what weight can i tow.... (1 Viewer)

sean n maggie

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got a micro max trailer and a smart car,,looking at my plate i think i am ok regarding weight , but not 100% sure if i have worked it out right,,,,:Sad:

i am sure somene can help me out here.....
 

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Jul 29, 2011
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Plate should give you gross vehicle weight (mine is 3500kgs) and gross train weight (mine is 5500kgs) difference is the max weight you can tow, in my case 2000kgs.
 

sdc77

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Looks like your train weight (van plus trailer) is 6000kg..
So fully laden you can tow 2500kg..

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Apr 29, 2009
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Is that the only plate you have? Check there isnt another one with a lower train weight on it. Most Motorhomes I have had had a base vehicle eg Fiat plate and then the Converters plate which has a lower train weight.
 
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sean n maggie

sean n maggie

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Is that the only plate you have? Check there isnt another one with a lower train weight on it. Most Motorhomes I have had had a base vehicle eg Fiat plate and then the Converters plate which has a lower train weight.

this is only plate under the bonet,,,could there be another in a different place ?
 

tonka

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I would doubt if that is the correct plate, that is Fiats and would have related to the original base vehicle.. As Autotrail have fitted a body and will have modified the chassis then usually there will be another plate somewhere...

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estcres

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2 Questions,

1. What weight is shown on your V5C,?

2. The 2 Axle weights, (1) 1850Kg & (2) 2000Kg add up to 3850Kg, but the GVW is shown as 3500Kg, is this correct?

I always thought the total axle weights should add up to the GVW. perhaps I'm wrong.
 

vwalan

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the total of the axle weights can be alot more than the gvw. many get down plated to fit the class of vehicle .
op, is 2,500kg on that plate used on a conventional hitch.
thats unless it as a lower one .

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tonka

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2 Questions,


I always thought the total axle weights should add up to the GVW. perhaps I'm wrong.

Yes, you are wrong... BUT dont ask me to explain why as I dont understand it myself fully.
All I know is that the 2 axle weights added do not equal the total..:Doh:
Some clever funster will come along soon and put us both in our places.. :ROFLMAO:
 
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sean n maggie

sean n maggie

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found this one in wardrobe.....:thumb: still dont know if i will be ok :Sad:
 

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pappajohn

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2 Questions,

1. What weight is shown on your V5C,?

2. The 2 Axle weights, (1) 1850Kg & (2) 2000Kg add up to 3850Kg, but the GVW is shown as 3500Kg, is this correct?

I always thought the total axle weights should add up to the GVW. perhaps I'm wrong.

weights are often missing on a V5c.

The axle weights almost always add up to more than the gross weight to allow for uneven loading.
If the front or rear is on its plated limit the other end must be reduced to bring the weight back within gross weight limits.

In this case rear axle 2000kg then the front axle can be no more than 1500kg.

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tonka

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Thats better..

So if you load your van up to it's max of 3500, you can legally tow up to 1120kg.
However if your van, fully loaded with everything inc passengers, was only 3400kg, my understanding is that you can tow 1220kg.. The whole rig needs to remain within that max second "train weight".
 
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sean n maggie

sean n maggie

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Is that the only plate you have? Check there isnt another one with a lower train weight on it. Most Motorhomes I have had had a base vehicle eg Fiat plate and then the Converters plate which has a lower train weight.

found this one....
 

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Dec 28, 2011
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found this one in wardrobe.....:thumb: still dont know if i will be ok :Sad:


Looks like you can tow 1,120kgs (1.12tonnes)

Gross Vehicle Weight 3500kgs
Gross Train Weight 4620kgs

4620 minus 3500 = 1120

Hope this helps :thumb:

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pappajohn

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found this one in wardrobe.....:thumb: still dont know if i will be ok :Sad:

you have 1120kg trailer allowance.

That is the gross weight of the trailer and i would advise having the van and trailer with smart loaded weighed as i think you may be overweight or extremely close depending on the vans actual weight when loaded to normal touring weight.

The trailers plated gross weight is the one to use...not what it actually weighs with the car onboard

You can tow more than 1120kg but the total combined weight cannot exceed 4620kg.
 
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sean n maggie

sean n maggie

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Thats better..

So if you load your van up to it's max of 3500, you can legally tow up to 1120kg.
However if your van, fully loaded with everything inc passengers, was only 3400kg, my understanding is that you can tow 1220kg.. The whole rig needs to remain within that max second "train weight".

still confused,,,:Sad: still dont know if i can tow my car on the trailer.....:Sad:
 

pappajohn

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still confused,,,:Sad: still dont know if i can tow my car on the trailer.....:Sad:

put the car on the trailer and hook the trailer to the van then go to a public weighbridge.

