Welcome to HHO Towing Clinic

[Kizzy2004]

Hello Rog

I’m hoping you can help with a question I have in regards to trailer down plating as there’s a lot of conflicting information around.

I have passed my B + E test but I’m having to change my company car to one with a lower towing capacity.

Vehicle has a max towing weight of 1,500kg
Gross vehicle weight 2,390kg
Kerb weight 1,890kg

Trailer is an IW505 unladen weight of 905kg
Max weight 2,340kg

I’m only towing for 1 pony who weighs 375kg so within the vehicle towing capacity with a bit of headroom but my question is do I have to have my trailer down graded to match the vehicles capacity?

 

[ROG]

Hello Rog

I’m hoping you can help with a question I have in regards to trailer down plating as there’s a lot of conflicting information around.

I have passed my B + E test but I’m having to change my company car to one with a lower towing capacity.

Vehicle has a max towing weight of 1,500kg
Gross vehicle weight 2,390kg
Kerb weight 1,890kg

Trailer is an IW505 unladen weight of 905kg
Max weight 2,340kg

I’m only towing for 1 pony who weighs 375kg so within the vehicle towing capacity with a bit of headroom but my question is do I have to have my trailer down graded to match the vehicles capacity?

Many MYTHS on the internet on this but HERE IS THE LAW -
NO NEED TO DOWN PLATE TRAILER TO MATCH VEHICLE TOWING CAPACITY = 100% FACT

When towing with a max tow capacity of 1500 the actual weight of the trailer including its load must not exceed 1500
In your case 905+375=1280 so you have 220 to spare

 

[Kizzy2004]

Wonderful thank you so much.

 

[Starlight22]

Hiya, the GVW of the Škoda is 2175Kg so a bit more than I thought!
Can the trailer be downplated further to allow 600kg mare to travel legally? Thank you

 

[ROG]

@ROG

Hello, thanks so much with your help on my post the other day.
I think I’m mainly through my confusion but I was wondering if you could confirm this for me-
If I buy this car :
A Skoda octavia 2011 tdi cr scout dsg 5dr automatic,
Buy a Bateson Derby trailer and downplate it to 1400, and add my 600kg horse, this will be legal on my B license?
thank you so much

Hiya, the GVW of the Škoda is 2175Kg so a bit more than I thought!
Can the trailer be downplated further to allow 600kg mare to travel legally? Thank you

Car GVW 2200
Derby trailer down plate to 1300
Derby trailer is 675 empty so at 1300 has a max load of 625 so very close to the limit - would probably need taking to a weighbridge for exact weights to see if legal for B licence towing

 

[Starlight22]

Car GVW 2200
Derby trailer down plate to 1300
Derby trailer is 675 empty so at 1300 has a max load of 625 so very close to the limit - would probably need taking to a weighbridge for exact weights to see if legal for B licence towing

Thank you ?
do I not need to add on weight for the driver?

 

[ROG]

Thank you ?
do I not need to add on weight for the driver?

GVW of car includes empty car + driver and all in car
MAM of trailer is for empty trailer and all in trailer
I assume driver will not be in trailer LOL !!

 

[Starlight22]

Gotcha thank you! Was worried I had to add my weight to GVW and my weight would top the GVW, would be typical ? now to find an automatic Skoda Octavia, fingers crossed one comes up. Thank you so much!

 

[ROG]

Was worried I had to add my weight to GVW and my weight would top the GVW,!

If your weight exceeded the GVW then you REALLY NEED TO DIET !! LOL

 

[Starlight22]

Hi ROG I’m back again ? on an unsuccessful trip to buy a Skoda I saw a jeep renegade for sale! I was wondering if it could also do the job!

Jeep renegade 2.0 4x4
1 - B
2 - 1600
3 - 2100
4 - I don’t know
5 - 1700kg before downplate
6 - Bateson Derby 675kg

I noticed the noseball weight is only 60kg. Is this a problem? Thank you

 

[ROG]

Hi ROG I’m back again ? on an unsuccessful trip to buy a Skoda I saw a jeep renegade for sale! I was wondering if it could also do the job!

Jeep renegade 2.0 4x4
1 - B
2 - 1600
3 - 2100
4 - I don’t know
5 - 1700kg before downplate
6 - Bateson Derby 675kg

I noticed the noseball weight is only 60kg. Is this a problem? Thank you

Cannot help with noseball weight - suggest asking about that on main forum

IF the towing capacity is at least 1400 then it will work (might just work with 1300 tow capacity but very close to limit)
Down plate trailer to 1400

This link might help = http://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-make-model/jeep/jeep-renegade/

 

[Clemcorky]

Hello ,
It’s my first thread here so I do apologise if I posted in the wrong place.
I just had one question .
It’s about driving license , I do come from France where we had to get à BE driving license to drive with a 2 horse trailer . I tried to check on the NSLS website but couldn’t find anything .
My question is , I have a Seat Arona from 2019 about 1000KG , if I wanted to buy a trailer (for two horses) must I own a BE driving license to use it ? I know in France with a B license you can’t carry , loaded more than 3.5 tones but I thought a trailer + the car + the horse (1 horse) , is about 2.5 Tons so I can still buy a 2 horse trailer as long as I only transport one horse with my B driving license correct ? Thanks a lot.
Have a great evening .

