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Lesson8 min

Loads, dimensions and trailers

You will learn, among other things:

Person loading and securing goods in a small trailer.

Weight physics decide what happens

Where the load sits and how heavy it is changes how the car steers, brakes and turns. Heavy load mounted high or far back makes the vehicle unfamiliar — the car wants to roll more in corners and the rear tyres are pressed harder sideways. A trailer adds its own mass to the combination and extends both braking distance and turning radius. Dimensions, weights and securing are therefore regulated in Trafikförordningen 4 kap. The point is not only that the load fits — it must fit without spoiling the car's behaviour.

Rule

Dimensions, weights and the B-licence trailer rules

Under Trafikförordningen 4 kap the maximum permitted width is 2.55 metres, height 4.5 metres and length 24 metres for standard combinations. Loads protruding more than 1 metre forward or rearward must be marked under Trafikförordningen 4 kap 16 §. With a B licence you may tow a trailer up to 750 kg without extra tests, or a heavier trailer if the combined weight of car and trailer does not exceed 3 500 kg (Körkortslagen). To tow more, you need a B96 or BE licence.

Scenario

Decision sequence: holiday load on the roof box and a small trailer

You plan a holiday trip: a 60 kg roof box, luggage on the back seat and a 600 kg small trailer. The car is fully loaded. Three options: drive as usual because no limit is exceeded, slow down and adjust your driving, or weigh both car and trailer and check it all fits within 3 500 kg. The right decision is to do both two and three. A high load shifts the centre of gravity — the car rolls more in corners and the front-end steering goes light. The trailer extends braking distance, especially if it has no brakes of its own.

Exam trap

Exam trap: a load that fits is not automatically safe

A common misconception is that the limits in Trafikförordningen 4 kap work as a complete checklist. They do not. Within a total weight of 3 500 kg you can still have a car that behaves dangerously if the load is poorly placed or poorly secured. Heavy load mounted high shifts the centre of gravity, load far back makes the front go light, and unsecured load shoots forward in a hard brake. The limits are minimum requirements — not guarantees of safe driving.

Checklist

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