Now that I have a car that is capable of towing, I’m contemplating future endeavours (mostly around camping, as the tiddler gets old enough to enjoy this). I’m trying to get my head around exactly what I am and am not allowed to do, in relation to the various mass ratings.
So, the M3 has the following:
GVW - 2232 kg
GCW - 3232 kg
The V5 states:
Technical permissible maximum towable mass of trailer - 1000 kg (braked and unbraked, although the manual says anything over 750 kg needs to be braked)
I have a newer style licence with no B+E entitlement, so I’m limited to:
Vehicle MAM up to 3500 kg + trailer MAM up to 750 kg
or
Combined MAM of both vehicle and trailer not exceeding 3500 kg
The GCW of the M3 is under 3500 kg, so I’m limited by the car, rather than my licence.
I think Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM), Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM) all have effectively the same meaning. I’m happy to be schooled on this, if incorrect.
So, as long as all the above is correct, here’s the query:
I gather I can tow any trailer up to 1000 kg GVW/MAM/MTPLM.
However, I was looking at a trailer tent that has a MRO of 800 kg and a MTPLM of 1050 kg (so 250 kg of extra cargo capacity). As the totals of both the vehicle and the trailer would still be under 3500 kg, would I legally be allowed to tow the trailer with a MTPLM of 1050 kg as long as I didn’t load it above 1000 kg? Or does the 1000 kg towing limit of the M3 limit the MAM/GVW/MTPLM of the trailer, even if this is not loaded up above 1000 kg?
I appreciate there are other considerations, such a tongue weight (M3 has a seemingly generous 100 kg tongue weight limit) and car to trailer weight ratio, which in this case appears irrelevant as the car is considerably heaver than the towing limit.
So, the M3 has the following:
GVW - 2232 kg
GCW - 3232 kg
The V5 states:
Technical permissible maximum towable mass of trailer - 1000 kg (braked and unbraked, although the manual says anything over 750 kg needs to be braked)
I have a newer style licence with no B+E entitlement, so I’m limited to:
Vehicle MAM up to 3500 kg + trailer MAM up to 750 kg
or
Combined MAM of both vehicle and trailer not exceeding 3500 kg
The GCW of the M3 is under 3500 kg, so I’m limited by the car, rather than my licence.
I think Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM), Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM) all have effectively the same meaning. I’m happy to be schooled on this, if incorrect.
So, as long as all the above is correct, here’s the query:
I gather I can tow any trailer up to 1000 kg GVW/MAM/MTPLM.
However, I was looking at a trailer tent that has a MRO of 800 kg and a MTPLM of 1050 kg (so 250 kg of extra cargo capacity). As the totals of both the vehicle and the trailer would still be under 3500 kg, would I legally be allowed to tow the trailer with a MTPLM of 1050 kg as long as I didn’t load it above 1000 kg? Or does the 1000 kg towing limit of the M3 limit the MAM/GVW/MTPLM of the trailer, even if this is not loaded up above 1000 kg?
I appreciate there are other considerations, such a tongue weight (M3 has a seemingly generous 100 kg tongue weight limit) and car to trailer weight ratio, which in this case appears irrelevant as the car is considerably heaver than the towing limit.