Before you buy a trailer, make sure you may tow it legally. Three things count: your licence code, the trailer’s mass compared with your vehicle, and whether the trailer has brakes.
1. Know the masses
Gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the trailer’s own mass plus the heaviest load it may carry; it is on the trailer’s plate. Tare is the empty mass of your vehicle, as shown on its licence disc. These two numbers decide what you may tow.
2. Trailers without brakes
An unbraked trailer’s GVM may not exceed half of your vehicle’s tare, and never more than 750 kg. A vehicle with a tare of 1,000 kg may therefore tow an unbraked trailer of no more than 500 kg.
3. Trailers with brakes
A braked trailer’s GVM may not exceed your vehicle’s tare, up to a maximum of 3,500 kg. A bakkie with a tare of 2,000 kg may therefore tow a braked trailer of up to 2,000 kg GVM, provided the manufacturer’s towing capacity also allows it. Always stay within the lower of the two.
4. Which licence?
A Code B licence lets you tow a trailer with a GVM of up to 750 kg. For heavier, braked trailers up to 3,500 kg you need Code EB. Most double axle livestock and flatbed trailers fall in the EB category.
5. Licensing and roadworthiness
Trailers pay an annual licence fee, and a roadworthy test is needed when ownership changes. Since 2006 all trailers must carry SABS ECE R104 reflective tape on the sides and rear.
6. Load it right
Place the heaviest load slightly ahead of the axle, so the drawbar puts some weight on the tow hitch, and tie everything down. Too much weight at the back makes a trailer sway.
Where to start
See our cattle and livestock trailers, cargo trailers, farm and utility trailers and vehicle and trailer parts. Each trailer’s GVM is on its product page. This guide is a summary; check with your licensing authority if in doubt.