Do I actually need to do my trailer test?

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SWE

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So I took my test after 1997 and am thinking of buying a trailer. I looked on gov website for test prices and came across this:

"Licences issued from 1 January 1997
If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can:

-drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
-tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg"

Do I understand correctly that I can tow without a test providing the total weight of 4x4, trailer AND horse all weigh a total of under 3500kg?

If so, does anyone do this without a trailer licence? I'd be looking at an ifor 505 (900kg) to tow 1 horse (under 500kg) with a yet to be identified 4x4! I'd ideally get something smaller if possible as it will be my everyday vehicle so I would imagine all of this would weight under 3.5t!!

Thoughts? Thanks all!
 
It’s all about the mam, or gross weight and not current weight. Pop a post in the towing thread :)

There are only very specific combinations of cars/trailers who get away with the mam being under the thresholds ( think single trailer, pony, smaller car)

In your example the mam of the 505 is 2340kg, eats up a huge chunk of the 3500.
 
Last edited:
SWE said:
ROG you sound like a very valued member haha!
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The only reason I am on this site is to assist with the towing licence and weight laws as I know nothing about horses apart from the fact they have 4 legs and are generally bigger than me !! LOL

I also help for FREE (with expenses covered) locally where members wish to use my (ex) towing instructor expertise
 
ROG said:
The only reason I am on this site is to assist with the towing licence and weight laws as I know nothing about horses apart from the fact they have 4 legs and are generally bigger than me !! LOL

I also help for FREE (with expenses covered) locally where members wish to use my (ex) towing instructor expertise
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Fat controller needs to update your user title to towing guru! We are all very appreciative of your expertise!
 
Yep that's right. As someone mentioned, it is about the gross Maximum Allowable Weight. I tow a downplated single ifor trailer with a RAV 4 without a trailer licence :)
 
Its the weight of your car plus the maximum weight your trailer could carry which should be 3500kg and under.

There are a few combinations that can work. If you have a bigger horse though the chances are slimmer.
 
holeymoley said:
Its the weight of your car plus the maximum weight your trailer could carry which should be 3500kg and under.

There are a few combinations that can work. If you have a bigger horse though the chances are slimmer.
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Incorrect - it it the plated GVW of the vehicle + the plated MAM of the trailer which must no more than 3500kg
 
I really enjoyed doing my trailer license. I never really cared about wether I could get away with a certain car+trailer combination, I was more interested in not being one of those people who says “I can’t reverse....”
I had an excellent instructor who debunked everything for me and quite a few years down the line now I’m so utterly glad I did my test.

Do it. You’ll gain a lot more than towing capacity ?
 
I think the part that says if you’re towing on a standard license, your trailer shouldn’t exceed 750kg. As far as I’m aware there’s no such rule.
 
Also, this is unclear:

"You can only tow a trailer with a car or van as long as the TOTAL weight of both DOES NOT exceed 3,500kgs / 3.5 tonne. "

It's the plated GVW of the vehicle and the plated MAM of the trailer that must be under 3.5t. This reads as though it's what the combination weighs at the point it's being driven.
 
holeymoley said:
I think the part that says if you’re towing on a standard license, your trailer shouldn’t exceed 750kg. As far as I’m aware there’s no such rule.
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https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car#:~:text=If you passed your car,no more than 3,500kg

QUOTE FROM DVSA GOVERNMENT WEBSITE:

Licences issued from 1 January 1997
If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can:
  • drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
  • tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
MAM is the limit on how much the vehicle can weigh when it’s loaded.
You have to pass the car and trailer driving test if you want to tow anything heavier.
 
Pippity said:
Also, this is unclear:

"You can only tow a trailer with a car or van as long as the TOTAL weight of both DOES NOT exceed 3,500kgs / 3.5 tonne. "

It's the plated GVW of the vehicle and the plated MAM of the trailer that must be under 3.5t. This reads as though it's what the combination weighs at the point it's being driven.
Click to expand...

Stop focusing on the "GVW" and "MAM". The maximum authorised mass for any car is obviously 3,500kgs on a Category B licence. Any vehicle that weights more than 3,500 kgs and you need a HGV licence.

Your car / van weight cannot exceed the trailers weight as Rog has clearly explained many times before. If you do not have a B+E licence (not including grandfather rights) your combined limit is 3,500kgs PERIOD.

Tell me if I am missing something but how is their website confusing? Even the Government Website says the same thing:

See below from the .Gov website: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

Licences issued from 1 January 1997
If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can:
  • drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
  • tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
MAM is the limit on how much the vehicle can weigh when it’s loaded.
You have to pass the car and trailer driving test if you want to tow anything heavier.
 
AyDavey21 said:
Stop focusing on the "GVW" and "MAM". The maximum authorised mass for any car is obviously 3,500kgs on a Category B licence. Any vehicle that weights more than 3,500 kgs and you need a HGV licence.

