Trailer

You will be able to tow the Macwester if you have a very good trailer with good brakes, preferebly flat bed for lower centre of gravity. My landrover discovery can easily pull this load on the road; BUT the road must be flat, uphill not too bad, downhill you have to be very careful. The problem is that the boat plus trailer will be heavier that the tow car which means that the tow car is not in full control; you are controlled by the weight behind you. For a short distance very early morning its ok.
 
Years ago I was working at the local agricultural college and I was told to take a transit minibus and a huge flatbed trailer to a local school to collect two minitractors that had been on display. These were full spec tractors with 3 point linkage etc. but about 3/4's of the size of a normal tractor.
I loaded the tractors onto the trailer and strapped them down. Every thing was fine until I got onto the motorway and got upto around 45 MPH when the whole thing started to snake, I eased up and it calmed down so I carried on but kept the speed below 40 MPH.
As soon as I left the motorway I stopped at a callbox and rang the college and was told to carry on but keep the speed down!
I was now on the A road still concentrating on keeping the speed below 40, everything was fine until I reached the long hill down to the college.
The speed crept upto 40 MPH and the whole thing started to snake violently, I eased up on the speed but this made it worse, the minibus was lurching onto 2 wheels and I was fighting with the steering wheel. Some faint memory of being told to accelerate in this situation kicked in and I took my foot of the brake and floored the accelerator and the whole thing straightened out, in the process the rear tractor flipped through 90 degrees onto its side and the roll bar was now sticking out the side of the trailer by around 4 ft' where it proceeded to take out the wing mirrors of several cars coming in the opposite direction.
I managed to get the minibus onto the verge and after fending off the irate car drivers I got a lift back to the college to face the music.
It was later found that the brakes on the trailer were seized, the all up weight was around 3.5 tons and the max permissable tow limit of the transit was around 1.5 tons.
I was cleared of all blame but it is not a situation I would like to be in again!
 
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Some faint memory of being told to accelerate in this situation kicked in and I took my foot of the brake and floored the accelerator

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I had an "experience" towing a bloody great big close-coupled car trailer with a Viva on it with a Triumph TR7. (I know, I know) When it started to snake on a dual carriageway at about 11.00 am on a Sunday morning I tried that technique. It got so bad that as the trailer was coming around the offside I braked as hard as I could and the trailer overtook us in a mighty spin. When the dust settled we disconnected the trailer and moved the car in-line with it, put the hitch back on and carried on.

Lesson learned

(It was a borrowed TR7!)
 
I've had a couple of nasty snaking experiences! Our second boat (Evolution 22) was an utter PIG to tow. That was low on the trailer (lift keel) so we thought it would be OK but even with a long Series III Landrover it still needed an anti-snake bar! (they DO work, by the way)! I even modified the trailer by fitting a second axle but that didn't help as much as I'd have thought!

I also had a big trailer with all the contents of my garage in it some years ago (well within the vehicle's towing weight limit) and that started a really nasty snake (very nearly jacknifed us) at 40 MPH! Probably my scariest moment on wheels!

On the other hand, I have seen some other tows that look dreadful but are actually very stable!
 
I have just towed my Swin Ranger (22 ft motor sailer, about 2000kg) 300 miles back through France and then to the East Coast. I have a flat plant trailer with a 16ft bed, 20ft total length. Trailer weighs about 750/800kg. I have a Discovery 200 Tdi, "J" reg.

I bet your Macwester weighs more than 3000kg. I had a Macwester 30, meant to weigh 4500kg and a crane driver reconed it weighed more like 5500kg.

If it is 3000kg then you might be able to hire a car transporter trailer and tow it with a big 4x4. Mitsubishi Shoguns are no good as their limit is 3300kg.

My boat at 22 ft long, 8ft beam, looked very big behind my Disco, and I am used to towing. Your boat would look massive.

I did have an articulated-type trailer for my Macwester 30 and the local farmer towed it with a tractor. Much later I did discover that I should have had the trailer pass an annual "MOT"- type trailer test.

Good Luck!
 
In my experience 35mph is normally the maximum speed you can tow a heavey load at with a big 4X4. Even then if a HGV goes past you you are likely to sway about a bit.
 
