Can you tow a trailer over 750kg on a pre Jan 97 ordinary car licence?
Scenario.
A sprinter van 3.5 ton gross towing a mini digger.
Sprinter average weight 1.7 ton.
Trailer + plant average weight 1.8 ton. total 3.5 ton.
J-BONE:
Can you tow a trailer over 750kg on a pre Jan 97 ordinary car licence?Scenario.
A sprinter van 3.5 ton gross towing a mini digger.
Sprinter average weight 1.7 ton.
Trailer + plant average weight 1.8 ton. total 3.5 ton.
YES because you have B+E
The sprinter handbook or V5 will state the max towing capacity = actual weight which can be towed behind it
If this is for commercial use then it will come under EU tacho regs unless an exemption applies
Yes an exemption does apply to EU rules. Would a driver still need to keep some kind of hours record on him such as a driver hours book or a diary of his hours?
Is the person driving the sprinter a digger driver on his way to a job or are they delivering the digger?
Most 3.5ton sprinters have a manufacturer max towing weight of 2000kgs.
On his way to and from an electrical utility based job. Driving the sprinter would be roughly about 1 hour per day the rest of his day if made up of digging out and reinstatement work
J-BONE:
On his way to and from an electrical utility based job. Driving the sprinter would be roughly about 1 hour per day the rest of his day if made up of digging out and reinstatement work
EU regs exempt for that job if within 100km radius of base
I presume a post 97 car licence pass would mean taking a trailer test or something equivalent to be able to tow legally?
yes
I’d weigh bridge the set up, for a post 97 license holder could throw your calcs out, we used to have a sprinter mwb 311 panel van, when stopped & weighed van came in at 2.6t, Inc driver some tools an extra wheel & a sleeper bed in the back was a trailer on so maybe 100kg extra on the hitch but still is a long way from 1.7t you are thinking.
post 97 licence mean the towing plated MAM limit is 750kg where the plated GVW of the towing vehicle is between 2750 and 3500
The 3500 total GVW + MAM limit is for towing over 750kg plated MAM trailers on a B licence but then the vehicle GVW added to the trailer plated MAM must not total more than 3500
Actual weights do not come into the calculation because licences go on the plated weights
The towing capacity won’t be in the hand book and I don’t recall seeing it on the log book but it will definitely be on the drivers seat base along with axle weights diff ratio and headlamp deflection .
Punchy Dan:
The towing capacity won’t be in the hand book and I don’t recall seeing it on the log book but it will definitely be on the drivers seat base along with axle weights diff ratio and headlamp deflection .
If you take the GVW from the GTW than that will always keep you legal regards to towing weights but often with vans they allow a greater max towing capacity as long as the vehicle weight is reduced to compensate - it is that max towing capacity which should be in the handbook, V5 or often can be found on the internet
ROG:
Punchy Dan:
The towing capacity won’t be in the hand book and I don’t recall seeing it on the log book but it will definitely be on the drivers seat base along with axle weights diff ratio and headlamp deflection .If you take the GVW from the GTW than that will always keep you legal regards to towing weights but often with vans they allow a greater max towing capacity as long as the vehicle weight is reduced to compensate - it is that max towing capacity which should be in the handbook, V5 or often can be found on the internet
The towing capacity varies depending on horse power ,diff ratio ,and I’ve seen it vary on the wheelbase ,I’ve had enough sprinters and transits to say it’s not in a handbook and is not on the V5 .
Mercedes quote maximum towing capacity of sprinter as 2000kg unless it has a heavy duty towing hitch.
vans.mercedes-benz.co.uk/produc … panel.html
Wildy:
Mercedes quote maximum towing capacity of sprinter as 2000kg unless it has a heavy duty towing hitch.
vans.mercedes-benz.co.uk/produc … panel.html
There’s more to it than that note the stars on the 7 tonne gtw , we have aV6 sprinter but to get it up to tow 3.5 tonne at 7 tonne gtw we had to change the diff for a lower ratio ,I did once have a 3.5 tonne sprinter that was 5.5 tonne gtw to get up to 6.3 I had to send evidence of fitting a brink tow bar however the next model that came was 6300 from factory ,Rog saying about the Info being on the V5 is on car log books .
I agree Dan, but let’s face it most people will do no more than hitch a trailer on the back. And without modification the manufacturer towing limit will be 2000kg.
You may need a tacho in the towing vehicle depending on what you are doing
id be making friends with our angus on faceache or twitter and ask him.
itl be one of his pals thatl be crucifying you at the end of the day.
no tacho fitted and towing the plant would mean guilty to the right ( or wrong) cop till proved otherwise and just grief even if you could prove you didnt need one anyway .
Put some lucky heather in the window and a tree cutting sign on the side they’ll not dare bother you ,yet if you stand up to the pigs zb me they’ll be 6 of them on you in no time .
So if a driver had a post 97 category B and a category BE licence could he legally tow a 3.500kg sprinter with a 2.000kg trailer (total GVW 5.300kg) if the sprinters capability was 6.000kg (as stated on the plate under the drivers seat)?