Caravans

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by zoombini

Dragging this back up, does this mean that the wife would need to pass another test before she could take over for me when pulling a trailer? (supposing I actually fit a tbar!).
She passed about then.

Has anyone here taken any of these tests?

How much do they cost & whats involved?
Can someone with an otherwise full license pull a trailer under any L-plates to learn how to?

This may just prevent me getting my trailer hooked up.

Depends if this applies

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 vehicleââ‚à ‚¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢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.

As for towing caravans, existing general guidance recommends that the laden weight of the caravan does not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the car. In the majority of cases, caravans and small trailers towed by cars should be within the new category B threshold.

Note - An exemption from the driver licensing trailer limit allows a category B licence holder to tow a broken down vehicle from a position where it would otherwise cause danger or obstruction to other road users.

Whats the ULW of the car and the trailer?

Well those regulations will kill whats left of british farming.

The weights tractors can and will and have to pull far exceed these figures, unless agricultural vehicles are exempt then I guess we can kiss farming goodbye.

[zoombini]

I'm lost with SMH's post.

I dunno.

I have a 1.6 Ford Escort Estate CL & a big Green trailer in me back yard that I want to use.
Its enough to put a frame tent & stuff in, but not big enough for a car or even a sofa.

So is there any "provisional" pulling allowed?
Otherwise how do you learn?

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by zoombini

I'm lost with SMH's post.

I dunno.

I have a 1.6 Ford Escort Estate CL & a big Green trailer in me back yard that I want to use.
Its enough to put a frame tent & stuff in, but not big enough for a car or even a sofa.

So is there any "provisional" pulling allowed?
Otherwise how do you learn?

You will need to look in the owners handbook for the weights, I cannot find discontinued model info for ford on the web.
A Ford Focus Estate 1.6i 16V Zetec has a gross vehicle mass of 1635 and a maximum towing weight of 1200 and Unladen weght of 1180.
Adding the two together means the total mass of car plus trailer is 2835 which is 2.8 tonnes which is below the 3.5 tonnes combined limit and the trailor weighs less than the car. Unless you are towing a trailer that weighs more than 1180 Kg as this is the ULW of the car (for the size of trailer you describe, this is unlikely).

Thus, she is covered by her class B entitlement and you can get your towbar (and stabiliser) fitted. And its Friday afternoon and if my head didn't hurt before...

Disclaimer that this is based on the Ford Focus Estate, the numbers for your car are likely to be similar, but will be different, refer to your owners handbook, and trailer handbook (what do you mean you left it in the trailer and it got destroyed when it rained) or load information sticker stuck to it somewhere.

(1tonne = 1,000kg)

Or as the DVLA put it

Vehicle manufacturers normally recommend a maximum weight of trailer appropriate to their vehicle. Details can usually be found in the vehicleââ‚à ‚¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢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.

Fords list for the Focus can be found here
http://www2.fordconnection.com/fordc...odelspctop.htm