A-frame towing & vitara's

[sumo]

As you may or may not know I have just got a Vitara for the basement bird and once again the myth about towing them on a-frame raised its head.You know the one about not being able to tow without taking off the propshaft.Now i had NO trouble with the old Sammy (bunny to her mates) but matbe the vitara was different so I e-mail the god of all thing suzuki (the famous Rhino Ray) and this was his reply


Hi Rick

It's perfectly ok to tow your Vitara on an A frame. Just make sure the transfer is in high 2wd. If you have f.w.h. set them on free and remember you have a 1 ton unbraked trailer behind you. Drive carefully.

Rhino Ray

Myth sorted.


The law states that if any wheels of a vehicle are in contact with the ground whilst being towed it must be T&T and insured (unless being recovered to either place of repair or home). Well thats how I interpret it.

[Muddy Boots]

Hi mate,

I had a very similar conversation about towing a VW Beetle using an A frame to race meetings. The beetle in question will be T and T. I spoke to three traffic police officers about my intentions and all said it was fine.

However legally it's a very grey area. The problem comes down to the fact that the towed vehicle is classed as a trailer. Any trailer weighing of 750kg requires braking. This apparently is impossible to acheive using an A frame.

Apparently it's not usually the police that have issue with this but VOSA. At the time of writing the legality of towing a vehicle using an A frame has not been taken to court so the jury is still out excuse the pun.

My lasting thoughts after reading several articles were that an A frame can be used to tow a vehicle in a breakdown situation only.

Beleive me given the choice between paying for a couple of hundred quid A frame and a grand's worth of trailer the A frame looks alot more reasonable. I think if I were you I would do a bit of reading round the subject and come up with your own conclusions.

From what I read sadly the A frame is no longer an option for us.

[dirtydog]

you can get braked dolly's though [sumo speak]like what the RAC etc use[/sumo speak] would they be any good or are they as expensive as trailers?

[sumo]

you can get braked dolly's though [sumo speak]like what the RAC etc use[/sumo speak] would they be any good or are they as expensive as trailers?

I have got a braked A-frame which hooks up to the brake pedal of the towed vehicle so the towed vehicle is to all intense and purposes a braked trailer "I think" ?????
Which reminds me I must go to jottos and get it back along with my light board or else getting to Avalanche will be fun.

[averyaaron1979]

you can get braked dolly's though [sumo speak]like what the RAC etc use[/sumo speak] would they be any good or are they as expensive as trailers?

legally dollys are for recovery only and not towing long distance.
it all depends on the local traffic boys and whether or not they are going to allow it.

the same applies to the aframe, though i don't know how they can tow a micra or something that size behind a camper van without any issues. i would go with an aframe over a dolly personally.

[Koi]

I have just been over this myself and as follows.

Any vehicle being towed by the use of an A frame or Dolly (where front wheels are off the road) must be road legal.
Exceptions
It is being towed to a garage to effect repairs.

The vehicle is not working and it would have to be more serious than taking off a spark plug lead or any other part and saying oh but it wont start.

I was shown two cases in law where two drivers were prosecuted for using an frame.

Both drivers appealed
First driver won his appeal on the basis that the engine was seized and therfore was not classed as a veh as it physically could not be started and it was prebooked in at a garage

Second driver lost his appeal as he had simply removed a couple of leads from the engine. On the basis that this is not terminal and easily fixed his fine and points were upheld and the fact he could not prove he was taking it to a garage to effect repairs.

Agreed it is an area that most do not know what the law is and having spoken to three traffic officers two were not 100% sure but pointed me to one who I was told would know for sure.

The above was from him, he did say that most police officers probably dont know the law on towing themselves so you might possibly get away with it. Then you might just pass the one that does know the law and you wont get away with it.

As for using the dolly for towing behind a camper van etc it is OK as the veh they are towing will be (or should) be road legal.

I have just bought a trailer.

[da SLUG man]

i thought it was because the towed vehicle becomes a trailer and it has to comply with the construction and use regulations?...


you can get specially converted cars that will hook up to a campers braking system and have a bolt on a frame.

