How Fast do you Tow your Trailer?

goldanas49 said:
Those who tow on a motorway at anything below 55 in good conditions "because I don't want to have to brake sharply" are causing a more dangerous situation by doing so. This is because they will be causing HGV's to overtake them and this creates further congestion and associated buffeting from the HGV whilst being overtaken. My Godmother was prosecuted for driving too slow on the motorway, and for good reason , it's flippin dangerous.
A motorway is typically a smooth road and it is for everyone to only go on it if you have a tow vehicule / trailer combination which is in good health. As previously stated a heavy tow vehicule is the key to good towing.
45 mph in good conditions is not acceptable.
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I towed a horse back to its owner (it had been on trial and failed) and it just couldn't stand up even on the slightest of bends (never did find out what was wrong with it) I ended up doing 40mph on the motorway and as your Godmother was stopped by the police. When I explained the situation they were fine but told me I mustn't go below 40 - this is the minimum for lorries too apparently. I think 50 is an accceptable speed on a motorway. Drivers who lack confidence will tend to over-correct and this gets much more critical over 50.
 
If you havent a vehicle which carnt maintain 55+ or you dont feel confident towing at a reasonable speed to keep up with other trarfic dont go on a motorway or dual carrigeway,
45 or less on a motorway is highly dangerous to you and other road users its lightly to cause someone half asleep to go into the back of you or swerve out into other lanes , keep a sensible distance from the traffic in front and maintain your trailer and there is no reason not to go at about 55/60 on the flat in good conditions...
 
perfect11s said:
If you havent a vehicle which carnt maintain 55+ or you dont feel confident towing at a reasonable speed to keep up with other trarfic dont go on a motorway or dual carrigeway,
45 or less on a motorway is highly dangerous to you and other road users its lightly to cause someone half asleep to go into the back of you or swerve out into other lanes , keep a sensible distance from the traffic in front and maintain your trailer and there is no reason not to go at about 55/60 on the flat in good conditions...
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A fair point, those who lack confidence towing probably shouldn't be on the motorway because things happen very quickly there. Personally I always preferred towing on motorways, the roads here are hellish windey!
 
we do between 55-60mph on the motorway, presuming weather and conditions are good.

i agree with some of the above that going too slowly is as dangerous as going too fast- if you aren't confident or don't have the needed 'oomph' you shouldn't be towing on the motorway at all.
 
Yes, I definitely see your point whoever said going slow causes accidents - I definitely agree, though whoever said they go 70.. That's way too fast personally.

I think 50-55 is a good speed except one thing and that's lorries have to overtake and that's the worst thing about going at that speed. I would like to get myself stuck behind a lorry and stick there but I just do not want to go faster as if someone did happen you would have much less control. It's a tricky one to be honest and luckily I only tend to do one junction on the motorway as this is quicker and safer then stopping and starting going on the other roads, personally I would hate to drive all over the country!

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Louby said:
I used to have a trailer and never considered a stabiliser, infact I dont think I knew they existed. Fast forward a few years :D We bought a caravan and I wouldnt go on the motorway without buying a stabiliser :o:o We got a Bulldog 200q off ebay for £20 and it makes a massive difference.
I cant believe I towed a horse trailer without one!!!
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I hadn't heard of them until very recently, don't think I've seen anyone use one before, but I am really wanting to get one now, and thanks for giving me a brand name to search on.
 
I tow a 510 with LWB Mistsubishi Warrior - tend to sit at 58 MPH where poss as this is the speed HGVs are limited to and thus means you can find one to 'sit behind'. Equally, they dont over take you!

Re stabaliser - I have just bought a Bulldog one - it cost near on £200 but has two arms not one (the £100 one only have one) and is specifically designed for heavy loads and HORSE TRAILERS.

Would recommend them as a must personally.
 
Towing at 70 is illegal anyway: http://www.abd.org.uk/know_your_speed_limits.htm

I've got an old landy where the manufacturer's recommended maximum speed unladen (ie empty, flat out, and thrashing the engine) is 60. When I bought her, I wanted the most stable, safest towing vehicle, not the fastest. Towing she will sit at 45-50, dropping to 40 on hills. In fact, when she's not towing she will sit at 45-50, dropping to 40 on hills. Unless it's windy or otherwise inclement weather, I'd rather be on the motorway where there are 2 other lanes for people to get past me than on single track roads where I'm building up a tailback and there's no-where for me to pull over safely. There's no getting away from it - if you are driving a live load then you will be slower than other traffic for some points during your journey at least.

I had a stabiliser on my old rig - it was great, really made a difference. The landy's tow bar set up isn't right for a stabilser though, so I can't have one, but that said she is solid as a rock anyway.

So we'll keep on chugging, and in the meantime I am working on my equine teleportation device...
 
A big overlook of some people is that they don't check that their trailer is level before towing. On both our disco and L200 we had to add a drop plate because the tow hitch was too high. I've seen many trailers like this, and if you start to snake....you've had it...

45 is my max anywhere on main roads....

ETS - 50 max on motorway!
 
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skint1 said:
I'm really too scared to tow my trailer on a motorway, I have an Isuzu Trooper and a heavy old Rice Beaufort double and the Suzu tows it with no trouble but there are some things about motorways which I don't feel happy about

1. Slip roads - I am scared to get up any speed to join the motorway in case it doesn't work out and I am scared to be in the way of others who wish to join the motorway. I don't think I'd change lanes

2. I am scared of cross winds

3. I am scared of big lorries over taking

4. I am scared of having to brake suddenly


I have done it once just between 2 junctions, I stayed in the slow lane, put my hazards on and went at about 45-50mph, I figured the hazards would warn the vehicles behind me that I was going slowly.
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Problem with that is....it's against the law to have hazards going on a moving vehicle!
 
Got this from the Gov/direct website -

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Hazard warning lights. These may be used when your vehicle is stationary, to warn that it is temporarily obstructing traffic. Never use them as an excuse for dangerous or illegal parking. You MUST NOT use hazard warning lights while driving or being towed unless you are on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway and you need to warn drivers behind you of a hazard or obstruction ahead. Only use them for long enough to ensure that your warning has been observed.
 
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