rog

iTrader: (2)

Right, I wouldn't normallly bother asking this sort of question I'd just get a car with a tow bar and fire on, however recently I was told that it's illegal to tow things above a certain weight with a car that is not rated for towing above a certain level etc???

Obviously I wouldn't try to tow it with a mini, but I was going to use a saab 93 estate turbo diesel and was told that it would be illegal because the towing capacity was not high enough? Am I just better off buying a cheap 4x4 or is it nothing to worry about?

All i need is a vehicle to tow a saph cossie on a trailer, that's it.

BTW I passed my test in 97 so I think i have the right licence? It says B & B1?

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

Be pushing it at that fella,time you take the trailer weight etc into account.
Get an el cheapo discovery or pajero,there's a 2.8 td swb on retro rides for a grand which is a giveaway,you'll pull a tractor unit in one of those.
There's also a merc ml v6 for 2k but that will be juicy,under 20 mpg,could LPG it but there's another grand gone.

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

Here's the paj,tax&ticket til next year too!!

http://retrorides.proboards.com/inde...&thread=132340

bj928

looking at this site http://www.uktow.com/towing%20capaci...make=Saab#tab1 , seems most the 9-3's are rated at 1600kg tow weight, so with a light weight single axle trailer u could b ok, just, but it will b at the limit i would think,

gordy_02

have a look on your chasssis plate on the car mate, it will tell you the max train weight which is the total weight including car,trailer and load then you can work it out from there, you need to find the weight of the trailer and if the trailer has brakes or not but 99% of car trailers do then get the weight of your saph and add it all up, will be close but ive got a 53 plate mondeo and its fine for towing a twin axle trailer with the escort, just a bit sore on the car so i try and get a jeep or pickup where i can

as for your licence im sure thats the right one, im sure the change was in 1999, just go onto DVLA site it tells you all there

v man

Lwb 2.8 td frontera

Cheeeeeep cheeeeeeep

I say this coz my mates one was fantastic at anything u needed it to do even down to pulling trees out lol

Mr S1

iTrader: (2)

That's LOT of 4x4 for a bag o' sand !

GINGExR2 T

iTrader: (1)

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It's not just the car your towing with it's the weight your towing, i have a 51 plate Mondeo 2.0TDCi, I spent ages looking into this a while back and from what i can gather is that you can only tow 80% of the towing vehicle gross weight. So be careful as i was speaking to an ex police man who owns and MOT station and was informed that the police etc are getting more wise to it. My trailer weights (according to the makers web site) 650kg, My track fiesta will weight about 750kg, so together thats 1400kg, which is more than the Mondeo :-(

Speak to a caravan or trailer company as they'll tell you for defo whats what.


Ginger


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YOREVOL

i used to deliver cars on a trailer for main dealers and used a transit. when i got my own trailer i used my discovery 300tdi which is excellent for the job and you can pick one up cheap. the land rovers can all tow the max weight allowed 3500kg.

Turbo Transit

if your licence doesnt say B+E, then you have a standard car licence without trailer entitlement.

You can still tow, but your limited to a few criteria, namely that the gross (plated) weight of the trailer cannot exceed the kerb weight of the tow vehicle, and the gross weight of both the trailer and car combined cannot exceed 3500kg.

If your in that situation, a big 4x4 wont actually be helpful at all, as its gross weight will be very high, usually up around 2700kgs, meaning you could only tow 700kgs or so. Infact a big estate car weighing around 1500kgs with a gross weight of ~2000kg maximises the amount you can tow.

It'll still be fairly tight as to wether you can tow your sierra though, you'll have to do the numbers carefully and see where it lands.

First thing you need is the gross weight and kerb weight of your proposed tow car.

Gav Diamond

iTrader: (6)

If you don't have B+E I think the maximum weight you can tow is 750kg

YOREVOL

if you have restrictions on weight get out there and pass the test, because towing on a cars weight limit can be a nightmare. i had a navara for awhile and i thought it was awful to tow with. it had a 2700kg max towing weight.

Turbo Transit

Incorrect.

As i stated above, you CAN tow more, your just limited to certain criteria.

Chip explains it here with links to the relevant DVLA details:

https://passionford.com/forum/genera...7-license.html

Gav Diamond

iTrader: (6)

Not totally incorrect, If you have a vehicle of 3500kg the maximum trailer weight you can have is as I put it 750kg, giving a total of 4250kg.

However after a quick search I see you can have a trailer heavier than 750kg as long as the trailer does not weigh more than the tow vehiches gross weight and the combination of the 2 does not exceed 3500kg.

stevieturbo

If you read the other thread though, if you have certain license categories, the trailer+load can weigh more than the tow vehicle

And I dont think it goes by GVW of the tow vehicle, it is based on unladen weights. Trailer would be actual weight

It's all a load of bollox lol

rocky_robin

Rog, if you are going to be pulling the saph on a trailer, then the first place to start is weighing the Saph or read the chassis plate.

Without a trailer test:
If this is, say, 1200kgs, you are left with 2300kgs. (3500 - 1200)
The trailer, say, a Brian James A-Max is approx 500kgs. That means you are left with 1800kgs. (2300 - 500)

1800kgs is the max kerbweight of the tow car.
Kerb weight is a discussion point on it's own, depending on when the car was made!

Just to give you an example here, my Mondy is approx 1450kgs kerb weight. That would mean that you would be leagally allowed to pull the Saph on the trailer with your licence.
Max train weight = 1450 + 1200 + 500 = 3150kgs. Leaving 350kgs for people, tools, etc.

However, the Mondy max tow capacity is 1800kgs. The trailer and Saph totals 1700kgs.
The recommended tow capacity of any car is between 80-85% the max tow weight. Using the example above, my Mondy pulling the Saph on a trailer is at 94%.
The recommended tow is down to driver experience. I'll happily tow higher than that, but I've been towing for years!

If you got a heavier car, which has a max tow wieght of say 2000kgs, that would bring you into the 85% mark.

The next thing is the kerb weight of the tow car. If you entend to take tools, people, etc, you will be limited to a car that weighs less than 1800kgs. That is a car with a kerb weight of say 1600kgs, a passenger at 80kgs and 120kgs of tools, crisps and beer!

If you got a 4x4, that weight including the trailer and Saph may bring you over the 3500kgs max trian weight that you can leagally pull on your licence.
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Or you could just take the trailer exam and go an buy a 4x4 / Transit!

Turbo Transit

You missed the fact that a 1200kg saff on a 500kg trailer weighs more than the kerbweight of the car, so you would not be allowed to tow it without +E

I also believe the 3500kg limit applies to the gross weights of the car and trailer, not the actual weight.

Gross weight of towcar + Gross weight of trailer must be below 3500kg
and
loaded weight of trailer must be less than the kerbweight of the tow vehicle.

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

No I would say, just by physics, I should think the towing car needs to be bigger and heavier than the than the car it's towing, this combined with the trailer weight will be more than the gross weight of the Sabb I would imagine, leave alone it's max towing weight!

Martin

DAN-Saff

Iirc the way they rate the weight allowance is how much weight the car can pull from stationary start on measured incline.

That's why certain cars/vans ie transits with the same chassis can tow different weights due to variations of axle ratios and drivetrains.

YOREVOL

Dan, i thought the towing weight of a vehicle was decided by the handbrake efficiency. i think you are still correct with the incline theory, but its if the handbrake holds on an incline.

DAN-Saff

That doesn't sound right (but you might be) because a transit handbrake is a transit handbrake regardless and the trailer would have a handbrake too which your supposed to use when parked.