Thingy said:
If you want to tow a trailer weighing more than 750 kilograms when the combined weight of the towing vehicle and trailer is more than 3,500 kilograms you will have to pass a further test in category B+E.
As I understand it, these are maximum permissable weights, not actual weights.
So a vehicle of say 2300kg, with a max permissable of 2800kgs, plus a caravan of 1350 kg, mtp of 1550 would be a distinct no. This is how I read it.
We used to refer to this as train weight.
hi Thingy,
1. is correct.
2. this is the bit under discussion.
3. also correct as the combined weight of 2300kg for car + 1350kg for van = 3650kg without any reference to the vans MTPLM if greater than 1350kg.
4. that is still what it is called but refers to the absolute maximum a combination can weigh for a given tow car.
Interestingly and where the anomaly appears is that a vehicle that has a GVW of 3500kg a trailer of 750kg can still be towed legally by a catagory B licence holder, so the maximum weight is increased to 4250kg, one could also argue that the actual weight of this combination could be 4350kg as a (assumed noseweight) of 100kg is carried by the car and not towed.
this therefore makes the senario of a vehicle of say 2500kg GVW towing a trailer of 1100kg being illegal seem ridiculous,
"and could be the reason the wording John spoke of being changed" I also believe the use of MTPLM being used as a theoretical actual weight of the van is misleading .
because it is the tow load of the trailer that important not the MTPLM. this seems unique to caravans
while the MTPLM is the maximum a van can weigh in total, the actual weight is the MIRO (mass in running order) plus the user payload, (to make up the MTPLM) if the van is say empty (on MIRO) why would you assume it is running at max weight.
A trailer weighs what it is empty plus the load it carries whatever that is!! you would not assume a car transporter weighs 3 tonne empty because it could carry a ford transit when loaded,
this was proven to me last spring when a boating friend ask me to help taking his boat to the marina for the summer,
on the way back he was stopped by the police, "thats a big trailer for a ford focus he said" and on looking at the A frame he said "thought so it,s a 2500kg trailer thats far to big for that little car its a £60 penilty and 3 points on your licence for that offence" to which my friend went round to the back of the trailer grabbed hold and lifted it straight off all four wheels LOOK he said "I'M SUPERMAN" I can lift 2 and half tonnes, do you want to weigh it!!. at which point the officer ticked him off for being cheeky but in the end sent us on our way getting back on the road my friend said " it's a good job he stopped us on the way back the boat weighs 1400kg on its own. :lol: