towing limit

[gokartbandit]

Hi all
Can anyone tell me the maximum braked towing weight of a surf.
been searching on net but getting conflicting answers.
Cheers
Steve B

[YoungOffroader]

well i was towing a 2 tone trailer last week n my tow bar snapped off as it had been extended down for the lifts its had and because i also had my saftey chain round the bar dat snapped off i ended up with n upside down trailer full of goats in a ditch! my dad wasnt very impressed wen we towed it back out agen

[YoungOffroader]

but these guys will tell you all there cravans and trailers they have towed n not snapped ther tow bars im sure!

[nero279]

somewhere between 1500kg and 2200kg - in short there is no definitive answer, different sources say different weights and unfortunately to my knowledge no-one on here has a definitive documented official maximum towing weight.

Generally accepted is 85% of the kerb weight which works out around 1800kg i believe.

[Dodge]

well i was towing a 2 tone trailer last week n my tow bar snapped off as it had been extended down for the lifts its had and because i also had my saftey chain round the bar dat snapped off i ended up with n upside down trailer full of goats in a ditch! my dad wasnt very impressed wen we towed it back out agen

Aha, proof, if it were needed, that Goatse is bad for your rear end!

[YoungOffroader]

Aha, proof, if it were needed, that Goatse is bad for your rear end!

lmao well my parents own an arrey fo animals n yet they are scared of towing trailers and their volvo is in my barn atm as im doin an engine rebuild on it so i used the truck to tow for the first time but the leverage on the tow bar wher it was lowered jus ripped it from the framework! the police soon arrived and clsoed the road off while i was there with my offroading straps round the trailer trying to hoist it back up to the road, they gave me half an hour before they were going to call for a crane n send me the bill!

[TonyN]

but the leverage on the tow bar wher it was lowered jus ripped it from the framework! !

Must have been a pretty $hity towbar or really rusty chassis!!

We have a 6" drop plate on Linda's truck, and it happly tows 2500kg or more(not technically legal, but does it! ) and has done for the last 3 years or so that its had 33's and 5 1/2" of lift.

As for the question, 1500kg definatly no problem, that what the US 4Runners of the same year are rated at. 2000kg is mostly fine in my experiance, but the AFT fluid temp can cause the engine to run hot on long hill with anything heavier.

[MOTRAV]

wot a load of rubbish lol

Must have been a pretty $hity towbar or really rusty chassis!!

We have a 6" drop plate on Linda's truck, and it happly tows 2500kg or more(not technically legal, but does it! ) and has done for the last 3 years or so that its had 33's and 5 1/2" of lift.

As for the question, 1500kg definatly no problem, that what the US 4Runners of the same year are rated at. 2000kg is mostly fine in my experiance, but the AFT fluid temp can cause the engine to run hot on long hill with anything heavier.

I have had 5 tons on the back of mine going up a 45 degree incline with the back end 2 foot under the water wonderfull machines

motrav

[YoungOffroader]

Must have been a pretty $hity towbar or really rusty chassis!!

We have a 6" drop plate on Linda's truck, and it happly tows 2500kg or more(not technically legal, but does it! ) and has done for the last 3 years or so that its had 33's and 5 1/2" of lift.

As for the question, 1500kg definatly no problem, that what the US 4Runners of the same year are rated at. 2000kg is mostly fine in my experiance, but the AFT fluid temp can cause the engine to run hot on long hill with anything heavier.

well mine was on a 18 inche drop bracket and they had jus welded that to the original metal box tube n the welds jus ripped two great holes in the box, so ive made my own one now n i can garantee this shall not be ripping out

[Streetsurfer]

I regularly tow 100KVa generators on trailers (A CAT rental Power 100KVa Ro-Tow genset weighs 3500Kg) with a landy and other 4x4s. I also see many, many trailers on the motorways carrying plant/ very large cars, other large loads that are obviously close to 3 1/2 tons (some being towed by transits etc). Today; R plate Audi A4 towing 20ft (?) twin axle van on the M4 between J15 & 14 (big hill)!

I looked into the towing figures for landrovers and found that all models from a 2007 Defender 90- (Kerb weight 1815) up to a '07 130 D/C- (Kerb weight 2117Kg) can tow upto 3500Kg? That’s nearly 200% GVM for the 90!

Then I found this on the DfT website (which I've not see quoted before):
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehi...ntsfortrailers

"In the case of light trailers, that is less than 3500kg maximum laden weight, there is not any specified relationship in UK law between the weight of the towing vehicle and the weight of the trailer."

It goes on:

"For M1 category vehicles (motor vehicles used for the carriage of passengers and comprising not more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat) the maximum permissible trailer weight is quoted by the vehicle manufacturer. Alternatively, the vehicle manufacturer may provide a maximum gross train weight (the laden weight of the trailer plus the laden weight of the towing vehicle). "

My '96 KZN185 has 2 figures on the VIN plate under GVM: 2650Kg and 5750Kg (I'm assuming the second is train weight), so that means I can tow a trailer of 3100Kg. According to the quote above I could actually tow upto 3500Kg and it wouldn't be illegal, its only "...possible that the courts or insurance...." etc. If an accident was involved, I would imagine the Courts & Insurance Companies certainly would "...take the view that this constitutes a danger." But as to being stopped by plod (never had in 7 years of towing big gensets) or the ministry, as long as you are not exceeding the limits on your vehicle as set by the manufacturer (Towing weight/train weight/nose weight or axle weights) or I guess the limits of your towbar (Towsure 2800Kg for KZN185), or tow hitch (Towequipe ball/pin combo 4100Kg), then you're legal!