dollyanna
Well-Known Member
Can someone explain to me the purpose of downplating a trailer please?
Yes, so why do you need to downplate, rather than just make sure the load is less than 3.5t?
Because it is not the actual weight you are towing that decides but the weight in theory the trailer is legally capable of towing . you also have to be aware of the towing vehiclers maximum permissable mass as this may we well above its actual weight.
INCORRECT - you down plated a trailer for nothing !Agree, if your car cannot pull the max your trailer can pull, you must down plate to this max that you can legally tow at - its illegal if not.
For example, At the time our trailer could carry a max load of 1400 KG, but as our car could only pull 1300KG we had to down plate our trailer to 1300KG - this is then legal ( its regardless of what weight you actually intend to tow)
Hope that helps
There are generally only two reasons to down plate a trailerSo ROG, maybe I missed it, but what is the purpose of downplating a trailer then? Is it purely for B only licenses who have no desire to tow more than 750kg at any point?
Can someone explain to me the purpose of downplating a trailer please?
INCORRECT - you down plated a trailer for nothing !
A driver can legally have a trailer plated at 3000 with a towing capacity of 2000 - if the trailer weighs 1000 empty then they can load the trailer with a max of 1000
There is no law or rule which states that the towing capacity of a vehicle must be able to accommodate the trailer plated MAM
Plenty of internet myths on this subject though ............
Here is a legal B licence towing set up
Car
GVW 2000
Towing capacity 1300
Trailer
Plated MAM 1500
empty weight 500
Loaded with 800 max
Apologies if it seemed a bit sharp - I think I am getting fed up with so called experts advising punters such as your trailer dealership with incorrect info when they should know betterROG Thank you for the information (when we bought the trailer this is what we were advised by the trailer dealership)
I'm sure you don't mean this, but I am finding your responses a touch sharp
Apologies if it seemed a bit sharp - I think I am getting fed up with so called experts advising punters such as your trailer dealership with incorrect info when they should know better
I wonder if that dealership is still giving out the wrong info ? ................
VOSA now DVSA or the cops will never have an issue where the plated trailer MAM is more than the vehicle towing capacity or the GVW and trailer MAM add up to more than the GTW.It would be a good idea to so so if your car can tow for instance 2 tonnes but your trailer which weighs 1.1 tonnes and only carries one horse weighing 600kgs yet the trailer is rated to carry 2.8 tonnes. (All weights made up!)
Down plating it would mean if you got stopped by vosa or the police you could have less issues than if it stated a higher rate than your vehicle can legally tow. BUT if you down rate then over load you would be in trouble and they also may weigh you anyway depending on the load you have on and their mood that day.
This is anecdotal but I have been told that no one has been convinced in court of towing within their vehicles limits despite the trailer being capable of towing more and it stating that. Many many many vehicles will be towing trailers with a higher weight than what they are actually carrying. If stopped and charged I have been told you need to insist on being weighed to prove you are under weight and aren't breaking the law and then go to court to challenge it. Obviously it would be simpler to down plate the trailer to potentially avoid this, and IW will do this for free via the dealer.
No weight plate then the total of the tyre load ratings = the MAMTwo stupid questions... Don't know if ROG can help!
What do you do if your trailer has no information plate on it? Mines that old it's worn away/dropped off. I have no intentions of downplating it. The manufacturer is no longer in existence.
Second is it legal to tow a "larger" trailer with a smaller car (assuming you have b+e), ie my trailer is designed for two large horses, but I will only ever tow one. I know the rough weight of my trailer and horse, this is within the towing capacity of a Mondeo. However the trailer has the "potential" to take more. Can I still tow it with a Mondeo etc?
CorrectI think Henry has just asked my question, if my train weight is fine and the vehicle can tow the weight required, it doesn't matter if the trailer can take more weight if I never use that extra capacity?
VOSA now DVSA or the cops will never have an issue where the plated trailer MAM is more than the vehicle towing capacity or the GVW and trailer MAM add up to more than the GTW.
The reason is that ALL weight laws span all vehicle classes so if the plated weights had to fit in with max actual weights (towing capacity and GTW) then virtually every time a LGV came to change trailers they would need replating !!
The authorities that matter are very conversant with the weight and licence laws
IW charge about £50 to down plate one of their trailers - this can be confirmed by calling or emailing them
The weight laws are quite simple
Do not exceed
Vehicle GVW = max it can be when fully loaded
Trailer plated MAM = max it can be when fully loaded
GTW = max actual weight of both vehicle and trailer when weighed together
Towing capacity = max actual weight it has been designed to tow
comply with all of those and it legal weight wise
With the above complied with the authorities now look at the driving licence to see if the driver is entitled to drive the combination
I do not wish to seem unkind but is stating something as a fact then it might be prudent to triple check before posting as such - no harm is stating it as an opinion
Apologies if I have mis-read your post.Eh, what bit are you arguing with me about. My comments are real life situations not what the law actually says. Quite often police and vosa make mistakes, I can assure you. Furthermore you will find I started most of my message with the proviso "this is anecdotal"
(- meaning of anecdotal (of an account) not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research.)
The first part of my message is based MY experience.
Here's another true story.
Last week police stopped me for having a broken spring on my flatbed trailer. I said to the policeman, really, a broken spring?? He said yes, we can see it dragging along the ground with our head lights.
I said that's really odd it feels completely fine. No he says, *the trailer is totally down at one side*.
I've had a broken spring before. You know about it.
So I got out the vehicle and went to the back of the trailer. Shone my torch on the "broken spring" to find out it's actually the tail end of a ratchet strap dragging harmlessly along the ground. 1 minute and it's tidied up. The trailer was not *totally down at one side* this was a figment of their imaginations. So too was the broken spring. It's clear to me, someone who has no mechanic training whatsoever, that a broken metal spring would have been sparking off the road and making a lot more noise and damage than a material tail end of a ratchet strap. Further more it would be completely impossible for the spring to break and then effectively turn over and be in the position they were claiming it was in.
No one knows everything.