Trailer load Europe vs NA WAS : how wide are Audi Fuchs

[Geraint Lloyd]

in france, cars with trailers are limited to 90 on the
autoroutes and 80
on the RN. in france you also have to register
trailers over a certain
weight (PTAC) so the trailer has its own reg
number/licence plate,
inspection schedule and insurance (small trailers use
the towing vehicle
reg number). trailers under this weight do not have to
have brakes, but
brakes are compulsory over this weight. towed weight
(trailer   load) is
not supposed to exceed 75% of the weight towing
vehicle and AFAIK this
is euro wide.
the french sell 300 euro trailers in the supermarkets,
that fold flat
and can be stored flat against the garage wall.
It makes sense if you have a small car. after all, how
often do you
really really need the extra space that a pick-up
gives you?

I can't remember what the weight is, but it must be
around 800kgs,

in the uk, the reg is 60mph for a trailer with brakes
and 50 for one
without. it used to be something like single axle with
a bed size of
around 6 feet by 4 feet (ish) that was the dividing
line. My old man
built the biggest "small trailer" that he could using
a mini van rear
subframe and mechanical tow hitch brake actuator (big
rod and spring
thing that pushed on the parking brake lever and
worked the mini drums.
I had it up to 85mph on the M4 loaded full of drums
and amps when late
for a gig in Dinas Powys.

why should it be different in NA and Euroland? well i
guess that the
roads are not the same. I still tend to over brake
when passing "sharp
bend" warning signs on this side of the pond. maybe it
just evolved like
that though
the differences in vehicle lighting regs is another
odd one. i guess
that it is just 2 ways to crack an egg,

back to work then

Geraint

Geraint Lloyd 
Montréal
People's Republic of Canadia
'89 200 TQA MCII
'87 Group N Golf 2 GTI, 8v, RHD




Louis-Alain Richard wrote:
>> Curious as to why the rating should be different in
the US vs Europe,
>>     
> so
>   
>> dramatically different..... Any thoughts on that?
>>
>> Dan D
>>     
>
>
> I have a few own personal theories about that:
>
> - Geographical: Alps, the Mont Blanc, the Pyrénées,
Swiss, etc. You NEED
> trailer brakes even for a small 1000 kg load when
you climb down these
> mountains.
>
> - Historical: after the WW2, Europe was destroyed
and natural resources
> were scarce. Cars were small, fuel was/is expensive,
families were
> growing, and it was the beginning of the "annual
summer vacations"
> trend. In France at least, people use to quit the
cities for the coast
> or the mountain, usually in August. So you need a
trailer to bring all
> the goodies with you, but you need brakes because a
Renault R8 or a
> Peugeot 404 or a Morris Minor is not suited to stop
a full load of
> children and gear. Even today, in France, you see a
lot of real small
> cars with trailer hitches. 
>
> - Dimensional : here in North America, when we want
to tow something, we
> buy a truck. Period. Trailer hitches on cars are
mainly for gooseneck
> bike racks.
>
> - Velocity: when the "autoroute" speed limit is 130
km/h (81 mph), you
> want your little friend back there to be able to
produce a bit of
> slowing force in case of an emergency...
>
> But I may all be wrong, it wouldn't be the first
time...
>
> Louis-Alain
> Montreal
>
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>
>
>   

-- 
Geraint Lloyd 
Montréal
People's Republic of Canadia
'89 200 TQA MCII
'87 Group N Golf 2 GTI, 8v, RHD
ALSO
sticky "S" key and big 'word wrap' issues in Thunderbird

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