406 estate towcar

[cully]

406 estate make a capable tow car to drag a 306 around on a trailer ?

and  i can tow up to 3500KG on my licence

306 curb weight is 1215 kg
406 est curb weight is 1460 kg



remember i need the towcar as a daily too

[Niall]

Why can you only tow up to 3500? Surely you got your licence before 97?

[Danny Wideboy]

^ Useless post right there.^

I would think it would manage it O.K but weigh the trailer to make sure you are not over your MGTW.
Remember you can't tow anything that weighs more than the towing vehicle. If your trailer is 200kg or more you are most likely over weight.

[Niall]

^ Useless post right there.^

I would think it would manage it O.K but weigh the trailer to make sure you are not over your MGTW.
Remember you can't tow anything that weighs more than the towing vehicle. If your trailer is 200kg or more you are most likely over weight.

Not useless at all. If we establish that he can tow up to 7.5T then it may open up possibilities for other cars

[Danny Wideboy]

He has 3.5 towing/7.5 MVW due to old laws.
New license holders are only able to tow 750kg unless a further test is sat.


So yeah. Answering a question with a question may be a bit useless.

[Poodle]

Pretty sure there are multiple splits with regards to when you got your license, i know the oldies can tow more than i can on my standard license, but then i can have a train weight of up to 3.5t. I think Cully is old enough that he can tow anything up to the plated weight of the vehicle, regardless of how heavy said vehicle is.

[welshpug]

406 towing weight iirc is 1600 kg, gvw of 406 is 1800 from memory.

added together thats 3400.

all you need to do is make sure your trailer is no more than 400kg and is plated for 1200 kg, and you'll be fine.


a few mates have had 406 estates and towed with them, coped fine as long as the nose weight was fine, otherwise they'll get a right snake on, dont do what Dan did and think its a bright idea to stick a 205 on backwards...

2.2 hdi is the one to go for if you can find one, the xud9 will struggle.


750 is the unbraked weight, without a trailer test you need to keep the mam of the trailer under the weight of the tow vehicle.

[Poodle]

Well there you go, encyclopedic welshman strikes again.

[welshpug]

my e34's gvw is 2000 kg give or take a few depending on spec, towing weight is 1800kg, without test I have to stay under 3500 train weight so I can only stick 1500 on the towball.

---

This is only my understanding of the laws, it seems many have their own interpretations of them as they are pretty inconclusive

[Danny Wideboy]

It's a grey area but as far as I interpret the law.

With a new style license you may only tow 750kg without a trailer license.

Ask me how I found out and see if you know better than the trained Law Enforcer I was up against.

Anyway, with regards.
A question was asked and a question answered it. I don't think that is a proper answer, is it?

[powerandtorque]

If you don't have B+E entitlement on your licence then the biggest headache you'll come across is the plated weights.

It's easy to be within 3.5t on actual weight - it's somewhat more difficult to do on the plated weights.

Check the MAM for the trailer you intend on towing with along with the GVW for a 406 and see if that comes to less than 3.5 tonnes.

I know I usually borrow a friends C5 and trailer to tow with, the trailer being a small Brian James twin axle that is just about big enough for a 306, and that's only just about within the weight restrictions for a post-97 B licence - something like 50kg from memory. You've no chance with a decent sized trailer or anything bigger as a tow vehicle unless you sit your B+E test.

Oh, and be warned - the Government websites really don't do a good job of explaining the rules (indeed, from memory it is/was actually incorrect in places!)

The actual weight of the trailer can be heavier than the tow car itself (although be careful otherwise you can end up with the tail wagging the dog!) but it must be within the limits for the car to be legal. A quick Google suggests that for a 406 the braked towing limit is 1500kg - so that's going to be a bit of a struggle with a fully trimmed 306 and any sensible trailer I would have thought.

As Danny says, you need to stay within the GTW as well, which isn't too much of an issue with an empty tow vehicle but you need to be careful if you load the towing car up too much with wheels, tools, people etc. Again, a google suggests 3200kg GTW for the 406 (GTW is the maximum actual weight of the tow car and loaded trailer)

[306carter]

Towing laws are pretty confusing. I've recently bought a caravan and spent a lot time researching online and speaking to the DVLA.

I passed my test in 2007. I can tow a trailer up to 750kg un-braked or a trailer exceeding this if the total weight of the car and trailer is less than 3500kgs and is braked. So my car is 1500kgs and caravan is 1410 max plated weight.

Also the car should be more or equal to maximum trailer plated weight.

[cully]

Licences held from 1 January 1997

If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can:

   drive a vehicle up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
   tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

For anything heavier you need to take a category B+E driving test.


Licences held before 1 January 1997

If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you’re generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM.

This is the weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely when it’s being used on the road.

You also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM.

ok ok i got my licence from the cornflakes box in 1988

so that means i can tow less that 8250kg thats tow car MAM + Trailer MAM ?

[Danny Wideboy]

Aye.


Lucky (old) git.

[306carter]

Licences held from 1 January 1997

If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can:

   drive a vehicle up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
   tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

For anything heavier you need to take a category B+E driving test.


Licences held before 1 January 1997

If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you’re generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM.

This is the weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely when it’s being used on the road.

