magister Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Looking to down size on the Passat for towing. Offered a 1.6TDCi Focus - max towing limit 1200Kg (or could be 1300kg - haven't checked the engine power) My Brian James 950 has three numbers on the spec plate - 1375kg, 950kg 675kg and 675 kg. Am I correct in thinking that the 1375kg figure is the one I need to worry about (even though the all up mass is less than 1000kg)?. What is the legal position? PaulB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6speedmanual Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Yes, but BJ can down-plate it for you. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magister Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Thanks for that. How much down plating will they do? PaulB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pikey Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 In the UK there is no law but you should stick to towing no more than the max tow or the kerb weight of the car (which ever is lower) Although there is no law, if you towed your trailer down the road with a Fiat Cinquecento and tipped the rig over you could have a problem with your insurance because of "unsuitable use of a motor vehicle" Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magister Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 I thought there were some rules about not being able to tow a trailer rated at more that the max mass of the car, even if the trailer was not actually carrying that mass. PaulB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pikey Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Although theres lots of 'experts' on the internet saying that I've never found anything official that says you will be breaking the law if you do that although it most certainly is in some of Europe. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James_Russell Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 The laws changed for those who passed their driving test after 1997. I had a hard time being able to legally tow with my 2006 license- had to buy a big heavy car and a nice light trailer. IIRC people with pre-1997 licenses can tow up to a total combined weight of 7.5t. By the way the 'max towing weight' of the tow car is a recommendation only and it is not illegal to exceed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Mcalvert Posted October 20, 2011 Leadership Team Share Posted October 20, 2011 I can't comment on the legality but I believe that Chris Alston "Aeroscreens" trailors his 7 behind a diesel Focus very successfully... [EDIT] I've just seen that he's already posted on your other thread Michael. Edited by - Mcalvert on 20 Oct 2011 21:36:55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Dave Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I have just had my BJ Minno downplated to 1200kg so i can use the Celica to tow it. Exceptional service from Brian James, sent them an e-mail with the serial number of my trailer, what I wanted it reduced to and they sent me a new plate free of charge and within a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Miller 7 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Magister I have towed commercially for many years and understand the law as follows: The numbers on your trailer plate are Gross - i.e. trailer weight plus load, load weight and the last two, the axle weights. These are maximum permissible weights. (and you won't be anywhere near them with a Caterham on the back) Your car is plated in the same way (if you can find the plate that is - most are buried somewhere in the engine bay) The big number on the plate is the train weight - that is vehicle plus load plus trailer plus load. This is the important number. The max towing weight indicated in you car's manual assumes your car will also be loaded to it's maximum capacity and therefore the balance (to take the train up to it's maximum weight) is the figure they quote. It doesn't matter what the trailer is plated to (providing you don't go over the gross weight). What matters is if you exceed the plated train weight for your vehicle. I don't know the exact figures for the Focus but on my own truck the manual indicates a maximum tow weight of 2600KG BUT the train weight on the chassis plate is 5750KG which means if it's just me in the truck and it's empty, I can tow 3650KG legally as I am not exceeding the maximum permissable train weight for the vehicle. The laws in Europe are broadly similar with the main difference being that if you're towing something as light as a Caterham, you can do 130K's and use the outside lane! The other difference is that if you're at or above your weights in the UK you'll get taken to a weighbridge and fined if you're over - In Europe, a carton of cigarettes and a couple of hundred Euro's normally sorts it out there and then and you can be on your way 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Miller 7 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Sorry Paul, forgot to get to the point. The numbers are max permissable and you're nowhere near them with the Caterham so it doesn't matter what the trailer plate says. You're probably 7 or 800KG inside the legal limit for Focus. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Dave Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 That's interesting Stuart, I didn't know that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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