NZ towing laws and practices are making my head hurt, help!!??

I’m looking to buy a boat someday, it’ll be heavy but not too heavy 5.5-6m Aluminium, hopefully a centre console, lighter.
I see a 1997 Honda Accord that’s constantly launching a 5m boat in and outta Nelson, good on em.
I have a 2.5 Subaru Forester and I want to use it to tow/launch a boat in Nelson or nearby.
The important bit:
I have been looking up the laws for towing and it appears that almost all unbraked trailers will more or less be limited to 750kg, throw in GCWR (gross combined weight rating)…and there ain’t one of those Hilux/Rangers that’s towing a 6.5-7.5m boat legally…no friggin way.
The only option I see as a workaround is this text that comes up “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”

So this isn’t news to anyone but I’m a know nothing idiot so explain it to me like I’m 5 and maybe I can understand. Remember, no criticism is too harsh!!!

https://www.aa.co.nz/cars/owners/tow...eights/subaru/

A lot of owners just ignore it until they have a "whoopsie" and the first question asked by insurance company is ................................

A lot of people get caught out including the Tasman District Council who a few years ago brought a very nice boat for the harbour master and then found it needs to either be stripped of everything and drained of fuel to be legally towed OR they pay a contractor to tow it!!

If I were you I would be looking for a boat on a braked trailer OR perhaps changing my tow vehicle or both.



I had a 6.6m Southern on alloy braked trailer, and fully loaded, full of fuel it weighted 2200Kgs was towed with Mazda BT50 then Holden Colorado
Weight was obtained by local weigh bridge.

just put brakes on the trailer and job done man can tow 3.5ton with all the normal utes then.

you should see some of the speedway trailers tho 4ton+ isnt that hard to get too especially for a championship meeting

Yep pretty much 750KG is the limit unbraked. Our caravan is loaded 1540KG and I know it is as we weighed it in early Dec but after looking at some Ozzie vans they are too close to the limit for my liking especially the GVM. I reckon a lot of people towing them need to be looking at Class2.

Braked as others have said up to 3500KG depending on tow vehicle and don't forget your open road speed will be 90KMH and not 100KMH as a lot of people seem to drive at.

Also check the rating on the towbar ....they aren't al created equal . And the way they are mounted to unibody vehicles can be dubious at best... Seen so many with broken arse "chassis" from trying to pull too much weight.
Needing to tow a boat seems like a valid excuse to buy something with a real chassis

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Originally Posted by scotty

Also check the rating on the towbar ....they aren't al created equal . And the way they are mounted to unibody vehicles can be dubious at best... Seen so many with broken arse "chassis" from trying to pull too much weight.
Needing to tow a boat seems like a valid excuse to buy something with a real chassis

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i would have thought you would need a big ass alu boat before that becomes an issue tho

OK, not everything in NZ makes sense. There is a 750kg limit on towing with an unbraked trailer on most (if not all vehicles), BUT the law is not enforced. What this means in the real world is hard to say. Like most things, it's fine until it isn't. That said, have a look around next time you're out and see how many trailers with brakes on small (<6 metre) boats and even boats up to 6.5 metres you see. Few have brakes. The sticking point is insurance, but even that's not clear cut. When mates have had accidents, there haven't been any issues getting a pay out despite towing >750kg with an unbraked trailer. Brakes that get a regular dunking in saltwater do require some dedicated maintenance.

BTW, it just so happens that I trailer a 5.6m centre console with a Forester 2.5L. Boats weighs 850kg bare, probably more like a metric ton with fuel, ice and toys. It's not ideal to be honest, struggles with steep hills, but the boat ramp is only 5 minutes away from my house, so I haven't been in a rush to upgrade, but it's been a bit of a stress on longer journeys. I'm due a new car, so will get something bigger and probably a diesel engine.

Tow bars should come with the weight they are approved to handle, it will be a max weight a downforce weight and usually a Gross Combined Mass for the vehicle they are fitted to.

The downforce is recommended at 10% of towed mass, so a 3500Kg trailer should have 350Kg pushing down on the towball. This comes off the load the tow vehicle can carry so you can't load up the tow vehicle then attach the trailer or you will be overweight somewhere...

