Trailer weight.

Does anyone know why the trailer max weight wo brakes is only 350kg?


Boat 340kg
Motor 120kg
Trailer 205kg
Fish 2.5kg


Might be a bit above then..

Not so much what weight the car can tow, more a question of what the cars brakes can safely stop. You may well find that when going down hill or emergency stopping without the aid of trailer braking you don't stop to good.

Who can be 100% sure?
It was only a recommendation stated by Suzuki in the user manual along with a statement that local laws over rule if applicable. The maximum towing capacity is the GTW stated on the vin plate, this is Jimny and contents plus trailer weight combined. So for the typical Jimny it gives a maximum trailer weight of approx 1300kg.
Interestingly the same user manual gives a recommended braked trailer weight of less than 500kg (can rember figure exactly).

Now on my VC5 document the maximum unbraked weight is 350kg, I assume simply as its the only none braked figure stated by Suzuki in the user manual. The braked figure is 1300kg which is inline with the GTW stated on the VIN plate.

If your VC5 does not show any limits you could apply the recommended 50% of the vehicle weight max for a unbraked trailer. Not aware this is a uk law, more of a c55aravan club recommendation, but its stood the test of time. If your VC5 has limits stated then thats your limit, end of, no arguments.

I tow 450kg unbraked with no issues at all, so the 350kg is nonsense. However if I did so on the public roads I would be over the stated 350kg limit on my VC5. Would it ever be a problem, does anyone care?

So I cant answer your question other than to confirm the limit is nonsense. Could I change it or argue its wrong, probably not.

Mike

Ps VC5 for none UK residents is the vehicles registered keeper document issue by the UK government. It shows keepers address, vehicle statistics including CO2 emissions, weights etc(if entered on the system).

My firewood delivery trailer is un-braked and weights around 500kg loaded. On wet roads it almost doubles the stopping distance. It really is quite frightening how much even a modest weight unbraked trailer pushes you along.
Conversely, I have towed up to about 2ton in my Ifor Williams GD84 braked trailer, and the trailer brakes are so effective it feels like it stops you even quicker than normal.
The next trailer I build will definitely be braked. Regardless of the weight limits it's just so much safer.