 

[ROG]

Hello ,
It’s my first thread here so I do apologise if I posted in the wrong place.
I just had one question .
It’s about driving license , I do come from France where we had to get à BE driving license to drive with a 2 horse trailer . I tried to check on the NSLS website but couldn’t find anything .
My question is , I have a Seat Arona from 2019 about 1000KG , if I wanted to buy a trailer (for two horses) must I own a BE driving license to use it ? I know in France with a B license you can’t carry , loaded more than 3.5 tones but I thought a trailer + the car + the horse (1 horse) , is about 2.5 Tons so I can still buy a 2 horse trailer as long as I only transport one horse with my B driving license correct ? Thanks a lot.
Have a great evening .

The French and UK laws are the same on this - same with all EU counties
The GVW of the Vehicle added to the plated MAM of the trailer must not total more than 3500kg
Licences go on plated weights not actual weights

You can get a trailer MAM down plated by contacting the trailer manufacturer but in many cases that is easier to conform to the 3500 limit by using a single horse trailer

More infp on this by clicking the link in my signature below

 

[Meeley81]

Hi, this is my first tine posting but I just wanted clarification as to whether I'd be correct on the weights I can legally tow? I passed my test in 2000 and I've recently realised my nissan pathfinder is too heavy realistically to allow me to be legal to tow? I have an extremely old single rice trailer which has no plate on at all but the tyres say max load of 1450kg. I've gone out and bought a 2003 nissan xtrail sport x because I believe using this vehicle im legal to tow my trailer without taking an additional b+e test, does that sound correct to you? Thank you in advance

 

[ROG]

Hi, this is my first tine posting but I just wanted clarification as to whether I'd be correct on the weights I can legally tow? I passed my test in 2000 and I've recently realised my nissan pathfinder is too heavy realistically to allow me to be legal to tow? I have an extremely old single rice trailer which has no plate on at all but the tyres say max load of 1450kg. I've gone out and bought a 2003 nissan xtrail sport x because I believe using this vehicle im legal to tow my trailer without taking an additional b+e test, does that sound correct to you? Thank you in advance

As there is no plate then the total of the tyre load ratings are regarded as the trailer MAM by the authorities
This means either 2900 if 2 tyres or 5800 if 4 tyres
At 2900 that will mean B+E is needed as it only leaves 600 GVW for the towing vehicle !!

If you want to stay within your B licence limit then you are going to need a different trailer which can be down plated by the manufacturer and that will allow you to tow with one horse

The GVW of the Nissan ( I think is about 2100) added to the MAM of a trailer must not add up to more than 3500 for B towing so that mean a trailer with a MAM of 1400 if I have the 2100 correct

If a trailer at 1400 is 750 empty then that allows for a max load of 650 in the trailer

 

[Meeley81]

As there is no plate then the total of the tyre load ratings are regarded as the trailer MAM by the authorities
This means either 2900 if 2 tyres or 5800 if 4 tyres
At 2900 that will mean B+E is needed as it only leaves 600 GVW for the towing vehicle !!

If you want to stay within your B licence limit then you are going to need a different trailer which can be down plated by the manufacturer and that will allow you to tow with one horse

The GVW of the Nissan ( I think is about 2100) added to the MAM of a trailer must not add up to more than 3500 for B towing so that mean a trailer with a MAM of 1400 if I have the 2100 correct

If a trailer at 1400 is 750 empty then that allows for a max load of 650 in the trailer

Its a double axle trailer, so has 4 tyres in total, ive had it weighed at a weigh bridge and it weighs 760kg, my mare only weighs about 500kg so I was assuming I'd be within the limits, obviously I can never tow 2 horses as its a single trailer.

 

[ROG]

Its a double axle trailer, so has 4 tyres in total, ive had it weighed at a weigh bridge and it weighs 760kg, my mare only weighs about 500kg so I was assuming I'd be within the limits, obviously I can never tow 2 horses as its a single trailer.

Licence laws go on plated weights or in your case as there is no plate they go on the total of the tyre load ratings
That trailer can never be used for B licence towing

 

[poacher82]

Hi ROG. Last time I was contemplating towing vehicles a few years ago, there was a useful website called something like towinghorsetrailers.co.uk into which you could put the weight of your horse, trailer etc and it'd give you all the options of vehicles that could tow it. I've googled like mad and can't find it, not find anything else as handy... but maybe I'm using the wrong search terms... do you happen to know if there's anything like that "out there" please?