The unbraked weight is a NZ road regs rule, aligned with Aussie and it doesn't really matter how the trailer is configured if it's unbraked you are not supposed to drag it over 750Kg (there is a substantial number of tandem trailers without brakes that likely go over 750Kg by themselves without anything on them). As noted, enforcement is haphazard at best and a lot of wof places don't even look at this. I've seen it pulled up once at VTNZ locally, a tandem box trailer without brakes that was 850Kg empty.

Each tow vehicle will have a max towed mass that it can legally pull, although you often need to go back to the manufacturer to confirm this off the chassis number.

Easiest answer especially for boats is to fit brakes, as most boats when full of fuel, gear and fishing rods crack the 750Kg limit. Also, brakes tend to make the ride a lot smoother on the road and this means the hull doesn't get as rough a ride especially with an outboard bouncing on the transom!

I asked local mechanic how do boat trailers without brakes get certified in the first place when they clearly are going to be above 750kg when the boats on them.

His answer was that when they are certified they are are unladen and thus under 750kg therefore no problem. It's only a problem once you put a boat on them!

While most utes have a max tow rating of 3500kg in most cases you will be that close to the GVM limit that you can only take a cut lunch in the passenger seat.

What erks me is no one seems to care about the weight issue but dont' you dare drive down the road without your silly prop flag on! ffs

...and what about all the brand new boat/trailer combos in the dealerships. Nearly all "illegal".

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Originally Posted by No.3

Tow bars should come with the weight they are approved to handle, it will be a max weight a downforce weight and usually a Gross Combined Mass for the vehicle they are fitted to.

The downforce is recommended at 10% of towed mass, so a 3500Kg trailer should have 350Kg pushing down on the towball. This comes off the load the tow vehicle can carry so you can't load up the tow vehicle then attach the trailer or you will be overweight somewhere...

The unbraked weight is a NZ road regs rule, aligned with Aussie and it doesn't really matter how the trailer is configured if it's unbraked you are not supposed to drag it over 750Kg (there is a substantial number of tandem trailers without brakes that likely go over 750Kg by themselves without anything on them). As noted, enforcement is haphazard at best and a lot of wof places don't even look at this. I've seen it pulled up once at VTNZ locally, a tandem box trailer without brakes that was 850Kg empty.

Each tow vehicle will have a max towed mass that it can legally pull, although you often need to go back to the manufacturer to confirm this off the chassis number.

Easiest answer especially for boats is to fit brakes, as most boats when full of fuel, gear and fishing rods crack the 750Kg limit. Also, brakes tend to make the ride a lot smoother on the road and this means the hull doesn't get as rough a ride especially with an outboard bouncing on the transom!

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When did the unbraked law change to 750kg max? Always was 2000kg when I was in the industry up until 3 years ago. The unbraked & braked weights that are written on towbars are based on the Aussie ADR63 ruling, but it is not legislation in NZ currently. They are there to act as guidelines.



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Originally Posted by Mathias

When did the unbraked law change to 750kg max? Always was 2000kg when I was in the industry up until 3 years ago. The unbraked & braked weights that are written on towbars are based on the Aussie ADR63 ruling, but it is not legislation in NZ currently. They are there to act as guidelines.



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I actually thought it was 2500kg but yes.

There is no law (unless very recently instated) in NZ that limits unbraked to 750 kg......it is 2000kg.

Most vehicle manufacturers recommended unbraked towing rating is 500-750kg.....not a law just a recomendation like oil changes and pad changes

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I actually thought it was 2500kg but yes.

There is no law (unless very recently instated) in NZ that limits unbraked to 750 kg......it is 2000kg.

Most vehicle manufacturers recommended unbraked towing rating is 500-750kg.....not a law just a recomendation like oil changes and pad changes

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Yep true.
Up to 2000kg non braked. 2001-2500kg override indirect braking. 2501-3500kg direct braking (able to be controlled / emergency applied from drives seat) plus a few other requirements.

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Originally Posted by Mathias

When did the unbraked law change to 750kg max?

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I'm not sure it has just 750kg (but I am usually wrong ) is the most often quoted "un-braked max weight" by manufacturers of many vehicles so has become a bit of a "defacto" thing?

Bit more info: https://www.fishing.net.nz/fishing-a...ns-summarised/

It's correct that it's an ADR requirement - this is the issue as the towing vehicle requirements are the ADR spec as manufacturer's original equipment for the towbar and manufacturer's design towing mass for the vehicle so this is where the rule on the towing vehicle comes from.

