Max tow weight for E class?

[Apial]

don'y forget the 85% rule for safer towing ... if the braked tailer,caravan ,or boat is greater than 85% of the weight of your car then greater care is needed in towing ....you can go up to 100% but you would if not used to towing have a very scary ride .....

Now that bit I find confusing. " you can go up to 100%" and the towing limit being set by the manufacturer. So what happens when the manufacturer sets a limit that is greater than 100%? Are you breaking the law towing 3500KG with your 2000Kg Land Rover, as a rough example? I just guessed at the figures, so please don't take them as gospel.

Surely the manufacturers figure is the one that counts?

 

[mark.t]

the towing weight of the vehicle is set by the weight of the vehicle it self .and the manufacturers have set limits as what weight it can tow they cannot exceed it weight ratio.... you can tow up to the 100% but it gets a bit hairy that's why you would generally use the 85% rule its much safer, if you tow up to and not over 3500kg (as long as its braked)on a normal car licence providing that car licence will allow to tow anything depending on when you passed your test .....you may need to go on a course first .... anything over 3500kg needs to be commercial ...and if the gross train weight exceeds 7500kg then a LGV licence is required .... but another important thing is the nose weight get that wrong and VOSSA will come down on you very hard indeed as incorrect nose weight can seriously affect the towing stability of the outfit.oh and the lenght and width have max as well over 7 meters long ... or over 2 mwters wide ...it has to be a commercial vehical...

please see attached short footage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsjw1yc6q4w

 

[BTB 500]

Now that bit I find confusing. " you can go up to 100%" and the towing limit being set by the manufacturer. So what happens when the manufacturer sets a limit that is greater than 100%? Are you breaking the law towing 3500KG with your 2000Kg Land Rover, as a rough example? I just guessed at the figures, so please don't take them as gospel.

Surely the manufacturers figure is the one that counts?

There are four completely different things to bear in mind.

1. The car manufacturer's towing limit (braked/unbraked). You must not tow anything heavier than this figure.

2. The car manufacturer's trailer noseweight limit. You must not tow anything that puts more downward load on the towbar than this figure.

3. Your driving licence.
A. If you got your driving licence before 1 January 1997, you can drive any vehicle-and-trailer combination up to 8250kg in total ("train weight"), but the towing vehicle’s maximum weight must not exceed 7500kg.

B. If you got your licence on or after 1 January 1997 you are restricted to driving or towing with a vehicle of 3500kg maximum. You can tow a trailer of up to 750 kg (total train weight therefore 4250kg), or a trailer of up to 100% of the car's unladen weight (NB not kerbweight) provided the train weight (vehicle plus trailer) remains under 3500 kg. You can get round these restrictions by taking a "B+E" test (towing test).

4. The car's kerbweight. For good stability with a tall trailer such as a caravan, the recommendation is that the trailer should not weigh more than 85% of the car's kerbweight. However this is not a law, and is less relevant with low trailers which are inherently more stable.

 

[Apial]

So the maximum 100% of the kerb weight of the towing vehicle is a myth?

I thought it must be as I have wondered how many 4x4s have max towing capacities that are 100+% of their kerbside weight. Was this a now superceded law?

 

[BTB 500]

So the maximum 100% of the kerb weight of the towing vehicle is a myth?

Not if you passed your test since 1/1/97 and want to tow more than 750 kg!

The licence stuff is all relatively new, but apart from that you've always been legally allowed to tow up to the published limit for your vehicle. I guess if you did so and the end result was seriously unstable (a 1600 kg single-axle caravan is a very different beast to a 1600 kg twin-axle low trailer, for example) you could be prosecuted for it being "unroadworthy" or something along those lines.

 

[R Phillips]

Many thanks for all the info above, I pick the trailer up friday morning and have just found the handbook, it confirms whats been said here.
I'll put the handbook weights here incase anyone does a search in the future.
E300TD estate 2100 kg braked 750kg unbraked and a 84kg noseweight max
E300 TD saloon 1900 kg """"" 750kg """""" and 76kg noseweight.

 

[bouncer]

Many thanks for all the info above, I pick the trailer up friday morning and have just found the handbook, it confirms whats been said here.
I'll put the handbook weights here incase anyone does a search in the future.
E300TD estate 2100 kg braked 750kg unbraked and a 84kg noseweight max
E300 TD saloon 1900 kg """"" 750kg """""" and 76kg noseweight.

Are those the right way round. Saloon and Estate?