Towing frame legality

Blue850

i was thinking of getting a fold up frame for pulling the Fiat 850 to some of the long distance shows, tow car is a Vectra 1.7TD, and hopefully a W123 Merc when the SSIA coughs up.
Where do I stand legally?
I had an unbraked transporter and the Vectra struggled. but luckily it got nicked...

dubtom

I was thinking about these towers latly too, may be getting a car for track days. I was thinking more on the lines of the towing bar that connects directly to the car, a distance of about a foot or so betwen them. No jacking or anything. I used one of those things that you lift the two front wheels but it was a disaster, the car fell off going around a bend. Both were old and battered so no harm was done. My mate still has a transporter that I bought years ago for 700 punts, too big if storage is a problem.
Oh I've just realised that that reponse was totally off topic, sorry. No idea about legailty but towing in general requires the proper licence which may affect insurance if a problem arises.

Citroen Guru

A standard A frame is legal for towing a broken down vehicle to the nearest place of repair as long as the towed vehicle does not exceed 750kg. if it does you need a braked device. I use one regulary and as long as the tow car is bigger than the one behind the gards don't seem to bother.
A word of warning- A frames can make **** of your suspension wishbones - better to get an old fashioned one that attaches to the bumper

Blue850

The Fiats unladen weight is in around 750KG. the type of towing frame I'm on about is the one where the cars four wheels stay on the ground, and you strap it to the suspension, don't know if it'll fit the Fiat because it has a transverse leaf spring on the front suspension. They are about 300 euro, lot cheaper than buying a braked transporter and a jeep to pull it!

TigerTim

Not sure of the legality but when I used to compete in Autotests with a Mini, I used to tow it with an A frame. The easiest one to use at the time was a towbar from a VW Beetle. These are in the shape of a large A to get around the VW engine. Fix a towing bracket(Bradley hitch) to the point there the ball should be & make up brackets to fit the Mini where the towing eyes should be. Not sure how safe it was. I can remember when accellerating hard from stopped at a junction with the towing car you could see the Mini going into opposite lock in the rear view mirror. Wouldn't recommend it if towing any great distance.

T.

Silvera

I regularly used an A-Frame back in my 'motor trade days' (89-96) and while it was a very handy device to store/operate, if I was moving a car nowadays I would opt for a car transporter trailer.

Why?
- Insurance is a very 'grey area' when it comes to A-Frames (you would most likely need Motor Trade insurance to be properly covered).

- A-Frames are for 'recovery' only, i.e. for towing a broken-down vehicle to the nearest 'place of safety' NOT for transporting over long distances.

- It is very easy to 'jack knife' when towing with an A-Frame (which could easily result in an accident with another vehicle!)

With a car transporter you can move a vehicle safe in the knowledge that you are properly insured (provided your insurance covers towing one that is!)

Re: Licences -
If the trailer has a gross vehicle weight (gvw) which is lower than the towing vehicles unladen weight (uw), and the gvw of the combination does not exceed 3500kg - then a 'B' (Car) Licence will suffice. Otherwise an 'EB' (Car + Trailer) Licence is required.


Hope this helps

Silvera.

corktina

probably a waste of money getting one now as the regulations are tightening all the time....imho they are only legal for recovery work by a motor tradr.....