B+E test with a caravan
I currently have a car and caravan with a combined gross weight < 3500KG, which means I am fine to tow on a normal car licence.
We are thinking of upgrading, and it seems everything towards the more fancy end of the market is heavier!
I am therefore considering doing the B+E test. The courses can easily come to >£600, so because I have plenty experience towing and reversing into tight storage pitches, I am considering going straight for the test.
There are lots of Youtube videos which explain exactly what you need to do, e.g. the reversing exercise, and hitching/unhitching must be done in a precise order. The hardest part seems to be the 1 hour drive to "test standards", i.e. moving your head to look in the mirrors etc.
There are rules about the trailer you can bring:
https://www.gov.uk/car-trailer-driving-test/trailer-rules
Interestingly it's permitted to use a combination under 3500kg for the test.
Most driving schools use the smallest trailer capable of carrying the 600kg load, but a caravan would also fulfill the weight requirements (>1000kg MAM, >600kg load). Obviously this would be preferable as I wouldn't have to hire a trailer or pay for lessons to use a driving school vehicle.
I was wondering if anyone has done the test using a caravan?
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Personally I would book one lesson with a driving instructor who specialises in that test - and ask him to do a mock exam B+E run through with you - and use his trailer for the test .That won't cost you £600.
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You're best bet is to contact a local driving school that caters for the B + E test. They will be best placed to advise you on the vehicle/trailer combination requirements.
I've seen loads of people attending a test centre for the test but I've never seen or heard of a caravan being used.
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I looked into this and came to the conclusion that £600 Is the best course of action. It’s not just the car or trailer you are paying for. It’s the instructors knowledge of the test routes and ‘gotchas’ that the examiners will use.
stop junctions, no entry unless exit clear junctions, areas where they will pull you over and ask you to continue, speed limits etc
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How much does it cost to take the test? The worst that can happen is you could fail. With your level of experience you ought to pass. Let us know how you get on.
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I think you have to use a trailer laden either with a secured load of bags of aggregates or a specific type of water container and would not be keen on having either in my caravan. Otherwise, using a caravan as trailer would probably meet the other technical requirements.
I agree that it is worth getting some professional and/or experienced advice first.
My beef is that I do not see any point to any of this and I wish the clubs and other motoring organisations would campaign against the present 3500kg limit.
I am fortunate to be old enough to have this on my licence anyway (so can tow a combination up to 8.25t), but appreciate that we are (literally) a dying breed.
I first towed a 1t trailer carrying a boat using a medium sized FWD car. I towed it around the UK from Devon to Scotland and across Europe to Croatia, Montenegro and Hungary. Getting off a slippery slipway was the biggest problem (unhitch and tow off with a rope).
I later towed a 1.2t caravan with a FWD family car that had limited towing capacity. The "bow wave" from passing coaches was probably the biggest problem, but even then, not a severe one.
Neither car had a reversing camera, so initial hitching up was a bit difficult, but I nearly always had a passenger to help guide me. Same when reversing. If it starts to go wrong, stop, get out have a good look and then adjust or if necessary start again. The test may expect you to do it on your own, but you should always use help and a lookout if they are available.
Later I used a 4WD car to tow a 1.8t twin-axle caravan and a 2.1t twin-axle horse trailer. There are a few significant differences due to size, wind loading, trailer length and the nature of the load, but none that you don't soon learn. Twin axle trailers are slightly more stable than a single axle, but harder to manouvre. 4WD certainly helps, particularly with all-terrain tyres. I also first learnt the wonders of having a reversing camera (even when not towing). Watching the nearside on narrow winding country lanes is probably the hardest part - particular care being needed for overhanging beaches and potholes.
Now I also have a smaller 1.5t caravan and a mid-range 4WD tow car (1.8t limit). When not towing (a lot of the time), it is more economical.
I did need to learn the proper way to hitch up, take sharp corners, keep in lane (or clearly take up two lanes if they are too tight and narrow), the relevant rules, how to load and, of course, reverse. However, I have never had a driving problem specifically related to towing.
Only the caravans have had a hitch stabiliser and the wheel-braking stability system. The boat and horse trailer have a "plain" or "loose" hitch.
No doubt many others have more experience than me, but I feel that it is enough to comment. I don't think a novice driver should tow. You need to have a few years experience of the hazards of normal driving under your belt before adding a additional set of issues to consider. Having said that, towing, or at least the sort of towing we are talking about, is not that hard.
1. Having towed both below and above the 3500kg limit, there is no material difference just due to weight (length is probably more significant). If there is an argument for a "simple rule", an increase to (say) 4500kg would meet the needs of the caravan, marine and equestrian users (who are the majority of amateur towing drivers), save a lot of cost and hassle and make no difference to safety.;
2. Current "B+E" car and towing weight rules are undoubtedly quite complicated, but IMO weight restrictions should be related to actual weights, not artificial ones. As for the standard "B" test, an additional online test would ensure towing drivers knew the loading rules, speed limits etc. Sticking to a plated weight does not in any way prevent overloading and does not help understand how the relative weights affect stability. They merely generate an artificial bureaucratic limit and, worse, push drivers into selecting lighter cars (or even downplaying them) to tow a load that may otherwise take the combination over 3500kg - which reduces, not improves safety;
3. I have seen no evidence that the 3500kg limit is safer than any higher figure. There are accidents involving caravans and some also exceed the speed limits, They also occur with vehicles that are not towing and many of them exceed the speed limits. Is there any evidence that towing is involved in disproportionately more accidents? From my experience, I suspect a higher proportion of drivers towing caravans and horse trailers stay below the relevant speed limits.
4. The 3500kg limit also results in impractically low payloads for caravans and van-based horse boxes. This results in many being downplated by manufacturers and most being used "overloaded";
5. The current price and hassle of obtaining a "+E" add on to a "B" Licence is disproportionately high and the test procedures and test vehicle limits are very artificial. I don't think they include "how to load" both the towing vehicle and the trailer either.
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Come on Jamesss, tell us how you got on.
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