TOWING a trailer is a common occurrence for most people involved in horse industry for either business or pleasure with regular tasks such as transporting horses and ponies to or from sales, shows, events and out farms as well as for breeding purposes.

A high percentage of trailers are towed by car or jeep but our feedback shows high levels of confusion remain as to the weight of trailers allowed to be towed by certain vehicles and the type of license required to satisfy the new trailer towing rules introduced in 2013.

There are essentially two aspects to consider, the first is what does your driver’s license entitle you to tow and the second is what the towing capacity of your vehicle?

STARTING POINT

A point to consider before progressing down the avenue of considering changing your towing vehicle or applying for a change of license, is the category of license you hold.

The two most common license categories held by road users towing small to medium sized trailers are B and BE, or what was formerly known as E+B or EB. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) provides detailed information on weight limits allowable under the different categories.

A B license allows the holder to tow a trailer where the maximum authorised mass (MAM) is not greater than 750kg. The MAM for trailers is the weight of the trailer itself together with the weight the trailer is permitted to carry, as specified by the manufacturer.

Details of the trailer can be found on the information plate on the trailer’s hitch. This information plate will not be present on home-made trailers.

Most trailer horseboxes will be outside of these weight limits. This means in practice that you will not be allowed to tow a single or double horsebox trailer using a B driver’s licence.

An alternative to this is where the MAM of the trailer is greater than 750kg (typical of most horseboxes). In this case the holder is permitted to tow the trailer provided that the combined MAM of the towing vehicle and the trailer is not greater than 3,500kg. For clarity, the MAM is the maximum gross weight of a vehicle or a trailer (not both) including the load being carried and includes the weight of the driver, load and any passengers.

In reality, there are not too many cars and 8 x 4 or 10 x 5 trailers that can be towed with a B category license. For example, take a 2.0 litre Volkswagen Passat towing an 8 ft. 4in x 4ft 8in trailer.

The car’s unladen or kerb weight is 1,475kg but that is not the car’s maximum authorised mass (MAM). The car’s MAM is 2,020kg, and the MAM of the trailer is 1,700kg. Adding the car’s MAM and that of the trailer gives a weight of 3,720kg meaning that in this case a BE license is required.

In the case of a Land Rover Discovery, the towing rating is 3,500kg. The 4x4’s maximum towing mass (MAM) is rated at 6,450kg, which is under 7,000kg, meaning that you can drive it with a BE driver’s licence.

In summary, the trailer’s Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) i.e. the weight of the trailer plus the load being carried should not exceed the towing capacity of your towing vehicle.

In this case, the load being towed by the Volkswagen Passat should never exceed 2.2 tonnes or 3.5 tonnes in the case of the Land Rover Discovery. And that towing rating figure is always in the owner’s manual, which you will find in the glovebox of the car.

This is the maximum gross weight of a vehicle or a trailer (not both) including the load being carried and includes the weight of the driver, load and any passengers.

This example shows how confusing it can be to determine. It emphasises the importance of looking at your own vehicles and doing the calculations to make sure you are complying with the regulations.

The RSA advises the MAM of the car, or what is commonly referred to as the gross vehicle weight by manufacturers, can generally be found on a metal plate/sticker applied to the vehicle by the manufacturer. The RSA also states these rules apply even where the weight of the car, the trailer and its contents are below 3,500kg but the MAM is greater than 3,500kg.

While on this subject, it is also important to ensure that the weight of the trailer and its contents do not exceed the trailer’s MAM as this is essentially the maximum weight of the trailer and its contents. This in turn should not exceed the vehicle’s towing capacity as detailed below.

Towing capacity

The towing capacity of the vehicle is the second aspect to consider. A vehicle cannot tow a trailer that has a MAM greater than its towing capacity.

In the above example, the towing capacity is 2,200kg which means a driver with a BE licence can tow the trailer as it has a MAM of 1,700kg. If however, the car only had a towing capacity of 1,400kg then this trailer should not be towed by the vehicle. The vehicle’s towing capacity can be found on the car’s user manual as well as on the plate/sticker, normally found onside the passenger or driver’s door.

A BE license will be required where the MAM of the towing vehicle and trailer is greater than 3,500kg. The maximum MAM of the vehicle and trailer for a BE license is 7,000kg but again remember, you must also consider that you cannot exceed the towing capacity of your vehicle which in many cases could limit the size and weight of trailer allowed.

If the trailer MAM exceeds 3,500kg it will be considered to be a heavy trailer and must have a separate trailer licence. You will also need to have a category C1E, CE, DE or D1E driving licence, depending on the type of vehicle being used to pull the trailer.

Applying for a BE license

Where you find that you have no option but to apply for a BE license, the following criteria must be met;

  • You must first hold a full driving license (in date) for category B (car).
  • You must have passed a driver theory test in the category B or if you have not previously completed a theory test with results recorded on the National Driver License Service (NDLS) database, then you must complete a theory test for category BW (car & tractor).
  • Apply for a learner permit for category BE. This must be completed in an NDLS centre.
  • Successfully undertake a driving test in a jeep/car and then apply for category BE to be added to your licence.

    • Michael Moroney is motoring and vintage editor with the Irish Farmers Journal