When an "A" frame is attached to a vehicle (e.g. a motor car) and towed by a motor vehicle (e.g. motorhome) we believe the "A" frame and car become a single unit and as such are classified in legislation as a trailer. As a consequence the car and A-frame are required to meet the technical requirements for trailers when used on the road in Great Britain. These requirements are contained within the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986/1078) as amended (C&U) and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/1796) as amended (RVLR).
Trailers having a combined axle mass not exceeding 750kg are not required to have brakes fitted. However, if the trailer (regardless of mass) is fitted with a braking system, then all brakes in that system must operate correctly. The regulations do not include design constraints on how this should be achieved but, for example, it could be met by direct linking of the trailer brakes to the brake system of the towing vehicle or by automatic inertia (overrun) operation via the towing hitch. Inertia systems can only be used for trailers with a maximum combined axle mass of 3500kg.
Regulations 15 and 16 set out the braking requirements - including minimum braking efficiencies for trailer brakes. Subject to certain age exemptions, the regulation requires the braking system to comply with the construction, fitting and performance requirements of European Community Directive 71/320/EEC along with its various amending Directives. The most recent consolidated directive is 98/12/EC. Alternatively the braking system can comply with the corresponding UNECE Regulation No.13.09.
In addition, C&U Regulation 18 requires the braking system to be maintained in good and efficient working order. If the brakes of the towing vehicle do not directly operate the trailer brakes the use of an inertia (overrun) system is acceptable. If the trailer braking system has power assistance (i.e. servo or full power) it is likely that this assistance will be required while in motion to meet the required braking efficiencies. This is because once the vacuum reservoir is depleted it is possible that the brakes will not meet the braking efficiency. To prevent the trailer being used illegally a remote vacuum pump, powered from the tow vehicle, could be installed to recharge the reservoir, alternatively a source could be made available from the tow vehicle. From 1 October 1988 the inertia braking system was required to allow the trailer to be reversed by the towing vehicle without imposing a sustained drag and such devices used for this purpose must engage and disengage automatically. This will be very difficult to achieve on an "A" frame using an inertia (overrun) device.
Other provisions from Regulation 15 and Regulation 86A of C&U require the fitting and use of a secondary coupling system in which the trailer is stopped automatically if the main coupling separates whilst the combination is in motion. Alternatively, in the case of trailers up to a maximum mass of 1500kg, the drawbar must be prevented from touching the ground and the trailer able to retain some residual steering.
Whilst being towed, trailers are subject to the relevant requirements given in RVLR, including the use of triangular red reflectors. There would be further requirements for the display of the appropriate number plate, etc.
The use of "dollies" is intended for the recovery of broken down vehicles, not for the transportation of a vehicle from "A" to "B". Under Regulation 83 of C&U a motor car is permitted to tow two trailers when one of them is a towing implement and the other is secured to and either rests on or is suspended from the implement. Therefore as a trailer if the maximum laden weight of the dolly exceeds 750 kg it must be fitted with operational brakes, additionally the brakes on the wheels of the second trailer (the towed car) must work and meet the specified requirements. Again this would be very difficult for the rear brakes of a motor car, on their own, to meet the 50% braking efficiency required for a trailer. The dolly would also be required by Regulation 22 of C&U to be fitted with suspension. Regulations 19 and 22 in C&U permit a broken down vehicle to be recovered without complying with these requirements. However, there is further legislation under the Road Traffic Act that introduces a limitation on the maximum speed that the combination can be driven; this is 40mph on motorways and 20mph on other roads.
We do not supply copies of legislation but I have included some information on various sources where they can be obtained. If you would like to purchase printed copies of Statutory Instruments these are available from TSO:
The Stationery Office Tel: 0870 600 5522
PO Box 29 Fax: 0870 600 5533
St Crispins e-mail: book.orders@tso.co.uk
Duke Street online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop
Norwich NR3 1GN
Alternatively you can consult "The Encyclopaedia of Road Traffic Law and Practice" published by Sweet and Maxwell. This publication is updated regularly and is available in most city reference libraries.
EU Directives can be found at:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/search/search_lif.html
UN-ECE Regulations can be found at: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs.html
From the above I hope it is clear that we believe the use of "A" frames to tow cars behind other vehicles is legal provided the braking and lighting requirements are met. However, while this is our understanding of the meaning of the Regulations, it is only the Courts which can reach a definitive interpretation of the law.

Alan Mendelson
Primary Safety Branch
Department for Transport

[da SLUG man]

from the Nattional towing and trailer association

I have a motor home and want to tow a Fiat Seicento behind it using an A-frame. This car has a kerb weight under 750 kg so am I legal with this outfit? Sorry no is the answer. The law regards this as an unbraked trailer and you are allowed to tow up to 750 kg Gross Trailer Weight, not a car’s kerb weight. The figure you have to use is the car’s Gross Vehicle Weight or Maximum Permitted Weight. This is usually at least 300 - 400 kg more than the kerb weight. We have no knowledge of any car sold in the UK that has a GVW under 750 kg. The only vehicle we know that is completely legal to tow with an A-frame is the French Aixam small "car". This is a full four seater and details can be obtained from Aixam UK on 01926 886100. An A-frame or dolly can only be used to recover a broken down vehicle to a place of safety. Transporting a car is, therefore, illegal. A-frames may be offered with a braking system that applies the car's brakes. These do not conform to the law as the car then becomes a "braked trailer" and has to conform to European Directives contained within the Construction and Use Regulations. It does not conform to the European Directive 71/320/EEC and amendments regarding braking requirements in any way. The use of this A-frame for transportation is illegal. It is still OK for use to recover a vehicle to a place of safety.