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[flyer 0712]

If  you got what they call...grand father rights....that means you past your test years ago and are an old fart like me and many others you can drive 7.5 tonne...

[YZ250]

...., the total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 3,500 kg.  .....

the rediculous thing about this legislation is that it's not the actual weight, but the weight it could be eg you'll be over the limit of 3.5t if you towed an empty car trailer that has a MPTML (max gross weight) of 2t behind your 2 tonne car. That's like saying, I'm booking you for speeding because as your car will do 150mph you MIGHT speed! 

I agree Andy. I know we have diversed slightly but if I've understood the current towing rules correctly, my son can tow my caravan with my omega but not with his 4x4 truck.

The Omega has a kerbweight of around 1800kg, my caravan has a MTPLM of 1500kg so equates to around 3300kg combined, so I assume this is legal for someone who passed their test in 2003.
His truck has a kerbweight of 2200kg, so with my caravan hooked up to it he is looking at the wrong side of 3700kg. This is obviously not legal without the B+E entitlement.

As we try to encourage large heavy car/ small light van combination, this seems to defeat the object of this. I can only assume that somebody somewhere wanted to prevent a 17 year old towing a Swift Conqueror with his Range Rover Vogue. Am I missing the point here or have I read it wrong on the directgov site. I get more confused every time I read it and it's all immaterial really as he is going for the B+E thing anyway.

Passed my test at 17 in May 1979. (and yes, I am very nearly 50,  )

Regards
Alan

[Andy B]

...., the total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 3,500 kg.  .....

the rediculous thing about this legislation is that it's not the actual weight, but the weight it could be eg you'll be over the limit of 3.5t if you towed an empty car trailer that has a MPTML (max gross weight) of 2t behind your 2 tonne car. That's like saying, I'm booking you for speeding because as your car will do 150mph you MIGHT speed! 

I agree Andy. I know we have diversed slightly but if I've understood the current towing rules correctly, my son can tow my caravan with my omega but not with his 4x4 truck.

The Omega has a kerbweight of around 1800kg, my caravan has a MTPLM of 1500kg so equates to around 3300kg combined, so I assume this is legal for someone who passed their test in 2003.
His truck has a kerbweight of 2200kg, so with my caravan hooked up to it he is looking at the wrong side of 3700kg. This is obviously not legal without the B+E entitlement.

As we try to encourage large heavy car/ small light van combination, this seems to defeat the object of this. I can only assume that somebody somewhere wanted to prevent a 17 year old towing a Swift Conqueror with his Range Rover Vogue. Am I missing the point here or have I read it wrong on the directgov site. I get more confused every time I read it and it's all immaterial really as he is going for the B+E thing anyway.

Passed my test at 17 in May 1979. (and yes, I am very nearly 50,  )

Regards
Alan

It does defeat the object, as the legislation tends to encourage youngsters to tow nearer weight for weight to get within the 3500 kg limit. Another stupid part is that if you take the B+E part of the test in an auto, you're stuck towing with an auto even if you passed your original test in a manual! 

Nearly 50? I've beaten you to it! 

[YZ250]

...., the total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 3,500 kg.  .....

the rediculous thing about this legislation is that it's not the actual weight, but the weight it could be eg you'll be over the limit of 3.5t if you towed an empty car trailer that has a MPTML (max gross weight) of 2t behind your 2 tonne car. That's like saying, I'm booking you for speeding because as your car will do 150mph you MIGHT speed! 

I agree Andy. I know we have diversed slightly but if I've understood the current towing rules correctly, my son can tow my caravan with my omega but not with his 4x4 truck.

The Omega has a kerbweight of around 1800kg, my caravan has a MTPLM of 1500kg so equates to around 3300kg combined, so I assume this is legal for someone who passed their test in 2003.
His truck has a kerbweight of 2200kg, so with my caravan hooked up to it he is looking at the wrong side of 3700kg. This is obviously not legal without the B+E entitlement.

As we try to encourage large heavy car/ small light van combination, this seems to defeat the object of this. I can only assume that somebody somewhere wanted to prevent a 17 year old towing a Swift Conqueror with his Range Rover Vogue. Am I missing the point here or have I read it wrong on the directgov site. I get more confused every time I read it and it's all immaterial really as he is going for the B+E thing anyway.

Passed my test at 17 in May 1979. (and yes, I am very nearly 50,  )

Regards
Alan

It does defeat the object, as the legislation tends to encourage youngsters to tow nearer weight for weight to get within the 3500 kg limit. Another stupid part is that if you take the B+E part of the test in an auto, you're stuck towing with an auto even if you passed your original test in a manual! 

Nearly 50? I've beaten you to it! 

I didn't know that. I suppose it's a control issue.    Yep, sadly only three more days of saying I'm in my late fourties. 

[Andy B]

.....
  Yep, sadly only three more days of saying I'm in my late fourties. 

It's only a number .............................. at least that's what they kept telling me! 

[davethediver]

I would just like to say congratulations to all those that passed a driving test in the 60's and 70's on learning the art of the internet and them newfangled computers

Grabs coat and runs 

[henryd]

.....
  Yep, sadly only three more days of saying I'm in my late fourties. 

It's only a number .............................. at least that's what they kept telling me! 

50 was 2.5 years ago for me,and it is only a number,I'm just as daft now as I've always been

[aaronjb]

It does defeat the object, as the legislation tends to encourage youngsters to tow nearer weight for weight to get within the 3500 kg limit.

Arguably only the ones with enough sense to be fine towing a heavier train anyway.. the ones without any brain (that the legislation is designed to protect from themselves) won't care or know what the weight of their train is..

Then again, the first time I towed anything I had my Dad on hand for advice, ditto the first time I drove a LWB van. I doubt the same can be said for the youth of today in general

[Andy B]

.....
Arguably only the ones with enough sense to be fine towing a heavier train anyway.. the ones without any brain (that the legislation is designed to protect from themselves) won't care or know what the weight of their train is..

 .......

I think the legislation is to prevent young Tara Parma from hooking up Daddies Range Rover to tow her horses to the local gymkhana

[aaronjb]

I think the legislation is to prevent young Tara Parma from hooking up Daddies Range Rover to tow her horses to the local gymkhana

I think she'd fall nicely into the "doesn't have the brains or doesn't care" section of my comment

[Andy B]

I think the legislation is to prevent young Tara Parma from hooking up Daddies Range Rover to tow her horses to the local gymkhana

I think she'd fall nicely into the "doesn't have the brains or doesn't care" section of my comment

Exactly! 

[Tetleysmooth]

I passed my HGV 1 test in the summer of '76.

Not in that truck ................ unless you time travelled 

'Summer of 76' would be a P or R      A T reg wagon would be 78/79 

No, course not. This is the company I ended up working for. Best job I ever had, until they went bust in '92.

[Andy B]

...
No, course not. This is the company I ended up working for. Best job I ever had, until they went bust in '92.

  Not sure I'd want to be hauling brains all day though ...... 

[Tetleysmooth]

...
No, course not. This is the company I ended up working for. Best job I ever had, until they went bust in '92.

  Not sure I'd want to be hauling brains all day though ...... 

Ha!! We were called Hollywood Haulage because of the gold we all wore.
Great bunch of blokes and a great atmosphere.
It was the best company in the area to work for at the time, and we knew it.