[Steering & Suspension] Towing weight

[bikergraham]

Could someone help with this . I have a Mk 1 Multispace and am fitting a tow bar for a trailer . My question is what weight and size trailer can I legally and safely tow .  I would like to carry a large builders bag of sand but I think they weigh in at 800 kg , this may be to heavy for what I can carry . Does anybody know ?

[Gadgetman]

Have you seen this page?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...the-basics

[bikergraham]

Have you seen this page?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...the-basics

Thank you for that Gadgetman . I havnt seen that document before so it makes interesting reading , I don't want to get pulled by the law or have a problem with my insurance , it does look a bit of a minefield , certainly worth investigating further , id like to know if I can tow a 750 kg trailer but keep the load lighter , it states in my handbook that my max towing should be 500 kg or 1100 kg braked  but I would have thought a lightly loaded 750 kg would be ok as long as I don't exceed the train wait . Hummmm .

[Gadgetman]

Do NOT assume!

The rules may specify 'max loaded weight' not 'actual loaded weight' and then you're really, really sunk.

[hawaiianblue]

With regards to driving licences the weights are max gross weight (Max Authorised Mass), with regards, to the vehicle's towing capacity it's the actual weight that matters.

Ie. if you have a big twin axle flat bed that can weigh a max of 3.5t, but 750kg empty, then your licence may not allow you to drive it. But if you have the licence for it the car can be used to tow it perfectly legally so long as the trailer is empty.

Of course you have to consider what 'looks' ok and what doesn't, how far you've got to tow it and how likely you are to be caught. ie. if you're towing a slightly over loaded trailer a couple of miles you'd be very unlucky to get caught by a very switched on police officer. If the trailer tyres are squashed to bursting, the arse end of the car is dragging on the ground, you're driving halfway across the county and you can't get above 20mph then you're very likely to draw the attention of someone!

[cancunia]

The towbar will also have a rating to be considered.

[bikergraham]

The towbar will also have a rating to be considered.

Yes , it looks like most of the towbars , or the ones ive looked at anyway come with a 70 kg max weight so I guess you have to be careful where the weight is , in the trailer .

[bikergraham]

With regards to driving licences the weights are max gross weight (Max Authorised Mass), with regards, to the vehicle's towing capacity it's the actual weight that matters.

Ie. if you have a big twin axle flat bed that can weigh a max of 3.5t, but 750kg empty, then your licence may not allow you to drive it. But if you have the licence for it the car can be used to tow it perfectly legally so long as the trailer is empty.

Of course you have to consider what 'looks' ok and what doesn't, how far you've got to tow it and how likely you are to be caught. ie. if you're towing a slightly over loaded trailer a couple of miles you'd be very unlucky to get caught by a very switched on police officer. If the trailer tyres are squashed to bursting, the arse end of the car is dragging on the ground, you're driving halfway across the county and you can't get above 20mph then you're very likely to draw the attention of someone!

Thank you. I guess what your saying is its ok to tow a 750 kg trailer on my car [ stated max of 500 kg ] as long as I keep it to 500 kg max all in . So I need to be very aware as to the load weight and of course the position of that load with reference to the max weight allowed on the tow bar itself .  All very confusing but I think ive got it . Do you think I would need to inform my insurance company of the towbar .?

[hawaiianblue]

Tell your insurer you have a towbar fitted - a towbar often reduces the premium for some reason.

But yes, it'll be perfectly legal as long as you keep to the 500kg and load it correctly. And to be honest so long as you load it correctly you'd easily get away with 750kg - though it wouldn't be strictly legal.

[bikergraham]

Tell your insurer you have a towbar fitted - a towbar often reduces the premium for some reason.

But yes, it'll be perfectly legal as long as you keep to the 500kg and load it correctly. And to be honest so long as you load it correctly you'd easily get away with 750kg - though it wouldn't be strictly legal.

Thanks ,that's good news as there's a lot more trailers to choose from ,not to mention better quality . The 500 kg ones are mostly listed as tent trailers so there a bit Micky Mouse by the sound of it . I'm moving house shortly and the new house needs a lot of love so my new trailer will be well used .