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A friend has just had a new towbar fitted to his car. It is rated at 450/900kg. We put the trailer (with a typical load) on the weighbridge today and found the weight to be 550kg. The trailer is unbraked.
So, when we towed this trailer to the weighbridge, did we break the law?

The towbar rating is a manufacturer's recommendation. The law states that the vehicle must stop from 30km/k within 7 metres, so as long as you can meet this criteria, you are not breaking the law.

Thanks so much for the helpful reply.

I am now thinking of occasionally towing the same trailer with my little Toyota Duet. How can I determine if it is legal to do so? Does AA have the facilities to do the stopping check? Or am I able to calculate the stopping cabability by knowing the brake specifications? (I notice that some European websites talk of percentages of kerb weight of the car as a guide to braking capability).

Tom

Unfortunately, we do not have any facility to check this. The general guideline of the ratio of the trailer vs the tow vehicle really refers to the safe maximum for a braked trailer (trailer should not be more than 75% the weight of the vehicle), but that is a guide only. Knowing the brake specifications will not help, it just comes down to the real world stopping distance.
The Duet/Starlet has an unbraked rating of 400kg.
Please see this guide to towing weights.