Tricky Terms & Meanings
GROSS WEIGHT
The total weight of the trailer (or towing vehicle) and load
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) or Gross Weight Mass (GWM) The total
weight of the towing vehicle and its load.
GROSS TRAIN WEIGHT
The maximum allowable combined weight (combined MAM) of the
towing vehicle and trailer as set by the towing vehicle manufacturer.
KERBWEIGHT
The weight of the towing vehicle (without payload), including
all fluids required for operation, 90% full tank, 68kg driver
and 7kg luggage.
MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT
The maximum figure set by the manufacturer for the gross weight.
This will normally be the technically permissible maximum based
on the carrying capacity of the tyres, axles, coupling, suspension
and chassis but may have been adjusted downwards for commercial
reasons.
MAXIMUM AUTHORISED MASS
As above
MAXIMUM TOWING LIMIT
The most weight a car may tow (specified by the manufacturer).
MTPLM
The maximum weight of the caravan, as stated by the manufacturer
(pre-1998 caravans: MGW, or Maximum Gross Weight).
NOSEWEIGHT
The maximum downward force your towball can bear, or your caravan
exerts.
MASS IN RUNNING ORDER (MIRO)
The weight of the caravan equipped to the manufacturer's standard
specification.
UNLADEN WEIGHT
The weight of the trailer (or towing vehicle) less removable
optional equipment and load.
USER PAYLOAD
The user payload comprises all extra items not included in the
manufacturer's standard spec. The user payload is the MiRO subtracted
from the MTPLM.
VERTICAL STATIC LOAD/NOSE LOAD
The weight imposed on the towball or eye by the trailer coupling.
Determine
The Gross Weight
For the purposes of determining
the gross vehicle weight
of the towing vehicle, the noseweight of the caravan is included
as part of the car's payload. Consequently, the gross train
weight is really the sum of the gross vehicle weight including
the noseweight plus the axle weight of the caravan, not its
total weight. If the noseweight is not included in the vehicle
weight but in the weight of the caravan, there is a danger of
overloading the car.
Bits and Bobs
Do not park your caravan:
• where it may cause an obstruction
• at night on a road without lights
• in street parking bays as some local laws forbid this
• at a parking meter, as caravans are not permitted
• unless securely braked or chocked to prevent movement
• A caravan
stored in its owner's garden may be used as a spare bedroom
to accommodate non-paying guests. Friends can bring their own
caravan and stay within the garden of a house.
• Caravans must have a rear number plate, matching that
of the towing vehicle, and illuminated at night.
• TVs used in caravans are covered by the owner's domestic
TV licence as long the caravan is occupied by someone resident
where the TV licence is registered.
• Caravans do not have to undergo an MOT test.
• All safety regulations for car tyres apply to caravans.
Retread tyres should not be used. Radial and cross-ply tyres
must not be mixed on the same axle.
Further information from: National Trailer and Towing Association
(NTTA)
www.ntta.co.uk/law/
Email
for enquiries
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Towing Talk - Did you Know!
Maximum
sizes for towing
Towing vehicle under 3500kg GVW - Length (excluding the coupling
and drawbar) =7.0 metres
Maximum width 2.3 metres Towing vehicle over 3500kg GVW
Length (excluding the coupling and drawbar) =12 metres if at least
4 wheels
Maximum width =2.55 metres
Length of towing vehicle & trailer combined =18 metres
Maximum overhang of load from rear of trailer =3.05 metres
Safe weight ratios
For stable and safe towing we would always recommend that you
choose the smallest and lightest possible caravan suitable for
your intended use. The less the laden weight of the caravan is
in relation to the weight of the towing vehicle, the safer and
more stable the outfit will be. The Caravan Club, for example,
advises that you should aim for a towed load that is no more than
85% of the car's kerb weight for stability and safety. The CC
advice is NEVER to tow above 100% of the car's kerbside weight.
N.B. The car manufacturer's specified maximum permissible towload
is always the absolute towing limit regardless of any 85% or 100%
weight ratio guideline. This is especially important in those
cases where the manufacturer's figure is particularly low - in
a few cases even below 85%.
Maximum trailer sizes
Type 01: unbraked trailers - max. 750kg gross trailer weight or
half the towing vehicle's kerb weight - whichever is less.
Type 02: trailers on overrun brakes - max. 3500kg gross trailer
weight.
1982 regulations require that all trailers, including unbraked
ones, must be clearly marked with their maximum gross weight in
kg. This may be checked at any time by the police at a weighbridge.
Since 1 January 1997, all unbraked trailer plates must show the
year of manufacture.
Road lights
Caravans must have flashing indicators fitted at the back. A buzzer
or other means of alerting the driver must be installed to highlight
the failure of any of these indicators.
Caravans must have two rear lights conforming to certain size
requirements and bearing the appropriate CE mark. Marker lights
must be fitted 'as high as practicable' on the side or at the
front and rear of caravans over 2.1m wide.
Speed
Towed outfits may travel at up to 50 mph on single carriageway
roads and up to 60 mph on dual carriageways and motorways. Towed
outfits are not permitted in the outside lane of a three or more
lane motorway unless other lanes are closed.
Brakes
A caravan with a maximum design laden weight of more than 750kg
must be braked with an intertia (overrun) type braking system
up to a maximum permissible laden weight of 3500kg.
Load distribution
Proper load distribution, in general, must be ensured too, with
all heavy items in the caravan low down and directly over the
axle wherever possible. Correct tyre pressures for car and caravan
are absolutely vital.
Noseweight
It is a legal requirement that the noseweight should be 4% of
the weight of the trailer or at least 25kg, whichever is the higher..
For safety you should aim for, but not exceed, the lower of the
2 figures specified for caravan and car respectively.
Passengers
It is illegal to carry passengers inside a caravan whilst on the
road. It is permitted for pets to travel in the caravan, although
this is not recommended safe practice.
Driving Licences
A full (not provisional) driving licence is required to tow a
caravan. From 1 January 1997, new category B (generally held as
'normal' car entitlement) vehicles may be coupled with a trailer
up to 750kg Maximum Authorised Mass allowing a combined weight
of up to 4.25 tonnes MAM OR a trailer (for example a tourer) over
750kg 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. This would mean that many drivers who
possess only a category B on their licence would be able to tow
a caravan provided it was not heavier than their car, and that
car and caravan combined, does not weigh more than 3.5 tonnes.
New drivers of outfits over these limits must take a category
B + E test.
Further information from: Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency
(DVLA)
www.dvla.gov.uk
Carrying gas cylinders
Regulations relating to the use of liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
in vehicles on the public highway require the gas to be shut off
at the cylinder when no appliance is in use. While the vehicle
is in motion, no gas appliance should be in use. Special restrictions
apply in certain road tunnels, the Channel Tunnel and on ferries.
DO check before setting off.
 
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