Heavy Boat / Trailer over 3500kg
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Category: General Forums
Forum Name: The Boat Shed
Forum Description: Discuss all things boating.
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=114789
Printed Date: 02 Jun 2026 at 7:00am
Topic: Heavy Boat / Trailer over 3500kg
Posted By: MandM
Subject: Heavy Boat / Trailer over 3500kg
Date Posted: 10 Dec 2015 at 2:58pm
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I have found a bit of info on this topic but need a bit more and NZTA are very vague. I need to tow a boat on a trailer over 3500kg. Will be about 4500kg fueled up and with gear etc. I know I will need a class 2 license and COF for the trailer etc. Can you get a COF with the trailer towed by say a V8 Land crusier or something similar with a 3500kg tow bar? Will it pass........is it legal? I have read that these 3500kg tow bar ratings are recommendations only......is this true or it it illegal to tow over this weight? The other option is to go to a Dodge ram or some thing similar with a 5 tonne tow bar. Hopefully some one has the answer. Cheers |
Replies:
Posted By: Millbrooke
Date Posted: 11 Dec 2015 at 3:31pm
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I believe you need a COF on both the trailer and the tow vehicle. So you will need to have a tie vehicle like you suggest in the ram rated to tow 4500 kg or better. I looked into this when I was looking at a Tristram 851. Insurance was my concern as it was looking like being just over..... Could I get away with it?..... Aparrently not..... If you are 3501 kg and your ability to brake could have caused the accident and you didn't have a COF the was no cover |
Posted By: Muzzfishing
Date Posted: 11 Dec 2015 at 7:09pm
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A good friend of mine towed his 881 Tristram with a Lexus 570 cruiser had class 2 licence pretty sure he didnt not have COF for trailer and vehicle. Unfortunately cant ask him as hes not around any more. LTSA should be able to answer this for you. ------------- http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow">  A Good Skipper Keeps the water on the outside of the boat.
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Posted By: Muzzfishing
Date Posted: 11 Dec 2015 at 7:14pm
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You could always get a small double cab truck. ------------- http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow"> A Good Skipper Keeps the water on the outside of the boat.
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Posted By: Millbrooke
Date Posted: 11 Dec 2015 at 7:17pm
| Yep..... Plenty do it..... It's just whether you want to run the risk on insurance.... They will use any excuse not to pay |
Posted By: MandM
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2015 at 7:54am
Yea thanks. I contacted nzta to try and get an exemption for towing it with a 200 series land cruiser if trailer and tow connection are certified but they said need a signed letter from Toyota Nz saying vechile up to the task. Toyota won't back this idea so only option is small truck or Dodge Ram etc. |
Muzzfishing wrote:Posted By: MandM
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2015 at 7:57am
Definitely doing it legal way to get insurance cover. These big boats aren't cheap. Cheers |
Posted By: pjc
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2015 at 12:42pm
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do not need a class 2 licence until combined weight is greater than 6000kg
wof for trailer is under 3500kg cof if over 3500kg then you maybe looking at ruc charges for trailer as well its all very vague until you get picked up then it depends on officer at the time as they all interrupt the laws differently. I got 2 logbook infringements notices today and stopped yesterday by a different cop and he found no problem,go figure ------------- Sex at 58.Lucky I live at 56 |
Posted By: MandM
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2015 at 9:00pm
Thanks for the info. You are right. Very dependent on individual cases. I will be over 6T. Boat and trailer are 3800kg dry. Add 500 lts fuel, fresh water and gear be closer to 4500kg on occasion. Then add tow wagon. GCM will be like 7T plus. Cheers |
Posted By: JB
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2015 at 9:11pm
Class 2 gotta be required as 4000kg boat is got to have at least 2000kg tow. Really the tow part is the easy thing, recon my ranger could tow a 4000kg outfit. It's all about the legal side. Trailer brakes these days and custom trailers mean it's not hard to get the actual tow part done. A land cruiser would do it well. Problem really is insurance. It's all good until some other bugga makes a mistake and your on the wrong end of a bad decision from insurance claim. As I see it (and I've got a rig close to 3.5t recently) you have 2 options 1) get a U.S. larger ute, a 250 or more. These some big beasts out there. Sell one of your current vehicles and use it as a local run around. You will need a double cab, with enough space for 5 in as you a 4 mates are going to want to go fishing in that beast and taking 2 cars is a pain in the ass. It's also a great option for a family wiht dad mum and 2 kids as the big double cab will be able to house the family on a long trip. It's got the mass you need to tow it with confidence. If you could get a 6l Diesel even better. Option 2. A small double cab truck. Only good for towing, mum and kids won't want to be seen in it. But you and mates would be sweet. It won't tow as good on long runs as a big ute but will pass the insurance side. Personally I'd be thinking a U.S. ute. A bit older if money is tight. Unless your so flush you don't need insurance don't think of getting away with it if your okay over 3500. It's just not worth the slight chance of it stuffing it up. Great boat you have so give it a good tow wagon |
Posted By: pjc
Date Posted: 13 Dec 2015 at 7:34am
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How many 5th wheel caravan owners would have class2? ------------- Sex at 58.Lucky I live at 56 |
Posted By: Don18025
Date Posted: 13 Dec 2015 at 8:41am
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MandM Went through a similar planning exercise around 2000 for a new boat. In the end build a 9.4m launch, weighs 5.5 tonne (fully loaded) and stuck it on a marina berth. The Marina berth costs a lot less than the tow vehicle and trailer. The boat is always afloat ready to go when I want it. And I now drive a Yaris! No need for anything bigger for the boat. PJC has done the same, he his yacht on a mooring. PJC I would suspect that the 5th wheeler my mate owns is considerably lighter than 3.5 tonne, he tows his RIB behind it, calls it a B train!
