Towing questions - weights

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chestnut cob

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I know this has been done before so apologies but am going to ask anyway...

I am reading conflicting things re. towing weights and plated weights of trailers.. Is it the case that the figure which matters is the *plated* weight of your trailer?

Can someone explain this to me please? *insert confused smiley here*

What I'm getting at is that, for argument's sake, if your car had a towing capacity of 2000kg and your trailer's plated weight was 2200kg, you wouldn't be able to tow that trailer with that car...or have I misread the information? I'm also sure I once read on here that trailer plated weights can be downrated, so if I knew I'd never (again, just a random figure) tow more than 500kg, I could down rate the trailer?

Thanks,

Confused of Shropshire...
 
I think I've got this right.

The plated weight of the trailer is the maximum load of your trailer, plus any burden. It's an absolute offence to be overloaded, unless you are on your way to a weighbridge.

You also need to make sure you don't exceed your trailer nose weight (in the car handbook) which is the maximum weight your trailer can impose on the car's towbar.

And the gross train weight (which is the maximum allowed weight of your car and its burden and your trailer and its burden).

Many passenger cars towing horse trailers are overweight.
 
Thanks. I'm still not sure I understand though!

I'm asking out of curiosity really as a thread from another forum came up in a search I was doing earlier. I'm debating looking at a new trailer (currently have a 505) but I want something airy and light (Cheval Liberte, Bateson) instead so it was more that I was interested and couldn't understand what I'd read, rather than me wondering if I could tow something heavier.

The other forum seemed to be suggesting that if your trailer's plated weight is, say, 2500kg, even if you never put a horse in it, you must have a car that is capable of towing at least 2500kg. However, if you get the trailer manufacturer to down rate the plate, eg to 1000kg, your car would need to be able to tow only the 1000kg plus the weight of your horse.

I think I might be confusing myself even more now!
 
Right I believe that a VOSA officer who pulls you over will only have the plated weight of the trailer to go on, they are not going to have a weighbridge handy everytime, nor are they going to know what a typical 16.2hh horse will weigh etc. Therefore it is the plated weight that is the important figure, and must be within the cars manufacturers recommended towing limit. Now I have heard that you can downgrade the plated weight of a trailer, although I really don't know how, the manufacturer says that the 505 will take the weight of 2 x 16.2, now if it was downgraded and had a plate put on for only one 16.2, who's to say that you won't then travel 2 in it as there will still be the room etc????!!!

So all I can say is speak to a stockist of the manufacturer (trailer) and ask them about downgrading plated weights.
 
Your car must be able to tow a trailer of the plated weight, even if the trailer (and burden) weighs less than that.

The plated weight is the maximum weight allowed for the trailer and its burden.

If you downplated a trailer from let's say 2200kg to 1000 kg, then that would be the maximum combined weight of the trailer and burden allowed.

The unladen weight of the trailer would remain the same, so you would be constrained as tho the weight it could carry.

For example:

Your trailer's plated weight is 2200 kg

The weight of your trailer is 900 kg (this is what it actually weighs unladen)

That gives you a payload allowance of 2200 - 900 = 1300kg.

Now if you downplate the trailer to 1000 kg and the unladen weight of the trailer remains 900 kg your payload is only 100 kg (1000 - 900 = 100).

So you do need to establish the weight of your horse and all the other equipment that you wish to load into the trailer before you contemplate downplating.

It mayt be more practical to leave the trailer as is, and hire a suitable vehicle as a tow truck as and when required.
 
competitiondiva said:
Right I believe that a VOSA officer who pulls you over will only have the plated weight of the trailer to go on, they are not going to have a weighbridge handy everytime, nor are they going to know what a typical 16.2hh horse will weigh etc. Therefore it is the plated weight that is the important figure, and must be within the cars manufacturers recommended towing limit. Now I have heard that you can downgrade the plated weight of a trailer, although I really don't know how, the manufacturer says that the 505 will take the weight of 2 x 16.2, now if it was downgraded and had a plate put on for only one 16.2, who's to say that you won't then travel 2 in it as there will still be the room etc????!!!

So all I can say is speak to a stockist of the manufacturer (trailer) and ask them about downgrading plated weights.
Click to expand...

Bear in mind VOSA have portable weighing equipment, and the power to send you to the nearest weighbridge.

If they are out on a Sunday, they will be looking to justify their overtime.

There's lots of female VOSA officers now, so the fluttering eyelids that used to serve the horse set so well aren't what they were!
 
A lot of people seem to be getting very confused here,talking about plated weight . Regulutions refering to the plated weight of trailers refer to heavier trailers with a Ministry Plate not manufacturers design weights (often called a plate).Manufacturers design weights must not be exceeded as the trailer is not designed to carry more weight. However If you are towing with a lighter vehicle , you are legal provided you dont physicly exceed the gross train weight or nose weight.
 
Pampera said:
Your car must be able to tow a trailer of the plated weight, even if the trailer (and burden) weighs less than that.

The plated weight is the maximum weight allowed for the trailer and its burden.

If you downplated a trailer from let's say 2200kg to 1000 kg, then that would be the maximum combined weight of the trailer and burden allowed.

The unladen weight of the trailer would remain the same, so you would be constrained as tho the weight it could carry.

For example:

Your trailer's plated weight is 2200 kg

The weight of your trailer is 900 kg (this is what it actually weighs unladen)

That gives you a payload allowance of 2200 - 900 = 1300kg.

Now if you downplate the trailer to 1000 kg and the unladen weight of the trailer remains 900 kg your payload is only 100 kg (1000 - 900 = 100).

So you do need to establish the weight of your horse and all the other equipment that you wish to load into the trailer before you contemplate downplating.

It mayt be more practical to leave the trailer as is, and hire a suitable vehicle as a tow truck as and when required.
Click to expand...

Ah, that makes more sense. I'm not looking to change trailers for weight reasons, just because horse doesn't like my 505 so I want something lighter/more airy which will hopefully be more inviting to him. I understand about down rating now though, I was just curious about how/why people do it.

There was also quite a lot of info on the other forum about it making a difference whether you have your cat B licence (ie, passed before 1997) or B&E (passed after 1997 and took extra test). I'm sure once upon a time it used to be simple.. you didn't tow more than your car could pull...!
 
Mike007 said:
A lot of people seem to be getting very confused here,talking about plated weight . Regulutions refering to the plated weight of trailers refer to heavier trailers with a Ministry Plate not manufacturers design weights (often called a plate).Manufacturers design weights must not be exceeded as the trailer is not designed to carry more weight. However If you are towing with a lighter vehicle , you are legal provided you dont physicly exceed the gross train weight or nose weight.
Click to expand...

Thank you Mike :)
 
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