I really need to work this out, please help? Trailer test!

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SarahRicoh

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Hi,

basically I am considering buying my dads jeep cherokee when I have a bit more money and a double rice/richardson trailer as they are in my price range so I can get my horse out and about.

Anyways I am 19 so I realise that I have to take an extra test unless the trailer weight etc works out. Iv tried to work it out but im really struggling.
Based on average guidelines:
Horse weighs: 650kg
Car can tow: 3500kg
Combined horse and trailer weight: 1670kg

This is the law= X (combined weight of horses + unladen trailer weight) should be below or equal to trailer’s MAM

X (combined weight of horses + unladen trailer weight) should be below the towing vehicle’s max. towing capacity

So if Iv worked it out right it is fine with the 2nd law (eg trailer weight should be below vehicles max tow capacity) but I am really confused about the top law as I dont understand how to get the trailers MAM?

Please can someone help me to figure out if I can tow on my license based on the above weights or if I still need to take a test.

Thanks,
Sarah
 
Trailer's MAM is printed on the plate, usually found at the front of the axle beside the jockey wheel.

Nor sure on the Rice/ richardson but the big Ifor Williams trailers MAM is 2950kg. The likely hood of you exceeding the MAM of the trailer, even with two big horses is small. Most bigger double trailers weight about 900kg, or there about.

If you're going to try and get out of doing the test (just go and do it, it's not hard) then you can't drive a combo (car, trailer, horses, passengers etc) of more than 3500kg, AND the car has to weight more than the trailer (inc the horse).

If your horse and your trailer weights 1670kg as stated (which sounds about right for a bigger older trailer and a big horse) then you've only got 1830kg left to play with to stay within your license. And since your car has to weight more than your trailer, the car will need to weight between 1671kg and 1830kg.

That's not a big range and I would imagine a jeep cherokee will weight more than 1830kg once driver, passengers, tack, water etc etc is added.

So no, it's not likely you'll be able to forgo the trailer test. However, with a trailer test, your car would be more than able to pull that trailer and horse
 
It's the combined mam

So an Ifor is 2600 + mam of car about 2000 which together is 4600

Maximum is 3500 without test

Even Though theoretically you are towing less it goes on the maximum the trailer can take

Silly really!
 
Im really slow when it comes to this. How am i meant to know the mam without having yet bought the trailer? Its not that i wont do trailer test,of course i will if i need to it would just be nice if i didnt have to... So do i need to work out the jeeps weight or is it definite i need to take a test? I dont know why im strugglinv with this so much
 
Im not sure about the MAM but my opinion would be just do do your trailer test, you dont want to risk being pulled by the police and gaining points on your license.. im 23 and have just done my test and believe me was money very very well spent. Have to remember will be with you for life then and you wont ever have to worry about what car you have, only being able to take one horse and worrying about the weight. personal opinion would be just do test. :) xxx
 
you can downplate the trailer- it is within the law and Ifor will even do it for you for about £30. It is what I have done. My box weight 670KG and pony 400kg. Car-1800kg with towing capacity of 1400kg so I downplated the trailers MAM to 1400 so it was within the car's capacity. And as horse and trailer total is only 1070 its within the 85% recommended towing weight too. All within the law as confirmed by VOSA (although took a lot of asking before even they could give me an official typed answer!!)

OH has loads of towing experience from working on farms etc so didnt need to learn to tow- pain in the backside having the time and money to do the test. :)
 
All big double trailers MAM are about the same : about 2800kg.

The jeep will be over 1800kg, so the trailers MAM is rather irrelevant in regards to your license: will need to take the test.

To summarise points relevant to your current license: it's very simple:

1) The car must weight more that the trailer (and horse)

2)The car plus the trailer and horse must not weight more than 3.5kg

There ARE combo's of car and trailer that you won't need to take the test for but this isn't one of them.

To add complication to the mix, according to some (hard to get a straight answer on it) when it comes to towing the trailer officially weights it's plated MAM, regardless of whether it's full or not. Which means the car must be capable of pulling the trailers MAM, not it's actual weight, even if it's empty. Which is where downplating comes in.
 
Okay thanks everyone.
Can anyone tell me a bit more about the test and how hard/easy its meant to be? I mean i was sooo scared about my driving test let alone a trailer one but it needs to be done so i can get out and about :)
Also, the jeep is automatic so will this affect the cars towing ability?
 
Can't tell you about the test as I didn't need to do one (smug!) but automatic makes no difference to the cars towing ability. Mine is an automatic (Jeep) too.
 
Well assuming the test in the UK is same as Ireland then it is not too difficult. No hitching/unhitching, only one reverse around corner and you pick whether you want to do it to the left or right and just drive around in the normal manner! I am doing mine shortly and have done a couple of lessons and am very prepared. One tip I do have is if you are doing the test stick some bales of shavings or straw in the box. It is much more comfortable to tow with when there is a bit of weight in the box. Find a really good instructor and get a few lessons driving around and if you get nervous picture yourself fully mobile to go wherever you want!!
 
The test is pretty straight forward but I would reccommend doing some training beforehand. I did quite a few hours of training and I class myself as a very competent confident driver, but the training just gave me that upper hand. The test involves approx 90mins out on the road, just driving, which is where alot of people fail. It is all mirror signal manoeuvre stuff, just like the original test. Then back at the test centre, you have to answer a few random questions (like how would you check the oil, wash the windows, safely load a trailer) then you have to do a reversing manoeuvre (accross a 45 degree angle into a parking box, which is quite tight) and you have couple and uncouple the trailer properly.

I find an auto easier to tow with (especially after almost buggering up my 1 month old Freelanders clutch at the weekend!) but basically whatever you tow you need to take the test, and I think everyone should take the test as it makes you so much more aware of what you should be doing.
 
chickeninabun said:
The test is pretty straight forward but I would reccommend doing some training beforehand. I did quite a few hours of training and I class myself as a very competent confident driver, but the training just gave me that upper hand. The test involves approx 90mins out on the road, just driving, which is where alot of people fail. It is all mirror signal manoeuvre stuff, just like the original test. Then back at the test centre, you have to answer a few random questions (like how would you check the oil, wash the windows, safely load a trailer) then you have to do a reversing manoeuvre (accross a 45 degree angle into a parking box, which is quite tight) and you have couple and uncouple the trailer properly.

I find an auto easier to tow with (especially after almost buggering up my 1 month old Freelanders clutch at the weekend!) but basically whatever you tow you need to take the test, and I think everyone should take the test as it makes you so much more aware of what you should be doing.
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I only found this out from another post on the forums that when you are getting someone to teach you they also need to have sat the tests regardless of the categories being on their licence or not (so you can't just take grandma with you), this was something I wasn't aware of, there was an article on horse & country about it, although it doesn't actually state a horse trailer it just mentions cars and towing http://www.horseandcountry.tv/news/2010/02/11/grandfather-rights-end-april
 
SarahRicoh said:
Oh dear... I think im a pretty good driver but iv forgotten stuff like mirrors blah blah... I think i may fail this :/
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That's why you take training from a qualified instructor although I have to say that as you can only have been driving for two years I'm pretty shocked to hear that you have "forgotten stuff like mirrors blah blah". It sounds like training with someone to remind you of the "blah blah" stuff might be a very good thing.
 
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