A frames to tow classic

[TerryG]

I'm always shocked at the number of people who have a licence that allows them to tow a caravan who can't reverse one. Mind you I also know some 16 year olds that could reverse a tractor and bowser like they have been doing it every day for 10 years (farmers kids, they seem to have been born to drive tractors).
Ignoring the legal requirements for a moment, If you haven't towed a large trailer (as in one large enough you can't pick it up and move it) before it may be worth having a couple of lessons. After a rather embarrassing incident involving me and a twin axle car trailer I took some. It was in the farm yard rather than on the public highway as I too passed my test after 1997.

[3xpendable]

.....does that mean I am able to drive his 4x4 towing the boat without taking the B + E test?

It does rather look that way. 1200Kg seems really light for a typical, modern 4x4, is it some form of classic one, or a Fiat Panda with a dead body in the boot?

My bad, it's 1600kg. It's an old Jeep Cherokee. Still that and the boat almost certainly come in at less than 3500kg, so that's great news! Thanks JPB I'll double check with the DVLA but that's made my day.

Terry, farm kid growing up here too (guilty as charged) so I'm quite experienced with big trailers. However as per your advice I would be getting some extra practice and tips.

[sierra3dr]

I have lost the right to drive anything over 3500kg and a minibus with more than 8 seats. Doesn't matter though as if I need to move anything heavy I'll borrow a neighbours JCB fasttrac as they have left me with my tractor licence.

If you can get 8 people in a digger bucket,you should be alright

[Topaz]

I'm always shocked at the number of people who have a licence that allows them to tow a caravan who can't reverse one.

That'll be me then . . . . . . . no not really true - had a variety of trailer tents over the years as the kids were growing up and never needed to reverse as we just pushed it on the pitch. When we got rid of the trailer tent (and the kids) we got a caravan. Both the Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravan Club run their own one day training courses to help give that bit of added confidence. Must admit that even after doing the course I'm nervous trying to reverse and have to stop and think which way to turn the wheel. If we get stuck the newer and bigger van has a motor mover fitted. Of course most of the time the biggest problem is SWMBO as she insists on standing and directing me from behind the van and completely out of sight of the mirrors

[tractorman]

One tip that may help - try putting your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and then move it to the left if you want the van to go left - or right if you want the trailer to go right! I learnt that a long time after I started farming and it doesn't work for me - I reverse trailers without thinking, so automatically "convert" my steering!

The hardest things to reverse are low and small with short drawbars - trailer tents come into that sort of category, but rollers (agricultural ones) were always next to impossible - bearing in mind that we used to have competitions to see how fast we could reverse with a trailer behind us at the second farm I worked on! My brother in law retired from HGV driving a year ago and started with wagons when he joined the army (he drove artics when he was 17 or 18 but had to do a "class 1" test after leaving the army as the trailer braking etc was different!) Although he has a caravan, he used to say that reversing an artic and trailer was a lot easier than reversing a caravan (or tractor) as the trailer was so much longer and the (artic) tractor was relatively short.

Edit - another tip: try to end up with the car at an angle to the van so you can see along the side of the van as you reverse into a gap. I used to pull along the front of barns etc and reverse "round the corner" into the bay with cattle trailers and loads of hay. If you reverse around a RH corner, you can see the end of the van and, if you know there's space on the left of the van, you don't really need anyone watching it!

[rolydog2001]

Indeed ALL the recovery units that the AA/RAC use are fully braked, but the vehicles also have a restriction on mileage as well agreed with DVLA/VOSA Thats one of the reasons you get so many change overs on long journeys. I work for one of the above and often go out to cars attempting to recover cars using a frames and burnt out a clutch!
Roly