Numptie Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 I saw a thread a while back where someone said towing with an A-frame wasn't legal. Saw this today and it set me wondering. Now I know all the stuff about a trailer allows you to get the car back after you've stuffed it into a bank on a hill climb ... it's the legality I'm questioning. It also occurs, does the presence of someone behind the wheel of the towed car have a bearing ? Cheers, N Quote
Blatman Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 The clue is in the text. The say several times that they are excellent for recovering a vehicle. This is quite different from towing a track day day car several hundred miles....... Using an A-Frame to tow a Westfield (or any other car) is illegal. The reason for using an A-Frame is that you do not need to have some-one steering the vehicle. However, when the vehicle is towed this way (no-one steering or working the brakes), it becomes a trailer. Trailers over 650Kg's (I think) must be braked. IE, the brakes must work when the tow vehicles brakes. So, you may think that most Westfields are under 650Kg's, so you're safe. Nope. The other condition for a trailer is that it must have a wheelbase no longer than 48" (or some other short measurement. Can't remember right now, but it's shorter than the wheelbase of a Westfield). So, either way, you're breaking a law or two. That said, you'd be unlucky for a copper to pull you for it, BUT, if you are involved in an incident/accident, your insurance company probably know the rules backwards, so you'd be un-insured....... Basically, they're illegal to use as a substitute for a trailer. Quote
david.c Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 This is interesting, as I know someone who tows his Dax Rush to & from track days in this manner. He has made the A frame himself and says it works great. I questioned the legality of it, as I know it has been discussed on here before. The unbraked figure he mentioned was 750 kg, but didn't say anything about the wheelbase. Would be interested to find out more on this. David Quote
Blatman Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 It's all on the relevant web site Try searching for the construction and use laws on Google......... I was going to buy an A-Frame to tow my sprint car, but there were (and are) too many downsides for me..... Quote
mb893 Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 Also, the actual weight of the car doesn't matter, the ladened(?spelling) weight is what counts and the plate in my car says 900kg, as does most others. As Blatman says, fine for 'recovery to a safe place' but other than that, bad bad bad. Quote
Blatman Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 Found some intersting stuff here. The main index for that stuff is here. It seems that at least some police forces are relatively well clued up.... Quote
Blatman Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 The current rules on fitting of tow bars may well be worth a look too. They're here. Quote
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 That seems to effectively put the mokkers on a two-wheel device that the front wheels sit on/in, doesn't it? I assume that's a "dolly". I'm glad really, 'cos it makes the decision not to buy one a foregone conclusion. They have lots of advantages when NOT in use - space being but one. Quote
Blatman Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 Yup. Hadn't though about dollies, but they too would be illegal, as the rear brakes (the ones on the car that are still touching the road) are unbraked...... I can't seem to find the regulation about wheelbase at the moment though....... Quote
Blatman Posted May 25, 2004 Posted May 25, 2004 And the final nail in the coffin........ 1982 regulations demand that all trailers, including unbraked ones, must be clearly marked with their maximum gross weight in kg. This may be checked at any time by the police at a weighbridge. Since 1st January 1997, all unbraked trailer plates must show the year of manufacture. Seeing as John's blade has a plated max. gross weight of 900Kg's, if you turn it into a trailer by putting it on an A-Frame or a dolly, it *must* have working brakes on all 4 wheels, otherwise, you're nicked me beauty...... Quote
Paul S Posted May 26, 2004 Posted May 26, 2004 So, to return to the link in the original post, it would appear on the face of it that the SA25B fits the bill. The Solomatic Sovereign (part no. SA25B) is the totally high integrity `A' frame for one-man towing. Not only does it tow as efficiently as the Solomatic, but it applies the brakes smoothly, safely and automatically during deceleration. This pre-supposes that Blatman's wheelbase thing turns out to be a case of incorrectly connected neurons. Quote
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted May 26, 2004 Posted May 26, 2004 How does it apply the car's brakes, I wonder? Quote
Camel_Landy Posted May 26, 2004 Posted May 26, 2004 We've had this discussion a number of times on our Landy forums as the Camel Trophy vehicles effectively come supplied with an 'A' Frame... The crux of it all is that 750KG limit for unbraked trailers and seeing as most Camels weigh in at 2.5tonne the idea is usually quickly dropped! Interesting the little note about the GVW. Mark Quote
Blatman Posted May 26, 2004 Posted May 26, 2004 This pre-supposes that Blatman's wheelbase thing turns out to be a case of incorrectly connected neurons. Wouldn't be the first time. I'll have a *proper* look for the regs today. The stuff I found yesterday only took about 15 minutes, so it was exactly an in depth search....... I'll be back...... Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.