Trailer Weight

[MrPickles73]

I'm going around in circles on max trailer weight I can tow so I am hoping someone can help me..

So the weight our truck can tow is 3.5te. The kerb weight of the truck is 2.2te. The trailer weighs 1.4te empty and can take up to 3 horses / ponies.

So I understand that legally the weight being towed cannot exceed 3.5te (trailer + horses + stuff).
So 3.5te - 1.4te trailer means I can take 2.1te of horses and equipment?

However I then found this suggestion of an 80% rule to allow for a safety margin. So then 0.8 x 3.5te = 2.8te. So if the trailer weighs 1.4te I can have 1.4te of horses and equipment in the trailer? So that I can do (I've got 1.3-1.4te of horses - 2 horses and a pony)

However to add to the confusion there's then a caravan towing guideline which says you should tow more than 85% of the kerb weight of your car. So 0.85 x 2.2te = 1.9te. Given my trailer itself weighs 1.4te then the most I can add is 500kg of horse i.e. one horse? So surely this is pointless selling 3 horse trailers if you can only take 1 horse (even 3 Shetlands may weigh more than 500kg??).

Am I ok to ignore this caravan 85% rule? How is everyone else working these things out? What is the correct approach.

Many thanks

As far as I’m aware, the 80% ‘rule’ is a guideline for caravaners who tend to drive lower-powered cars and are towing bigger but lighter loads. I used to tow a 511 with a Touareg with a 3.5 towing capacity - it was absolutely fine with two horses in it. I’d not have been particularly keen on towing the 3-horse trailers but that’s mainly because they look a bit squished for the horses and it would be a very long combination to reverse. As long as the weight of the trailer plus weight of horses etc is within 3.5 you’re within the rules - obviously the heavier the load, the more wear and tear on the car. I don’t think there are any domestic cars which can tow more than 3.5

pleasedontdothat thankyou that's helpful.

We've had the trailer two years so have used it with horse and two ponies etc just wanted to check I was ok for weight with two horses and a pony..