James4287
New User
Hi i know it's my first post but i have been told to come here and look for a guy called ROG who maybe able to help, if anyone else can help aswell then awesome, more the merrier maybee this thread will help others too!
I have been told you are the best chap to speak to who will be able to answer all my questions! (i passed my manual normal car liecence in 2004)
I'd be most gratful if you could read through all this and 1) see if i understand everything correctly. & 2) please correct me where i am wrong & 3) let me know my options. As i am sure you know this whole towing thing is a complete minefield, i am/was fully intending to book my B+E test any day but just tonight spotted a few things that are concerning me.
What i will do is run through what my vehicle is, then my trailer & then my questions/concerns! I'm sorry this is taking up your time but i really would appreciate your assistance, i've asked some coppers, who can't answer the questions, i've asked local vosa employees who don't know and refer me somewhere else, and indeed local driving instructors who just dont seem to know!
Right, the car is a 1997 2.5 td auto range rover. according to the handbook it has a;
kerbweight of 2130kg. the plate under the bonnet says
2780kg (i assume gvw),
6280kg (i assume gtw - trailer and car combined?)
1-1320kg (front axle?)
2-1840kg (back axle?)
The difference between item 1 & 2 on the vin plate being 3500kg, is this the maximum tow capacity of the car?
Which according to here: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/driving-licence-rules-and-what-you-can-tow
This Means basicly i can tow a trailer of MAM of 750kg no issues giving me a total MAM of 5350kg. (2780gvw+750mam trailer = less than 4250) correct?
If however i want to hitch up my twin axle 3500kg mam iforr williams flat bed trailer i'd be withen the spec of the car (even though trailer is now heavier than tow car?) i would need to do the B+E test? correct?
-Even if said trailer was unloaded and empty i'd still get in trouble wouldn't i?
My horsebox on the other hand doesn't have a chassis plate as it's quite old. This now gives me new headaches i have noticed tonight; https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/car-trailer-practical-test
it says "The examiner may ask for evidence of the trailers MAM, eg the manufacturers plate" what do i do now? if i understand correctly in this instance it's based on the load index of the tyres, all four tyres are the same on the horse box all with a rating of 79T. - 437kg per tyre x4=1748kg. I've had the box weighed on a local weighbridge, empty, at 770kg.
Based on these figures i have worked this out:
Unladen weight - 770kg
79T tyres - 437kg per tyre x4=1748kg
axle weights - 874kg per axle (twin axle)
gross weight/mam - 1748kg
payload - 978kg
Have i worked these weights correctly? & if so is it "ok" to have this stamped onto a plate, attached to the frame so i now have a plate on the trailer so can complete the B+E test. Or do i just show my workings based on tyre load ratings & how do i proove the readings from the local weighbridge relate to my trailer, as the trailer has no vin/serial number?
And also on the same page it says "The trailer or caravan must have a MAM of at least 1 tonne" That includes the weight of the trailer doesn't it, so my 1748kg meets and exceeds the requirement!, correct?
Also noticed on that website;
"externally mounted nearside and offside mirrors (for the examiner to use)"
Is this in addition to the ones already on the n/s & o/s? do i need the mirrors that attach in someway to the wings of the car/outer edges of existing mirrors?
Also, here https://www.gov.uk/practical-driving-test-for-cars/rules-for-cars-used-for-driving-tests it says;
"have a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of no more than 3,500 kilograms"
i'd assume i can use my range rover as MAM is 2780kg?
My other issue is, if i do the test in an auto am i then restricted to ONLY tow with an auto?
I do have a manual mondeo with a tow bar but tbh have never towed with an auto and would rather not, but since i want to do the test and get it right it'd make more sense to do the test in the manual car so i have the option to be able to use whatever tow car i want in the future! & obviously i'd need to check the chassis plate on the mondeo first as i have no idea if it would tow my horse box, assuming my horsebox weights above are calculated correctly.
On a side note, i have done alot of towing on private land and don't think i will have no problems with the actual test. i just wish things were easier to understand!
Many many thanks for reading all this and i so hope you can help me, i'm almost tempted to buy a transit horse box, a transit flat bed and a camper van and ditch the iforr williams, horse box and dont bother buying a caravan for the summer as it seems easier to buy/run/store three additional vehicles than do a trailer test!!!!! LOL!
