Spaff Posted December 17, 2020 Report Share Posted December 17, 2020 Thinking of starting to tow the Celica about as it's going to need a fair bit of work over the next few weeks and months. Totally new to this and wanted to check my understanding with my children's driving licence: If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can: Drive a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM Tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg So with that in mind, hypothetically: Tow car weight - 1750kg Fuel - 100kg Driver - 100kg Celica - 1200kg = 3150kg So for this to work without doing the extra test, the trailer would need to be 350kg - right? So highly unlikely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelicaDan94 Posted December 17, 2020 Report Share Posted December 17, 2020 I passed my test in 2013. And I the only things I can drive is a car (so not a pick up but I can a 4x4) and up to a 125cc motorcycle. I'm not allowed to drive anything considered a truck or a van and I'm also not allowed to tow. Back of licence codes I have are AM and B Double check there license is ok to tow. Alot of people have been caught out by the rule change due to parents thinking they know the law. Sent from my Redmi Note 9S using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Chris_ Posted December 17, 2020 Report Share Posted December 17, 2020 (edited) The question is one better determined by looking at the government guidance. You licence should state what you are allowed to drive. My memory is that from 1997, you were only allowed to tow tiny trailers (200Kg or 400Kg from memory) without taking a separate trailer test, however: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car Quote Licences issued from 1 January 1997 If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can: drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg MAM is the limit on how much the vehicle can weigh when it’s loaded. NOTE - MAM includes what the vehicle / trailer is rated to carry, not the actual weight. i.e. an empty transit is stil 3500Kg. This is the spanner in the works. A trailer rated to carry a 1.5 tonne car (Celica) is likely to have a MAM of at least 2.5 Tonnes to include the trailer. Since, almost universally, a tow car must weigh at least as much as the trailer gross weight, this would leave you needing a total weight of at least 5 tonnes. I think there is a small loophole in that some 4x4 / landrovers are classed as agricultural vehicles which have different rules, however they may also require a different licence category. There is potentially another option of using an A frame such that the towed Celica becomes a trailer and will therefore just be 1.5 Tonnes. This would require it to be a braked trailer, and therefore you would need to find a way to splice a trailer braking mechanism (done from the tow hitch) to the car brakes. This could potentially be a mechanical mechanism (cable) from tow hitch to brake pedal, or it could be a hydraulic master cyclinder at the tow hitch plumbed into the braking system, neither of which would be an easy option to do in a professional manner. Be aware the police are quite hot on towing regulations these daya and stops into checkpoints are fairly frequent (I've been pulled in a couple of times). Penalties for being over-weight or not in accordance with licence are huge (potentially licence losing). The best option is to do a towing course / test as it's a one off and will be useful for the rest of your life. To be fair, there is a lot to learn which us oldies have had to learn the hard way. Thankfully in my case, I've erred on the cautions side so have never come a cropper from my mistakes, just soiled a few clothes. Edited December 17, 2020 by _Chris_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaff Posted December 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2020 10 hours ago, CelicaDan94 said: I passed my test in 2013. And I the only things I can drive is a car (so not a pick up but I can a 4x4) and up to a 125cc motorcycle. I'm not allowed to drive anything considered a truck or a van and I'm also not allowed to tow. Back of licence codes I have are AM and B Double check there license is ok to tow. Alot of people have been caught out by the rule change due to parents thinking they know the law. Sent from my Redmi Note 9S using Tapatalk 2013 for me too mate. I'd double check the van thing though? Only applies to LGVs I believe, and according to this you should be able to tow a small trailer. 9 hours ago, _Chris_ said: The question is one better determined by looking at the government guidance. You licence should state what you are allowed to drive. My memory is that from 1997, you were only allowed to tow tiny trailers (200Kg or 400Kg from memory) without taking a separate trailer test, however: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car NOTE - MAM includes what the vehicle / trailer is rated to carry, not the actual weight. i.e. an empty transit is stil 3500Kg. This is the spanner in the works. A trailer rated to carry a 1.5 tonne car (Celica) is likely to have a MAM of at least 2.5 Tonnes to include the trailer. Since, almost universally, a tow car must weigh at least as much as the trailer gross weight, this would leave you needing a total weight of at least 5 tonnes. I think there is a small loophole in that some 4x4 / landrovers are classed as agricultural vehicles which have different rules, however they may also require a different licence category. There is potentially another option of using an A frame such that the towed Celica becomes a trailer and will therefore just be 1.5 Tonnes. This would require it to be a braked trailer, and therefore you would need to find a way to splice a trailer braking mechanism (done from the tow hitch) to the car brakes. This could potentially be a mechanical mechanism (cable) from tow hitch to brake pedal, or it could be a hydraulic master cyclinder at the tow hitch plumbed into the braking system, neither of which would be an easy option to do in a professional manner. Be aware the police are quite hot on towing regulations these daya and stops into checkpoints are fairly frequent (I've been pulled in a couple of times). Penalties for being over-weight or not in accordance with licence are huge (potentially licence losing). The best option is to do a towing course / test as it's a one off and will be useful for the rest of your life. To be fair, there is a lot to learn which us oldies have had to learn the hard way. Thankfully in my case, I've erred on the cautions side so have never come a cropper from my mistakes, just soiled a few clothes. Thanks Chris, really helpful detailed response! You are correct, the 3500kg confused me into thinking the actual laden weight but another snippet from the gov site confirms this: You can also tow heavier trailers if the total MAM of the vehicle and trailer is not more than 3,500kg So yeah probably wouldn't even be able to tow the empty trailer! Worth taking the test or hiring a flatbed I suppose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Chris_ Posted December 18, 2020 Report Share Posted December 18, 2020 If you passed the test in 2013 then I'm guessing you're fairly young so worth investing the time and money for the extra entitlement you'll find useful for the rest of your life. I certainly have, it makes so many things so much easier. Trailers don't need tax, MOT or insurance unlike an extra vehicle which would otherwise be needed for occasional larger loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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