Weights.....

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Richard,

See Carrier transport trailers for the type of transport which is increasingly popular in the Netherlands, as it can be driven on a car plus trailer license.



The trick here is that while one can drive a vehicle up to 3.500 kgs here on a regular car license, a tractor-trailor combination like the above with a gross weigth of 7.500 kgs can be driven on a car plus trailer license, which is much cheaper and easier to qualify for than a truck driver´s license.

I´m not up to par with UK regulations, but I know older drivers have grandfathered rights to drive a truck up to 7.500 kgs gross weight on a regular car driver´s license. If you fall in that category, a beavertail truck would be the way to go.

While many sites list a weight of 3.75 tons for the Universal Carrier, this webpage has a comprehensive listing of Carrier weights, depending on type they range from 4 to 4.25 tons (4.318 kg if those are UK/long tons). The T16 is listed at 7,756 lbs and 9,500 lbs (gross) or 4.309 kg.

HTH,
Hanno

[RichardT10829]

thanks Hanno thats a great help

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

The trick here is that while one can drive a vehicle up to 3.500 kgs here on a regular car license, a tractor-trailor combination like the above with a gross weigth of 7.500 kgs can be driven on a car plus trailer license, which is much cheaper and easier to qualify for than a truck driver´s license.

On europa.eu I found:

European Driving Licence: Differences between existing and future legislation
Reference: MEMO/06/143 Date: 27/03/2006

Directive 91/439/EEC
Cars (category B+E): No weight limit for trailers in this category leading to very long and heavy combinations within this category Cars (category B+E)

Future Directive
A weight limit of 3500 kg for trailers in this category is introduced. Combinations with trailers exceeding this weight will fall in category C1+E

[RichardT10829]

thats great thanks Hanno

[Grant Bowker]

I understand your frustrations with silly regulations.

My understanding of the laws in Ontario is that any trailer over 10000 pounds requires a class A license, the same one required for the largest tractor trailer combinations on the road, regardless of the towing vehicle. Also, I believe that in the strictest legal sense the weight of such a trailer has to be included in the weight of the towing vehicle for registration/taxation purposes (actually any trailer of greater than about 7000 pounds, it's not defined by trailer GVWR). In turn, this will make the towing vehicle subject to the CVOR (Commercial Vehicle Operators Regisatration) system which makes the operator subject to daily inspection and duty hours logging. There are some exemptions to the CVOR rules to permit personal use of the vehicle, for example to go home after work. I have registered my truck to avoid the CVOR and my trailer is light enough to only just avoid having to include the weight.

Having said all of this, there are many people in Ontario who operate pickup trucks with heavy trailers without complying with the rules as I understand them, apparently without consequence.

I think there is also an exemption for travel trailers that leaves us with the ludicrous situation that a pickup towing a 16000 pound 5th wheel travel trailer is treated like a car for licensing of the vehicle and driver, but the same pickup towing a 16000 pound 5th wheel flatbed (with a carrier or other CMP) is treated like a large commercial A-train semi trailer rig.

[carrierbarry]

No you can't tow a carrier on a trailer in the UK you will be stopped.
I have a light weight Flatbed lorry with Beavertail. max 7.5 tons.

If we don't load up the carrier its not overweight, its fine it dos'nt look over weight and sits on the back fine. The fun is always loading, you need a bit of bottle to drive it up, as you can't see the lorry until its to late.

we also had to make special ramps.

Regards

Barry
London