Trailer rules are different and do not align with the towing vehicle rules - although as people have said it is very rarely picked up on. I've only ever seen it picked up once at VTNZ and that was I think due to the towing vehicle and the trailer going through wof at the same time.

Max unbraked on the trailer rules are 2000Kg, but the towing vehicle can't pull it in alignment with the laws and original manufacturer ratings if the trailer weighs over 750Kg without brakes. There has been a review on in LTNZ for a while on brakes but there isn't much happening with it as far as I'm aware, probably as it's going to create a hell of a mess whichever way they go if they try to get everything aligned in terms of trailers meeting the ADR rules.

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Originally Posted by mikee

I'm not sure it has just 750kg (but I am usually wrong ) is the most often quoted "un-braked max weight" by manufacturers of many vehicles so has become a bit of a "defacto" thing?

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NZ is one of the few countries where vehicle/towbar ratings don't line up with trailer weight braking rules. It was on the hit list with NZTA a while back & I attended a two day meeting with key trailer & towbar manufacturers at the ministries offices in Wellington. It was a workshop on how to fix this problem & address a few other issues around the trailer / towbar rules with safety being the top priority. As far as I know, it is still a document awaiting some funding and more input & drive to get it to parliament. That was about 5 years ago....

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Originally Posted by Mathias

NZ is one of the few countries where vehicle/towbar ratings don't line up with trailer weight braking rules. It was on the hit list with NZTA a while back & I attended a two day meeting with key trailer & towbar manufacturers at the ministries offices in Wellington. It was a workshop on how to fix this problem & address a few other issues around the trailer / towbar rules with safety being the top priority. As far as I know, it is still a document awaiting some funding and more input & drive to get it to parliament. That was about 5 years ago....

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Hopefully they'll include standard trailer light plugs as part of the WoF for any vehicle with a towbar. The number or cars and/or trailers out there with incorrect wiring is ridiculous.

Subaru florists...not recommended for towing. Trailer must be less than 150% weight of tow vechille. 90 KMPH maximum speed. It's why lots of folks have a old heavy wagon for towing n bugger all else.

You guys are more helpful than you’ll ever know. I despise it and it’s all a scam but in the states there are laws…on top of laws…but you can always find the answer, eventually.
Here it seems like it takes a team of local experts with a world of experience to find the top 3 or 4 answers as it always seems up to interpretation to one degree or another.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING MY TEAM OF EXPERTS!!!

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Originally Posted by MB

...and what about all the brand new boat/trailer combos in the dealerships. Nearly all "illegal".

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And y’all wonder why I’m constantly in a state of confusion!!:D

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Originally Posted by Joe Schmo

And y’all wonder why I’m constantly in a state of confusion!!:D

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It's no different for anyone else if they think about these things. Thinking is not encouraged :)

Its the no insurance bit that will fk ya more then any fine if it all goes to shit

I have never heard of anyone being denied insurance unless they were actually towing an illegal combination.

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I have never heard of anyone being denied insurance unless they were actually towing an illegal combination.

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Thats what i mean bro like the fine isn't that much to worry about but insurance denying the claim is the scary part of pushing your luck.

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Originally Posted by 199p

Thats what i mean bro like the fine isn't that much to worry about but insurance denying the claim is the scary part of pushing your luck.

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Yeah, wait till your florists wagon + unbraked 2 T boat trailer goes all pear shaped on you and takes out a Rolls Royce... could end up having you sell your house to pay for the damages:XD:

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I have never heard of anyone being denied insurance unless they were actually towing an illegal combination.

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I have heard of someone getting absolute arse for it, but the cops were not too happy with the deal either and the loading of the vehicle was called into question. It was a boat, but with all of the holiday crap in the car and the toys filling every space in the boat. Gross overloading, and the coupling decided to stop cooperating and the 'safety' garden ornament sized galv chain lasted just long enough to go PING. That was probably what saved the world as the boat ended up in the ditch no real harm to that, trailer not so happy and mum and kids giving dad a seriously good frowning. I think if dad got to wear the bill for towing the trailer away and repairing it, he got off cheap on that one as the trailer flailing about on a chain on the back of your car could have gotten quite exciting!!!

