Towing Stuff

[Guest benham]

Hi all,

My mate and myself are planning to pick up our kit-car donor next week, however we're really confused with the towing regs.

 

I must point out we both passed our driving tests after 1997. (We where both watching Power Rangers I think back then...)

 

We're planning to use an ancient Transit 120:

 

• Transit, in the state we will be using it (both passengers, full tank of fuel, seats removed as it is a minibus, we will be carrying no other cargo actually in the van.) weighs 1700ish kg.
  
• Van has a plated MAM of 2820, but it actually will weigh 1800kg when we are using it.
  
• Van has a maximum train weight of 3500kg.
  
• Trailer/Sierra combo I'm guessing is going to weigh about 1600kg.
  

 

Now, to my understanding this will all be within the train weight of the Transit, and the trailer will be lighter than the Transit.... Good times, by that it is all legal and plod/VOSA man can make their merry way onto the next dire threat to civilisation.

 

However, what I am concerned about, is do VOSA etc use the MAM of the Transit, or what it physically weighs when they stop it?

 

Regards,

Andy

[Guest Larson250]

Here have a look at this it should be able to answer your questions.

 

http://www.ntta.co.uk/

 

Dean

[spg]

With it being a bus it makes it more complex.

 

Follow the link on this page

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Drive...cles/DG_4022564

 

By the looks of it your liimted to a trailer MAM of 750kg

[Guest mower man]

I presume that the regs on those two sites do not apply to the caravan dwelling people who also seem to have special exemptions to every other motor vehicle regulation?? mower man

[ibrooks]

The limiting factor is going to be your license - you aren't allowed to tow anything as big as a Sierra unless you've passed the extra test.

 

As for the vehicle whoever pulls one up will apply the limits on the manufacturers data plate or whatever's in their look-up book. If you are outside that then you're in trouble. The unladen weight of the vehicle is whatever the manufacturer says it is and doesn't necessarily bear any resemblance to what the thing actually weighs with nothing and no-one in it.

 

Iain

[agent_zed]

think iam right in saying it gets even more confusing depending if you have a braked trailer or not, as you max weight limit is heigher. Although i guess you have already thought of that.

 

I remember driving a 24ft RV across canada panicking that when i went to pick it up they wouldn't let me drive it as i only have 3.5 ton licence and the RV was 4.2 ton. They didn't seem to care and i thankfully didn't have an incident. Not that iam saying to chance it. Probably best to find someone a bit older to do the driving if unsure.

 

 

 

 

hth

[ibrooks]

750kg is the max for an unbraked trailer however the train weight of the towing vehicle might not allow you to pull as much as that. I can't see a trailer big enough to fit a Sierra being unbraked but you never know...

 

Iain

[Guest dinger]

Its so complicated its almost impossible to explain,

on car the unbraked weight limit is 750kg but a van or mini bus would be different and would need to be kept withing the maximum payload weight.

 

As an RAC patrol I regularily tow vehicles on my unbraked trailer of over 1200kg although my van has a miximum pay load of 5400kg so I am well within the vehicles limit and only 2 whhels are on my trailer so only the front half of the car is weighted.

 

The towing weight braked and unbraked of each vehicle should be in the owners manual but I'm sure a transit of any variant is well with the limits of towing a braked trailer with a sierra on top.

 

Also remeber about the nose weight as this plays a big part in the towing weight aswell.

[Guest dinger]

Just found this which is very helpful, scroll down to teurno and has all the kerb weights and towing weights.

 

ford towing wieghts