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[Andy B]

....
If the vehicle + the van weigh more then 3500 Kgs you need a B+E licence
 ..... 

Depends when he passed his test 

1978

You have grandfather rights then .... like me 

... but only if his licence actually SAYS B+E  ... which, I agree, it should, but I also know of a couple of folks who have had to fight to get it .... when the computor says NO .. it is hard to overturn ...

Mine's still a paper licence ....... and the groups are different - no mention of E & B is my manual car bit

[SteveAvfc.]

Van is a  Swift conqueror  560/4 ??

[ozzycat]

Van is a  Swift 560/4 ??

560 is the modle no the 4 means 4 berth i think proberbly wrong as usual

[Vamps]

That's a big van......   I think our last tourer was a Lunar 569 twin axle, was a 6 birth but they were a light van, tow car a 2.0L Mig Estate, not that it ever really towed it as we found a nice site and left it there....

[Lazydocker]

According to this site it's 1500Kgs MPTLW so would be within spec for an Omega Although off the top of my head it might be a bit heavy for a novice tow driver

[Vamps]

That's a big van......   I think our last tourer was a Lunar 569 twin axle, was a 6 birth but they were a light van, tow car a 2.0L Mig Estate, not that it ever really towed it as we found a nice site and left it there....

Should read Lunar 560.....

[Lazydocker]

That's a big van......   I think our last tourer was a Lunar 569 twin axle, was a 6 birth but they were a light van, tow car a 2.0L Mig Estate, not that it ever really towed it as we found a nice site and left it there....

Should read Lunar 560.....

Fat fingers or too much of your favourite tipple?

[JWDF]

Hi worth a look here

http://www.whattowcar.com/

[SteveAvfc.]

Hi worth a look here

http://www.whattowcar.com/

Thanks for the link checked it out and here was the answer.

Your Swift is 19 kg too heavy for this car!!!

So its Benidorm by by-plane 

[STMO123]

My license says yes, the 'from' date says '<04-01-1981', but I passed my test long before that.

[hercules]

i cant remember if it was 1850 or 1650 for the v6 saloon i had,i will check on towsure tomoz if i remember

[Varche]

Something else to bear in mind. Towing a large caravan will show up any weaknesses in your cooling system. My 2.5 had never overheated till I started towing. Needed a new radiator.

[Entwood]

Okies .. to try and help, and make it simple ... using MY DETAILS as an example ... but YOUR car and YOUR van should provide the same info.

From the car VIN plate on the door pillar.

TOP figure 2200 Kgs
SECOND figure 4075 Kgs

1) Top figure is Manufacturers Max Permisable Weight (also known as Gross Vehicle Weight GVW)
2) Second figure Max allowable train weight

3) Subtract 1 from 2 ... 4075-2200 = 1875 Kgs - this is the maximum allowable trailer weight, or the vehicle is deemed overloaded.

4) From the caravan plate (by the door) - MPTLW  1650 so as this is lower than (3) the combination is legal on the road.

However, as 1 + 4 = 2200 + 1650 = 3850 the driver MUST have a B + E (or equivalent) in order to drive.

The above is the info the POLICE will go on regarding license and legality

VOSA and their scales - either portable or at a weighbridge will look at different criteria.

From the car plate ..

5) Third figure 1080 - Max front axle weight
6) fourth figure 1150 - Max rear axle weight - NOTE from the handbook this can increase to 1200 when towing - so I'll use 1200 for the calculations.

The astute among you will note that 5+6 = 2280 which is greater than the max 2200 allowed ... IF the rear axle is loaded to 1200 the front axle must be decreased to 1000, as the 2200 CANNOT be exceeded .... actually a tricky thing to do !!

So on the scales ... the weights of 4, 5, 6 will be taken as measured .. if the published limits are exceeded you are breaking the law. They will look at each figure in turn, (axle loads) then at 4+5 (car load) then at 4+5+6 (train weight)

It is not unheard of for the car to be well within limits and the 'van to be high, but not by stupid amounts. VOSA will usually insist that loads are re-distributed to make the unit legal (and safe) rather than prosecute

So thats the law ... many folks have heard of the "85%" rule .. which is NOT a rule !! it is the Caravan Club recommendation, no more, no less and is NOT based on plated weight of the car at all, it based on the "kerb weight" which according to my handbook is 1700KG for my car.

It is designed to make the "worst case" scenario of light car + heavy van as safe as possible for the inexperienced tower, so is based on kerbweight (1700) and max van weight (1650) .. as you can see, using those figures I am at 97% !!! Generally deemed a "bad thing" by the CC .. however, in mitigation .. I have a gurt big LPG tank usually full in the boot, my van is not at its max, and I've been towing for 25+ years so don't class myself as "inexperienced".

You can also see that there is no way an omega towing another omega on an A-frame or trailer can ever be legal, unless something drastic has been removed from the towed car  (engine /gearbox etc etc)

Sorry its so longwinded, but that is MY understanding of the law and its ramifications, hopefully it is not too far wrong and may help.

Tow safely 

[Seth]

Sorry its so longwinded, but that is MY understanding of the law and its ramifications, hopefully it is not too far wrong and may help.

Tow safely 

Pretty well spot on I'd say. Well done that man!

[Taxi_Driver]

Ive often wondered about the legality of those very large vans that use a fifth wheel as the coupling and the coupling is fitted in the back of a pickup truck  , commonly seen when a fair is in town.