New to towing and need advice

[MileMuncher]

Hi Folks,

I'm very glad that i have found this thread.

I'm 23 and passed my test in 2003.

I'm very capable of towing a caravan, and we are borrowing my Nans caravan to take to the south of France this summer.

However, i was under then impression that in order for me to tow, i needed to take another test? ive had a look on the net for further information, but nothing is clear???

My car is an D5 S60, and the Caravan is a 2 berth (not massive). Does anybody know if i will need to sit another test?

If anyone can provide any further information it would be a great help.

I can find out exactly which caravan it is if required.

Thanks in advance anyone.

[JimDay]

Try checking out these links they maybe of some use to you

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...les/DG_4022564

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/NR/rdon...lerCaravan.pdf

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/NR/rdon...yQuestions.pdf

Hope this is of some use to you

[Dazzlev70r]

Im a HGV driver
There is and never has been a "grey area"
The law is absolutely clear on this point.
The "grey area" we think is how the question is asked.
Trust me if things come a tumble it wont be pc plod but a white top who investigate and these guys are not "unsure" of the regulations.
You also run the risk of bieng uninsured, trust me insurance companys will take your cash and even be aware that you are towing something but in event of a problem will point out one thing we all aware of but overlook
Its the drivers responsibility to ensure they are entitled to drive the vehicle and no one elses.
Its the drivers responsibility to ensure ALL laws and regulations are adhered to, ignorance is no defence and the court will not accept you was acting on advice from a "friend"

The law was introduced rightly or wrongly to stop new drivers from jumping into large vehicles without additional training, so by thinking ah if its bieng towed it wont count.
I agrea the law is half arsed and should when carried through have a similar system to the motor cycles where BHP is restricted for a period unless additional training is taken.
I accept a pc on a roadside check will not be that up on it but more and more caravans and trailers are now getting stopped by the ministry and like a puncture the fact you never had one you wouldnt chuck out your spare.

If what your saying is "grey area" ask the DVLA to send you this.
Trust me I deal with issues regarding weight / driving hours/ licence issues and there is no "grey area"

Nothing worse than ignoring what you know in your heart because its conveniant.
If you was to have an incident that would arouse the white tops you could be sitting in a cell bieng held fully responsible for an accident that might not of even been your fault ( but as a non licence holder it becomes your fault) hoping to later find legal representation that will argue this area that simply dont exist.
Were confusing noseweights and kerb weights and load weights etc.
Simply unfortunately if you have a licence after 1997 anything bigger than a box traileryour pushing your luck im afraid.
Some courses are below £300 plus test fee I cant see what the problem would be or if someone is that adamant they can drive so good then hire a trailer and head down to the test centre

[4wheeldriver]

MAximum train weight for a vehicle and trailer on a <1997 licence is 3500 kgs. That is the kerbweight of the car including tank of fuel and driver plus the weight of the trailer. That is mtplm the gross weight of the caravan or trailer fully loaded!!! In my case my gross train weight is nearly 4 tonnes with luggage, geet and grandmother (yeah i know lol) I passed my test in 1984 but I have already got my class 1 hgv licence so im sorted but it could leave a lot of new caravanners in stuck. There was a big purge on caravans last summer down the m5 and the west country and a lot of people got warnings for it

[Dazzlev70r]

I cannot understand the warnings and purges.
If I ride a motorbike on a car licence its simply an offence , same with HGV the rules are there.
And remember ministry run us on to weighbridges and you will be shocked your real train weight with a few bags n boxs in the car.
Then to complicate things axle wieght which is very hard to predict can come into it.
Reminds me of years ago and the American stretch limmos
Thes can be driven with a car licence, yet if there for hire and reward and can seat 9 or more you needed a PSV licence to drive one.
Yet clearly the vehicle doesnt conform to PSV standards with no fire exit and carrying glasses etc.
This was percieved as a "grey area", if you charge people for a night out how the hell do you run them, diffrent councils would allow you to register them for private hire didnt help the fact one xmas in leicester square they pulled everyone they saw and simply knicked people.
Some had gone to trouble of registering them for private hire yet still found themselves in trouble.
As a result regardless of length most of these cars are now 8 seaters (removing the front passenger seat from the car)
Clearly they were made for 10 and even 18 people you still see them on the road nowadays just never with loads of people as you used to.
Its the drivers responsibility to ensure they conform to the law in every way.

