What can I tow?

[adamsky01]

Originally Posted by JimDay

The thing is this is not about your personal choice to ignore the new towing law this thread is about helping new people who want to start towing to comply with the new laws & be safe & enjoy towing thier caravan or trailer without the worry of being pulled over & possibly given points on thier licence & a heavy fine.

and to futher prove my point as somone with vast knoldge base should of known this is taken from direct.gov

Category B: Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM and with up to eight passenger seats
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.

For example:

a vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.25 tonnes could be driven by the holder of a category B entitlement. This is because the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes and also the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle
Whereas

the same vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes when coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.5 tonnes would fall within category B+E. This is because although the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer is within the 3.5 tonnes MAM limit, the MAM of the trailer is more than the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle
Vehicle manufacturers normally recommend a maximum weight of trailer appropriate to their vehicle. Details can usually be found in the vehicle's handbook or obtained from car dealerships. The size of the trailer recommended for an average family car with an unladen weight of around 1 tonne would be well within the new category B threshold.
Towing caravans
As for towing caravans, existing general guidance recommends that the laden weight of the caravan does not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the car. In the majority of cases, caravans and small trailers towed by cars should be within the new category B threshold.

An exemption from the driver licensing trailer limit allows a category B licence holder to tow a broken down vehicle from a position where it would otherwise cause danger or obstruction to other road users.

By passing a category B test national categories F (tractor), K (pedestrian controlled vehicle) and P (moped) continue to be added automatically.

[adamsky01]

i do hope this has cleard things up for pepole

[Chris Parish]

I had a flat battery and asked the man walking past if he could give me a push.

He said "I'm a chiropodist", so I said in that case could you give me a tow (toe).

silence..............

[Chris Parish]

I often have a very good knack of stopping a thread in its tracks.........

[mattyoung69]

Off hand, does anyone know then the weight of a 98 plate V40 - in terms of the MAM - I can look then at what i've got left with to tow!

Thanks

[outnumbered]

hi matt.
take it to a weighbridge, you have a choice denby dale road,theres a free one near guildersome roundabout near the ambulance station. get it weighed and work from there,
mike

[Westyman]

I assumed it was the plated Maximum Mass as on the little (usually) aluminium plate under the bonnet, though you need the handbook to tell you which numbers are which.

[tykey]

Originally Posted by Westyman

I assumed it was the plated Maximum Mass as on the little (usually) aluminium plate under the bonnet, though you need the handbook to tell you which numbers are which.

So did I, but if you dig about, the kerbweight is a lot less than this, but I can't explain how Volvo work it out. It's important, because the towing weight should be less than 85% of the kerbweight.

On my V70, I think the figure on the plate is 2150kg, which would allow me to tow 1800kg. The actual kerbweight is more like 1800kg, so I can tow something like 1600max

[Gramayr]

I'd go onto this forum and post your question there.