Your car / van weight cannot exceed the trailers weight as Rog has clearly explained many times before. If you do not have a B+E licence (not including grandfather rights) your combined limit is 3,500kgs PERIOD.

Tell me if I am missing something but how is their website confusing? Even the Government Website says the same thing:

See below from the .Gov website: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

Licences issued from 1 January 1997
If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can:
  • drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
  • tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
MAM is the limit on how much the vehicle can weigh when it’s loaded.
You have to pass the car and trailer driving test if you want to tow anything heavier.
Click to expand...

I give up. You clearly think the website you signed up to plug is perfect and won't listen to people telling you otherwise.
 
Ha, wow you trigger easily don't you? :D:D

I am more than willing to listen to people Pippity, i'm actually a great listener, however when you're arguing a case and I have just posted the OFFICIAL CONTENT on trailer towing from THE GOVERNMENT WEBSITE, how exactly is the content wrong???

And yes, I will plug their "website" / the government guidelines and I purposely made an account to send the link of that company because when I read half the cr*p written here that my daughter found I ended up having arguments with her as she was adamant the content here was correct.

Rather than using social media and asking people that you do not know what they are telling you or how pin point accurate, I called a couple of companies that specialise in this industry of training people to legally drive.

The content I have plugged is from the Government website, you still want to argue over what is right and wrong??????

I think there is a little irony about you saying I won't listen to people... so tell me Pippity, is the Government website wrong?
 
ROG said:
The only reason I am on this site is to assist with the towing licence and weight laws as I know nothing about horses apart from the fact they have 4 legs and are generally bigger than me !! LOL

I also help for FREE (with expenses covered) locally where members wish to use my (ex) towing instructor expertise
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Why?! Just to be genuinely nice? Not so many people like that out there
 
AyDavey21 said:
Ha, wow you trigger easily don't you? :D:D

I am more than willing to listen to people Pippity, i'm actually a great listener, however when you're arguing a case and I have just posted the OFFICIAL CONTENT on trailer towing from THE GOVERNMENT WEBSITE, how exactly is the content wrong???

And yes, I will plug their "website" / the government guidelines and I purposely made an account to send the link of that company because when I read half the cr*p written here that my daughter found I ended up having arguments with her as she was adamant the content here was correct.

Rather than using social media and asking people that you do not know what they are telling you or how pin point accurate, I called a couple of companies that specialise in this industry of training people to legally drive.

The content I have plugged is from the Government website, you still want to argue over what is right and wrong??????

I think there is a little irony about you saying I won't listen to people... so tell me Pippity, is the Government website wrong?
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Wow, you don't have a clue what a trigger is, do you?

What your website says:

"You can only tow a trailer with a car or van as long as the TOTAL weight of both DOES NOT exceed 3,500kgs / 3.5 tonne."

What the government website says:

"tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg "

"Total weight" is not the same as "Total maximum allowable weight".
 
What my website says? As I have said above, I've used them to put my daughter through a training course. :rolleyes: It's not my website.

Okay so tell me if I am wrong here.... If my daughters setup is physically possible to be a total combined weight (car, trailer and her horse) 4,000kgs MAM of both car and trailer combined, yet when she is pulled over by whoever and is weighed in at 3,501kgs, is she legally driving because the total MAM of the car and trailer do not exceed the MAM of 4,000kgs?

If she is within the combined MAM of car and trailers limits but the weight is over 3,500kgs total does she need a B+E?

If I am wrong and I have argued with my daughter and you Pippity for no reason then I am big enough and ugly enough to hold my hands up and apologise. I will also be p*ssed off as they told me she was not legal and its cost me over £700 for her to get her licence.
 
AyDavey21 said:
What my website says? As I have said above, I've used them to put my daughter through a training course. :rolleyes: It's not my website.

Okay so tell me if I am wrong here.... If my daughters setup is physically possible to be a total combined weight (car, trailer and her horse) 4,000kgs MAM of both car and trailer combined, yet when she is pulled over by whoever and is weighed in at 3,501kgs, is she legally driving because the total MAM of the car and trailer do not exceed the MAM of 4,000kgs?

If she is within the combined MAM of car and trailers limits but the weight is over 3,500kgs total does she need a B+E?

If I am wrong and I have argued with my daughter and you Pippity for no reason then I am big enough and ugly enough to hold my hands up and apologise. I will also be p*ssed off as they told me she was not legal and its cost me over £700 for her to get her licence.
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If the combined MAM is over 3.5t, she needs a B+E.

The actual weight of the set-up is irrelevant in terms of licensing.
 
Pippity said:
Also, this is unclear:

"You can only tow a trailer with a car or van as long as the TOTAL weight of both DOES NOT exceed 3,500kgs / 3.5 tonne. "

It's the plated GVW of the vehicle and the plated MAM of the trailer that must be under 3.5t. This reads as though it's what the combination weighs at the point it's being driven.
Click to expand...

So that isn't that unclear then? :D
 
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