I dont know the law on homemade trailer plating legalities im afraid mate.

as far as im aware though, the law you mention only applies to trailers after a certain date (in the 80s IIRC) and so if you just claim the trailer is 30 years old, it wont need a plate

 

That makes my day - previous to this day/thread i was convinced i had to take a very expensive test, alas my dream to two my project to the ring one day is alive again!



If you'd be unlucky getting pulled while towing a safe looking outfit you'd be very unlucky for the vosa/police to pick up on the plate being 'supplied' if everything was sensibly done - wouldn't you?

Tom

 

I think that a court would really struggle to find you guilty of anything if you bought a secondhand trailer that appeared perfectly legal in every way and seemed to be plated appropriately.

 

Test is about Ł150 and apparently not too difficult. There is some scope for towing sall track cars without as has been highlighted.

As far as Im aware IVA testing for trailers begins in 2012 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...icle/DG_177879

Yeah just stamp your own plate making sure it doesnt exceed the safe load of the axles or hitch. I believe displaying one is a legal requirement.

 

Yes, iva in 2012 by the looks of it but only Ł70. Mind you if you just put 2010 on the plate regardless of the date it was built I can't see how they could prove otherwise?

Got some real life numbers off my mk2 mondonky estate. The plate in the door shut reads:

O 2010kg
B 3260kg
VN 1030kg
P9 1030kg

Now I'm assuming the letters perhaps stand for something in german (where it was made)?

I guess 2010kg is the gross weight. Does this mean that the kerb weight is only 1030kg?? If the 3260kg is the gross train weight what happens if I exceed it? Vosa say it is a cat b vehicle so should be ok for 3500kg. Would they inforce the manufacturers train weight over theirs when prosecuting?

 

IIRC its
Gross weight
Max train weight
Max axle weight front
Max axle weight rear


It wont have "kerb weight" on it, as thats including a person and some fuel etc and is a uk legislation thing rather than specific to the vehicle.


The letters are nothing to do with it, thats the trim code and transmission type etc

 

As far as I a aware the manufacturers limits apply over the rules. A reliant robin is a category B vehicle but I wouldnt want to run 3500 GTW with it.

You cant exceed the 3260 legally on a cat B license though as you would be limited by the by the unladen weight which is probably 1250kg or so

 

Chip i stand corrected m8, http://www.monoposto.co.uk/goracing/towing.htm check out the "driving licences summary" no prizes for guessing which part i too note of and chose to ignore the rest eh! (lgv drivers) AH well every day is a school day as they say!

 

A Reliant Robin isnt a cat B veichle. It's B1 which is a motorcycle? Manufacturers DO rate their vehicles towing weight limit though. My Forester is rated to tow upto 1,500KG so if my dad was to drive it he could tow 1,500KG. Because of my licence I can't tow more than the Kerb Weight of the car, so I'm limited to the Foresters weight, which is 1,360 KG Or am I missing thwe point here?

 

Muz you cant tow more than the vehicle thats towing weight. So your foresters weight is 1,360kg so your trailer + escorts weight cant be more than 1,360kg. Then trailer/escort + forester = less than 3.5ton.

 

Correct, Not on his license he cant if that weight you are quoting is the kerb weight.

 

On a catagory B licence aslong as whats being towed does not exceed the unladen weight of the vehicle towing, then its ok aslong as they both (towing vehicle + trailer and car) dont exceed 3.5ton.

 

Yes that is correct. Assuming that when you say "you can tow upto 3.5 ton" you actually mean the weight of the tow vehicle and the thing you are towing combined comes in at under 3.5 ton, where as you seem to have worded it as if just the thing you are towing can be upto 3.5 ton.

 

Ahh i get you Chip! Na i ment everything cant be over 3.5tons! Ive just edited it!

 

My apologies, Reliant Kitten :P The one with 4 wheels!

Indeed they do dads saab is a 130kg vehicle with a 1600kg towing limit. You're quite right though, on a port '97 license you cant tow more than the unladen weight.

another point, unladen weight and kerb weight arent the same thing......

 

It's ok Matt. I understand what I can and can't do with regards to weight etc. I just wanted to know what the chances of actually being pulled over by a passing copper who would look at me and say, that don't look right, as I realise I would be about 100-150KG over weight. If I were to use something an Ifor Williams CT115 I would be ok as they weigh 350KG, it's just finding one local.

 

Tbh mate if the car towing looks capable of pulling it then im sure you would be fine. Ive towed from Portsmouth to London a few times which is 150m round trip, been past many coppers and ive never been pulled! Its up to you oviously but like someone said earlier if its a metro pulling it then yeh they would probsa give you a tug, but a forrester is fairly big so you should be ok mate!

 

It will only be if you are involved in an accident realstically that anyone will be likely to look at it.

 

If your that worried about it Muz cant you get someone else to drive the Forrester?

 

i have an st tdci mondeo estate which i bought for towing a heavy duty brian james clubman trailer which i carry my xpack on, i always get get all my gear wheels etc in too and i am within my limits.i always get a wieghbridge ticket too as i have been stopped a few times,my advice is if you are not legal do not set off as they seem to be clamping down on this.

 

chip why are 'a' frames illegal?

i have heard this before but ive seen the aa use them and people with mobile homes using them to pull a car behind.

just curios fella

 

the AA have a dispensation for recovery.

Some conversions offer braked a frames for campers which operate the brakes of the vehicle being towed but they are expensive and require that you always tow the same vehicle with the same tow car.

In general a frames folk refer to on here are illegal cos you end up with an unbraked trailer over 750kg.

 

cheers for that,
its made things clearer now.

 

Muz cant you get some L plates on it and drive it as a learner
obvously with someone in the passenger seat with the right licence

 

Just to mix things up a little, I know an a frame is illegal as it's unbraked but
I have dolly wheels that are braked,
so I have an transit connect t230 and a
little striped out Suzuki sj offroader which I tow
with my dolly all well under 3.5 tons so how
do I stand with the law? Cheers John

 

The AA dont use a frames at all, they use a dolly, which I believe is classed as part of the vehicle in their case (thats the dispensation I believe) so only the wheels not on the dolly are classed as a trailer, and hence the trailer is under 750kg and falls under those rules, I *THINK*

Brake applying a frames are still illegal.
Any trailer made after 1986 over 750kg in weight must conform to the revelent regulations on trailer brakes, and car brakes dont, YES they are better than trailer brakes but NO they havent been put through the test so they arent approved and hence are illegal.

 

I believe that a dolly and car are classed together as a trailer (other than the AA dispensation mentioned above) and as such require by law to have ALL wheels braked, so you are braking the law with that too I believe.

 

so can i use a dolly to tow my sierra ?

will have to use my astra which will be illegal or use my mates transporter which should be legal?

 

Not legally I dont think, but I doubt anyone will stop you, ive used them loads and so have lots of car traders I know and none of us have ever been stopped.

 

Dollys are legal only to "recover to a place of safety"
and that means the first layby or whatever you come to, and it means that the car must have broken down somewhere in the first place to need recovering to safery, which means the car needs to be legal.

Thats the ONLY legal use of them as far as I know.

 

oh bollocks as it will be a track car so not entirely road legal

i would get a trailer but I have no where to put it safely