A Frames Used For Towing

henna

A question for any members in the RPU;

Can towing A frames be used legally for towing a car? Example link here
Asked a friend of mine who is ex traffic corp but he was unsure. Seems to be a grey area.

mr cowen

couple of issues here, as far as i know towing frames are illegal on the continent, and it is enforced on the motorways, for example....a camper van towing a small car, I don't think there is legislation here as yet but i do stand corrected on this.

The reason is that a car being towed is considered a trailer, a car is approx 1 tonne and exceeds the weight specified in towing a trailer without an assisted breaking system, as a trailer over a particular weight has to have a in built breaking system to enable it to assist in stopping and a car under tow doesn't have this facility via just a towing frame.

Also there is the licence aspect your regular B class licence allows towing a trailer up a specific weight after that you have to do a car/trailer driving test.

I know on the continent in the camper world the way camper van enthusiast get around this is by putting the small car up on a trailer and the trailer has the correct breaking system.


quote from rsa: You can also tow a trailer and load weighing more than 750kg as long as the combined weight of the vehicle and loaded trailer does not exceed 3,500kg. A “type 01”, “unbraked” trailer does not need a braking mechanism

hope this is of some help to you

henna

Many thanks Mr. Cowan for the reply.

I came across this leaflet from the RSA regarding towing a broken down vehicle.

According to the information you have to treat the towed vehicle as a trailer when using an A Frame as you pointed out. Most cars have an unbraked towing capacity of 750Kg so that would mean you would have to have the towed vehicle's brakes rigged up to the A frame which is probably an impossibility if you're towing a broken down vehicle.

Interestingly it also states that you can use a tow rope to bring a vehicle to the nearest place of safety or repair. If you're usual garage / mechanic is 200km away then surely using an A Frame would be a much safer option?

It also says at the end of the document that it is for information only and does not provide legal or technical advice......

mr cowen

no problem, your welcome