why are used trailers so expensive?

AdrianC

Herzlos wrote: »

I've never figured out how you can get to the 8250kg B+E allowance though, since the max vehicle weight is 3500kg and max trailer weight is also 3500kg (so 7000kg total).

Which is why B+E doesn't have an 8,250kg cap.

https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

Category B+E
You can drive a category B vehicle with a trailer when they have a combined weight over 3,500kg.

...but...

Category C1
You can drive vehicles weighing between 3,500 and 7,500kg (with a trailer up to 750kg).

Category C1+E
You can drive C1 category vehicles with a trailer over 750kg, but the trailer - when fully loaded - can’t weigh more than the vehicle.
The combined weight of both can’t exceed 12,000kg.

But for anybody with just a pre-97 car licence, that final sentence is capped by...
https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-codes

107 - not more than 8,250 kilograms

Iceweasel

Herzlos wrote: »

I've never figured out how you can get to the 8250kg B+E allowance though, since the max vehicle weight is 3500kg and max trailer weight is also 3500kg (so 7000kg total).

That's because of the 'grandfather's rights' that I alluded to in the exemptions from the EU rules.

A pre-97 car test only driver also has the entitlement to drive a goods vehicle up to 7.5tonnes - the typical 'bread-van' sort of thing which is category C.

Everyone is also permitted to tow a light 750Kg max trailer.

So you get the somewhat artificial limit of 7.5tonnes plus 750Kg which gives you the 8.25tonne threshold.

Edit - I see Adrian has beaten me to it with the explanation. LOL

wiltsguy_2

the fines for breaking such rules can be as high as £5k!
we tow our horses with a Range rover, but see so many people toewing them with cars or small 4x4(Freelanders/CRVs) and feel sorry for the poor horse/other road users they put in danger!

A friend of ours tows her horses with a 306 estate!! udder madness!

If you are going to tow-get a vehicle that can legally tow - simples!

AdrianC

wiltsguy wrote: »

A friend of ours tows her horses with a 306 estate!! udder madness!

Can you not tell the difference between horses and cows?

wiltsguy_2

AdrianC wrote: »

Can you not tell the difference between horses and cows?

lol! only when served on a plate!!

Iceweasel

wiltsguy wrote: »

the fines for breaking such rules can be as high as £5k!
we tow our horses with a Range rover, but see so many people toewing them with cars or small 4x4(Freelanders/CRVs) and feel sorry for the poor horse/other road users they put in danger!

A friend of ours tows her horses with a 306 estate!! udder madness!

If you are going to tow-get a vehicle that can legally tow - simples!

I agree - I used to have a Freelander and although it was listed as having the capability to tow 2tonne max and while not illegal it was fairly underpowered with 2tonne on the back. The Auto-box TD4 diesel is a great engine/combo - but really wasn't up to the job.

A re-start on a hill was something to be avoided.

My 2.9litre diesel Sprinter is perfect for the big trailer - little wind resistance either, which is something many people forget about.

getmore4less

The cost of ownership of a trailer is so low people keep them just in case.

You get rid when it takes up space or you no longer have a towbar.

londonTiger

Herzlos wrote: »

You'll find they go for either nearly new for decent ones, and peanuts for the pretty much scrap ones.

Partially because if you buy a nearly new one, you don't have to built it / get it built / get it delivered. Thankfully my first one fitted inside the car and took an afternoon to assemble, but most people would likely have to pay £50+ delivery + an assembly cost.

Now you have to get braked ones professionally assembled, which means they can't even be flat packed. My newer one took 8 weeks to build plus a 3 hour round trip for collection (because I didn't want to pay £100 for deliver).

So a used one is potentially worth more than a yet-to-be-ordered one.


Have you checked if there's anywhere near you that you can hire one?

Have you also looked at older ones? Mechanically they are pretty simple, so there's no reason you couldn't use that that is 30+ years old if it's been looked after. My oldest one was built from an Austin 1000 axle so circa 1960-1970.


Have you also checked what your license will let you use? You run the risk of being overweight for a Mk 4 golf pretty easily. The 5x4's your looking at will likely be 650-750kg MAM, which I'd bet is over the unbraked rating for a Golf (as it's higher than some Passats).

The trailer regulations are a complicated pain in the rear but it's worth at lleast trying to do it legally

A lot of the cheaper trailers that are £150 ish price range on gumtree are wood/heavy steel ones.

For that sort of size they're going to be used for light loads (most likely on low powered cars). The problem with them is that they're quite beefy and heavy and take up too much valuable weight that could be use for the goods.

The aluminium ones tend to be quite expensive.

haven't look at the weight restrictions, but I won't be carrying anything too heavy or big. Max load on the trailers I'm looking at is 400kgish so I would have thought it would be well within the safe limits. Small box trailers are allowed on my license - I just presumed my license will allow the carriage of the load because it's so small.

Basically doing some landscaping - digging out layers of sandy soil and dropping it off council tip and collecting bags of good soil from various people on gumtree.

It will be short trips, so I can just do the job on smaller load multi trips if need be so not too concered about max load limits for now.

Herzlos

Your license will cover you for any trailer as long as it meets the weight criteria mentioned above.

The reason the aluminium ones are more expensive is because of the weight, and they tend to be capable of being stored upright. The heavy steel ones are probably 20 years old already and will keep going forever. Plus they are easier to repair.

If you're moving a lot of heavy stuff, then buy the heaviest trailer you can budget for, and you won't regret it. I made do with a 400kg Erde 122 for years and managed up to about 7 dump runs in a day. Now I've got a 6x4 I can take about 3 times as much weight in a single run it's just so much easier.

That said, if it's just a single DIY project, then just buy a cheap one, use it for a month and then sell it on again and you should get your money back.

Iceweasel

Are you sure that you really mean aluminium?

Those little trailers like the Erde ones at Halfords are made of galvanised steel sheet.

They are pricey at £250 to £450 and carry from 300 to 500Kg - so well within limits for most small cars.

Have you got a mate with a Halfords Trade Card - get him/her to do a price check as there may be a considerable trade discount.

Bags of sand/earth and rubble are heavy - have you tried weighing the typical bag of sandy soil you intend carrying?

If buying 2nd hand be very careful checking that the wiring is good and all the lights work.

Those little tyres are very prone to perishing if left in the sun in a garden as most folks store them outside.