You also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM.

ok ok i got my licence from the cornflakes box in 1988

so that means i can tow less that 8250kg thats tow car MAM + Trailer MAM ?

Yes. But I still believe the car has to weight more or equal the trailers maximum plated weight. The MTPLM.

[Niall]

Stop getting shitty Danny, its not helping anyone.

Paul the best thing i would suggest is reading the rules on it all your self. Its really quite unclear and there are so many different interpretations on it so the best thing is, make your own mind up and if you end up with the police ticking you off, you only have your self to blame

[miles]

Christ I hooked up around a 4 ton trailer on my old 406 and it moved it without any effort around a large yard, but for anything 306 wise I never really noticed towing it, But check which 406 it is as the old derv ones are crap at towing so I'd always go V6 petol, no lag and good torque

[Dum-Dum]

Remember that legally the weight you are towing is the Maximum Gross Weight of the trailer (even if it is empty) So if you have one of those massive Brian James triple axle trailers that can take about 5 tonne even if it only weighs 500kg if you were towing it with a 406 you'd be breaking the law as it would be over the max towing weight of the 406

Does that make sense?









Also as much as all the stuff in this thread is said you'd have to be unlucky to get pulled over if it looked vaguely legal and even more unlucky to find a police officer who actually understands the laws on it.

[Ben_w]

Citroen Xantia TD....

I borrowed one to pull my rallye number 2 out over the tops of the Yorkshire dales. Wouldn't set any speed records but was bloody awesome. Self levelling rear suspension is VERY useful when towing too......

[THE_Liam]

Right, first of all, towing laws. Awful lot of bollocks being talked in this thread, and none of it relevant to you Paul because you have the older license. The issue you have is all 406s have a max towing weight of 1500kg, which as said is going to be very tight with any 306 on a trailer, vast majority of decent trailers are 300kg and above, leaving 1200kg which even a stripped 306 isn't far under. To be honest, for towing cars on trailers, you want a 4x4.

As a towcar, the 406 is brilliant. My 406 has towed a twin axle caravan weighing roughly 1500kg, obviously I wasn't driving because I don't have the right license It was pretty stable even in sidewinds with some snaking, and although it took a while to get up to speed it didn't feel overly stressed and would cruise at 60 on the flat just fine, and even maintained 50mph up the M62 over Saddleworth Moor which is one of the steepest motorway hills in the country. Bear in mind mine is only the 90, a 110 or 136 would be much better. Braking with that weight on was just about good enough, although I reckon it might be a slight issue if your brakes aren't quite in top condition. Put my 800kg caravan on it, and honestly I can forget it's there, it doesn't even notice it. One thing I have learnt though, is that if your on wet grass with a heavy trailer, a front wheel drive car on road tyres will struggle. Rear wheel drive is better but not much, while 4x4 makes it a piece of piss.

What I'd say having done a lot of towing, is that if you get a light trailer you might be just about legal and the car will do it, but towing is difficult and tiring especially if the car isn't overly capable. I'd recommend if you're gonna do it a lot, get a car that can do it easily. My caravan is about half the 406 towing weight and it's a piece of piss to tow with, but with the big twin axle it was much harder. It can do it, but it isn't easy and when you're supposed to be doing it for fun you want it to be easy, which is why I changed my mind about towing with a 306 and got the 406.

I'd say you want a smaller 4x4, something like a Disco or Shogun. I'd have one, but a Disco has a 3000kg gross weight, added to my caravans max weight of 820kg takes me over what my license can do, but for you that'd be no problem.

[cully]

hmmm may have to rethink a little as a 4x4 would be out of the question for a daily drive to work

[THE_Liam]

hmmm may have to rethink a little as a 4x4 would be out of the question for a daily drive to work

Maybe even just something a bit bigger and more powerful then. The Volvo V70 tows really well, so does the Saab 9-5 and you can get decent diesel engines in both.

To be honest though, it won't tow that weight as easily as a 4x4 would.

[welshpug]

how about an E39, the saloon has a sizeable boot too, towing weight of them vary between 1800 and 2000kgm BMW's tow very very well.

[Danny Wideboy]

Stop getting shitty Danny, its not helping anyone.

Lol,  wasn't getting shitty,  quite the opposite.

[Poodle]

Stop getting shitty Danny, its not helping anyone.

Stop being a dick because you don't want to admit you made a piggy post, it's not helping anyone.

I have nothing more of use to contribute aside from a vague memory of old mercs and volvos having daft plated weights.

[silverzx]

BMW 330D / 335D touring.

[Danny Wideboy]

Stop getting shitty Danny, its not helping anyone.

Stop being a dick because you don't want to admit you made a piggy post, it's not helping anyone.

Repped.

[Welshy_Pete]

I passed my test in 1999 I could only drive a car and van up to 3.5t.

Now I have since 2014 I have upgrades which include B+E.
C1 7.5t with 750kg trailer
C1+E 7.5t with trailer 4.5t
C 44t with 750kg trailer

[miles]

It's as bad as seeing Transit's loaded up with even small cars, the max axle weight is normally exceeded.

But as said I towed upto Scotland and back with my 309 on the back of the 406 and it was a joy at motorway speeds, Only very steep hills slowed it and was averaging around 25mpg with it on the back