S2T Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Does anyone know if the authorities regard the gross plated weight of a trailer as the definitive legal weight orwhat you are actually towing. Eg my trailer with westie on is say 1200kgs however the plated weight is 2600kgs. If not using my usual towcar but the other halfs that has a towing capacity of 2200kgs. Just a bit confused....i would have thought it actual weight Quote
Stephen W Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 If you passed your licence before 97 it doesn't matter as you are B+E by grandfather rights. If you have a B only Licence then... Its max weight on both occasions. Licence is based on Maximum articulated mass (MAM). So trailer will be max plated weight = 2600kg. Car will be max laden weight (You can get this figure off your V5) On my old B licence I had to 'downplate' my trailer. I used BMW E91 Touring - Max weight - 2095kg (Braked towing capacity of 1600kg) Down plated my trailer to 1400kg. My MAM was 3495kg. 5k under the limit for my license. You can down plate a trailer yourself using plates off ebay. You will be limited by the tow car though. I just bought a Range Rover for towing so had to do my B + E test as even my downplated trailer would technically have put my over the 3500kg MAM limit. Once you have a B+E having a trailer plated for higher than your cars towing capacity isn't an issue, as you should load the trailer only to the tow cars capabilities. Quote
Martyn Vann - Warwickshire AO Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Just a couple of corrections to your explanation:- The driving licence categories changed from 1st Jan 1997. MAM is maximum authorised mass and is generally the same as the DGW, design gross weight as identified on the manufacturers plate. This is also the top number in the list of weights on the VIN plate of a car. I would advise caution with regards to changing the manufacturers plate on a trailer as although it may be taken at face value in some cases, I believe that if checked in a DVSA roadside check then the original manufacturers values may still be applied! Quote
Stephen W Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 24 minutes ago, Martyn Vann - Joint Warwickshire AO said: Just a couple of corrections to your explanation:- The driving licence categories changed from 1st Jan 1997. MAM is maximum authorised mass and is generally the same as the DGW, design gross weight as identified on the manufacturers plate. This is also the top number in the list of weights on the VIN plate of a car. I would advise caution with regards to changing the manufacturers plate on a trailer as although it may be taken at face value in some cases, I believe that if checked in a DVSA roadside check then the original manufacturers values may still be applied! Depends on the trailer in regards to the DVSA. Most trailer manufacturers will re plate (Downwards only, or back to OEM spec if already down plated) with a new certificate for your trailer, if the trailer is reasonably new, for a small fee. (Ifor Williams is £80, Brian James is £100). Re-plating of Horse boxes has being going on since the 1997 driving rules came in, so young ladies can tow (Generally with a 320d Estate) once Dad is fed up of it! If the trailer is of an undetermined make or year a simple home replate will be enough. (My trailer is German made from 1996). Quote
S2T Posted January 31, 2018 Author Posted January 31, 2018 That is also relevant my other halfs Ifor Williams horse box is plated 2340kgs which is sufficient for 2 horses. However as she 99% only has one of her horses in it that comes out including trailer to about 1500kgs....not a problem when we use the pickup, however going back to y original question her XTrail has a capacity of 2000kg towing capacity. As we both have licences pre 97/98 technically even though she only has 1 horse in the trailer because it is plated 2340kgs and beyond the cars capability she can be 'done' Quote
Stephen W Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 3 minutes ago, S2T said: That is also relevant my other halfs Ifor Williams horse box is plated 2340kgs which is sufficient for 2 horses. However as she 99% only has one of her horses in it that comes out including trailer to about 1500kgs....not a problem when we use the pickup, however going back to y original question her XTrail has a capacity of 2000kg towing capacity. As we both have licences pre 97/98 technically even though she only has 1 horse in the trailer because it is plated 2340kgs and beyond the cars capability she can be 'done' Ah. That makes it easier.... She would be fine. From the DVSA "Where the sum of the maximum plated weights of the towing vehicle and of the trailer added together exceed the plated GCW of the towing vehicle, this is not a problem as long as the ‘actual’ weights of the vehicle and trailer (which may not be fully laden at the time) do not exceed the plated GCW." Quote
S2T Posted January 31, 2018 Author Posted January 31, 2018 Have just found this https://www.barlowtrailers.co.uk/PDF/VOSA-Trailer-Weights-Information.pdf albeit from 2011 Quote
S2T Posted January 31, 2018 Author Posted January 31, 2018 On the same hymn sheet Stephen...thanks 1 Quote
Deanspoors Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 I got a downplated plate through Brian James for £40. I originally downplated my trailer to be under the 3500kg MAM, but recently took and passed my B+E so I wasn’t restricted to car and trailer size. Quote
Martyn Vann - Warwickshire AO Posted February 2, 2018 Posted February 2, 2018 On 1/31/2018 at 14:19, Stephen W said: Depends on the trailer in regards to the DVSA. Most trailer manufacturers will re plate (Downwards only, or back to OEM spec if already down plated) with a new certificate for your trailer, if the trailer is reasonably new, for a small fee. (Ifor Williams is £80, Brian James is £100). Re-plating of Horse boxes has being going on since the 1997 driving rules came in, so young ladies can tow (Generally with a 320d Estate) once Dad is fed up of it! If the trailer is of an undetermined make or year a simple home replate will be enough. (My trailer is German made from 1996). The above makes it clear why I advised caution as manufacturers information may be used therefore a modified plate and certificate from the manufacturer is the way to go. In the case of older, obscure or home made then the DIY plate should be ok as DVSA wouldn't have information either so they would accept what is reasonable based on the physical properties of the trailer. Quote
KugaWestie Posted February 2, 2018 Posted February 2, 2018 3 minutes ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said: Glad I’m a Grandfather Me too Quote
SXRORY Posted February 3, 2018 Posted February 3, 2018 13 hours ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said: Glad I’m a Grandfather 13 hours ago, Gary (KugaWestie) - North Oxfordshire AO said: Me too The Grandads are off again must leave thread before the war stories start Quite frankly the whole license thing is a pain in the posterior. Seems a way to make money if you ask me Quote
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