Towing

[trevormonty]

Whatever the mass of the caravan its nose load transfers to the car, and doesn't become part of the towed load. So even at 1400kg the nose load can be deducted, but of course the OPs car is limited to 1300kg towed load.

If the overall weight of the trailer were to be treated as towed weight one would not be able to add the weight of the car to the towed weight to establish the train weight. Any regulation worded on such a basis would therefore be completely illogical. Surely the legislators in New Zealand or anywhere else aren't that naive.

Here are UK regulations

Towing with a car

Towing trailers, caravans and horseboxes with a car, including the weight and size limits, and what licence you need to have

www.gov.uk

Thought there would be bit more detailed. If car manual says 1300kg max braked then that is it.

Nothing about towing 1400kg trailer when it is applying 100kg downforce to towbar. If you can find regulation that applies to this please post link.

Here is NZ.

Guide Safe Loading Towing | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

www.nzta.govt.nz

NB manufacturer rating can be ignored. The legal requirement is stopping distance 7m at 30kmh.

 

[Tobes]

Here are UK regulations

Towing with a car

Towing trailers, caravans and horseboxes with a car, including the weight and size limits, and what licence you need to have

www.gov.uk

Thought there would be bit more detailed. If car manual says 1300kg max braked then that is it.

Nothing about towing 1400kg trailer when it is applying 100kg downforce to towbar. If you can find regulation that applies to this please post link.

Here is NZ.

Guide Safe Loading Towing | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

www.nzta.govt.nz

NB manufacturer rating can be ignored. The legal requirement is stopping distance 7m at 30kmh.

The actual legislation is here.

Note that the limits are defined as vehicle, combination (train) and axle.

Maximum authorised weights​

4.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) and regulation 5, no vehicle to which these Regulations apply and which is of a description specified in a Schedule to these Regulations shall be used on a road if–

(a)the weight of the vehicle exceeds the maximum authorised weight for the vehicle determined in accordance with Schedule 1;

(b)where the vehicle is used as part of a vehicle combination, the weight of the combination exceeds the maximum authorised weight for the combination determined in accordance with Schedule 2; or

(c)the axle weight of any axle of the vehicle exceeds the maximum authorised axle weight for that axle determined in accordance with Schedule 3.

 

[Lutz]

No mention there of any legally enforceable noseweight or towing limits. The regulations only refer to axle loads and the sum of axle loads.

 

[audiorob]

This guide was published in PC Magazine in May this year and may clarify some of the issues for you

Matching a car to a caravan: what you need to know - Practical Caravan

Are you unsure about matching a caravan to a car? We're here to help, as we talk you through the crucial points to think about.

www.practicalcaravan.com

 

[trevormonty]

The actual legislation is here.

Note that the limits are defined as vehicle, combination (train) and axle.

Maximum authorised weights​

4.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) and regulation 5, no vehicle to which these Regulations apply and which is of a description specified in a Schedule to these Regulations shall be used on a road if–

(a)the weight of the vehicle exceeds the maximum authorised weight for the vehicle determined in accordance with Schedule 1;

(b)where the vehicle is used as part of a vehicle combination, the weight of the combination exceeds the maximum authorised weight for the combination determined in accordance with Schedule 2; or

(c)the axle weight of any axle of the vehicle exceeds the maximum authorised axle weight for that axle determined in accordance with Schedule 3.

Clear as mud , do they have version written in english.

 

[Beachball]

Watch the gross train weight with the Zafira

I use to own a Zafira and we towed a very light caravan and we were well under the gross weight and it towed okay on the flat but up hills it struggle .

 

[ProfJohnL]

The rights and wrongs of the regulations is not open to challenge as they are set out by the governments in their respective areas and we cannot change them. The crucial point is there are differences which mean you cannot assume that what might appear to be a common term has the exact same meaning in every jurisdiction.

As for the of loading of trailers and the way that load is distributed and accounted for in the outfits physical existence, that is governed by scientific and engineering principles, but how these are accounted for or used by local regulations may differ.

And a further note relating to the use of information on websites. Certainly in the UK and likely to be similar in other countries, government websites are often perused by the public for information about legislation and regulations. It's important to understand that in most cases the web site has been created by civil servants, and is only an interpretation of the underlying regulatory documents. They are not the law or original documents, they are only an opinion about the law, and certainly in the UK there have been instances where the government website interpretation has be factually wrong, and if the web sites interpretation had been followed to the letter the user would actually be acting illegally.

Having drawn attention to the potential for errors in Gov Web sites, I am sure that in the majority of these pages have been written with care and good intentions and any errors are accidental.

For accuracy you should always refer back to the original documentation which sadly due to years of tradition are often written in a style that is not easy to read.