thank god i,m old
[Edited on 17/8/13 by theconrodkid]
Hi Guys,
need some advice, I passed my license about 7 years ago(ish)
What does the B+E category actually allow, there seems to be very little info on what it allows, even on the DSA website...
Any help?
I did a whole load or research regarding this as I have a new restricted licence.
There is a good post on pistonheads so search for that. Below is a post I sent last night to Blake82 as he U2U me regarding the same thing.
If your a youngun' like me and passed after 97 i think then you cant just tow anything you like. Essentially you cant tow a trailer that has a
stated gross max laden weight higher than the max tow weight of the tow car. This sounds stupid but if you have one of the grandad licencies then
you can use any trailer plate weight. So a trailer stating 2ton max can be used empty on a car with 1300kg max weight. You cant do this. The other
point you must satisfy is that the total weight of trailer (gross weight) plus max tow car weight can not exceed 3.5T (may infact be 3.75T). Thats
easy as long as you dont have a big tow car. I have a focus estate.
So, get a trailer that has a plated max axle weight more than the weight of your kit car but less than the max tow weight of tow vehicle. Make sure it
has a plate. If it does not then the plod go by tyre rating. for me (single wheel axle) its 1500kg so I would be in trouble with out the actual plate
stating only 850kg.
Order of plated gross max weight, highest first:
1) Car max tow weight
2) Trailer max tow weight
3) Car on trailer
For me, I have a focus estate with a max tow of 1300kg. My trialer had a max AXLE weight of 850kg. My car weights 540kg with out me. So Weight of the
striker and chasiss for the trailer will never be more than 850kg. 850kg is less than 1300kg. 850kg + wieight of filled focus estate will not be more
than 3.5t. This makes me legal on my basic licence.
The main pit fall is using a mainstream trailer with a big max gross weight, more than the max tow weight of the tow car. As you dont have the extra
tow bit on your liecence you cant be responsible for deciding how much the payload weighs on the trailer so even if you tow an empty trailer, becasue
it has a plate weight of 2ton its illegal.
I hope that makes it clearer. . .
[Edited on 17/8/13 by bi22le]
I hope that makes it clearer. . .
thank god i,m old
[Edited on 17/8/13 by theconrodkid]
It's dammed annoying. I missed out by months. and what is more, the government were forced into it by EU regs and they have no evidence that it
has helped road safety. The fact that the test covers things that /any/ trailer user should know, not just heavy one, shows how stupid it is. I plan
to take the test as I towed a heavy boat on a long heavy trailer for years without realising and could do with being legal to do it again.
Fwiw all the info is clearly available in a number of leaflets on the various government web sites these days.
B+E is full towing entitlement; the info above refers to what you can do with only B.
AFAIK, with B+E you can tow whatever you like up to 3500kg (plated max) as long as you stay within the car manufacturer's limits (see VIN plate
for max train weight and handbook for max trailer weight).
DVLA says you can, quote:
You can already tow trailers of any weight with a car.
https://www.gov.uk/towing-rules/y/car-or-light-vehicle/no/before-jan-1997
Thats presuming you passed your test before Jan 97 and have B+E on your licence..
That quote is a bit misleading as it all comes down to the plate on the towing vehicle.
I passed a Range Rover the other day with a MASSSOOOF twin wheel trailer with a BIG farm tractor on it.. that got me thinking..
Landrovers used to be approved to tow 3.5 t and if fitted with interlinked braking system, 4.5 t ! 
quote:
Originally posted by SteveWalker
Landrovers used to be approved to tow 3.5 t and if fitted with interlinked braking system, 4.5 t !
and if you have an old that car doesnt have a GTW on its VIN plate , then you can tow what you like ..... legally
ie an old volvo 240....
quote:
Originally posted by matt_claydon
B+E is full towing entitlement; the info above refers to what you can do with only B.
AFAIK, with B+E you can tow whatever you like up to 3500kg (plated max) as long as you stay within the car manufacturer's limits (see VIN plate for max train weight and handbook for max trailer weight).
Category E is a trailer above 750kg