Thanks again,
I have been told you are the best chap to speak to who will be able to answer all my questions! (i passed my manual normal car liecence in 2004)
I'd be most gratful if you could read through all this and 1) see if i understand everything correctly. & 2) please correct me where i am wrong & 3) let me know my options. As i am sure you know this whole towing thing is a complete minefield, i am/was fully intending to book my B+E test any day but just tonight spotted a few things that are concerning me.
What i will do is run through what my vehicle is, then my trailer & then my questions/concerns! I'm sorry this is taking up your time but i really would appreciate your assistance, i've asked some coppers, who can't answer the questions, i've asked local vosa employees who don't know and refer me somewhere else, and indeed local driving instructors who just dont seem to know!
Right, the car is a 1997 2.5 td auto range rover. according to the handbook it has a;
kerbweight of 2130kg. the plate under the bonnet says
2780kg (i assume gvw),
6280kg (i assume gtw - trailer and car combined?)
1-1320kg (front axle?)
2-1840kg (back axle?)
The difference between item 1 & 2 on the vin plate being 3500kg, is this the maximum tow capacity of the car?
Which according to here: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/driving-licence-rules-and-what-you-can-tow
This Means basicly i can tow a trailer of MAM of 750kg no issues giving me a total MAM of 5350kg. (2780gvw+750mam trailer = less than 4250) correct?
If however i want to hitch up my twin axle 3500kg mam iforr williams flat bed trailer i'd be withen the spec of the car (even though trailer is now heavier than tow car?) i would need to do the B+E test? correct?
-Even if said trailer was unloaded and empty i'd still get in trouble wouldn't i?
My horsebox on the other hand doesn't have a chassis plate as it's quite old. This now gives me new headaches i have noticed tonight; https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/car-trailer-practical-test
it says "The examiner may ask for evidence of the trailers MAM, eg the manufacturers plate" what do i do now? if i understand correctly in this instance it's based on the load index of the tyres, all four tyres are the same on the horse box all with a rating of 79T. - 437kg per tyre x4=1748kg. I've had the box weighed on a local weighbridge, empty, at 770kg.
Based on these figures i have worked this out:
Unladen weight - 770kg
79T tyres - 437kg per tyre x4=1748kg
axle weights - 874kg per axle (twin axle)
gross weight/mam - 1748kg
payload - 978kg
Have i worked these weights correctly? & if so is it "ok" to have this stamped onto a plate, attached to the frame so i now have a plate on the trailer so can complete the B+E test. Or do i just show my workings based on tyre load ratings & how do i proove the readings from the local weighbridge relate to my trailer, as the trailer has no vin/serial number?
And also on the same page it says "The trailer or caravan must have a MAM of at least 1 tonne" That includes the weight of the trailer doesn't it, so my 1748kg meets and exceeds the requirement!, correct?
Also noticed on that website;
"externally mounted nearside and offside mirrors (for the examiner to use)"
Is this in addition to the ones already on the n/s & o/s? do i need the mirrors that attach in someway to the wings of the car/outer edges of existing mirrors?
Also, here https://www.gov.uk/practical-driving-test-for-cars/rules-for-cars-used-for-driving-tests it says;
"have a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of no more than 3,500 kilograms"
i'd assume i can use my range rover as MAM is 2780kg?
My other issue is, if i do the test in an auto am i then restricted to ONLY tow with an auto?
I do have a manual mondeo with a tow bar but tbh have never towed with an auto and would rather not, but since i want to do the test and get it right it'd make more sense to do the test in the manual car so i have the option to be able to use whatever tow car i want in the future! & obviously i'd need to check the chassis plate on the mondeo first as i have no idea if it would tow my horse box, assuming my horsebox weights above are calculated correctly.
On a side note, i have done alot of towing on private land and don't think i will have no problems with the actual test. i just wish things were easier to understand!
Many many thanks for reading all this and i so hope you can help me, i'm almost tempted to buy a transit horse box, a transit flat bed and a camper van and ditch the iforr williams, horse box and dont bother buying a caravan for the summer as it seems easier to buy/run/store three additional vehicles than do a trailer test!!!!! LOL!
Thanks again,
??
