ruskino80
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| posted on 20/7/06 at 09:43 PM |
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the law and unbraked dollies?
does anyone know the law with regards to unbraked car dollies?
(towing vehicle is escort van 55)
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JoelP
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| posted on 20/7/06 at 09:54 PM |
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i cannot tell you about the legality of dollies. However, if a trailer is unbraked, it must weigh less than the lower of either 750kgs, or half the
kerbside weight of the towing vehicle. Im guessing an escort van weighs around 1400kgs, so that makes a maximum mass of 700ish kgs, if it was a proper
trailer. Im fairly sure that, to be on a dolly, a car must be taxed, mot'd and insured, since it has wheels on the road.
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JoelP
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| posted on 20/7/06 at 09:56 PM |
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a cut and paste from
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=18
Q. What is a trailer?
A. A road vehicle, usually (but not necessarily) two wheeled, towed by a motor vehicle.Given the above dictionary definition, it is fairly clear that
anything attached to the towball and having wheels in contact with the ground is a trailer. This includes cars on ‘A’ frames and dollies. Bearing in
mind that the unbraked towing limit of 750 kgs refers to Maximum Gross Weight (i.e. the figure on the towed cars VIN plate) and not to actual weight,
it severely restricts the options. The only cars I know of with a MGW of less than 750 kgs is the Aixam range. These are around 450 to 550 kgs.
There are strict regulations on braked trailers and, whilst a braked ‘A’ frame attached to a towed car constitutes a braked trailer, it is not legal
for transportation as it cannot comply with EC71/320. With car dollies, the situation is somewhat different. Under regulation 83 of the Road
Vehicles (construction & Use) Regulations 1986 (SI.1986/1078) Amending Regulations, a car dolly, with a car in place, will be considered as two
trailers. This is legal for recovery but, under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 (Schedule 6) the combination is limited to 40 mph on motorways
and dual carriageways and 20 mph elsewhere.
Note that there is a very specific difference between recovery and transportation. Recovery is the removal of a broken down vehicle to a place of
safety. It does not include removing a rotor arm (for instance) and travelling the length and breadth of the country. The police are well aware of the
difference due to the regulations covering Tachographs and Operators Licences. Recovery vehicles are exempt.
It is well known that some countries in the EEC tend to overlook the regulations (the UK included) but some countries don’t. The situation regarding
enforcement could change at any time and, as a result, the only safe way to transport another vehicle behind a motorhome is on a car transporter
trailer. Play safe! Don’t take the risk!
[Edited on 20/7/06 by JoelP]
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ruskino80
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| posted on 20/7/06 at 09:59 PM |
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thanks joel-so it would seem with my car on it i would be hovering around the limit £100 for unbraked trailer or £400 for braked-- life used to
be so simple!!!
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meany
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| posted on 20/7/06 at 10:03 PM |
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another link for you.
http://www.ntta.co.uk/law/law/identification_plates.htm
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JoelP
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| posted on 20/7/06 at 10:04 PM |
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i am halfway through building a trailer that hopefully will be under 100kgs empty, to transport my locost on. Hence under 750kgs loaded. This reduces
the cost significantly, as i can use a £10 hitch (rated to 750kgs), unbraked single axle (£70) and only 2 or 3 wheels and tyres. Total cost seems to
be around £300 including metal. thats all brand new too...
[Edited on 20/7/06 by JoelP]
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ruskino80
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| posted on 20/7/06 at 10:09 PM |
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i suspect none of the dollies currently on ebay have proper tags stating weight capacity-is everyone selling them because they are illegal or am i
worrying to much?
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muzchap
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| posted on 20/7/06 at 11:11 PM |
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Worrying too much!
On my way to DVLA (no appointment) I flew past a Police Road Traffic car - no number plates etc - he looked at me smiled and carried on.
I'm never that lucky! So you must be worrying too much 
------------------------------------
If you believe you're not crazy, whilst everybody is telling you, you are - then they are definitely wrong!
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tks
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| posted on 21/7/06 at 07:02 AM |
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being lucky has nothing todo with feeling lucky or seeing that you have been lucky..
Tks
The above comments are always meant to be from the above persons perspective.
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marc n
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| posted on 21/7/06 at 07:25 AM |
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i always was under the impression that a dolly was for recovery only and that the car recovered has to be fully road legal i.e tax mot insurance, i
know they are starting to clamp down on all the grey areas like they have with busses for motoracing use, also 7.5 ton trucks like ours, we have to
make our front section of the truck into a motorhome part to avoid running a tacho, having an operators licence etc from this october onwards
the problem is as i have found is that you can ask 10 people in the know and they will all give different answers, so until its in black and white on
paper you really dont know where you stand
best regards
marc
please email rather than u2u
direct workshop email ( manned 8am till 6pm )
www.mnrltd.co.uk enquireys to :-
chrismnrltd@btinternet.com
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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JoelP
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| posted on 21/7/06 at 07:38 AM |
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...a car dolly, with a car in place, will be considered as two trailers. This is legal for recovery but, under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984
(Schedule 6) the combination is limited to 40 mph on motorways and dual carriageways and 20 mph elsewhere.
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antimony
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| posted on 21/7/06 at 12:34 PM |
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Going by what has been said above, I'm fairly confident that towing my 500kg Striker behind the 5 series using an A frame is therefore legal
(unbraked trailer less than 750kg). I have towed it up and down the M6 many times and never been stopped (it is fully road legal BTW).
However, the only time I was stopped using the A frame was collecting a series 2a Landy from Leicester, towing it with my dads' Disco. The
police were only ensuring that I hadn't nicked it and pointing out the fact that the light board was slightly obscured.
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spaximus
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| posted on 21/7/06 at 01:36 PM |
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It is a grey area with no hard or fast application of the rules. Basically any unbraked or braked dolly is only legal for recovery. now what is
recovery? You could pull a lead of and claim it was broken and would "technically" be legal. Now the "A" frame method is legal
again for recovery, but ilegal for other use's unless you have a way of operating the towed vehicle brakes. I saw one at a recent show that had
a bowden cable pulling on the foot brake of the towed vehicle which met most of the critera of the unit being now classed as a legal trailor. They
even had a letter from the VOSA confirming this, however if it was now a trailer it should under the law have auto reverse brakes which a car towed
this way does not have. So we have the VOSA saying it is okay yet the police saying they could prosecute under construction and use abuse. So it
really is still as clear as mud and should someone be prosecuted they might well have a case.
Now don't think a trailer is the automatic answer to legality it is not. The weight of a 7 plus the trailer cannot pass 750kg without requiring
braking on the trailer and you would be hard pushed to hit that figure. So if we go for a braked trailer the tow hitch must be upto the maximum weight
of the loaded trailer, it must have auto reverse braking, so no car hubs and brakes and must have maximum towing weight and nose weights displayed on
a plate. Tyres must be within the weights you have set or again a legal problem.
One guy on the lotus site was fined as he was pulled by the police and VOSA and his car was too far foreward causing the noseweight to be too high,
this was on a Brian james trailer IIRC.
Now it all may seem doom and gloom but it is rare for someone with a well driven tidy unit tp be pulled and checked wether towing dolly a frame or
trailer, if you get a stickler of a copper you might fall foul on any of these methods.
A good book to get is the indesuspension trailer book which has plans for trailers and parts etc and has a page on the legal issues as well.
for the record I have a twin axle homemade trailer using an alco chassis and axles. i have plated it to the maximum weight for the tow hitch and set
the noseweight at again the maximum for the hitch @ 175 kg. it cost me all in £300 including the chequer plate for the bed.
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