If the total combined weight is more than 4620kg then no, you cant tow it.


Or....ignore the second plate and if stopped by VOSA show them the higher weight plate under the bonnet.

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JeanLuc

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still confused,,,:Sad: still dont know if i can tow my car on the trailer.....:Sad:
How heavy is your trailer with the car loaded onto it? Provided it is less than 1,120 kg you can tow it.
Or, if you travel with the motorhome at less than 3,500 kg, you can add the difference to the trailer/car limit. e.g. if the fully-loaded motorhome weighs 3,300 kg, you can tow 4,260 - 3,300 = 1,320. The 'extra' 200kg has come from running the motorhome below its maximum of 3,500 kg. However, I would be very surprised if this 'extra' would be available in practice on a fully-loaded motorhome and you would not have any leeway to collect anything during a trip (wine?). So, back to the original point, your limit for towing is 1,120 kg - you will have to weigh the car and trailer to check if you can tow it.
 

vwalan

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i didnt say this ,but you could accidentally remove any second plate .
but i didnt say it . hee hee.
 
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sean n maggie

sean n maggie

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thanks everyone,,,booked in for local weigh bridge on monday......:thumb:

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Dec 28, 2011
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Thats better..

So if you load your van up to it's max of 3500, you can legally tow up to 1120kg.
However if your van, fully loaded with everything inc passengers, was only 3400kg, my understanding is that you can tow 1220kg.. The whole rig needs to remain within that max second "train weight".


This is part of the certificate of conformity of my MH.
Look at the part that says :
Technically permissible maximum towable mass in case of :
Centre axle trailer : 1000kg

Regardless of what the MH weighs (up to maximum allowed), the maximum allowed to be towed is 1000kg.
If my MH weighs 4000kg or the max of 5000kg I can still only tow 1000kg.
 

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pappajohn

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just to confuse you even more :roflmto:

If the plate on the trailer shows more than 1120kg you cant even tow the trailer without a load.

You could get a 1500kg trailer downrated to 1120kg by the manufacturer....its only a phone call away and they will send a new modified plate but once the car is loaded it cant exceed 1120kg or its classed as overweight.
 
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tonka

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A quick search shows the gross weight of your trailer to be 1,300kg..

So technically and legally if you hooked it up, even empty, you break a rule somewhere..
UNLESS your van is no more than 3320kg.....

In reality I think the van, trailer and car should just weigh in at your max train weight...
Apart from that I make no comment.. :winky:

ps... My 2102 apache has only 1050kg tow capacity and thats clearly stated on the "certificate of conformity" that they now issue.. :Sad:

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pappajohn

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This is part of the certificate of conformity of my MH.
Look at the part that says :
Technically permissible maximum towable mass in case of :
Centre axle trailer : 1000kg

Regardless of what the MH weighs (up to maximum allowed), the maximum allowed to be towed is 1000kg.
If my MH weighs 4000kg or the max of 5000kg I can still only tow 1000kg.

i doubt VOSA would be interested in the cert of conformity....they look at the VIN plate and the central computer records....and that info wont be on there.
 

TheBig1

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there is a problem with removing or ignoring any secondary weight plate....DVLA is now computerised so DVSA (was VOSA) can simply look up the vehicles registered details at the roadside:thumb:

shouldnt be an issue with a micro trailer, but dont forget that the maximum gross weight shown on the trailer plate must not exceed your train weight either. so you may have a towing limit of 1120kg and the car and trailer only weigh 1100kg combined, but if the plate says 1200kg max then its overweight technically.
 
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i doubt VOSA would be interested in the cert of conformity....they look at the VIN plate and the central computer records....and that info wont be on there.

I don't intend to be the "test case" for this. ::bigsmile:

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sean n maggie

sean n maggie

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A quick search shows the gross weight of your trailer to be 1,300kg..

So technically and legally if you hooked it up, even empty, you break a rule somewhere..
UNLESS your van is no more than 3320kg.....

In reality I think the van, trailer and car should just weigh in at your max train weight...
Apart from that I make no comment.. :winky:

ps... My 2102 apache has only 1050kg tow capacity and thats clearly stated on the "certificate of conformity" that they now issue.. :Sad:

gross 1300kg
load 1000kg thats what it says in trailer book.....:Sad:
 

estcres

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I would think this is going to be very close to the limits, Smart cars have kerb weights between 750Kg and 800Kg depending on model. So that would only leave between 370Kg and 320Kg for the trailer weight.

If you loaded the Smart car with it's maximum permitted load it almost exceeds the Train Weight on it's own.

This towing question is a minefield
 

estcres

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You could, of course, forget the trailer and tow the car on an A frame.

That'll start another debate, hard hats on everyone.

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