weight match

[david_5074577]

My pal has a Mercedes C320 with a kerbweight of 1540 and a max towing weight of 1640.He is looking to buy a Buccaneer Carribean which has an unladen weight of 1288 and an MGW of 1650. This gives a payload of 362 kg.

If the payload is kept below 252kg ie he does not exceed the kerbweight of his car then is he legal

I appreciate the 85% rule but more interested on the legal aspect

 

[GrahamW]

David

Yes he is perfectly legal, I too towed at 100% for many years without any problems. And that was with a front wheel drive Audi, I have got to say though I much prefer towing at a lower ratio as I feel much more relaxed and in control of things.

 

[Gary_5039903]

Assuming he passed his driving test before January 1997, he will be legal towing up to his cars maximum towing weight (1640kgs). However, when towing caravans & any other high sided trailer, keeping the weight less than that of the tow vehicles kerbweight is sensible. As the caravan has a large loading margin, he will be fine providing he doesn't start loading right up to the MTPLM.

As a point, it isn't just the weight of the caravan that keeps things safe, sensible load distribution, nose weight etc play a large part as well.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello David.

First of all, Gary has given some excellent advice, though I think there are one or two other points that need to be considered.

I do not have the details of the Merc C320 or the Buccaneer, but looking at the figures you give and adding the car + caravan + payload, the gross train weight is going to be quite high. You must check that it does not exceed Merc's figure which has legal significance.

You should also check your Driving licence for the maximum train weight that you are allowed to drive, recent drivers are restricted to 3.5 tonnes, which the above combination is very close, and you must be aware that things like gas bottles, spare wheels, mains cables, wheel chocks, are all part of the payload.

I would suggest it would be advisable to have the loaded combination (with passengers) checked on a weigh bridge.

one of my pet issues is the miss-use of the 85% figure. It is not enshrined in any law, and therefore is is only a guideline not a rule. Despite my pedanticy on this point, I still agree that it is a sensible target to aim for.