Right, just to check, Asked to tow a trailer with a van, van has max allowable towing weight of 2000Kgs,
Trailer is plated for 2500Kgs…
Am I right in saying that’s 500kgs overweight?
Thanks in advance for any replies 
the trailer won’t be plated as that only applies over a curtain weight, that is the weight that the trailer is designed to carry i would say 
I’d say if you didn’t load it over 2000kg you’d be OK. Plenty of Ford Rangers etc towing 3500kg Ifor Williams. (Although that might not make it OK) 
I’d be very interested in our tame plod and vosa guy’s take on this subject,
I’m looking at a flatbed to carry our quads + equipment for doing work on horsey paddocks etc presently lookingh at a trailer with a gross of 3500kg net is 730kg.
My thinking is that as long as the gross weight actually being towed does not exceed the towing limit of the towing vehicle its OK. However I have heard that the authorities get upset if you are towing a trailer plated for say 3500kg with a vehicle rated at 2500 even if the trailer is within that 2500kg.
The reason I want an answer is that our pick-up is rated to tow 3000kg and we’re never going to be towing more than a gross of 1500kg.
my friends range rover has a maximum train weight of 5.5 tons, but that dosn’t make it a hgv whenever he tows something.
don’t go over the 2tons, and you’ll be fine.
Before I start i’ll just say that I read this on another forum so don’t take this as law. A guy on there (car forum) said the police had made him leave his trailer in a layby because it was a 3.5 ton trailer and his car wasn’t legally allowed to pull it because it exceeded the train weight of the car. He did tell plod that he was only moving the empty trailer and had no intention of actually carrying anything but was told that cos of the potential overloading he was no longer allowed to use his car. I can’t find the thread now and can’t exactly remember what happened but it was something to do with new rules. Like I said at the start I don’t know how accurate this is but I reckon it would be safer to check it out before risking it.
I think you might find that when towing a trailer you can not exceed the gvw of the prime mover so even though the load on the trailer may not push you have the potetal to with the trailer desighn but I could be wroung best bet is to check the vosa sight.
Prime mover has a train weight of 2t, thats what the total weight of the outfit can weigh regardless of what the trailer can gross.
dazcapri:
Before I start i’ll just say that I read this on another forum so don’t take this as law. A guy on there (car forum) said the police had made him leave his trailer in a layby because it was a 3.5 ton trailer and his car wasn’t legally allowed to pull it because it exceeded the train weight of the car. He did tell plod that he was only moving the empty trailer and had no intention of actually carrying anything but was told that cos of the potential overloading he was no longer allowed to use his car. I can’t find the thread now and can’t exactly remember what happened but it was something to do with new rules. Like I said at the start I don’t know how accurate this is but I reckon it would be safer to check it out before risking it.
so does this mean, that a 4x2 40 ton plated unit, can not pull a this http://www.kingtrailers.co.uk/heavy_haulage.aspx, a 90 ton plated trailer? 
or the other way round, a stgo 3 plated (150 ton) unit, can not pull a single axle tesco’s trailer? because the unit is plated to 150 ton and they could over load the trailer…
plant fitter:
Right, just to check, Asked to tow a trailer with a van, van has max allowable towing weight of 2000Kgs,Trailer is plated for 2500Kgs…
Am I right in saying that’s 500kgs overweight?
Thanks in advance for any replies
Another thing to consider is, the secon you hitch the trailer on and the potential gross train weight exceeds 3.5 tons you need a tacho loaded or not
Unladen weight of trailer probably about 750kgs for a twin axle plant trailer ( braked ) maybe even 500kgs for a lightweight model . So in your case put 1250kgs on the trailer or 1500kgs respectively and you will be ok . Key to this is thet the trailer is braked and that you don’t exceed the train weight of the combination of trailer and towing vehicle .
As regards o licence and tachos there are execeptions that will allow this , so go to Vosa website .
Right, O licence and tacho all present and correct, reason I ask this is that I’m sure there were some convictions last year for people towing 3.5t plant trailers with jap double cabs that are not capable of towing them, this happened empty of laden as apparently they were capable of exceeding the permissible towing capacity of the vehicle…sure the was an article in some publication or other??
