Weights and Driving License law

[deegee.world]

I have never towed before.

I would like to buy the Eterniti which has MTPLM (maximum technical permissible laden mass) of 2200Kg.

I have a pre 97 driving license and I understand that I can presently drive a car/caravan combination up to 7500kg.
But I'm in my sixties and I gather this concession changes at age 70 and reverts to 3500kg total. Is this right?.

As
I would like to stay within the 3500kg limit from the outset, does this
mean that the car I buy must be less than 1200kg (3500 mninus 2200) and
is there such a car that is able to tow the Eterniti? Where do I start
to find such a vehicle? What technical information tells me that it has
the power to pull the caravan and is of a permissible weight? This is
all new to me.

All help much appreciated.

 

[RogerL]

No, the outfit limit doesn't change at age 70 - with a pre-97 licence your BE will be carried over, allowing you to drive vehicles up to 3,500kg solo and therefore 7,000 kg towing. Your licence doesn't revert to B.
What you will lose is your C1 and C1E at age 70 which covers vehicles from 3,501kg to 7,500kg with or without trailers - unless you take, and pass, the chargeable medical examination that HGV drivers take.
The NCC Towing Code advises that beginners to towing should not tow a trailer more than 86% of the car's kerbweight so to tow a 2200kg Eterniti, you'd need a car of 2,588kg or over - in other words either a Land Rover Discovery or Range Rover - but not the new 2013 Range Rovers as they've had a huge weight reduction.
In practical terms, towing a 2,200kg Eterniti by a beginner just isn't on - you'll need to lower your sights, quite a bit.

 

[ProfJohnL]

What Roger has written follows the Caravan Industry guidance for beginners, And whilst I have issues regarding its pedigree and relevance of a simple percentage of the cars unladen weight, the principle it uses is one I always suggest:- that caravanners should keep the weight of a caravan as small as possible relative to the tow vehicle.

The guidance also goes on to suggest that an experienced caravanner should never tow above a 100% ratio, but the reasoning for this is equally unclear.

Neither piece of advice offers any guarantee of a good match or even a safe match, there is far more to it than that!. This has been discussed at length in other threads.

Legally, a vehicle can tow a trailer up to the tow vehicle's maximum braked trailer weight as specified by its manufacturer. This is unique to each model, and in many cases permits you to tow a trailer that exceeds the vehicles unladen weight(i.e. 100% ratio).

Caravans are characterised as being big and boxy. This makes them difficult trailers, and that means the tow vehicle will have greater difficulty in managing them. So there is some merit in suggesting towing ratios of either 85% for beginners and 100% for experienced caravanners.

Regardless of what figures you calculate above, you must never exceed the manufacturers towing limits.

 

[deegee.world]

Thank you very much for that. Now I understand.
I mainly plan to keep my caravan in storage (9 months) and on one site (3 months), so I may even get away without towing at all.
Presumably I can use the services of a towing company if I need to (?)
I'm disappointed that Roger says I won't be able to manage it as a beginner though, in case I ever need to.
I've set my sights on the Eterniti because it suits my living needs. Can't I have lessons? I've been driving event free for more than 40 years.

 

[RogerL]

I'm disappointed that Roger says I won't be able to manage it as a beginner though, in case I ever need to.

Yes you can - as well as spending £28,000 plus option costs on a new Eterniti, they haven't been out long enough to get secondhand, you'd need to spend a further £39,000-53,000 or more for a Land Rover Discovery although they are available secondhand.
For just 3 months/year, it would be cheaper to rent a cottage !

 

[Surfer]

I'm disappointed that Roger says I won't be able to manage it as a beginner though, in case I ever need to.

Yes you can - as well as spending £28,000 plus option costs on a new Eterniti, they haven't been out long enough to get secondhand, you'd need to spend a further £39,000-53,000 or more for a Land Rover Discovery although they are available secondhand.
For just 3 months/year, it would be cheaper to rent a cottage !

A Jeep Grand Cherokee would easily tow that outfit and they are a lot cheaper than a LR Discovery. It does seem a lot of money to have in storage for 9 months and to use for only 3 months?

 

[deegee.world]

OK. Plan B. Could I use a towing company if I needed to move it? Does anyone have experience of these?

 

[ProfJohnL]

I have never actually used one, but they do exsist. You would need to contact them about moving it , as at the weight of caravan you are considering, they may not have a suitable vehicle.
You could ask if your caravan supplier, or your local garage if they have a recovery wagon with tow ball.
You may find the professional movers may prefer to use flat bed, as this reduces the potential for damaging customers property.
I do agree with the other correspondents, with the cost of the caravan and the limited use it will have, are you really sure you want to have the ongoing running costs of the caravan all year with the risk it might get stolen or damaged. Such a big caravan will be very attractive to some of our less honourable travelling people.
You could have many years of holidays in rented cottages, Broads or canal boats or even hotels and no towing charges.
Its worth thinking about.

 

[yorkykev]

Degree world
I run a caravan delivery service and would be happy to quote for the delivery of your new caravan should you go ahead with the purchase ( I am happy for mod to pass on my e-mail address if you need it ) however I have to agree with other comments that is does seem like an awful lot of money to spend on a very nice caravan to have it sitting in storage for so long and then on one site for the other three months - could you not at least think about putting it on a site that is open all year round so it will get more use ? Possibly in France / Spain where weather would hopefully be better all year round ?

 

[deegee.world]

No, I live and do voluntary work in India. The caravan will be my UK home.

 

[Mel]

In that case you might want to also look at the Bailey Retreat vans that are designed for the sort of "seasonal" use that you are thinking about. They have to be delivered by a specialist service as they are too big to be towed by ordinary towcars. Hope you can get it sorted.
mel

 

[Surfer]

In that case you might want to also look at the Bailey Retreat vans that are designed for the sort of "seasonal" use that you are thinking about. They have to be delivered by a specialist service as they are too big to be towed by ordinary towcars. Hope you can get it sorted.
mel

They are also VAT free.

 

[RogerL]

In that case you might want to also look at the Bailey Retreat vans that are designed for the sort of "seasonal" use that you are thinking about. They have to be delivered by a specialist service as they are too big to be towed by ordinary towcars. Hope you can get it sorted.
mel

They are also VAT free.

VAT is charged on static caravans at the 5% rate, a concession on the recent proposal to increase it from 0% to 20%.

 

[Surfer]

In that case you might want to also look at the Bailey Retreat vans that are designed for the sort of "seasonal" use that you are thinking about. They have to be delivered by a specialist service as they are too big to be towed by ordinary towcars. Hope you can get it sorted.
mel

They are also VAT free.

VAT is charged on static caravans at the 5% rate, a concession on the recent proposal to increase it from 0% to 20%.

Correct I forgot it was introduced recently.

 

[deegee.world]

Thank you everyone