Can I tow a lake boat without a trailer license

Hunter101

Hi all, in a bit of a quandary, can I legally tow a lake boat on a single axle trailer on Irish roads without a trailer license?

Estimated weight of 600kg inc. trailer and overall length of approx. 21'.

Either behind a car or 4WD.

Any info appreciated, thanks in advance,
Hunter

sonique 2016

you can, but you may not

murria

Afraid not. It doesn't matter what's in the trailer, dimensions, weight, etc. If you don't have a trailer licence you can't tow a trailer.

rabwaygal

Pretty sure your OK with a single Axel trailor.

Have a look here:
https://www.ndls.ie/cars-and-trailers.html#what-aside-from-the-licence-affects-my-right-to-tow-a-trailer

The vehicle maximum towable weight comes into play but you should be grand.

Hunter101

Thanks guys, just wanted to make sure, is the test hard passed

Del2005

murria wrote: »

Afraid not. It doesn't matter what's in the trailer, dimensions, weight, etc. If you don't have a trailer licence you can't tow a trailer.

You can tow a trailer once the combination doesn't exceed 3.5t and the car is rated to tow the DGVW or MAN of the trailer on a B licence. You don't need 4x4 for double axle trailers.

Del2005

Hunter101 wrote: »

Thanks guys, just wanted to make sure, is the test hard passed

With enough practice and a suitable vehicle for the test it isn't.

colm_mcm

Once the combination of the MAM of the car and trailer combined doesn't exceed 3.5t. That's the catch.

murria

It's difficult enough. One part is reversing the trailer which isn't simple. I didn't have to do a test as I got it put on my licence back in the days before you needed it. But nowadays you have to do the test, you're not insured without it.

Del2005

murria wrote: »

It's difficult enough. One part is reversing the trailer which isn't simple.

If you can't reverse a trailer don't put one on the back of your car.

Reversing a trailer is a skill which must be practiced constantly. I've drawn silage, pulled bike trailers behind cars and have a CE licence, but I haven't drawn a trailer in years. Put me in a vehicle with a trailer behind it tomorrow and I'll be jack knifed in seconds, give me 30 minutes in a big enough space and I'll be grand.

Del2005

Deedsie wrote: »

You are both licensed and insured to drive with a trailer on a B license as long as the combined weight of car and trailer does not exceed 3500kg.

Once you inform the insurance company of the tow bar modification.

murria

Del2005 wrote: »

You can tow a trailer once the combination doesn't exceed 3.5t and the car is rated to tow the DGVW or MAN of the trailer on a B licence. You don't need 4x4 for double axle trailers.

I stand corrected. On my licence the only category that refers to towing is B + E. I assumed that was the case for all trailers. Apologies.

JBokeh

Del2005 wrote: »

If you can't reverse a trailer don't put one on the back of your car.

Reversing a trailer is a skill which must be practiced constantly. I've drawn silage, pulled bike trailers behind cars and have a CE licence, but I haven't drawn a trailer in years. Put me in a vehicle with a trailer behind it tomorrow and I'll be jack knifed in seconds, give me 30 minutes in a big enough space and I'll be grand.

You'd get it in perfectly in one shot so long as nobody is watching you :pac: Any bit of an audience and you have the thing tied in a knot in no time!

cplwhisper

Cat B licence has a combined 3500kg limit but without the E+ test the trailer with load weight from towbar back is 750kg

If the cart is too big for the horse the Garda will stop ya

Del2005

cplwhisper wrote: »

Cat B licence has a combined 3500kg limit but without the E+ test the trailer with load weight from towbar back is 750kg

If the cart is too big for the horse the Garda will stop ya

The only thing that a 750kg trailer has on a B licence is if the MAN of the trailer is less your combination can be 4.25t. Even with EB if you over load the hitch capacity the RSA will do you

cplwhisper

RSA data cat B
"Vehicles (other than motorcycles, mopeds, work vehicles or land tractors) having a MAM1 not exceeding 3,500 kg, designed and constructed for the carriage of no more than eight passengers in addition to the driver.

The vehicle may tow a trailer (a) where the MAM of the trailer is not greater than 750 kg or (b) where the MAM of the trailer exceeds 750kg the combined MAM of the towing vehicle and the trailer is not greater than 3,500 kg.

Quadricycles (other than those covered by AM) are also covered by this category."

the beer revolu

sonique 2016 wrote: »

you can, but you may not

Ah, so smart and so wrong.
Bet you feel clever now?

_Brian

So much incorrect information on this thread it really is alarming how little people know about their liscence details. Add to that it's covered with a "can I tow x" thread every six weeks or so !!

B liscence covers.

Combined design gross vehicle weight of trailer and towvehicle up to 3500kgs , except if the tow vehicle has a DGVW of 3500kgs then you can still tow a 750kg DGVW trailer.

The trailer gross weight is not restricted to 750kgs.

You must obey the towing capacity of the towing vehicle as given by the manufacturer.

It matters not if it's single, double or triple axle if it respects the DGVW limits above.

It's the DGVW that counts not the actual load, meaning you can't use a huge trailer to carry a small load as the design capacity of the trailer will exceed your liscence limits.

Look up the RSA website folks it's all there and it's easy to follow.

beauf

Del2005 wrote: »

If you can't reverse a trailer don't put one on the back of your car.

Reversing a trailer is a skill which must be practiced constantly. I've drawn silage, pulled bike trailers behind cars and have a CE licence, but I haven't drawn a trailer in years. Put me in a vehicle with a trailer behind it tomorrow and I'll be jack knifed in seconds, give me 30 minutes in a big enough space and I'll be grand.

I might not use a trailer for a long time, like a year or two, but never have a problem with when I use it. Have no trouble reversing it up a drive way or doing a three pointer. It generally not a long trailer. That might be a different ball game.

beauf

beauf wrote: »

It generally not a long trailer. That might be a different ball game.

The opposite in fact, a longer trailer is actually a lot easier to handle than a short one. Most people without experience think short would be easier but a long one is far far easier to reverse with than a short one.

beauf

Never had a long trailer. Only thing that made it harder for me is if the trailer is narrower than the towing vehicle as you cant see it in the mirrors.

Must be easier these days with cameras etc. Depends on your spatial awareness looking through mirrors and screens. I suppose.