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hi,

i am just about to purchas a conway countryman folding camper(trailer tent)

i will be towing it with my trike.what are the laws? i think if the trailer is unbraked,then you are allowed aprox 75% of the towing vehicles wieght,but what if its a braked trailer???????

my trike will pull it as its a 1800cc,and the trailer is braked! even the dvla are unsure!

any help would be good.thanks

I have no idea about the legalities but can you post a picture once you do start towing it??

Also, do you have to get really wide towing mirrors?

Unbraked trailers are max 50% of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle (in this case it's the actual weight of the trailer not the plated max weight).

As far as I can recall if you passed your test after 1997 you're limited to the trailer's plated maximum weight being no more than the unladen weight of the towing vehicle. In any case you wouldn't want to tow anything any heavier, and really want to keep to the recommended 85% limit.

Note in both of the above that's assuming the maufacturer's towing limits aren't lower.

I guess part of the problem is you're trike won't have any manufacturer's towing limits to work to. If it hasn't got the unladen weight marked on it you'll need to do so.

Dependant on age the Countryman weighs around 750kg fully laden, so I guess as a guide if the trike weighs over 880kg you'll be OK.

All that said I came across this...

http://www.camperlands.co.uk/trailer_tents/campmaster/mbike_tow_law.html

which suggests I'm totally wrong, but I think this applies to the smaller trikes (under 410kg) which are 3 wheel motorbikes, not cars.

Glen

This is a really grey area.  The construction & use regs for cars don't apply, & neither do those for bikes.  A friend of mine in the motorcycle club I am in tows a Combi-Camp with a BMW motorbike & sidecar.  He has been stopped numerous times by the Police as for a motorcycle the limit is a trailer no more than one metre wide, this does not apply to trikes.  Some will tell you it does.  I am not in a position to argue with the Camperlands article, but my friend said that they are in the same classification as sidecar outfits.  I do stand to be corrected if the relevant info comes from the VoSA.  The Police referred to the VoSA & Dept of Transport & it transpired that no legislation exists at all for a three wheel vehicle towing any trailer.  However, your mirrors must be able to see past the thing & the rules mentioned for braked & un-braked trailers should be used to ensure you can stop the thing.

Steve.

thanks for the replys everyone.

i was under the impression that there were no real laws for trikes apart from they must be able to stop ok with the trailer.mine is a braked tent so i should be ok.

even the DVLA said it was a grey area and could not tell me ehether i could tow it or not.