I know a guy who has no driving licence and insures hes car to avoid the cameras etc, Insurance has taken hes money for years now no qustions and they must know if they checked hes got no licence but we all know if he has an accident the insurance wont cover him.
We live in a culture we can have so much information, a thread like this which has what you want to read and conveniant will be adhered to over the information the brain knows to be true.
Im more suprised people will take the chance and tow to be fair hoping never to be found out.
Those who understand the classification of driving licence could argue that a tow ball is a 5th wheel so would a class 1 (C+E) licence be needed as such?
Max towing ratios / kerb weight / nose weight

I understand this side of the grey area, this is con***ing to a point but bottom line I see and neither will the court any argument to the driving licence "grey area"
put simply if your licence is restricted to a certain weight then you dont exceed it
I took my motorcycle licence and paid the extra not to have a restricted licence for 2 years.
Some have restrictors placed on bigger bikes, the idea is to stop people gaining a bike licence and wiping themselves out on a powerfull machine.
We should of had this on a car licence but for some reason never got around to it
But the days of passing a car test and jumping in a 7.5 tonne vehicle are gone, if people realy think ah if i tow then im not driving id love to hear there reason for this in court.

Just think if your involved in a collision and it genuinely isnt your fault how do you think the police will investigate when they find out your driving with no insurance or licence, I know if I was the driver and realy the accident was my fault yet hit someone who wasnt legal i would use this for my advantage arguing maybe if they were willing to flout the law blatantly maybe they did play a bigger role in the accident.
Not arguing anyones ability to be a safe responsible driver, Id accept fully some out there with no licence can out drive me all day long
But if you dont have the papers your experiance means nothing im afraid.
Im also shocked at the way some see it as not that much of a big thing just take it easy.....
Like the days of the old drink driver, this used to be acceptable to a point and now look at it.
To be fair driving whilst on a phone used to almost be mandatory but opinions are changing
Those driving caravans get enough stick and seen as pikeys or at least pains without bieng known as offenders as long as you take it easy

[MileMuncher]

Trying to book me cat B+E test on the DVLA website.

This is not exactly straight forward. It asks wether you need automatic or manual gearbox, i'm going to do the test in an automatic, does this mean that once i pass i will be covered to tow using a manual car?

Its also asking for a combined vehicle & trailer length - do i have to supply the caravan? Basically do i book the test, then drive down with the car and caravan to the test center? But surely i'm not insured to drive TO the test center? Do you have to have lessons or can you just submit yourself for the exam?

TA

EDIT - FOUND OUT

[murtonia97-940]

You might want to have a look at this web site http://www.whattowcar.com/ which will help you match a caravan to your car.

I recall, many many years ago (1991) being passenger in a car which had a caravan snake, roll over and write off. Very lucky that no-one was killed. When it came for me to do the driving/towing I undertook a full day training course on caravan towing/manouvering.

Dont rely on "common sence" because if you are not suitably trained you aint got no common sence when it comes to towing.

Good luck.

[Paddler Ed]

Once my Dad has finished writing up the bit that he delivered on towing at the Dinghy show, I'll get a copy and post it up here. I think that he covers all the aspects of towing, including licences and terminology

[gillberry]

I have to agree that towing mirrors are a pain in the **** but as its law they are fitted when towing , and I think its a good idea to take a test to tow as although its easy enough going forwards reversing is a nightmare when you only do it a few times a year . Having said that its easy when nobodys watching you . Loading the caravan or trailer correctly is key to stability , which makes you wonder when you see these idiots who are nose heavy hurtling along the motorway . If loaded correctly and following the correct speed limits snaking should not be a problem but its worth checking caravan club site etc as they have useful info .

Just looked at caravan club advice pages at they give a lot of info regarding towing weights etc .