fordy Posted December 15, 2004 Posted December 15, 2004 Looking at better ways of getting my car to events, as i dont have space to store a full size trailer, and ive worked out its going to cost me £500 and 30 hours of time picking up and dropping off a trailer for next years SS (10 events). Ive seen these towing dollies and a-frames - i was wondering what they are like to tow with, whether its worth considering or not?? Many thanks for your thoughts. Happy xmas Chris Quote
peterg Posted December 15, 2004 Posted December 15, 2004 [blatman mode] Do a search - general advice is don't use them! [/blatman mode off] Quote
Bananaman Posted December 15, 2004 Posted December 15, 2004 Search result 1 Search result 2 Thats a NO then........... Quote
fordy Posted December 15, 2004 Author Posted December 15, 2004 Poo - it would have been a perfect solution, had they not been illegal - Why are they illegal, anyone know???, or is it just that what you are towing is not insured - they surely cant be illegal to tow with as the RAC use them. cheers Chris Actually - IGNORE this - ive just done a search and found blats searches from a previous posters, seems they are illegal as they turn your car into a trailer, which the limit is 750Kg if unbraked. thanks anyway. Quote
neilwillis Posted December 15, 2004 Posted December 15, 2004 Even though my Westfield weighs in at 685 kg? Quote
peterg Posted December 15, 2004 Posted December 15, 2004 so that'd be 685kgs PLUS the weight of the dolly Quote
Blatman Posted December 15, 2004 Posted December 15, 2004 It's the plated max axle weight, not the weight on the scales. Westfields are type approved at 900Kg's or thereabouts, IIRC, so they are not legal when towed with an A Frame... Quote
John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison Posted December 15, 2004 Posted December 15, 2004 I think Brian James or one of the other trailer people do a collapsable trailer to save storage space John Quote
peterg Posted December 15, 2004 Posted December 15, 2004 Yes, Brian James will do a foldable drawbar that saves about 2ft off the length of a Minno Quote
salexander Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 In my first stint at club racing in the 80's, I (and lots of others) used an a-frame for towing competition cars with no problems. As long as lights or lighting board works ok then I think you would be very unlucky to get pulled. The A-frames we used were home-made, dead easy using a bit of square tube and a hitch. Quote
Blatman Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 A Blatchatter got stopped on the M25 recently whilst towing *with a proper trailer*. Cops took him to a weighbridge, weighed the car, trailer etc, and nicked him for too much nose weight, ie, the weight of the trailer on the tow hitch exceeded manufacturers specs. It was 3 Kg's over, IIRC... Unlucky? Yup. Unheard of for coppers to know the rules? No. Besides which, they are illegal. Have a smash whilst using one illegally and you'll be in a whole boat load of trouble... IMHO, whilst a tug would be unlucky, the consequences could be dire... Me, I choose not to risk it... Quote
Yobbo Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 As an asside, you may have noticed though that the RAC, AA and other recovery companies use them. There is a concession in the towing rules that allows you to ignore the rules around weights, brakes etc to remove a damaged or broken down vehicle from the highway where it would cause an obstruction or be a danger. Quote
adhawkins Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 Yes, the distinction is (I believe) between 'recovery' and 'towing'. Where the line is drawn is anyone's guess... Andy Quote
Blatman Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 The law for recovery clearly states that recovery means to the nearest safe place, and is distinct from recovering a vehicle long distances, where the AA/RAC et al will call a proper recovery vehicle. They know the law too, it seems... The discussion we had before is here. Please take the time to read it and follow the links. All your questions will be answered... Quote
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