Towing with a ZS

[talkingcars]

When you are towing with a rope you are not actually controling the other vehicle completly as you would with a trailer.

A basic car licence allows you to tow a trailer with a maximum gross weight (MGW) of 750 kg, passing the towing test lets you get upto a combained weight of 3500 kg MGW.
Previously you could drive up to 7500kg MGW plus a 750kg MGW trailer. Beyond that you get into the releams of operators licences etc.

[Nor]

It's great as a transporter

[zsserbia]

Originally Posted by Nor

It's great as a transporter

A win-win combination of roof spoiler and instantly lowering the car

[Fred68]

Originally Posted by talkingcars

It's not to do with the hp or torque of the engine but the strength of the chassis, when I was a kid a mates dad managed to write off his nearly new Granada 3.5 V6, he was told that 2 horses in his horse box would be over weight but he did it any way and stretched the car by several inches!

Chassis strength and tow bar attachment would be the limiting factor with any tow vehicle but the ZS is no weak design. It's pretty similar to that of the Freelander which is basically a modified Montego floor pressing!! All these cars are are a jumble of parts cobbled together to make what was needed at the time!! The rear of my ZS looks very similar to my Freelander but has half the towing capacity!! There must be more to it than chassis strength which was probably to reduce warentee failures?? But that is just a guess!! The rear suspension on the ZS is a good system but it might be the reason for the low towing weight? Who knows apart from the designers. Just to show an example of odd towing capacity. My Pajero weighs 2100 Kg's and is rated to pull 1800 Kg's which is 300 Kg's less than it's weight. My Terrano I had a few years ago weighed 1950 Kg's but was rated to tow 2800 Kg's so could tow 850 Kg's more than it's weight!! Same with landrovers all except the Freelander are rated to tow 3500 Kg's but weight nowhere near that.

[Adamzs180]

I tow and carry all sorts in my van and on trailers as part of my work and i don't have any towing cat on my licence. I believe it's the weight of your vehicle and the weight your towing. for example i can put 950kg of machinery in my van (max load weight) and then hitch up a trailer and tow that carrying a mini digger and spare buckets as it doesn't exceed the total weight of my van.

[ZS]

Originally Posted by Adamzs180

I tow and carry all sorts in my van and on trailers as part of my work and i don't have any towing cat on my licence. I believe it's the weight of your vehicle and the weight your towing. for example i can put 950kg of machinery in my van (max load weight) and then hitch up a trailer and tow that carrying a mini digger and spare buckets as it doesn't exceed the total weight of my van.

If you passed your test after the law changed (over 10 years ago now) then you could be risking your licence or a fine every time you tow

[Adamzs180]

I passed my test in 98 prob about this time of year as it wasn't long after my 17th bday. I'm sure my insurance has the towing weight on the docs as its a business vehicle and everything i tow needs to be covered incase of accidents (during transit or on site) I'll dig it out and double check. It's very rare i'm that loaded with weight as the van doesn't like to pull very well and if i do take my digger to a job then i won't have a mower on the van as well. Just used that as an example of what i believed to be the way the towing allowances worked. But i could be wrong so don't use this as evidence in court if you get pulled over by the police.

[ZS]

Originally Posted by Adamzs180

I passed my test in 98 prob about this time of year as it wasn't long after my 17th bday. I'm sure my insurance has the towing weight on the docs as its a business vehicle and everything i tow needs to be covered incase of accidents (during transit or on site) I'll dig it out and double check. It's very rare i'm that loaded with weight as the van doesn't like to pull very well and if i do take my digger to a job then i won't have a mower on the van as well. Just used that as an example of what i believed to be the way the towing allowances worked. But i could be wrong so don't use this as evidence in court if you get pulled over by the police.

Yes, but if you havn't taken a towing test then you cannot legally tow more than the maximum gross weight (MGW) of 750 kg

I am unsure of the penalty if you get caught though...

[Adamzs180]

Thats a daft law. so i can put my mini digger on a flat bed van and tow a trailer with other tools in and thats legal but put the tools on the van and the digger on the trailer and it becomes illegal?

I'm not trying to start an argument or anything but it just seems very illogical to me, but then so do a lot of laws.

[ZS]

Originally Posted by Adamzs180

Thats a daft law. so i can put my mini digger on a flat bed van and tow a trailer with other tools in and thats legal but put the tools on the van and the digger on the trailer and it becomes illegal?

I'm not trying to start an argument or anything but it just seems very illogical to me, but then so do a lot of laws.

Well yes... I think thats about the long and short of it! lol