quick trailer questions

[bigegg]

i know its been answered before, and easy enough to find on google, but away from home and t'internet is *very* patchy here.

weights of a trailer:
licence equates to maximum *plated* weight.
and
construction + use regs relate to *actual* measured weights?

so if i have an unbraked trailer weighing 755kgs total, its illegal regardless of my licence.
and conversely, if i have a trailer which is plated for 3.5T maximum, if i only have a 3.5t (B) licence, its *still* illegal, even if the trailer only physically weighs 300kgs?
(assume for sake of example, my car is plated to tow a 3.5t trailer).
i also realise that if my


basically. my ovlov is 2.2t gvw. 3.9t gtw. my trailer is plated at 1.7T MAM: do i need to downplate it to 1.3T mam, even if it will never physically weigh more than the 1.3T laden?

2nd question:
lights+reflectors must be visible on back of the trailer even with the back door/flap - does that apply to the numberplate, as well?
i mean when parked up, NOT whilst driving.

thanks.

 

[Justme]

Correct
Correct
Correct BUT if that 755 kg is its total weight then its real weight when connected will be less due to the applied load.
Correct
1 yes
2, will the vehicle still be attached?

 

[bigegg]

Correct
Correct
Correct BUT if that 755 kg is its total weight then its real weight when connected will be less due to the applied load.
Correct
1 yes
2, will the vehicle still be attached?

thanks!


not always attached, no.

 

[bigegg]

am i correct in thinking that if the trailer is attached, the numberplate must not be obscured - even if parked up?
but...
if trailer not attached, the reflectors(lights?) have to be unobscured, but the numberplate is irrelevant?

 

[Agrismith]

You don't need to down plate anymore the rules have changed and they now go off actual weight


First paragraph here

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...-weight-of-towing-vehicle-and-size-of-trailer

 

[bigegg]

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.

interesting...

 

[Migmac]

If the trailer is parked on the public highway and not attached to a vehicle does it need to be insured separately?

 

[bigegg]

If the trailer is parked on the public highway and not attached to a vehicle does it need to be insured separately?

? i don't know...
dont think so: its not a "vehicle"

 

[m_c]

You don't need to down plate anymore the rules have changed and they now go off actual weight


First paragraph here

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...-weight-of-towing-vehicle-and-size-of-trailer

As far as I'm aware, that's always been the case.
License is plated weights. Towing capacity is actual weight.

The big reason for downplating trailers, was you could exceed the 750kg license restriction and tow a combination that didn't exceed 3.5t within certain weight ratio limits, without needing a trailer license. I.e. you could tow a 1.2t trailer with a 2.3t vehicle.

 

[Justme]

am i correct in thinking that if the trailer is attached, the numberplate must not be obscured - even if parked up?
but...
if trailer not attached, the reflectors(lights?) have to be unobscured, but the numberplate is irrelevant?

Correct

 

[Justme]

You don't need to down plate anymore the rules have changed and they now go off actual weight


First paragraph here

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...-weight-of-towing-vehicle-and-size-of-trailer

Depends on your reason to down plate.

For the vehicle capacity you dont as it goes on real weight

If you have a licence that is restrictive then you still need to down plate.

 

[Justme]

interesting...

But thats ONLY for C&U offences of over loading the MAM GTW or MLPM.

For licences its still the plates.

 

[Justme]

As far as I'm aware, that's always been the case.
License is plated weights. Towing capacity is actual weight.

The big reason for downplating trailers, was you could exceed the 750kg license restriction and tow a combination that didn't exceed 3.5t within certain weight ratio limits, without needing a trailer license. I.e. you could tow a 1.2t trailer with a 2.3t vehicle.

Correct

 

[Agrismith]

Depends on your reason to down plate.

For the vehicle capacity you dont as it goes on real weight

If you have a licence that is restrictive then you still need to down plate.

But that wasn't the question the question was about towing capacity of the vehicle and the paragraph is about combined train weight

 

[bigegg]

But that wasn't the question the question was about towing capacity of the vehicle and the paragraph is about combined train weight

sorry if you read it that way.
the question was *supposed* to be about licence weights.


car is 2.2T max.
car is plated to tow 1.7T (3.9T total).
trailer is plated to 2T: as long as the trailer weighs less than 2T, and total actual weight of car+trailer is less than 3.9T, then the *car* is OK.

but: on my licence, i can only drive 3.5T combined. I will have to downplate my trailer so the plated weights match my licence. (ie, 2.2T car + 1.3T trailer)

even if the trailer is empty, i can't tow it on my licence if its plated at more than 1.3T

 

[Justme]

But that wasn't the question the question was about towing capacity of the vehicle and the paragraph is about combined train weight

Er it was the question