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Originally Posted by No.3

I have heard of someone getting absolute arse for it, but the cops were not too happy with the deal either and the loading of the vehicle was called into question. It was a boat, but with all of the holiday crap in the car and the toys filling every space in the boat. Gross overloading, and the coupling decided to stop cooperating and the 'safety' garden ornament sized galv chain lasted just long enough to go PING. That was probably what saved the world as the boat ended up in the ditch no real harm to that, trailer not so happy and mum and kids giving dad a seriously good frowning. I think if dad got to wear the bill for towing the trailer away and repairing it, he got off cheap on that one as the trailer flailing about on a chain on the back of your car could have gotten quite exciting!!!

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See the things I hate thread as our caravan did just that today, big safety chain kept everything under control and we were definitely Not overloaded as we had a lot less in it than when we got it weighed before Christmas and found we had been over by 40Kg then.

Bugger me, that's a bit more than a pop off the ball. That coupling has disassembled itself on you - they aren't meant to do that... Be interesting to find out what failed and how to let it do that.

We had to go to AKL International Airport yesterday. Heading north on the long decline from the top of the Bombay Hills onto the flat, I was in the left lane with cruise control set on 100km/h, watching in my mirrors the approaching abomination coming down the hill behind us in the right hand line.

We were overtaken by a blinged up Ranger towing a decent sized boat on a two wheel trailer. Ute tray was chocka. Not a small boat. 8m? At least. Decent 4 person cabin and two large outboards. It went past us at speed. Like 25-30kmh faster. Fastest thing that over took us all day.

What towing laws.

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Originally Posted by Flyblown

We had to go to AKL International Airport yesterday. Heading north on the long decline from the top of the Bombay Hills onto the flat, I was in the left lane with cruise control set on 100km/h, watching in my mirrors the approaching abomination coming down the hill behind us in the right hand line.

We were overtaken by a blinged up Ranger towing a decent sized boat on a two wheel trailer. Ute tray was chocka. Not a small boat. 8m? At least. Decent 4 person cabin and two large outboards. It went past us at speed. Like 25-30kmh faster. Fastest thing that over took us all day.

What towing laws.

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Ranger owner!:XD:

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Originally Posted by madjon_

Ranger owner!:XD:

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If you had seen the ridiculous adornments on this vehicle and the sticky-out-wheels, you would’ve put some adjectives before the Ranger part….

On a more serious note this issue is rigorously policed in Aus. Over GVM 4WDs, over GCM towing vehicles etc. You get pulled over at a weigh bridge in the middle of nowhere and hey presto that’s the end of your trip.

Just pass Mt Micheal Fairlie on Boxing day.There was a ford raptor on side of road with the bonnet up,steam pissing out of the radiator.Had been towing a commercial size fishing boat on the back.It was bigger than the normal big boats being towing.Its must be boarder lined allowing it to be tower by a ute.The ute was a raptor with all the bells and whistles(nice) on it like the boat.Owner was standing there on the cell phone,poor bugger.He d be pissed off.Engine cooked once,motor will be stuffed I reckon.

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Originally Posted by Trout

ford raptor

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There is the problem towing with either a V6 3L petrol or a 2L Bi-turbo petrol and they only have 2.5T towing and Not 3.5T

Specs for Raptor

Driving on the Waikato expressway, it’s always interesting how many cars with trailers pass me at over 110km/hr.
Strangely, Ford Rangers always feature heavily.


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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

There is the problem towing with either a V6 3L petrol or a 2L Bi-turbo petrol and they only have 2.5T towing and Not 3.5T

Specs for Raptor

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2.5 ton is still a lot most people have no idea
They somehow think 2.5 ton is a limiting factor.

I find the going isn't the problem, it's the stopping. The small engines have no engine braking full stop long period that is it good night nurse delight.

Where the bi-turbo falls over slightly is where you are running at the crossover point between the two hairdryers and then dump your foot up it when the poor little sewing machine is already working hard. If you are following one towing and it is on a hill that gets steeper and the thing starts pumping black smoke thats what has just happened. It's not exclusively a Ford problem, any twin turbo will do it in the right circumstances. Not good for longterm engine life as the piston and cylinder temps are going through the roof in that situation and the exhaust temps are about to join them...

Theres no replacement for displacement. And a manual gearbox

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Originally Posted by tac a1

Theres no replacement for displacement. And a manual gearbox

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We would be better off in this country for people to learn how to tow a trailer properly. Or even better, how to drive a car properly, wouldnt that be something

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Originally Posted by tac a1

We would be better off in this country for people to learn how to tow a trailer properly. Or even better, how to drive a car properly, wouldnt that be something

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We would get no monthly footage to watch if that happens :thumbsup: