Anyone Used One Of These?

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

i have been looking for a way to get the pug to and from a track without having to worry if it breaks down or not.

 

ideally i would like a proper trailer but i havent the space to keep it so have been looking at dollys and the like.

 

then i stumbled on this:

 

linky

 

has anyone used one? i understand they can also be used on the motorway?

 

i guess it would be ok as long as i dont loose a hub/wheel or anything to that stops it freewheeling

[welshpug 1,657]

only legal for emergency recovery use, so I'd still be looking for a decent trailer IMO.

 

also the vehicle has to be road legal, unlike if it had 4 wheels off the ground on a trailer, which sort of negates the need to tow it, you might as well just drive it!

[Anthony 1,003]

I've got one, and they work very well

 

There is a slight question mark over their legality, but I've not ever had any issues during the 100's of miles I've towed with it.

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

only legal for emergency recovery use, so I'd still be looking for a decent trailer IMO.

 

also the vehicle has to be road legal, unlike if it had 4 wheels off the ground on a trailer, which sort of negates the need to tow it, you might as well just drive it!

 

i would have a trailer no question If i had the space, which i dont. and i was under the impression they were legal for any use as long as the car is road legal??

 

what i dont want to do is drive it there, break it and not be able to get it home. its not too bad for local tracks but most of the decent ones seem up north and i'm not sure if they aa recover that far?

 

and even if its not 'legal' as anthony has said its proving the situation is not an emergecy in the eyes of the plod

Edited August 9, 2010 by pugpete1108

[blessed6383 0]

think you will need the front wheels off the floor if not taxed and check your licence covers you to tow as i found out that if you passed after a certain date your not aloud to tow anything with a steering axle only solid ie does not turn on its own accord

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

think you will need the front wheels off the floor if not taxed and check your licence covers you to tow as i found out that if you passed after a certain date your not aloud to tow anything with a steering axle only solid ie does not turn on its own accord

 

its completly road legal.

[Atari Boy 11]

I know of someone who uses one all the time and swears by it.

He has had no problems either, he has also wired the rear lights of the towed car so that he can just add a cable from under the bonnet to the tow bar power socket and the towed car's rear lights work as a light board, clever!

[welshpug 1,657]

might be clever, but technically illegal as he's turned it into effectively a 900 kilo unbraked trailer!

 

[Rob Turbo 3]

My cousin has one, they are no good if the steering components are damaged, he had to collect a corsa that had a bang on the front end and it tried to pull the tow car sideways so had to be abandoned.

 

This type of thing could easily happen at a track so I'd say you'd be better off with something that at least keeps the front wheels off the ground.

[swordfish210 20]

I used to tow my 205 around with a 2 wheeled dolly trailer and never had any problems with plod (which was good as i dont have a trailer licence ) They're pretty good as you can use a lower powered car to tow than you would have to use with a double axle trailer, the only problem is that because the wheels are so close to the pivot point they are a pain in the arse to reverse with.

[blessed6383 0]

its completly road legal.

 

oool

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

My cousin has one, they are no good if the steering components are damaged, he had to collect a corsa that had a bang on the front end and it tried to pull the tow car sideways so had to be abandoned.

 

This type of thing could easily happen at a track so I'd say you'd be better off with something that at least keeps the front wheels off the ground.

 

yeah i was looking at the wheeled dollys but i'm not sure on the size of them as i have no where other than a lock up garage to keep that and the car

 

i wonder if you can get a small trailer that will fit the car on and then fit in the garage?

[Anthony 1,003]

i would have a trailer no question If i had the space, which i dont. and i was under the impression they were legal for any use as long as the car is road legal??

Under non-emergency use, they effectively turn the towed car into a trailer - the problem being, that it's an unbraked trailer... and you can only have an unbraked trailer upto 750kg, which almost any 205 will be over. That I'm aware of, being a "trailer" in the eyes of the law, it doesn't matter if it's road legal or not using this method.

 

Clearly if you're using it for emergency recovery, then it's fine - but it must be road-legal for starters.

