Trailer Towing Lessons/test

[AlanD]

Hi all,

Can anybody point me in the direction of a driving school that can put me through a few lessons, and then the test for towing a trailer?

Would be much appreciated as the only one I've been able to find so far was insisting on giving me 15 lessons, despite not even having seen me drive!

I've reversed trailers on private property before, so I'm thinking I'll only need a few hours worth of lessons to get me into it and then I'll be able to sit the test.

[camcq]

its all down to where you live realy.

[Maxxed_Ross]

there's a good guy in Kincardine that does it if you are in the central belt

I'll be doing the same soon

Edited May 3, 2009 by Maxxed_Ross

[irn_bru]

Done a bit of reading into the laws regarding towing.

Im guessing that you guys passed your driving test after 1997?

It is all a bit hard to understand but if i am correct,you may not actually need to sit a towing test,depending on the weight being towed???

I hope someone with more knowledge can put me right as i am about to start towing a horsebox

Colin.

[Joe G]

You can tow a trailer as long as the trailer and its load does not exceed 750kgs if you passed your test after 1997. Well thats what i was told when i inquired at the local cop shop!!

[G.Mac]

bugger, that means I will need to sit my test, my old paper licence used to have loads of categories on it but when I had to swap it for a photocard one after washing it a load of stuff dissapeared????

looks as if I am going to have to stop driving the tractor towing 3+ tonnes and I wont be able to tow my brothers RIB as it and the trailer comes in at 3.3 tonnes too.

I wonder if I could sit the test using the tractor as its far easier reversing with that than a car...lol

Graeme (looking for an instructor in the Paisley / Glasgow area too)

Edited May 3, 2009 by G.Mac

[Maxxed_Ross]

You can tow a trailer as long as the trailer and its load does not exceed 750kgs if you passed your test after 1997. Well thats what i was told when i inquired at the local cop shop!!

I do a bit of towing with my Defender, and when the other half was moving house I went to hire a box trailer

After spending hours reading up on it I concluded that you could tow up to the Gross weight of the vehicle, so in my case 2.5 tonnes... wrong!

It's all very complicated, but the local hire place said the same thing as above. 750kg un-braked on a normal licence. Anything over that or with a braked trailer you need to sit an additional test

I wonder how many people are towing caravans illegally thinking they are ok?

[AlanD]

Didn't expect so many replies this morning!

Should have said - I'm near Lanark.

Yeah, I'm aware of the 750kg and under law, but that really doesn't allow for much. I want to be able to have a car on the trailer, and when I'm using it for work I'll have steel etc in it.

As above, if you've passed your driving test before 1997 you are allowed to tow anything. Bit of a daft law to be honest since someone who can barely drive a car, but passed their test before 1997 can tow whatever they want, but someone younger with more common sense wouldn't be allowed to. Doesn't exactly make the roads safer but there you go...

To be honest I'd probably travel as far as Kincardine for a good instructor, because as I've said already, the only other one I could find seemed more interested in making money than anything else.

Anybody else?

[Maxxed_Ross]

there's a guy on the Landrover site I'm on involved in some sort of safe towing group, so I'll ask him if there's any he could suggust that are a bit closer

[boab type ra]

i done mine with stewart moffat he is an instrutor with bsm, he is a spot on guy he is based in the newmains area his number 07721639731.

[AlanD]

i done mine with stewart moffat he is an instrutor with bsm, he is a spot on guy he is based in the newmains area his number 07721639731.

I phoned BSM direct and they said they didn't do it anymore. I've seen the guy doing it in Newmains though, so I'll give him a phone. Cheers!

[AlanD]

there's a guy on the Landrover site I'm on involved in some sort of safe towing group, so I'll ask him if there's any he could suggust that are a bit closer

Thanks, would appreciate that.

[Maxxed_Ross]

i done mine with stewart moffat he is an instrutor with bsm, he is a spot on guy he is based in the newmains area his number 07721639731.

turns out this is the same guy I was on about

stuart@towlegal.co.uk or phone 07721 659731

[AlanD]

turns out this is the same guy I was on about

stuart@towlegal.co.uk or phone 07721 659731

Thanks for the help. I've just sent him an email since it's Sunday, don't want to bother the guy by phoning!

