Glider trailer towing these days is a lot more complicated than it used to be. For those new to the experience or who need a refresher have a look at the following:

Is the towing vehicle/trailer combination legal?
This is where you are most likely to go wrong. At the very least you need to:

• Read the BGA LAws and Rues section on 'Trailer laws and rules applicable to glider trailers', all 11 pages of it. Glider trailers are exceptional loads which exceed the usual legal maximum trailer length of 7m because they carry an 'indivisable load of exceptional length'.
• Know the MAM/GVW weights of both the towing vehicle and trailer, and the VUW of the towing vehicle. See BGA LAws and Rules for definitions. The MAM weights must be marked on both vehicles and trailers and in most cases will be adequate to check for the legality of the combination, but in the unlikely event of planning to tow and un braked trailer, or if you have a category B licence, you will need to know the VUW which is more difficult to identify.
• MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) is effectively the same as GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)
• VUW (Vehicle Unladen Weight)
• MTW (Maximum Train Weight)

The critical question is whether the towing vehicle/trailer combination is legal, depending on their weights, and if it is what sort of driving licence is needed. For example a NIssan X-Trail has a MAM of 2050kg and a MTW of 4050 kg so with an LS6 Cobra trailer which has a MAM of 1300kg this is a legal combination. and only a category B licence is required. The DG505 trailer though, with a MAM of 2000kg, would still be legal on the X-Trail but would require a B+E licence to tow (total MTW > 3500kg and MAM trailer > VUW X-Trail).

There are lots of cars at the club with which it would be illegal to tow a trailer with a MAM of 2000kg and would need verification before towing a trailer of 1300kg MAM.

Does your licence and insurance cover you to tow the trailer?

• Driving licence. If you passed your driving test after 1/1/1997 and have not taken another test specifically for towing trailers your licence will not include the +E endorsement needed to tow the X-Trail and a 2000kg trailer combination. But you could tow the LS6 Cobra trailer with the X-Trail but not with a smaller car like an Astra 1.8 because the trailer MAM > VUW.
• Insurance. Read the small print. For instance some insurance covers towing a trailer, including a glider trailer, but you may need to ask specifically. It may also cover you to drive someone else's car with third party cover but not if you are towing a trailer as well. Some insurance companies do not consider glider trailers to be ordinary trailers and will not cover the car while towing one.

Pre-tow checks

• Trailer -Is all the kit inside and secure? Do you have the keys? IS it closed and locked? Does it display a weight plate?
• Number plate - Do you have one that matches the car? Is it the right size, colour, style and is it secure?
• Lights - Do they all work? Does it carry the required reflectors and side markers? Trailers over 6m must carry side markers if made after 1990
• Wheels - Check tyre tread and pressures, bearings and mudguards. Remember that trailer tyres will deteriorate from exposure to UV and will degrade to a dangerous level long before the tread wears out. Look for cracking and crazing on the tyre walls.
• Connection - Check the ball for wear, attach the breakaway cable, secure the jockey wheel and stand and take off the parking brake
• Brakes - check they are working and not binding. Trailers built after 1983 must have over-run brakes and those after 1989 must have auto-reverse.

Helpful links

DirectGov - Caravans, Trailers and commercial vehicles
DirectGov - The driving licence you need to tow a trailer
Department for Transport - Requirements for trailers
National Trailer and Towing Association - Guide to safe & Legal Towing
Statutory Instrument - Road Vehicle lighting regulations 1989
BGA - Laws and Rules