Towing- advice please!!!

0

0310Star

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 October 2010
Messages
1,228
Visit site
Hi everyone,

I am debating getting a Kia Sportage (new) but I am reallyyyyyyy confusing myself looking at the towing capacities of it! So I figured some of you knowledgeable people on here may know...
Ideally I would like to have the option to tow with my next car, even though I wont be taking my trailer test straight away I would like to think that eventually I could take the test, buy a trailer and be on my way with the car I have.

I can see that I would more than likely only be able to take 1 horse which isn't a problem (she is 16.3hh TB, 550kgs) and the car itself, if I got the 2.0ltr CRDi 4WD, is capable of towing 1800kgs. The bit confusing me is the trailer, I can see two weights when searching, MAM and unladen. I assume unladen is then the trailer is empty, but what is MAM?

If anybody could tell me whether or not this car would be suitable for towing (and if possible, in dummy terms :p) it would be much appreciated!
 
I'm sure ROG will be on soon to confirm everything for you.
In the meantime my basic understanding is that the unladen weight is the actual trailer weight.
The MAM is the maximum weight the trailer and it's contents are allowed to weigh, I think, but is rarely an issue.

If the car can tow 1800kg, an empty Ifor Williams 510 as an example is 1000kg.
This leaves you 800kg to fill the trailer. So horse at 550kg is fine as most people tend not to go up to the car's absolute maximum.

The above all assumes you have taken a trailer test or have a B+E licence.
 
Ahh thanks MuddyTB, this is what I thought it meant but wanted to make sure it was correct beforehand!
Like I said, only being able to tow one horse isn't an issue and I will ba taking my trailer licence beforehand anyway but I just wanted to make sure that it wouldn;t be an issue down the line!
 
I usually do these in the TOWING CLINIC - link below in my signature - but it will not hurt doing it here .....

MAM of the trailer and the GVW of the vehicle both mean the same thing - the legal maximum weight each can be when fully loaded

Those are also the two weights which are added together to determine what licence is required
If the total of those two weights is over 3500 kgs then it will be under B+E licence rules


Before you start towing you need to find these weights ...

Vehicle
GVW - on plate hidden under bonnet or inside a door frame = top of the 4 figures
GTW - on plate hidden under bonnet or inside a door frame = second to top of the 4 figures
Towing capacity - that is usually GTW minus GVW but not always so check the handbook or the V5 registered keeper doc

Trailer
Unladen or empty weight - might mean a trip empty to a weighbridge
MAM - on plate usually on the A frame but can be anywhere

To determine what driving licence category is needed add vehicle GVW to trailer MAM and if it totals over 3500 then its under B+E licence rules

Next use the lower figure of these two ..
Trailer plated MAM or vehicle towing capacity

Now take the trailer unladen weight from that lower figure and you are left with the weight that can be loaded into the trailer

Seems complicated but if you follow each step then it becomes easy
 
MuddyTB said:
I'm sure ROG will be on soon to confirm everything for you.
In the meantime my basic understanding is that the unladen weight is the actual trailer weight.
The MAM is the maximum weight the trailer and it's contents are allowed to weigh, I think, but is rarely an issue.

If the car can tow 1800kg, an empty Ifor Williams 510 as an example is 1000kg.
This leaves you 800kg to fill the trailer. So horse at 550kg is fine as most people tend not to go up to the car's absolute maximum.

The above all assumes you have taken a trailer test or have a B+E licence.
Click to expand...

Good answer
 
I've actually got a Kia Sportage. And No - I won't tow with it. Although in theory an ultra light weight trailer with minimal tack / water etc and one small horse does come under the tow weight, in practice the Sportage just doesn't have the power or the weight to do it safely. If you want to tow with a Kia go for the Sorrento. (I didn't buy my Kia to tow - in case anyone wondered. I have a landrover defender for that bit!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top