A tank 
I once drove a Volvo 240 Estate with no power steering - that was heavy!
Like i said i might be wrong but the conclusion we came up with was a 7.5 ton recovery truck with a transit on the back weighing 3.5 ton and also one on the spec lift weighing 3.5 ton , i dont know what the net weight would be of the recovery truck but im pretty sure the gross weight would be well over 9 ton.
The legalities im not sure of but it was over a coffee in a long winded debate amongst a few drivers.
jammymutt:
Like i said i might be wrong but the conclusion we came up with was a 7.5 ton recovery truck with a transit on the back weighing 3.5 ton and also one on the spec lift weighing 3.5 ton , i dont know what the net weight would be of the recovery truck but im pretty sure the gross weight would be well over 9 ton.The legalities im not sure of but it was over a coffee in a long winded debate amongst a few drivers.
A standard pre-1997 car licence would, as has been said, restrict you to a 750kg trailer (it has the number 107 printed on the licence). In this case just because it’s a recovery vehicle it doesn’t exempt you from this law, you would need a full C1+E licence which would give you a max train weight of 12 tonnes or of course a C+E licence. That’s how I understand it, not sure it’s right though.
MrFlibble:
Because then anyone with a new car license could drive up to 7.5t without extra training. I believe that the idea of taking off the automatic C1, C1+E, D1, D1+E is to force people to get proper training before going out in what is a very different vehicle to the one they passed their test in. Before 1997, you could pass your test in a Corsa and then immediately drive a 7.5t truck, which is a very different animal. Now, you need to pass another test to drive anything over 3.5t (4.25t including trailer).You got your C1 by passing the C test; you don’t automatically get C1 with a car license any more.
I think we are slightly at cross purposes here. What I meant was if they restricted (107) the C1+E catagory on pre 1997 car test passes to 750kg trailers, then why not knock it off the licence full stop, because it’s just the same as having only a C1.
I.E.
A proper C1+E without restriction means 7.5 tonne and 12 tonne train weight.
A C1+E with restriction 107 means 7.5 tonne and 8.25 tonne train weight.
A C1 also means 7.5 tonne and 8.25 tonne train weight.
Yes, a restricted C1E appears to be the same as a standard C1.
Also…
Why restrict the C1+E to 750kg and leave the Class 2 drawbar entitlement alone?
The people in the offices who decide on these arrangements must never speak to each other or something!
Would it not just have been far simpler to have an all or nothing approach to the trailer entitlements?
mrpj:
Yes, a restricted C1E appears to be the same as a standard C1.
I’ve re-checked this. Both the C1 and C1E restricted have a train weight of 8250kgs, however the C1 has a max trailer weight of 750kgs whereas the C1E (107) doesn’t meaning you could drive a 6 t rigid with a 1.25 t trailer on this licence but not a C1. That’s the difference.
mrpj:
mrpj:
Yes, a restricted C1E appears to be the same as a standard C1.I’ve re-checked this. Both the C1 and C1E restricted have a train weight of 8250kgs, however the C1 has a max trailer weight of 750kgs whereas the C1E (107) doesn’t meaning you could drive a 6 t rigid with a 1.25 t trailer on this licence but not a C1. That’s the difference.
Ahhh!
Well spotted!
Maybe that’s why you often see those 4x4s with big box trailers now.
These regulations certainly need some sorting out to understand don’t they! 
That’s what I was going to say, but mrpj got there first. 