 

[ROG]

Hi ROG. Last time I was contemplating towing vehicles a few years ago, there was a useful website called something like towinghorsetrailers.co.uk into which you could put the weight of your horse, trailer etc and it'd give you all the options of vehicles that could tow it. I've googled like mad and can't find it, not find anything else as handy... but maybe I'm using the wrong search terms... do you happen to know if there's anything like that "out there" please?

That site seems to have gone - pity as it was great
Do not know of another one

 

[Meeley81]

Licence laws go on plated weights or in your case as there is no plate they go on the total of the tyre load ratings
That trailer can never be used for B licence towing

Hi ROG, so I've managed to get myself a bargain ifor williams HB401R, the plate had 3 weights on it, the top one is 1400kg and the next 2 are 700kg each, i assume with this trailer and my 2003 xtrail im perfectly legal to tow on by normal licence? Thank you in advance.

 

[ROG]

Hi ROG, so I've managed to get myself a bargain ifor williams HB401R, the plate had 3 weights on it, the top one is 1400kg and the next 2 are 700kg each, i assume with this trailer and my 2003 xtrail im perfectly legal to tow on by normal licence? Thank you in advance.

Top one of 1400 is the trailer MAM and that added to the vehicle GVW (max 2100 in this case) must not exceed 3500
Looks like you got hold of an already down plated trailer

 

[Meeley81]

Top one of 1400 is the trailer MAM and that added to the vehicle GVW (max 2100 in this case) must not exceed 3500
Looks like you got hold of an already down plated trailer

Great, so I assume that makes me all set to go? Yea the previous owner had the trailer down plated which was an added bonus, i have the original plate too in case.

 

[ROG]

Great, so I assume that makes me all set to go? Yea the previous owner had the trailer down plated which was an added bonus, i have the original plate too in case.

If GVW of Xtrail at 2100 or less then good to go

 

[Meeley81]

If GVW of Xtrail at 2100 or less then good to go

Its never likely to be anywhere near that, my tack is incredibly light and its only likely to be me in the car, I think its unladen weight is about 1500kg so that's great, im all set. Thank you so much ROG

 

[poacher82]

That site seems to have gone - pity as it was great
Do not know of another one

That's a shame. Cheers for the reply though!

 

[EmMa111]

Hello
I drive a 2013 freelander 2
And have a single ifor Williams trailer (weighs 780)
I have a cat b licence so my understanding is that without passing an extra test is that I can tow as long as I don’t go over 3500 in total for the weight of the loaded trailer and car
I’ve been to the weigh bridge and my fully loaded car, trailer and horse weighs 3400 so I assumed I was ok
However I’ve since heard that in order to make it legal for me to tow I need to down plate my trailer ? As if I fully loaded it it would be over weight even though I never will as I can only put once horse in anyway
The plate on my trailer is in German so I’m not sure what it means anyway
I’m very confused any advise appreciated

 

[ROG]

Hello
I drive a 2013 freelander 2
And have a single ifor Williams trailer (weighs 780)
I have a cat b licence so my understanding is that without passing an extra test is that I can tow as long as I don’t go over 3500 in total for the weight of the loaded trailer and car
I’ve been to the weigh bridge and my fully loaded car, trailer and horse weighs 3400 so I assumed I was ok
However I’ve since heard that in order to make it legal for me to tow I need to down plate my trailer ? As if I fully loaded it it would be over weight even though I never will as I can only put once horse in anyway
The plate on my trailer is in German so I’m not sure what it means anyway
I’m very confused any advise appreciated

Driving licences go on the plated weights not the actual weights
The B licence towing limit is 3500 total of the plated weights
That is the plated GVW of the vehicle added to the plated MAM of the trailer

I think - not certain - that your vehicle has a GVW of 2080 and if that is correct then you can tow a trailer plated at 1400 with 20 to spare
Plated at 1400 with an empty weight of 780 means you can load a max of 620 into that trailer

To down plate from its original 1600 to 1400 you need to firstly call Ifor Williams

 

[suzette]

Hello! I have a Volkswagen Touareg 2012. I am looking to buy a trailer - are there any single horse trailers I'd be able to tow with a B license? or will I have to do B+E in all cases? Thank you

 

[ROG]

Hello! I have a Volkswagen Touareg 2012. I am looking to buy a trailer - are there any single horse trailers I'd be able to tow with a B license? or will I have to do B+E in all cases? Thank you

What is the GVW of the toureg?
What is the weight of the horse/pony?
I need those 2 figures in order to help

 

[suzette]

What is the GVW of the toureg?
What is the weight of the horse/pony?
I need those 2 figures in order to help

I believe GVW is 2,880kg
Weight of horse 500kg
Thank you!