Cat B License - Can I tow this?

[diver 1]

I am looking at buying a 5.8m Tornado Viking to tow with my Passat Estate 4motion. Not sure if I will get away with it or not with a cat B license (passed test in 2000)

Weights as follows:

Car Kerb Weight 1865kg

Boat 410kg
Engine (Mercury 90 1998 2 stroke) 120kg?? - maybe someone here knows the weight?
Aux engine (Mercury 8hp) 20kg??
Trailer (single axle) Guessing 450kg
Fuel 150kg
Dive Junk 100kg

Total Trailer Weight (laden as above) 1250kg

Car + Trailer fully laden = 3115kg

Maximum Train Weight for car 3850kg
Maximum tow weight for car 1800kg

Would be very grateful if anyone could advise (or even correct me if I have my assumptions wrong for weights etc!)

Many thanks

[Boats&Outboards]

Based on your estimates yes, I believe you can.

Provided your under 3,500 kgs all in (including you, passengers in the towing car etc) and the car is rated to pull the overal weight of the rig, your allowed. That's my understanding of the rules anyway.

Best thing to do if you do buy is put it on your local weigh bridge with the max kit/persons etc and see what it comes in at. If over, do the test. Still it might be worth doing the test anyway. It's really only one simple reverse and an hours driving!

Oh and about £450

Linky

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...es/DG_10013073


Peter @ Boatsandoutboards4sale ~ askboatsandoutboards4sale@sky.com ~ 07930 421007

[Jonny2488]

Diver 1,

Assuming the trailer is braked (would have to be with the kinds of weights you're talking about) you should be fine to tow that on the basis that:

1. the laden weight of the boat and trailer together does not exceed the unladen weight of the car.

2. the total "train weight" is less than 3500kg.

As far as I understand it, I believe that to be correct but it can't hurt to get a second opinion.

Hope that helps.
J.

[TonyC]

You need the following stats to work it out:

1. The Gross Vehicle Weight (Max Weight or MAM) of your vehicle (usually on your ID plate)
2. The Unladen Weight of your vehicle (Kerb Weight)
3. The Gross Vehicle Weight of your trailer (what is it's plated max weight)

The sum of 1 + 3 must not exceed 3500 kgs (total train weight)
and 3 must not exceed 2

---------
i.e. for my Mondeo

1. 2180 kg
2. 1557 kg
3. 1300 kg

This is just under the limit for driving on a B licence.

[SW Boat Transport]

Originally Posted by Boats&Outboards

Best thing to do if you do buy is put it on your local weigh bridge with the max kit/persons etc and see what it comes in at. If over, do the test. Still it might be worth doing the test anyway. It's really only one simple reverse and an hours driving!

As with tachograph legislation being discussed recently, it is the plated weights that are important where driving licences are concerned, not the actual weights. It is not therefore normally necessary to go to a weighbridge (see below).

The GVW of the car is shown online as 2240kg (although I would advise checking this against the actual plate on the car, as from past experience they are not always the same)

3500kg - 2240kg = 1260kg. As this figure is under the kerb weight of your car (if it was above, the kerb weight of the car would be your towing limit), this is the maximum trailer GVW you can tow on a Cat B licence.

If the current trailer GVW is above 1260kg, then it might be worth taking to a weighbridge. If the actual weight does not exceed 1260kg, then you could have the trailer down plated to this figure to allow you to tow it on your licence.

Personally I just took the towing test!

Michael

[ROG.]

The post above has it spot on

To Diver 1 - the OP.....
These are the figures you need to get -

VEHICLE
Kerb = **** kgs
GVW = **** kgs
Towing capacity = **** kgs
GTW if listed = **** kgs

TRAILER
Unladen/empty = **** kgs
Plated MAM = **** kgs

UNLADEN will be slightly higher than KERB and it is unladen that the laws on B licence towing are based on

Get me those figures and a definitive answer can be given as to whether you can tow the set up on a B only licence

[ROG.]

Originally Posted by diver 1

cat B license (passed test in 2000)

Car Kerb Weight 1865kg

Total Trailer Weight (laden as above) 1250kg

Car + Trailer fully laden = 3115kg

Maximum Train Weight for car 3850kg
Maximum tow weight for car 1800kg

Lets see what I have accertained so far ...

The actual weight of the combination 3115 does not exceed the GTW of 3850 or the B licence limit of 3500 however the 3500 limit is not based on the actual weight but on plated weights of the vehicle GVW + trailer MAM

The actual weight of the loaded trailer 1250 does not exceed the kerb weight 1865 so that seems good but it is the plated weight of the trailer which muust not exceed that weight

The actual weight of the trailer loaded 1250 does not exceed the 1800 towing capacity so that is good

If you need to tow 1250 and perhaps a tiny bit more then this is what is needed
Trailer plated to no more than 1300
Vehicle at least 1300 unladen/kerb
Vehicle no more than 2200 GVW

[clydeoutboards]

Hi

great advice above and your engine weights seem close enough but fuel I think is a wee bit out?? Petrol is about .771 kg per litre so that means you will be carrying 211 litres of petrol???

Dave