Ian
In the same theme as a recent post "when does car become a car" if I have my MK on a A frame with a light board fitted etc is it a car or a trailer and if it's not a trailer why?
I believe the car would have to be insured and taxed if the wheels are on the ground when towing, so I'd guess at a car not a trailer.
Hopefully a more technical answer will come along!
If it has functioning brakes they must work with the tow vehicle brakes.
Unless you are recovering a vehicle.
That is my understanding from the other times this topic has been covered. REGARDLESS OF WEIGHT.
A frames from what I understand are a massive grey area. Only the recovery firms arms supposed to use them in emergencies.
If you are towing your car with an A frame and there is no driver present in the towed car then it becomes a trailer. If the car with an A frame or
trailer, call it what you will is > than 750kg then all wheels must be braked and work in unison with the main towing vehicle.
I went though this whole rigmarole as I passed my test after 1997. I have a very good friend who is a transport manager and holds a CPC. I also know
some motorway police folk, who basically told me the above. As i want to later in life own a caravan, i opted and took my B+E.
Now every time I pass a copper or vosa when I'm towing, my arsehole does not twitch.
I know the answer to this and have the court case to prove it.....
If any of the towed cars wheels are touching the road, the towed vehicle must have a comply with the rules as if it was being driven BY THE DRIVER OF
THE VEHICLE TOWING IT!! It has to have current tax, MoT and insurance for the driver of the towing vehicle.
A trailer over 750kg has to have brakes fitted and working on all wheels. If it's under 750kg but has brakes fitted, they must work. That means
that cars on A-frames need to have working and operable brakes. Overrun brakes are no longer legal on trailers with axles over 1000mm apart. That
includes cars on A-frames. It's possible to have A-framed cars fitted with a system that uses magic that applies the towed vehicle brakes as the
towing vehicles brakes are operated. Some use electronics/sensors on the servo.
A-frames can be used by recovery companies to move broken-down vehicle to a safe place. eg. they can be used to pull a vehicle off a motorway but only
to the next exit.
A motor vehicle is always a motor vehicle as it has been built for that intended use. It is not a trailer. Feel free to quote
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/408927/a-frames-and-dollies.pdf
but read the last paragraph. When I got nicked I took the aforementioned document to court and the judge dismissed it as it was not the law.
[Edited on 15/4/16 by owelly]
Bottom line, buy a trailer for approx 350
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
I know the answer to this and have the court case to prove it.....
If any of the towed cars wheels are touching the road, the towed vehicle must have a comply with the rules as if it was being driven BY THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE TOWING IT!! It has to have current tax, MoT and insurance for the driver of the towing vehicle.
A trailer over 750kg has to have brakes fitted and working on all wheels. If it's under 750kg but has brakes fitted, they must work. That means that cars on A-frames need to have working and operable brakes. Overrun brakes are no longer legal on trailers with axles over 1000mm apart. That includes cars on A-frames. It's possible to have A-framed cars fitted with a system that uses magic that applies the towed vehicle brakes as the towing vehicles brakes are operated. Some use electronics/sensors on the servo.
A-frames can be used by recovery companies to move broken-down vehicle to a safe place. eg. they can be used to pull a vehicle off a motorway but only to the next exit.
A motor vehicle is always a motor vehicle as it has been built for that intended use. It is not a trailer. Feel free to quote https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/408927/a-frames-and-dollies.pdf
but read the last paragraph. When I got nicked I took the aforementioned document to court and the judge dismissed it as it was not the law.
[Edited on 15/4/16 by owelly]
The plod that tugged me said it was his pet hate and he pulls every A-framed car he sees!! There's an off-road centre up the road from me and a
few of them got nicked last year. Some got nicked for trailer offences (over-weight, non-plated trailers, wrong driving licence entitlements etc) and
all the ones with A-frames got nicked and if the A-framed vehicles din't comply with the Road traffic ACt, they got impounded and prosecuted.
Some motor-homers are saying that the 2014 law regarding overrun brakes are not retrospective so they can still use them as they've been using
them since before the law changed. For them to use this reasoning, they'd have to have started their journey before 2014.........
The important thing to note though is you can tow perfectly legally with an A frame, but you have to do it correctly or risk getting pulled, much the
same as anything else used or done on the road, simples
Ian
Oddified, if you meet the copper that I did, you'll be off to see the judge. If your little car has brakes fitted, they have to be operable whilst being towed.
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
Oddified, if you meet the copper that I did, you'll be off to see the judge. If your little car has brakes fitted, they have to be operable whilst being towed.
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
I know the answer to this and have the court case to prove it.....
----Overrun brakes are no longer legal on trailers with axles over 1000mm apart. That includes cars on A-frames. It's possible to have A-framed cars fitted with a system that uses magic that applies the towed vehicle brakes as the towing vehicles brakes are operated.
[Edited on 15/4/16 by owelly]
Hmm, interesting that. I bought a two axle car transporter trailer there to move my MEV Rocket to and from various places, and while it has crappy
drum brakes on on the front axle, they're not connected to anything.
How would you go about adding braking to a trailer? They'd need a battery, servo, and some sort of way of reading the brake light signal from
the towing vehicle, surely? How would they know the difference between 'slowing down gradually for some traffic up ahead' and 'stop
immediately!'?
Twin axle trailers usually have the axles next to each other so the 'new' overrun brake thing doesn't apply to them. This law was introduced to address the large trailers, usually with an axle at either end, with a steerable front axle. Like the large fairground style/catering trailers. If one of these starts to overtake the tow vehicle, the overrun brakes don't work. This law just happens to include cars on A-frames.