must not exceed the MTW or you are in soapy.
There is also a maximum weight for each axle, which must not be exceeded. If vehicle is loaded and towing then each axle load is measured to see the axle weight is not being exceeded and the readings for the vehicle are added together to see the MVW is not being exceeded. Then the trailer axle/s load is added to see if the Train weight is being exceeded.

See?? Quite simple really! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Duncan,
I could not have put it any simpler! Easy to follow for pers not dealing with this on a daily basis

Regards Alan
Ex VI or VOSA
 
Interesting those MacGregors.
A friend has one. Bought it as a first boat .
He is totally confused now, does not know if He wants to sail or motor!
Pratically you can tow with your set up ok.
Bordeline legally though!
Boll%cks just do it! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Look through the papers that came with the car. If you're lucky, there will be an EC Certificate of Conformity in there. It's a single sheet of A4. If you're not lucky, you'll have to order one from the dealer. They should know what you mean but they can make an administrative charge for one.

Field No. 12.1 gives you the mass of the vehicle in running order (i.e. "kerb weight" to you and me)

Field No. 14.1 gives you the maximum laden mass - the heaviest the car cn be at any time.

Field 14.3 gives you the maximum permitted mass on each axle - the notation they use is that "1" is the front axle and "2" is the rear.

Field No. 17 will give you the maximum mass of trailer that can be towed both braked and unbraked.

Field No. 18 gives you the maximum mass of combination (the heaviest the car plus trailer can be at any time).


Field 19.1 gives the maximum noseweight of the trailer.

The good thing about these certificates is that they are unique to each car so it will give you the "bottom line" for your particular car including all its (factory) options.

Unfortunately, as other have said, I think you'll be lucky to be able to two something that heavy with it.
 
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I want to tow a MacGregor 26X. MacGregor UK say on a trailer with the outboard it weighs 1,560kgs.

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If you listen to Kawasaki you are breaking the law. The quoted weight is above your tow weight of 1500Kgs without all your boat and personal gear on board. I bet if you put the trailer and boat on a weigh bridge it will be over 1800KGs. That's what the police will do.

Saying you should be OK for 2 tons is inaccurate and illegal as 1500 Kgs is 1.47 (long) tons.

Brendan gave you a link to the NTTA site which gives all the info and a load of good advice himself - and then said 2 litres should be OK, which is quite irrelevant.

Don't forget that if you tow a trailer above the manufacturer's quoted weight you insurance will be invalid.

It's your choice. The police aren't red-hot on trailers unless they look overloaded, but they did a big hit on car trailers outside Silverstone a couple of years ago and impounded nearly half the racers' outfits.
 
most police don't know a lota about these regs, and use a bit of common sense.

A decent size car pulling a decent size rig, which has the correct tags on tow bar, will go a long way. I've posted on here before about towing with input from a road copper. His bible was a trailer company brochure, not the legal stuff.
 
Oh I agree with you there. But: most farmers and tree surgeons around here drive around all day without trailer boards. If I do that twice a year when I haul my boat with putting the trailer board on I will get stopped. That is sod's law.
I can tow dinghies and small fishing boats about with never a glance from the cops, but put someting on a trailer that stands high and seems to be balanced on a thin keel and they get all interested.
Perfectly legal, but looks bigger than the car.

FCon%20the%20way.jpg
 
There's (conincidentally?) a pretty good article in PBO this month which dropped through my letterbox this morning

Having towed all sorts of outfits (although not boats) both for domestic reasons and professionally for many years I would endorse the advice that the tow should, ideally, not exceed 80% of the kerbside weight of the tow vehicle.

Whilst it may be legal to run at higher tow weights (and in the case of some 4x4's the plated max tow weight could be as much as double the vehicle weight) it can be very difficult to control the outfit when the trailer has the mass to take control of the situation!

Key things to watch are nose weight which wants to be as close to the max permitted for the tow vehicle as possible. Lack of nose weight is a major cause of disastrous snaking. Twin axle trailers are particularly tricky in this respect and I've come across far too many examples where nose weight was way too low (even negative on some occasions!) on twin axle trailers.

Fit a stabiliser such as a Bulldog. Not only do they reduce the risk of snaking, they also counter pitching which can lead to motion sickness amongst the crew before you even get on the water!

Above all, keep the speed down. I'm frequently gobsmacked to be overtaken by cars towing caravans, RIBs, dinghys and the like at speeds well in excess of 70mph on the motorway. Never mind the law, it's just asking for trouble.

Not that relevant when it comes to towing yachts but watch out for the little sting in the tail on unbraked trailers behind smaller vehicles - the limit is 750Kg or half the towing vehicles kerb weight whichever is the lower.
 
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