Towing and weights!

[chappy]

See thats confused me too lol your saying 1200kg is the tow weight of an s13 when all the websites say that's the vehicle kerb weight! This is so confusing I guess I just need to go check the VIN on the s13 lol

What I'd like to know is if my VIN on the s13 days 1600kg why the **** does all the Internet sites state it weighs in at 1200? This will be the reason so many people get caught out!

Same as my vectra all the websites state it weighs 1600ish kg but the VIN startes 500kg more?! I know its got heated seats instead of normal ones but heater elements dont weigh half a tonne! !

[kxruss]

See thats confused me too lol your saying 1200kg is the tow weight of an s13 when all the websites say that's the vehicle kerb weight! This is so confusing I guess I just need to go check the VIN on the s13 lol

What I'd like to know is if my VIN on the s13 days 1600kg why the **** does all the Internet sites state it weighs in at 1200? This will be the reason so many people get caught out!

Same as my vectra all the websites state it weighs 1600ish kg but the VIN startes 500kg more?! I know its got heated seats instead of normal ones but heater elements dont weigh half a tonne! !

Because on the vin it will give the maximum fully loaded vehicle weight not the empty kerb weight.
Its probably 500kg more because the vectra can carry 500kg of people and luggage. This has already been said in previous posts

[Alex B]

The trailer plated weight is only used when you do not have a b+e category, when you do have it they use the actual weight, so yiu tow a 3.5t plated trailer behind a car), thats why they only stop stupid looking rigs as they need to take you to a weigh station.

Alex B

[chappy]

Fair enough im not used to towing car trailers im used to towing truck trailers lol they dont get over loaded easily and thus life is so much more simple

[kxruss]

Its a bloody pita towing with cars. I just found out if i tow with my shogun for work i need a operaters licence and taco and to park in an industrial place because the unladen weight of the shogun is more than 2040 kg. So now i need to run another vehicle something like a l200 because it weighs 1900 odd kg and so doesn't need operators licence and all its bullshit . A 110 landrover would be perfect weight wise but for some reason a 25 year old pos is still worth £3000

[Chriscooke]

I believe the laws have changed and it no logger goes by the trailers max weight but by the total weight of trailer at the time.

[chappy]

So as long as I can keep the weight of the trailer + load below 1600kg it will all be legal? Are they petty enough to cry over a few kg? Say it weighed in at 1632kg or something?
When I next intend to tow the s13 it will be engineless and interiorless anyways so would be very light I imagine but better to be safe than sorry

[Alex B]

I think I read you have B+E category? If so, all you need to do is keep the combined trailer and load below the max towing weight of the tow vehicle. For example, our car transporter trailer is plated to 3500kg but weighs about 700kg empty, so providing we don't put a car of more than 800kg on there we can legally tow it behind our transit, (Max tow weight of 1500kg).
However as I don't have B+E category, I can't even tow it empty behind my Volvo as it would be classed as a 3500kg load, (even if my volvo could legally tow 3500kg)

If the combined weight of the tow vehicle, trailer and load exceeds 3500kg and you're towing for personal gain, you then need operators licence, tacho and a load of other rubbish. Thats why a lot of bigger transporters etc have 'not for hire or reward' on the side, to try to avoid being stopped. Never heard anything about the tow vehicles weight coming into it though, we used to tow with our Iveco, (weighs about 2800kg) and didn't read anything about it and I did a lot of research as we looked into getting a 6500kg Iveco.

Alex B

[shaboy]

from the govement website:



Category B

You can tow trailers up to 750kg MAM (maximum authorised mass).

You can also tow larger trailers if: - the combined trailer and vehicle weight isn’t more than 3,500kg - the fully-loaded trailer weight isn’t more than the unladen vehicle weight

Category B+E

You can tow trailers of any weight.



Next steps

Vehicle weights explained

Driving licence categories


What kind of vehicle do you want to tow with? Car (category B)

When did you pass your car driving test? Before 19 January 2013

[shaboy]

Note on above though, with B+E, although you can tow any weight, you're still limited by the maximum towing capability of the towing vehicle.

[chappy]

Right so I can tow any trailer, carrying anything as long as it does not exceed 1600kg total weight.. and the mam on the trailer plate

So a 300kg trailer with a mam of 1500kg carrying a 1200kg car is perfectly legal as that adds up to 1500.

Same with a 400kg trailer with a mam of 1600kg

And you say theyre not worried if the trailer is plated to say 2000kg on a car with a 1600kg tow capacity as long as the actual weight of the trailer + load does not exceed the tractors towing capacity of 1600kg on a weighbridge..

[Alex B]

And you say theyre not worried if the trailer is plated to say 2000kg on a car with a 1600kg tow capacity as long as the actual weight of the trailer + load does not exceed the tractors towing capacity of 1600kg on a weighbridge..

Not when you have B+E category, from what I was told by VOSA they would with a category B licence as all calculations are worked from the plated weight, not the actual weight.

Alex B