 | Home > Off Topic > Trailer laws changing? |
 
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| ian series 1 Member Since: 17 Nov 2014 Location: south Posts: 3127   
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Just read this on the LRSOC forum.
May be of interest to some? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-36303305 80" 80" 86" 88" 90" Wanted, Forward Control Anything considered. |
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17th May 2016 7:38pm |
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| dorsetsmith Member Since: 30 Oct 2011 Location: South West Posts: 4554 |
trailer road worthiness is the responsibility driver towing the trailer
 as its your driving license and live hood |
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17th May 2016 8:29pm |
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| Cupboard Member Since: 21 Mar 2014 Location: Suffolk Posts: 2971 
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It says the guidelines have been issued online but can anyone find them?
The law does sometimes change, and I've found out sometimes you can be doing something that was legal last year but now isn't and no one's said anything. I guess there must be so many little things changing all the time it's a bit impractical so have a large announcement for each one. |
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17th May 2016 8:30pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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The buck stops with the driver as already mentioned.
Just make the wrongdoing consequences such as a fine or jail sentence higher / longer. The higher or longer these are the more it'll make people do as they are told. I think there should be some guidance to allowable size trailer in relation to vehicle. There currently already is some but there's nothing stopping someone hooking up a huge caravan to a small car or a tiny trailer on a bigger car. A big trailer on small vehicle may well have dangerous handling, I've seen some on the floor nearly before due to weight or poor loading. Then you have tiny trailers I've seen like a wheelbarrow, no way fit for purpose with non road tyre's that you'd not see at all in the mirrors. |
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17th May 2016 8:45pm |
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| lambert.the.farmer Member Since: 11 Apr 2012 Location: harrogate Posts: 2006  
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Just had a look and all I can see on dvsa related to heavies and o licence neither of which I am? What am I missing? Rhubarb and custard let fly with their secret weapon.
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18th May 2016 4:29am |
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| Cupboard Member Since: 21 Mar 2014 Location: Suffolk Posts: 2971
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All cars have maximum train weights, maximum rear axle loading and maximum trailer weights listed on their VIN or spec plate. Not saying people actually pay any attention but there. The other thing is licensing, with a pre-1997 licence you can tow an up to 3.5t trailer with an up to 3.5t vehicle and that's pretty much the same if you have a post 1997 licence with B+E. If you don't have the B+E then it's either a combined MAM of up to 3.5t (so a caravan behind a typical family car is OK generally) or a vehicle of up to 3.5t with a trailer of up to 750kgs. In practice that means that the largest MAM trailer I can tow with my Defender is 750kgs MAM but I could tow a larger trailer with a smaller car. This is something that has changed - at one point (and I have the paperwork explaining it) a 1997-2013 licence could tow a combined *weight* of 3.5t rather than a combined MAM of 3.5t meaning I could have nearly 1.5t in a trailer (or borrow the cattle float and not fully load it) however that changed recently. Defender is a very unusual vehicle in that the payload isn't affected by the trailer weight. Obviously the rear axle loading needs to be taken in to account, but most other tow vehicles the payload is massively reduced if you put a big trailer on the back to keep them within their maximum train weight limits. I have a small trailer that I can tow behind my Defender. It looks quite comical and TBH isn't as safe as a larger one (that I could actually see and reverse!) but means I'm not towing illegally. Frequently legal is less safe than illegal with towing, particularly in agriculture. Things are changing slightly, but you can still put a bigger trailer behind a small tractor than you can behind a big tractor. You can also buy trailers that are so heavy you can't put anything in them before they're over the UK weight limits, or tractors that are so heavy you can't tow anything with them. |
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18th May 2016 7:38am |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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It is all a bit silly then.
Mine is a post 1997 but pre 2013 so I'm glad about that. I have an Ifor P8E with cage which is I think 260kg approx empty so gives me 4x8ft of space and nearly half a tonne in load weight so that does everything I would ever want for my purposes. I'd do the B+E if I needed larger, but I can't ever see why personally I would ever need to. Possibly useful and something to consider one day maybe when life perhaps isn't so busy / stressful. What are the costs of the trailer test? |
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18th May 2016 11:17am |
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| Cupboard Member Since: 21 Mar 2014 Location: Suffolk Posts: 2971
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I'm not sure what the difference between the before and after 2013 licence is now. Previously the earlier licence was definitely better, now I think it's pretty much the same.
Not sure on the cost of a test, I either take L plates and a passenger or just use a tractor. |
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18th May 2016 11:44am |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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No one should quote me on this as I'm not sure but I thought a post 2013 was a trailer MAM reduced to 500kg not 750kg.
I thought I read that but, couldn't guarantee it, Either way, for standard test pre 1997 gives you more than mine as a post 97 -2013 and a post 2013 gives you less again. |
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18th May 2016 11:48am |
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| LoveTheMud Member Since: 19 Feb 2015 Location: Weybridge Surrey & Pontefract West Yorkshire Posts: 411 
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So I can't, with my 1999 issued licence, tow a caravan...but my dad, with his old man reactions and poor hearing can? It's ridiculous really,
Category B vehicles with larger trailers i.e. more than 750kg, provided that the combined Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) does not exceed 3.5 tonnes and the gross MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle.15 Apr 2013 Well guess I will just have to put on my grey wig and drive badly to look like someone safe to tow heavy loads  |
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18th May 2016 12:13pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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Pretty much, wonder who created said rules too.
(And what age they were themselves., of course they never did no wrong as 'young uns's' themselves of course. ) |
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18th May 2016 12:36pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17443 
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That would be our European masters. Vote "out" in the referendum and it could all change to something sensible, simple, and intelligible. |
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18th May 2016 12:50pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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I will be
 |
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18th May 2016 12:57pm |
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| miker Member Since: 13 Sep 2015 Location: Surrey Posts: 1763 
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Just like all the british politicians are sensible, simple and intelligible, right?  |
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18th May 2016 1:30pm |
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