towing a mini plus trailer with a Clio
Turbo Mini Forums

Most trailers are around the 400kg mark, my car weighs 590kg with CDS cage so by the time you put a spare set of rims in the car and toolbox you are way over the 1000kg

On 5th Sep, 2011 Vegard said:
I stand corrected. You should know

all manufactuers give a maximum tow weight for each car, so you can check with them normally in their new car brochures. i think the maximum combined (trailer and load) tow weight for a vehicle is about 85% of the weight of the vehicle.
dont know if it says that in the link i gave.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

Carl that is not the issue at the miniute the problem is on my licence I can only tow a trailer up a maximum of 750kg regardless of the car towing it. The problem stems from the fact if you took your driving test after 1st January 1997 (or have lost your licence and had to re-take your test since) you may have to take an additional test (licence category B+E) to tow a trailer or caravan if it weighs over 750 KG MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass.)

There are a small number of confusing exceptions, but, if you intend to tow, it is generally recommended that you take the test so as to avoid any misinterpretation by yourself, the police or your insurers.

However I am attempting to avoid taking this test due to the fact to update may license to tow more than 750kg it will cost me £720 which I am not prepaired to pay. So the issue now is to some how get the mini + trailer + spares < 750kg if possible. It looks like I will have to think about the changing the tow car at a later date as well.


--Rant Removed :$ --

Rant over back to the objective of a sub 750kg mini trailer etc

Edited by Stig on 29th Oct, 2006.

Just found the mirco T on teh biran james web site which looks spot on just need to find the unladen weight now

glad your overcoming this problem now.

it may b small but it purfectly formed
http://photobucket.com/albums/v340/1976_mi...roject%20turbo/

sorry stig missunderstood, i was lucky passed me test dec 1996. any how should you decide to (cough cough) tow without doing the test then make sure your car looks ok i.e clio with trailer and mini on the back will surely look dodgey to the police and im sure they will pull you where as if the set up looks ok i.e bigger tow car then unless you do some dodgey driving then they should leave you alone, this has been covered before have a look and read of these old posts for other members views

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=search

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

I must of done 10's of K with a trailer on since i was 17 and i didnt pass my test till march 99.
Always with a decent car and trailer though and everything securely fastened.
I spent £1400 on a new trailer for the miglia and it was a cracking investment. its made by a company called Fountain Trailers Nr Boston. bought it as it was local to fetch and they make a nice trailer. Tows a dream

for reference

"Drivers who passed a car test on or after 1 January 1997 are limited to vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes maximum authorised mass towing a trailer up to 750 kgs, or a vehicle and trailer combination up to 3.5 tonnes MAM providing the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle. You will need to pass an additional driving test in B+E if you wish to tow a caravan or trailer combination which exceeds these weight limits."

I am the same as Iain, whether I am correct in the way I read the regs I am not sure, but the way I interpret it is using the statement in Iains post above,

or a vehicle and trailer combination up to 3.5 tonnes MAM providing the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle

So using a trailer that weighs 550kg, with a MAM for 1500kg, (so 950kg allowable mass on trailer) towing it with a 2000kg Range Rover, ticks all the boxes as far as I am concerned.

I passed my test in October 1997, so missed out on the cut off.
The other thing I have found is that it is bloody difficult to find anywhere that will do the test you require, most of them are only set up to do it in a 7.5T lorry with a drawbar trailer.

Well im glad ive seen this topic, the other week i saw a 1.2 fiat punto towing a caravan which was about the same size as the punto if not lower... how it was pulling it was beyond me but did look very dangerous.

New it was against the law.

Manchester Minis

Edited by Stig on 30th Oct, 2006.

This is one real pit of snakes isn't it.... How can they even attempt to bring in these BS rules, yet not put adequate measures into place to allow folks to adhere or apply them?

The trouble is that is is open to interpretation in many different ways, I have consulted policemen and a driving instructor about this and neither of them could give me a cast iron definitive answer.

At the end of the day, as long as it "looks" right, you are unlikely to have any problem. Consequentially towing a proper trailer (e.g. Brian James or the like) with a decent sized towing vehicle (IMO a MINIMUM of a family saloon or estate, e.g. Mondeo/Vectra or equivalent) should not cause any problems.