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Posted By: MandM
Date Posted: 13 Dec 2015 at 7:45pm
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Yea cheers mate. Mooring a good idea but not in New Plymouth. **** facilities here and no fuel either. Also needs to be on a trailer as we launch at 2 different ramps and often head up bay islands every summer too. Plans to hit Marlborough sounds to in the future. All the best! |
Posted By: MandM
Date Posted: 13 Dec 2015 at 7:49pm
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Thanks JB. Think the US truck might be the go for longer trips aye. More comfortable option. Also the added benefit of only maintaining 1 vechile, instead of 2 with insurance, wof etc. my navara would tow it but need that insurance cover! |
Posted By: Bossco
Date Posted: 14 Dec 2015 at 6:57am
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The manufacturers tow bar rating is just a recommendation with no legal standing. The only legal requirement is "the law requires that every light vehicle and trailer combination must be capable of stopping within a distance of seven metres from a speed of 30km/h." Insurance wise if you are meeting the legal requirements the insurance company would have to prove that you were otherwise negligent etc. Might pay to check with a COF place though as they state that they check the towing connections and capacity.
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Posted By: Sealegs
Date Posted: 14 Dec 2015 at 12:57pm
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That legal requirement refers only to the braking requirements. Your braked tow rating is the maximum rating that vehicle has been tested and rated for in New Zealand. There is also a maximum downforce rating. If you exceed either and you have an accident that can be attributed to that, the onus is then on you to prove that it was okay. Which may be both difficult and expensive. You will likely have an issue with both insurers and the long arm of the law. Dene
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Posted By: MandM
Date Posted: 17 Dec 2015 at 9:05pm
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Got this response from NZTA. Might interest a few of you. Thanks for everyone s input. "A medium or heavy trailer is defined as a trailer with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of more than 3500 kgs. If the trailer’s GVM is more than 3500 kgs, then it will need to be taken through a Certificate of Fitness inspection and the vehicle would be subject to road user charges (RUC). With the tow limit on the tow vehicle, although the law does not require these tow ratings to be followed, the Transport Agency recommends that they be taken into account. One thing to consider also, is the class of licence you hold and the combined weight of the trailer and the tow vehicle. If you hold a class 1 (full car licence) you can drive a vehicle with a Gross Laden Weight (GLW) or Gross Combined Weight (GCW) of no more than 6,000 kgs, otherwise a class 2 (medium rigid vehicle licence) is required". |
Posted By: BananaBoat
Date Posted: 17 Dec 2015 at 10:35pm
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Any response from nzta is not so, until it is supplied with a link (therefore it is written in law) otherwise it is an opinion from a helpful person Post on this forum, nzmotorhome.co.nz There are a few regular contributers who know a thing or 2 about heavy towing, with combination units & heavy 5th wheelers You need to know about the correct weight on the hitch, what would be the ldeal tow rig, all the legal requirements & getting it right first time |
Posted By: MandM
Date Posted: 18 Dec 2015 at 6:40am
It was from NZTA as I emailed them myself.There were links supplied I just didn't include them in this forum. Cheers. |
Posted By: anarchy
Date Posted: 18 Dec 2015 at 6:50am
| hey mandm any chance you could pm me a copy of the email would be interesting in having a full read with the links etc. cheers mike |
Posted By: Busted!
Date Posted: 21 Dec 2015 at 3:13pm
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Also, as well as the trailer GVM and vehicle GCM issues you may well strike a major hassle with times of travel and which roads you can actually tow on. If you go overwidth/height you could strike issues with towing around holiday weekends and the like, which is an arse. We have a simple-trailer barge, 12m and 3400Kg which is on electric over hydraulic braking. It is a HANDFUL with anything lighter than a 9,000Kg truck, and even then it's not that nice. I have a 2013 Ranger, and the sheer length of the rig pushes the Ford around - the new Ranger is rated one of the better towing vehicles of the NZ imported standard types. Unless you go to a 5th wheel - type setup you will need to run some form of light truck system, with a small ringfeeder or the like as to the best of my knowledge, NZTA will not allow a simple trailer configuration over 3500Kg GVM. There have in the past been a couple of the Aussie GVM/GCM upgrade air/over kits with a small ringfeeder system and inbuilt braking compressor that goes onto a Landcruiser to allow 4500Kg GCM in Aussie, but we in NZ know better and they aren't allowable under our rules here. With a 5th-wheel configuration and a boat trailer, length becomes a serious issue as well... Good luck, you are probably going to need it, some serious patience and a dose of luck in finding the right people to do what you want (and what people from Aussie and the States/Canada do as of right)...
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