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kapri
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« on: April 01, 2014, 05:37:11 PM » |
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Any info welcome, best, cheapest , what to look for , best style  |
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morrag
Hero Member
Karma: 49
Posts: 2875
Carpe diem!
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« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2014, 07:42:35 PM » |
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Came across this recently, elsewhere on line, thought it might be of some interest!...............
Tow dolly ,A frame
There is alot of legal jargon behind the use of a tow dolly and A frame for the towing of cars
If you thinking of buying one of these then you may want to think again after reading this guide
The use of tow dollys and A frames are only intended for the recovery of broken down vehicles
The vehicle you are recovering must be road legal ,ie have an mot,road tax and be fully insured
The vehicle you are using to pull the tow dolly is also legally required to be able to tow the weight of your towed vehicle and your tow dolly must be able to carry the weight of said towed vehicle ,now where it gets tricky is that not all of the weight of the towed vehicle is on the tow dolly ,but it does not matter are your are still towing the whole car using this device
In other words you cant turn up with Clio and tow dolly and expect to tow a volvo estate ,where as the other way round and your tow dolly can carry the full weight of a Clio then its not a problem ,providing both cars are legal ,mot'd road taxed and insured and of course only if the Clio has broken down ,However if you tell " Mr Policeman its broken down" then theres nothing he can do to tell you otherwise , after all he is a policeman not a car mechanic how is he going to know
Most of the tow dolly's are plated ,you get some home made efforts that you really should avoid
If you are using a tow dolly to move a track car,autotest,rallycar or a car that is not road legal then you are breaking the law
The best option is use a car trailer ,ok these are exspensive but its saves a lot of hassle and you can tow what you like depending on the weight limit of the trailer etc
You se a lot of large camper vans towing these micro cars ,again believe it or not they are breaking the law as they are not Recovering a broken down vehicle .
Its madness i know and i think a lot of police turn a blind eye if they think that your set up looks to be safe and alot of them just dont know the law with regards to tow dolly's
I think the whole law should be changed as a tow dolly is far easier to have sitting about than a muckle great car trailer and there are lighter and easier to use ,but until the law is changed Tow dolly's and A frames are for the use of recovery purposes only .
Hope this helps and i found this information via the police as i was concerned i was breaking the law using a tow dolly for my autotesting car ,since i have got rid of my tow dolly and the autotest car as i have no where to keep a large car trailer ...Morrag
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Beware the Ides of March, But!
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kapri
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« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2014, 10:09:08 PM » |
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There's a proviso in here. A frames / dollies are only legal to tow up to 750kg unbraked INCLUDING frame weight when broken down. If vehicle isn't broken down then it is no longer an A frame or dolly but a trailer and must meet trailer regs . So, if the whole thing weighs more than 750kg inc frame it should be braked and all trailer towing weight regs apply. If under 750kg inc frae it doesn't need to be braked but light bar must comply with all trailer regs. Info at bottom of this link http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/general-advice/towing-advice-what-you-need-to-know.htmlFor more towing regs and info we have a guy over at ACE that specialises in the matter. |
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« Last Edit: October 14, 2014, 10:13:04 PM by kapri »
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scannerzer
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« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2014, 06:13:28 AM » |
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or make one like this  Trike 'dolly'  Trike 'dolly'  Trike 'dolly'  Trike 'dolly'  Trike 'dolly'  Trike 'dolly' and in use for a quick trial  Trike 'dolly' |
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BikerGran
Hero Member
Karma: 94
Posts: 10604
Gran Turismo
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« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2014, 08:27:48 PM » |
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i think a lot of police turn a blind eye if they think that your set up looks to be safe and a lot of them just dont know the law with regards to tow dolly's
I think you're right as I never got looked at twice by police when towing my fairly small bike derived trike to Scotland and back. I was using a proper trailer bar with all the necessary lights and reflectors, carrying the number plate of the towing vehicle. And my trike is taxed, tested and insured. |
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You don't stop havin fun because you get old - you get old if you stop havin fun!
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minimutly
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« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2014, 10:36:33 PM » |
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I liked the idea of a dolly for towing behind my camper, but after some thought, and looking around,I'm not so sure.
The dolly relies on using the trike axle, which is a plus and minus point. On the plus side, you have a small frame to store, no extra pair of tyres to maintain. Erm, can't think of anything else.
On the minus side, you will be pulling the extra drag of the trike axle, which is considerably more than a pair of trailer hubs. This will have considerable effect on mpg, and depending on mileage, may be considerable.
My conclusion, is that a trailer would be best, made for the trike. Extra work and cost yes, but it could be worth it, depending on your intended use.
Huw
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minimutly
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« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2015, 12:59:06 PM » |
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Just saw this, even more reason not to use a dolly.
Huw
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scannerzer
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« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2015, 01:25:16 PM » |
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depends on the dolly !
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minimutly
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« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2015, 02:51:11 PM » |
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Yes scannerser, I agree, and if I had to I would build one as you've done. But you still end up towing the axle.
Depends on circumstances I guess.
Huw
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