Hi all,
This is my first post on here so apologies if it’s not in the right thread…
II am looking at building myself a “tiny house” so basically a house built on a double axle trailer chassis like a caravan.
I have been looking at the maximum allowed tow weights and wondered whether anyone can confirm the following for me…
I understand that If my completed trailer is less than 3.5 tonnes then it can be towed on a normal class B car licence however it is confusing me as to what licence I require if it weighs more than 3.5 tonnes.
One design I am looking at would weigh around 8 tonnes as the completed trailer. What licence would I therefore need to tow this and also what vehicle? Would it need to be a LGV thereby meaning I would need a C1E or LGV licence?
I understand that if I had a C1E licence I am restricted by the trailer weight in that it must weigh less than the towing vehicle (the total of both must also then be less than 12,000 kg) therefore i presume this rules a C1E licence out as my trailer alone would weigh 8000 kilos.
Any help or advice anyone can give me would be most helpful.
Many thanks
Shaun
Shaunj15:
I understand that if I had a C1E licence I am restricted by the trailer weight in that it must weigh less than the towing vehicle (the total of both must also then be less than 12,000 kg) therefore i presume this rules a C1E licence out as my trailer alone would weigh 8000 kilos.
That would rule out everything apart from getting C+E.
Best person for towing and weights here is ROG.
Hi,
Cat B normal car licence passed after 1997 would allow you to drive a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight not exceeding 3.5t
Cat B+E car licence with trailer entitlement would allow vehicles up to 3.5t and towing a trailer up to 3.5t
Cat C1+E would allow vehicles up to 7.5t and towing a trailer over 750kg, the combination must not exceed 12t
Cat C+E would allow you to drive any combination of vehicle with any trailer weight provided there’s no more than 8 passenger and a driver.
So to pull a trailer of 8t it looks like you would need a full C+E licence.
I think the question is what are you going to tow an 8 tonne trailer with, that will determine what licence you will need? I think something like a Land Rover Defender is rated to tow around three or four tonnes, depending on the model.
Is what is basically a large caravan really going to weigh that much, what on earth are you going to put in it? Surely static caravans aren’t that heavy?
As for licences, if you passed your car test from 1997 onwards you will have category B, if you passed before 1997 you will also have BE.
B allows you to drive a vehicle up to 3500kg with trailer up to 750kg; or a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight up to 3500kg where the laden weight of the trailer doesn’t exceed the unladen weight of the vehicle.
BE allows you to drive a vehicle up to 3500kg with any trailer (obviously within the capabilities of the vehicle as stated by the manufacturer).
If you build something so heavy that you can’t get a car, van or 4x4 within category B limits to tow it you will be looking at a 3500 - 7500kg vehicle and a C1E licence to tow the trailer.
C1E allows a vehicle up to 7500kg with a trailer, but the fully-loaded trailer can’t weigh more than the vehicle and combined weight of vehicle and trailer can’t be over 12,000kg. So that limits you to a 6000kg vehicle and 6000kg trailer.
If you really are going to build a trailer that grosses at 8000kg then you will need a CE licence and a suitably capable vehicle.
That’s great, thanks everyone for the responses.
I think I will go back to the drawing board and redesign (and resize) the trailer to try and make it max 3.5t as this is going to be the best (and cheapest option) I think.
I think like the last post says the problem would be getting a vehicle to actually move the trailer even if it did weigh that much…!
Thanks for taking the time to respond!
Shaun
Shaunj15:
I think I will go back to the drawing board and redesign (and resize) the trailer to try and make it max 3.5t as this is going to be the best (and cheapest option) I think.
I think at 8t it just becomes a house.
You’ve got two options for licence the way I see it. BE or C1. At any rate, the weight of the trailer MUST NOT exceed the weight of the towing vehicle (I.e a Van or Landy). When I say weight I mean, maximum weight, not it’s current weight. (so 3.5t for the van, even if it’s empty). So design carefully to save you having to take ~£2000 of tests. (BE (3500kg towing vehicle+3500kg trailer) or C1 (Towing vehicle and trailer up to 7.5t (yes 7.5t). C1 gives you a little more breathing room (bigger van)).
Consider a way of opening the house into the back of the van maybe? (If you even use a van)
C1E is max 12t vehicle and trailer together or 8250kg if you’ve an older restricted cat C1E
As OP figured out already, find the vehicle that’s towing first and see what it’s max towing rating is and design trailer round that.
Glen A9:
B allows you to drive a vehicle up to 3500kg with trailer up to 750kg; or a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight up to 3500kg where the laden weight of the trailer doesn’t exceed the unladen weight of the vehicle.
That bit was revoked in its entirety on 19/01/2013
ROG:
Glen A9:
B allows you to drive a vehicle up to 3500kg with trailer up to 750kg; or a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight up to 3500kg where the laden weight of the trailer doesn’t exceed the unladen weight of the vehicle.
That bit was revoked in its entirety on 19/01/2013
Please see link.
gov.uk/towing-with-car
ALEX MCARA:
ROG:
Glen A9:
B allows you to drive a vehicle up to 3500kg with trailer up to 750kg; or a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight up to 3500kg where the laden weight of the trailer doesn’t exceed the unladen weight of the vehicle.
That bit was revoked in its entirety on 19/01/2013
Please see link.
gov.uk/towing-with-car
I’ve looked at the link but can’t see it stated explicitly anywhere. Also can the laden weight of the trailer exceed the laden weight of the towing vehicle?
I.E - Mini-artics which I found out existed quite recently. Say you had a 1.5t van body + 5th wheel, and a 2t trailer. Or does this fall under the CE category (trailer heavier than vehicle). (This is the sort of thing I think about for fun apprently)
Right so if you have C1, and want to drive a “mini-artic” that has a gross weight of 5t (Say, 2t unit, 3t trailer, for arguments sake). Would you not be able to drive it? Would you need C1E (The gov.uk says the trailer must not exceed the weight of the towing vehicle, but does not say this for Categories B and C). So this says to me you’d need CE, or could you swing it on BE (train weight up to 7t)?