Strange Question.

[Guest Brian T]

Hi guys, I have a bit of a weird question. I've fitted an ETB electronic speedo and was just wondering , if I'm towing it on an A

frame or towing dolly and it's rear wheels are still in contact with the road the mileage won't go up will it? The way I see it is if the ignition is off it can't pick up can it?

 

The reason I'm asking is I'm thinking of towing it for about 300 miles each way on a holiday and using it while there, 600 miles return trip if logged on the mileage will wipe out half my annual mileage allowance.

[knights_templar]

only if you leave the ignition on

[sj-bradley]

Yes, it's weird that. The old mechanical speedos would have logged the mileage, yet the new cars won't if the ignition is not turned on.

 

Simon.

[Guest Brian T]

Cheers , as I thought but just needed someone else to confirm.

[Guest Alan_builder]

Hi Brian,

 

The speedometer is not the big point here.

 

Please check the towing laws for these things.

They are usually un braked and thus subject to a low speed limit and there are other restrictions.

As the car is not broken down it could be illegal. The car being dollied or A framed must be insured and taxed for sure.

 

Do check out the towing laws for these devices for your self.

 

The law seemed so complex on these issues so I expect further advice may not be totally correct.

 

Alan

 

PS it reads you have 1200 miles of insurance cover? You may be able to get 4000 miles at no extra cost do ask your broker. They may charge if you change mid insurance period.

[Guest scrabster]

hi all, just a thought, i work in a commercial breakers yard and when our wrecker picks one up at the front with rear wheels on the road they either diconnect the propshaft or take a drive shatf out, something to do with the prop turning the backend of the gearbox and not spraying oil over all the gears and seizing the box.would this happen in your situation? correct me if i am wrong please.

regards,jess.

[Guest mower man]

Do you only cover your car for 1200 miles ? I'm sure it would not cost alot if anything to up it to 2000 miles I cover mine for 6000 and it cost me no more than 3000[ £91yearly] check with your insurer mower man

[richardm6994]

I think that the law surrounding towing dollies has been well covered before....but as far as I understanding it...it is basically illegal for the following reason;

 

 

 

A towing dolly may be equipped with brakes, but only on it's own wheels, the other axle of the vehicle mounted on it will not have operable brakes - so by definition it is not a braked trailer - and should never exceed either 750 kg, or ½ the weight of the towing vehicle, or the towing vehicle manufacturers stated unbraked towing capacity, whichever is least.

 

Legislation does allow for the recovery of a vehicle, from a position where it constitutes a hazard, to a safe-haven. However, to proceed beyond the first safe-haven becomes transport, as opposed to recovery. In this instance a car transporter trailer is required, whereby the entire vehicle is carried upon the trailer (or towed vehicle) the trailers axle(s) being equipped with the requisite brakes.

 

There is an exception to the foregoing in relation to the legitimate use of recovery equipment by recognised Vehicle Recovery Operators, whose vehicles will usually be taxed accordingly.

 

If the police spot you towing a car on a dolly, even if the car has broke down and they witness you go past a "safe-haven" such as the exit off a motorway / duel carriage way, car park etc...they will class you as transporting the car and you will be pulled-up for it.

 

As some of you know, I'm currently building a car transporter trailer because I looked seriously into using / building a dolly but once I looked into it I discovered that it is a risky (in legal terms) way of transporing my RH about.

[Guest Alan_builder]

I doubt towing a car that is not broken down is illigal.

 

Useful info for weights and rules:

http://www.ukcampsit.../view.asp?id=18

 

May be you should have read your own link! Also what the poster Brian said "if I'm towing it on an A frame or towing dolly"!!

[Guest Brian T]

Thanks for the added info, food for thought there I'll have to look into it a bit more. The towing weight won't exceed 50%, towing with a Shogun.

 

I know propshaft is removed on autos never heard of it on manuals, used to do some recovery work for the AA and they never mentioned it. Being a HGV licence holder I assure you the workings of an HGV gearbox are very very different and having been recovered by a wrecker on front lift only once I agree they prob do need removing unless only a short distance. My Shogun auto can be towed 19 miles at less than 25 mph without disconnecting the prop as well.

 

My Insurance mileage allowance is 1500 miles a year, didn't think I'd need more, 2 months in and only used 37.8 miles of it, who mentioned the word drought? never stopped raining since they did

 

The campervans towing light cars is what made me think of it TBH, Insured and MOT'd for 11 and 10 months respectively, taxed for 5, so those bases covered.

 

Thanks again for the added info. Will get back to you with my findings.

[Guest QuadraDave]

http://www.ukmotorho.../a-frames.shtml Hi heres a link i use when i used my A frame to move my kit car 250 miles it explains everything and it is legal to use an A frame as the car being towed and A frame are classed as a trailer when attached. Hope this helps Dave D

[Guest Brian T]

Did a bit more digging and found this on directgov.............

 

Towing a car using an A-frame or dolly

 

If you attach an A-frame to a car in order to tow it with a larger vehicle, the car plus A-frame counts as a trailer.

If you use a dolly to tow a broken-down vehicle, the dolly counts as a trailer.

In both cases the usual safety regulations for trailers apply.

 

As the site says it looks as though someone has now decided it is legal, I'm guessing some Civil servant who actually thinks up the wording etc of the Laws may have a vested interest ;-)

 

I'm going to see if I can pick one up for a reasonable price on E-bay, if I get stopped I'll refer any traffic officer to the directgov site.

[Big Jim]

Yes it counts as a trailer, but as the link says, any trailer over 750kg needs to have working brakes, so go and get the kit weighed, preferably when the fuel tank is near empty, and no tools in the boot or spare wheel on. I can get mine under this limit of 750kg so don't need the brakes to work. The ½ of the tow car weight, is so that you can't tow something similar to a smart car etc.

 

In saying all that, there are very few normal BiB that are up to speed with the towing laws, it's more your Traffic Police who know, and if it *looks* right, 99.99% of them won't bother you. VOSA on the other hand are the ones to watch out for!

Get a proper rear lighting board that's kept clean and fully working, with a proper numberplate, nut just a home-made one, get another number plate with "on tow" that you can fix somewhere.

 

http://intertradeuk....?products_id=37

 

These people do a braked A frame (as well as the normal unbraked one) they are basically the same, but the braked one has an over-run piston attached to the tow hitch, when the tow car brakes, this works but pulling a bowden cable attachment where the other end is fitted to the *towed* cars footbrake pedal using the drivers seat via an attachment as an anchor, so therefore it presses the towed cars foot-brake.

In truth, it's a bit of a bodge affair but gets you around the requirements.

 

I towed this back to the NW from deepest south with no problems a few years ago.

[Guest david56]

Watch out towing your own car around for holidays is ok but if you are involved in an form commercial activity ie trying to sell it or taking it to a show so that you can use it to promote a business then you will need an operators licence and the towing vehicle will need a Tachograph if the total weight exceeds 3500kg.

 

If you do use it to tow anybody else's a and receive any reward, beer money counts then this is a commercial transaction and you will need an operators licence and a tachograph.

 

The police are getting increasingly keen on stopping trailers and towing in general.

 

Building a trailer, there are some changes in the regulations that will mean that new trailers will need type approval .