I would not personally tow a trailer with anything smaller.

Dave is correct i did used to tow with a Rosso red XR2.

My single axel trailer is very light and as is the Mini.

Tobe honest i think a clio is a bit light for the job, the Fiesta was borderline.

I changed that for a 306 non turbo diesel, that was OK.

Is is conditions like strong side winds and rain or hard braking where a car with a bit of weight behind is better.

JF.

Rosso red Xr2?!? and your admitin to that?!?! ha ha

to be honest though i know as long as it looks right is the way of the law and thats the side i come down on, BUT in the event of an insurance claim i ouldnt want to say.

there again in the event of any insurance claim i wouldnt want to, i know my old boy has £100k of insurance as long as its the same trailer and van.

fooking complicated!!!!!!!!!

Yep Rosso red, i also had a Radiant red one in 1989 from new!...

Complete with clip out sunroof!

Fordtastic!

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

Edited by Scruffy on 30th Oct, 2006.

On 5th Sep, 2011 Vegard said:
I stand corrected. You should know

Back on topic the Micro T weighs 250kg so there is no way you are going to tow a Mini on a trailer and be under 750kg unless your last name is Austin! How can it cost £700 to upgrade your licence?

Practical test type
Weekday price

Weekday evening and weekend price
Car £48.50 £58.00
Tractor and other specialist vehicles £48.50 £58.00
Motorcycle £58.00 £68.00
Lorry and bus £89.00 £107.00
Car and trailer £89.00 £107.00

From DSA website

On 5th Sep, 2011 Vegard said:
I stand corrected. You should know

Erm that not the figures i got from a driving instructors site for 1 day lesson then the test the next day

Cheers Nick

Very helpfull as its only £89 quid it might be worth it if i can find actualy anyone near me :/

And as for all the above cheers the the help i agree with dave how the heck did they allow it to come to this mess.

As noted above my main concern is if i had an accident. After all if you are towing the mini with a vectra etc you could probably talk your away around it with a police officer. If you hit something or they hit you chances are the insurance company could drive a bus through the regulations and you would be left well and truly up sh*t creek with the paddle inserted somewhere

Yep, lose control of it and wipe out a bus queue of school children, nuns, nurses, doctors, firefighters, chavs*, etc and you'll be up poo creek for sure!







* actually, I think 2 chavs cancells out one worthy person LOL

Also reading the site makes me laugh as it explain what car type of trailer you must bring a long to take the test. How are you supposed to get it to the test centre? After all so far i have found one site on the web which offers the trailer instruction however its in Newcastle FFS.

Dave surely i get a gold star for every 2 chavs, plus if i manage an entire bus queue with burbury then I will get national celerbrity status and the freedom of the UK etc?

Edited by Stig on 30th Oct, 2006.

What do you call 2 Chavs at the bottom of the sea?






















A fricken good start

Hi,
You guys, what does it say on your driving license? mine says among others... B+E ... turn over.....cars or vans upto 3500kg with heavy trailer....minimum age 21.
I'm glad I got my artic license so I don't have to figure this crap out.
I'm going to Komatsu tomorrow, so what? I hear you say...
Well on the wall in the w'shop is a big poster that explains all this, as they tow lots of different things to do repairs on site...
Cheers,
Gavin :)

Edited by Bat on 30th Oct, 2006.

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I think i have found the answer to this question

Category B: Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM and with up to eight passenger seats
Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM.

For example:

a vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.25 tonnes could be driven by the holder of a category B entitlement. This is because the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes and also the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle
Whereas

the same vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes when coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.5 tonnes would fall within category B+E. This is because although the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer is within the 3.5 tonnes MAM limit, the MAM of the trailer is more than the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle
Vehicle manufacturers normally recommend a maximum weight of trailer appropriate to their vehicle. Details can usually be found in the vehicle’s handbook or obtained from car dealerships. The size of the trailer recommended for an average family car with an unladen weight of around 1 tonne would be well within the new category B threshold.

From what I can tell the top bit is category B only which mean i can tow the damn thing with a mondeo :) which makes things a little easier. Now all i need is to get my leg out of plaster and get back in the garage.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/Motoring/DriverLi...3073&chk=BIZx8Z

Edited by Stig on 22nd Dec, 2006.