[StewartyBoy]

bugger, that means I will need to sit my test, my old paper licence used to have loads of categories on it but when I had to swap it for a photocard one after washing it a load of stuff dissapeared????

looks as if I am going to have to stop driving the tractor towing 3+ tonnes and I wont be able to tow my brothers RIB as it and the trailer comes in at 3.3 tonnes too.

I wonder if I could sit the test using the tractor as its far easier reversing with that than a car...lol

Graeme (looking for an instructor in the Paisley / Glasgow area too)

I used a lad from Barrhead for mine mate, was a while ago now but I'll see if I can dig out his number. Yes you can use a tractor if you have access to one, thats how I sat mine.

[lunball lunan]

ive just passed my test and used a guy in stirling, I did it with a friend and it was around £700 for the 2 of us he gives you a discount if there is 2 people and basically he took me and my mate out and we took it in turns to drive, he uses a nissan xtrail with a box trailer not too big either just enough to legally test. We had 2 lessons starting at 8 in the morning till 4pm saturday then sunday was the same then test was next day on the monday in the morning.

The test is done separately and the test routes are livingston, broxburn, bathgate, and a few other places around that area.

His name is chris and the company is called icu training here is there website http://www.icudrivertraining.co.uk/page8.html

hope this helps you

[AlanD]

ive just passed my test and used a guy in stirling, I did it with a friend and it was around £700 for the 2 of us he gives you a discount if there is 2 people and basically he took me and my mate out and we took it in turns to drive, he uses a nissan xtrail with a box trailer not too big either just enough to legally test. We had 2 lessons starting at 8 in the morning till 4pm saturday then sunday was the same then test was next day on the monday in the morning.

The test is done separately and the test routes are livingston, broxburn, bathgate, and a few other places around that area.

His name is chris and the company is called icu training here is there website http://www.icudrivertraining.co.uk/page8.html

hope this helps you

Cheers for the info.

You've sold the Terzo I see?

[lunball lunan]

Cheers for the info.

You've sold the Terzo I see?

this wouldnt be the alan i bought it from would it?

[scooby222]

think theres any chance of doing a group buy on this? get a discount if a load of us sign up at the same time?

as im an old bugger i got passd on the old system but my other halfs wanting to do this for towing her ponies about

[lunball lunan]

think theres any chance of doing a group buy on this? get a discount if a load of us sign up at the same time?

as im an old bugger i got passd on the old system but my other halfs wanting to do this for towing her ponies about

best bet is to phone chris he really was the cheapest i found, you will need a couple of lessons as it is back to basics im afraid feeding the wheel mirror checks reversing with the trailer emergency stop within the test centre and a hitch and un hitch scenario, it is a bit of a pain as ive been driving for 12 years now and have all the habits while driving lol.

[AlanD]

this wouldnt be the alan i bought it from would it?

Certainly is!

[lunball lunan]

Certainly is!

allright alan i didnt even think when i was reading the thread, yes i have sold the car it is now in aberdeen somewhere, had to sell as boating season starting and car wasnt being used much but what i did use of her was excellent loved the car to bits and regret selling but boat comes first.

so what are you going to tow?

there is ways around it as you probably allready know if you read about it on the net you can tow a combined car and trailer weight up to 3.5 tonnes as long as the trailer doesnt exceed the cars unladen weight.

i tried so hard to find out about this and i actually wouldve probably got away with it as my boat and trailer weighs 1200kg but if i was to add fuel and gear etc things got complicated so i decided to just do the test .

I can now to a combined weight of 7.5 tonnes and i dont think i will ever reach that but you never know

[AlanD]

Oh right. Yeah it was a great car! Still miss it. Last summer when I got it exactly the way I wanted it(new ECU mapped, bumpers tidied up etc) has to be one of the best I've ever had. Was great going for a blast into Glasgow on a Friday night after work when the weather was hot! Think I'm probs looking back with the rose tinted specs on though, lol I did spend a fortune on it!

I'm actually looking for another late UK classic(99/00) now - going to buy a totally standard, low mileage one, and just spend some money on it to get it the way I want it. Maybe have this one just over 300bhp. Was looking at 03/04 ish UK Stis, but think I'd have much more fun modding a car again, and getting it exactly how I wanted it. Could have a mint 300bhp UK Turbo and still have a few thousand to spare off the price of a good blob Sti.

Want the trailer license for work, and towing a track car up to Khill in the future.