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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 9:40 pm
by dig dug dan
i think you are confusing yourself rather with the towing rules.
Once you couple a trailer to your vehicle, your train weight is calculated on the capacity of the trailer plus its weight, regardless.
from what you are saying, you can only tow it if its empty, which seems pointless!
did you pass your test after 1997?
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 10:00 pm
by Forestboy1978
dig dug dan wrote:i think you are confusing yourself rather with the towing rules.
Once you couple a trailer to your vehicle, your train weight is calculated on the capacity of the trailer plus its weight, regardless.
from what you are saying, you can only tow it if its empty, which seems pointless!
did you pass your test after 1997?
What?
That's got to be wrong. Tons of people driving vans towing 10 ft trailers weight 3/4 ton and more even empty. They can't all have 7.5 tons licences. No one would be able to tow a trailer by that rational unless they had HGV license or whatever surely.....
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 10:05 pm
by mickg
what make and model van do you own ?
or post what's on the plate at the side driver door
did you pass your test before 1997 or have you taken your trailer test ?
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 10:27 pm
by Forestboy1978
mickg wrote:what make and model van do you own ?
or post what's on the plate at the side driver door
did you pass your test before 1997 or have you taken your trailer test ?
I have a vauxhaul vivaro SWB 90ps with a MAM of 2 tons
I passed my test after 97 but I'm booked to do B & E on 23rd of this month
I also have a transit crewcab tipper. God knows with the MAM on that is.
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 6:58 pm
by dig dug dan
When I was stopped by the law towing a trailer, I was told that your train weight is the gross weight of the trailer and your vehicle.
if you have a 3.5 tonne truck, and a trailer that has a maximum weight of 3.5 tonnes, regardless of its contents, your train weight is 7 tonnes. Thats why they made me get a tacho fitted
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 7:44 pm
by DNgroundworks
I have all the ins and outs off VOSA in writing somewhere, ill dig it out.
You need a taco dan as your delivering your plant for hire, no other reason, i didn't need one as it was what they call "own account" i.e.: i was taking the machine for myself to use on my own job.
There is a rule about trailer length also, which is why all for williams trailers are under a certain length to avoid the O-licence stuff.
Yes - regardless of its unladen weight if your towing a 3.5t trailer even if empty and your vehicle hasn't got a 3.5t tow rating then they will pull you for that.
I got pulled twice by vosa and they tried to do me for a few things, i produced the paperwork from VOSA and they backed off, if you don't know the ins and outs to the letter they will write you a ticket!
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 8:15 pm
by Forestboy1978
so that means that nearly every single swb van with a 10 ft twin axle trailer is breaking the law.
Doesn't matter how hard you try it seems this country wants to make you illegal so they can fine you.
**** it. I'm buying a truck then
God I'm annoyed
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 9:26 pm
by GB_Groundworks
or safe so you don't kill someone
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 7:07 pm
by DNgroundworks
Your not much better off with a truck! Although a multi purpose vehicle....like an l200 is exempt from o-licencing also.
And there is no legal correlation between the weight of the tow vehicle and the trailer.
And....if you manage to get all the above the right they will most probably try to do you for ball hitch and axel loadings :p
Landrover 90, discovery or the new isuzu pickup with uprated tow kit is what you want. Anything else and you might swell keep your van.
I used to tow a kx71-3 around behind my navara d40 and tbh it wasn't safe, it felt very heavy. And that would of been pushing 3.5t with buckets etc.
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 8:12 pm
by Forestboy1978
DNgroundworks wrote:Your not much better off with a truck! Although a multi purpose vehicle....like an l200 is exempt from o-licencing also.
And there is no legal correlation between the weight of the tow vehicle and the trailer.
And....if you manage to get all the above the right they will most probably try to do you for ball hitch and axel loadings :p
Landrover 90, discovery or the new isuzu pickup with uprated tow kit is what you want. Anything else and you might swell keep your van.
I used to tow a kx71-3 around behind my navara d40 and tbh it wasn't safe, it felt very heavy. And that would of been pushing 3.5t with buckets etc.
Dude you have totally discombobulated the hell out of me lol
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 8:58 pm
by GB_Groundworks
DNgroundworks wrote:Your not much better off with a truck! Although a multi purpose vehicle....like an l200 is exempt from o-licencing also.
And there is no legal correlation between the weight of the tow vehicle and the trailer.
And....if you manage to get all the above the right they will most probably try to do you for ball hitch and axel loadings :p
Landrover 90, discovery or the new isuzu pickup with uprated tow kit is what you want. Anything else and you might swell keep your van.
I used to tow a kx71-3 around behind my navara d40 and tbh it wasn't safe, it felt very heavy. And that would of been pushing 3.5t with buckets etc.
navara is 2700kg rated and train weight calc is about 1890kg load on a normal mini digger trailer
moved a kx71-3 on a 900kg trailer so 4100kg pulled it ok but wouldn't have like to have stopped in a hurry luckily was only round the factory site, we use ramps and our 7.5 ton tipper but hoping to find better solution be it iveco double cab and trailer batons do a specialist light weight trailer allowing 2920kg load
so ranger, landcruiser, land rover, iveco etc 3.5 ton limit or maybe a plant body 7.5 ton
a 3.5 ton tipper is a hand vehicle to have in your fleet if you can
http://www.batesontrailers.com/product/plant-trailers/1687/
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 12:47 am
by Forestboy1978
OK I've decided to go for this and cancel my b and E test. http://www.batesontrailers.com/product....trailer
Gonna buy a grafter of this ilk next year and muscle through for the time being http://www.steadplan.co.uk/images/sales/thumbs/1657424558464.jpg
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 4:08 pm
by rxbren
the 4.25t rule is for drivers with out a b and e license they can drive a van upto 3.5t and tow a maximum of 750kg (including trailer weight so any non braked trailer)
without b and e the van and trailer is treated as potential weights so the max fully loaded weight of your vehicle plus the max loaded weight of the trailer so pretty much all vans plus 2t trailer puts you above the 3.5t limit
with b and e license it works off of actual weights upto a combined weight of 7t (as long as your van has a gtw for 7t)
most vans are around 5.5t gtw but that will only give you around 2t max trailer weight (around 1.25t payload + the actual weight of the trailer)
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 7:01 pm
by Forestboy1978
OK so I rented a shipping container and the old boy who owns the yard asked me if I wanted a different one that has a verandah to the side for no extra cost. I've done some work boarding around it and repaired the roof and I'm good to go. For a tenner a week I can park in front of it so I will be getting a trailer next year and now don't need a remote control to park it cos it's a lot easier at the yard.
So...
What trailer? I could do with ideally staying at 2 tons so my van can tow it as well as the truck as my van is limited to 2 tons. I really don't want to buy a small plant trailer that really can ONLY be used for a digger or dumper. I'd like a small tipper trailer that has versatility but the height of the load is a little high. Is there such a think as a low loading tipper that can double for small plant?
Ta
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 6:20 pm
by dig dug dan
I think what you are asking for doesnt exist.
buy a tipper traiker, and down rate it, that eay you are legal provided you keep within limits, then if you ever get something than can tow more, you can up rate the trailer back to manufacter spec