Have towed my Hunter 26 home a number of times. About 2400KG + 750 for the trailer, I used a 7.5 ton lorry to tow with which works well, very stable but still a little scary going down Haldon Hill near Exeter, and a bit slow going back up! With this setup it looks right so no problem with the old bill, I'm sure towing with a 4x4 it would look wrong and may lead to problems. Its a long rig ( lorry 20 foot and boat another 30 foot) to tow and tricky with parking and corners
I would not recommend towing much over 2 ton with a 4x4 for any long distance.

trailer.jpg
 
I had thought of using a lorry such as shown in the picture. Trouble is i then lose out on be able to manouvre it at home. Could always swith to a 4x4 to locate it but then it all gets a bit complicated.

I take Mr Cramps point that the boat will probably be over weight. Do not want to cut it too fine with weight limits. Journey is about 65 miles Hayling to S London. Nothing like Haldon Hill but a few big hills all the same.
 
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If you tow with a goods vehicle in the <7.5 tonnes category, adding the trailer requires you to have HGV licence rather than car licence....

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Depends when you took your test, my car test covers C1+E up to 8250KG
 
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I had thought of using a lorry such as shown in the picture. Trouble is i then lose out on be able to manouvre it at home. Could always swith to a 4x4 to locate it but then it all gets a bit complicated.

I take Mr Cramps point that the boat will probably be over weight. Do not want to cut it too fine with weight limits. Journey is about 65 miles Hayling to S London. Nothing like Haldon Hill but a few big hills all the same.

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Agreed I use my 4x4 to put it on the drive, there is no room to turn the big setup in the road. Having said that it is possible to push the boat and trailer on a flat good surface and no curbs.
 
Many years ago I towed my boat weighing about 2 1/2 tons from Beccles to west Wales with a 3.5 litre V8 Landrover.
It managed it easily, but manouvreability was a bit of a problem on tight turns in country lanes. At one impossible junction we had to uncouple, reposition the LandRover, and then enlist help to walk the trailer round by hand. It helped having low-range available.
You need tubed tyres on a 4-wheel trailer - tubeless can't stand tight turns as the scrubbing pulls the beads away from the rim and lets the air out.
 
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my car test covers C1+E up to 825KG

[/ QUOTE ] Rather defeats the object doesn't it? That's less than a ton.

NTTA says "Category C1+E
Combinations of vehicles in Category C1 plus trailers over 750kg maximum authorised mass, but with an overall maximum authorised mass (gross train weight) not over 12,000kg"

(Category C1
Rigid goods vehicles over 3,500kg but NOT over 7,500kg. Vehicles drawing trailers not over 750kg maximum authorised mass are included in this category)
 
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my car test covers C1+E up to 825KG

[/ QUOTE ] Rather defeats the object doesn't it? That's less than a ton.

NTTA says "Category C1+E
Combinations of vehicles in Category C1 plus trailers over 750kg maximum authorised mass, but with an overall maximum authorised mass (gross train weight) not over 12,000kg"

(Category C1
Rigid goods vehicles over 3,500kg but NOT over 7,500kg. Vehicles drawing trailers not over 750kg maximum authorised mass are included in this category)

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Sorry I missed a 0 off should be 8250KG My licence states this not 12,000KG
 
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Ah, that's quite a weight.

My licence (when I found it) has C1+E but doesn't stipulate a weight, so I assume it's the full 12,000KG

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Its note note 7 on the other side, assume you have an old paper document
 
12 tonne C1+E is only if have taken the post 1996 test. Grandads rights are 8250Kg. I had a trailer 2" to wide for UK roads with a car, but the law is not always up on trailer rules. 5th wheelers are a bit outside of their ken
 
How very dare you? I may have taken my test a while ago, but calling me a grandad is a bit steep.
It seems that as long as it looks OK and you haven't shot a red light or something silly you are pretty safe.
I sold my MOBO to a guy who towed it away with a Kia Sorento which looked well capable. The boat was tidy and the galvanised trailer old but smart (and with new mudguards). Load well strapped down, prop bag on.
He didn't have a rear number plate so used a felt tip on the trailer board, so not strictly legal but didn't get stopped on a 90 mile motorway drive.

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The outfit looked better behid his Kia than my Honda. (more straps than this pic and new mudguards fitted and wheels painted)

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