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

Under non-emergency use, they effectively turn the towed car into a trailer - the problem being, that it's an unbraked trailer... and you can only have an unbraked trailer upto 750kg, which almost any 205 will be over. That I'm aware of, being a "trailer" in the eyes of the law, it doesn't matter if it's road legal or not using this method.

 

Clearly if you're using it for emergency recovery, then it's fine - but it must be road-legal for starters.

 

are wheeled dolly's unbraked?

[swordfish210 20]

are wheeled dolly's unbraked?

 

Mine was, you can get braked ones though but i believe they are quite expensive.

[floodys 4 1 Cars]

I used a a frame lime that and I pulled a 205 complete with my 306 hdi, did it perfect, 205 wasn't road legal but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! You can get trailers small enough to fit in a garage, depending on garage! I'm lucky because my garage has a 7 foot wide door! Loadsa room !

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

Its a tricky one this. as a lot of the traders that come and buy are old stock use A-frames and dollys. They travel the lenghth of the uk with them and never see bother.

 

I had a trailer that I made with the axle from a Renault Traffic van and a load of angle, and it was AWESOME. but it got stolen 2 years ago. I cannot project to you how much better it is for the car to have a trailer rather than a dolly/a-frame.

 

Think I am gonna weld up a trailer as this winters project. I dont need one, but they are handy as hell.

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

And another thought regarding the legalities of A-frame useage.

 

We sell alot of Fiat 500's to folk that have them as an addition to a Mobile Home. These are towed all day long on an A-frame. I am not sure what this says about the plods view on A-frame towing.

 

(I have had a lot to drink tonight so I probably dont make any sense at all)

[Baz 421]

I also have one, pretty handy but less than ideal. And be careful in the wet...

[Batfink 201]

I have one and never had a problem with plod. I think its such a grey area that as long as they see you with a proper light board etc then they seem not bothered.

I've towed complete cars, rolling shells etc over hundreds of miles. Mine cost about £200 and was a galvanised steel one. Its lasted very well..

I'd use a big car with good brakes though rather than 306 size

Edited August 10, 2010 by Batfink

[swordfish210 20]

I'd use a big car with good brakes though rather than 306 size

 

I was using a Volvo 360 which was frigging useless as it didnt have enough power to go past 60mph with the car and dolley on the back

[timb1046 1]

I'd be consentrating my search on a trailer that you can fit in the garage, after all, you can store the car on top of it in the garage as long as it is correctly held (jacks or those legs that caravans use) towing on a frame or on the initial suggestion wont be perfect, and there'll always be the niggle at the back of your mind when you see a cop due to the grey area.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

I've been doing trackdays for about 7 years now, only on 3 occasions have I not been able to drive the car home, once because I popped it onto its roof at Cadwell Park, once due to a bust shaft at Cadwell Park, the other due to a bust clutch cable at Silverstone.

Really we should have carried spare shafts and a spare clutch cable which would have got us around these problems. When I rolled it we had driven it there, luckily a carefully worded call to the RAC and they recovered it for me.

 

I do have access to a few trailers to borrow, but if I did not, instead I would probably just drive the car there and have someone else come with a second car and a tow rope. In the event that something goes wrong with the trackday car you tow it away from the circuit on a rope to avoid having to argue with the breakdown co., and then call up the AA/RAC and get it recovered home. You just need to make sure you have the appropriate cover.

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

i might just not bother then and take my chances with it breaking and having to call out the aa.

 

i was just worried about how far then will take you, as ideally i wouldnt want to got to the nearest garage i'd just want it home.

 

i'll have to check my cover but off the top of my head i think i have roadside + relay. whatever that means

[S@m 156]

I used one of these A-frames to tow back a 405 mi16 across the width of the country, had no problems at all with the law or the frame itself. Would recommend it for occasional use. Although, i did have to remove the front bumper of the Mi to locate the frame, which was a bit of a hassle, but that was because we were using a Mazda B2500 pick up to tow with and the tow bar was obviously quite high; with a car it would be fine.

 

Sam