Marlin towing caravan

[b_caswell]

Doug and Liz on their travels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZaCUbEdwX4

[wiggiesworld]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

Well I've seen Danny's Eriba Puck that he tows to Stoneleigh but that youTube van is quite a size compared to the car, be interesting to see how it compares weight-wise against the weight of the car

[lizbillings]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

We can't remember where we were going and when it was taken. Could have been Scotland!

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

What is the legality of fitting a tow bar to a Marlin.

Surely, all modern tow bar installations and trailers have to be of an approved type and that won’t exist for a Marlin. But I guess there is a cut off date.

Here in Spain, when you present your vehicle for an ITV (MOT) test, part of the inspection certificate has a photograph of the vehicle, not the front, but the rear, essentially to detect whether a towbar has been fitted. If so, the ITV tester requires to see a certificate of installation detailing load ratings etc.

Trailers of greater than 750kg net weight require their own individual ITV, and carry their own individual registration plate. Usually for domestic use, the test is completed at the same as the towing vehicle. Any trailer must also carry the registration number of the towing vehicle, though this can be freely swapped around.

It seems that Spain is particularly concerned on this issue, probably due to the more rural areas where almost everybody has a smallholding and produce or animals need transporting by trailer.

[keith_h]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

In the UK, one of the restrictions of having a medically restricted license is that you are not permitted to tow more than 750kgs

[Cameron F]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

iirc its 1998 (S reg). Cars fitted with towbars prior to that date can have non-approved towbars. I could be wrong though.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

Keith throws in an interesting fact, Marlin owners and me are generally ageing, people need to be aware of limitations. Spain operates a similar system so I suspect it is europe wide. But is that 750kg laden or unladen? Is a weighbridge required?


But I also gather, not that it effects me, that there are different considerations that came into force in 1997.

Its all rather obscure. For example I can drive my Trike in Europe because my car licence was issued before 2013 but in the UK I can ride because I am over 21.

I am thinking this is a minefield. I was considering towing my Trike on a trailer from Spain back to the UK. I might be legal but in an emergency a nephew for, for example, may or may not be! Unified EU wide legislation would be a bonus, but that’s not about to happen, or wil there be subtle changes, certainly for commercial drivers.

[b_caswell]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

I tow my folder with the roadster see my Avatar

[dave_clutterbuck]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

If the trailer is plated at 750kg it is fine to tow it

If it is overweight when unladen or laden it becomes a problem if weighed by VOSA

[philcoyle]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

there is no need to guess or risk a fine. if you are towing correctly, look at https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car. A lot of horse box trailer drivers find themselves in , well it might be horse poo, when towing, forgetting about the total weight of trailer and possible burgers in the box.
Its a minefield and a mixture of Maximum Authorised Mass , when you passed your test before 1 Jan 97 or after. i.e. a Disco cannot tow the same load as a Defender even if they are made by Land rover.

p.s. I spent most of my working life dragging a 40ft trailer around Europe, I retired 5 years ago , European laws making life difficult again.

[b_caswell]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

If you are towing a non braked trailer its MGW(max gross weight) can only be half the towing vehicle weight so most Marlins would have to have a non braked trailer plated MGW at less than 750kg even if its empty.

[dave_clutterbuck]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

I recall re plating business trailers to achieve a GVW of below 3500KG, to avoid installing tachograph,s to cars

[lizbillings]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

Our comments on the above are:-
1. Cabrio towing hitch designed and manufactured by Marlin - extra bracing bar on ours made to order by Tornado Motorsport.

2. Cabrio weighs approximately 960 kgs or more empty. Sierra saloon weighs between 1025 - 1135 kgs.

3. Caravan 760kgs empty, 1000kgs max gross weight (unlikely to reach this in use without a lot of cargo).

4. Car on the road since 1993 so not subject to any type approval legislation regarding tow bar or train weight limits.

5.We have been towing heavy trailers with livestock or vehicles loaded on them since 1974 and I have 40 years experience driving HGV artics up to 44 tons. I think we ought to cope with a small caravan.

Liz & Doug

[HairyDave]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

Those of us of a more mature age are more used to thinking for ourselves. If a trailer/caravan feels right it probably is, if the tail was the dog it isn't. A ball hitch on the front is great for manoeuvring too. To be honest I wouldn't fancy a big van behind a Marlin on a motorway.

[Alan B Gloucester]

Re: Marlin towing caravan

A few years ago before I had a Berlinetta I used to cruise the inland waterways with a 2 3/4 ton (on trailer 23ft long) trail boat all over various canals for over ten years For which I had a 4x4. To make it more enjoyable for towing I had not one but two snake bars fitted.(those day's have since ended). Now as some of you know, I tour with a fully loaded trailer without the need of a snake bar, & it's a pleasure to pull all over the place behind the Berli. When on Holidays including rallies & Stoneleigh. So yes experience does count. For all those who enjoy towing long may it be so.