This is a genuine question to which I really am not sure of the answer and I’d like to know the answer for my own peace of mind- not to be a pain in the arse to my employer 
and of course would like to stay on the right side of the law
Rgds
Confused of Bridgend
plant fitter:
Right, O licence and tacho all present and correct, reason I ask this is that I’m sure there were some convictions last year for people towing 3.5t plant trailers with jap double cabs that are not capable of towing them, this happened empty of laden as apparently they were capable of exceeding the permissible towing capacity of the vehicle…sure the was an article in some publication or other??This is a genuine question to which I really am not sure of the answer and I’d like to know the answer for my own peace of mind- not to be a pain in the arse to my employer
Rgds
Confused of Bridgend
I think you could well be right. We had a similar problem with farmers coming into the mill to collect feed; our weighbridge operator must’ve been having an off day 'cos he let a Transit flatbed leave with 3 tonnes of feed on it, so that’d be about 1.5 tonnes overweight at a guess! Plod pulled the driver up the road, we got away with it but received strict instructions that in future we were to ascertain the max weights of any vehicles that were collecting stuff and to refuse to load them beyond legal capacity.
The issue of tacho or not seems to be a bit of a minefield in this area.
plant fitter:
Am I right in saying that’s 500kgs overweight?
No.
The max allowable towing weight refers to the ACTUAL weight of the trailer, not the plated weight. I would guess said trailer would weigh around 600-700kg empty so you could put up to about 1300-1400kg on it and still be legal.
Paul
plant fitter:
Right, O licence and tacho all present and correct, reason I ask this is that I’m sure there were some convictions last year for people towing 3.5t plant trailers with jap double cabs that are not capable of towing them, this happened empty of laden as apparently they were capable of exceeding the permissible towing capacity of the vehicle…sure the was an article in some publication or other??
I would be interested to see that article because as far as I am aware it is not right, if it was then I would hazard a guess that 90% of people pulling 3500kg plated trailers would be breaking the law as very few vehicles can legally tow the full 3500kg.
Paul
Right this is it
1] vehicle has max laden weight without trailer if its a pick up of the mitsubishi or ford galaxy type it will be under 3.5 the plate will state this
2] the trailer will have a max weight that it can carry including its own structural weight
3] the tow vehicle will have a max train weight this is the weight of the tow vehicle the weight of the trailer and the weight of the load combined in most cass the combined weight of tow vehicle trailer and load will mean that the trailer doesnt carry as much as it can in theory.
4] AND THIS IS IMPORTANT once you hitch the trailer on loaded or unloaded if the potential gross train weight exceeds 3,5 loaded or not there must be a tacho fitted and in use if the vehicle is being used for hire and reward. For private use no tacho required
Its all here for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. MAM = Maximum Authorised Mass or in our language GVW/GCW
Category B: Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM and with up to eight passenger seats
Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM.
For example:
-a vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.25 tonnes could be driven by the holder of a category B entitlement. This is because the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes and also the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle
Whereas
-the same vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes when coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.5 tonnes would fall within category B+E. This is because although the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer is within the 3.5 tonnes MAM limit, the MAM of the trailer is more than the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle
-Vehicle manufacturers normally recommend a maximum weight of trailer appropriate to their vehicle. Details can usually be found in the vehicle’s handbook or obtained from car dealerships. The size of the trailer recommended for an average family car with an unladen weight of around 1 tonne would be well within the new category B threshold.
I used to drive an Isuzu plated at 6.2t and a trailer which was plated at 3.5t, with the whole thing having a train weight of 8.25t and was pulled many atime by the police and vosa and nothing was ever said about it.
The main problem is with vehicles below 3.5 tonnes towing trailers that exceed the towing vehicles max weight, many drivers don’t understand whats written on the manufacturers plate, they think they can tow a trailer and equipment/machinery on its back that is even heavier than the towing vehicle nevermind the added weight of the trailer. Not sure the Police fully understand either.
Frankydobo:
The main problem is with vehicles below 3.5 tonnes towing trailers that exceed the towing vehicles max weight, many drivers don’t understand whats written on the manufacturers plate, they think they can tow a trailer and equipment/machinery on its back that is even heavier than the towing vehicle nevermind the added weight of the trailer. Not sure the Police fully understand either.
That basically sums it up.I have an Iveco Daily 35 which is 3500kgs gross and according to Iveco can run at 6500kgs GTW,But,theres another law that says the weight towed cannot exceed a certain percentage of the towing vehicle weight so I cannot get near the 6500GTW legally.I cant remember the exact weight allowed but it was low enough to stop me spending money on a towbar and tacho.