Legal Issues Towing A Car

[Anulfo 22]

Hi guys

 

i have done a search on this topic and couldnt find a definitive answer plus google searches didnt really clarify the issue either. the issue is if i am towing a car with tow rope or a straight bar therefore all four wheels of the car being towed are in contact withe road, does this car have to be insured? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

thanks

 

Anulfo

[welshpug 1,657]

yup has to be road legal

[Anulfo 22]

yup has to be road legal

 

But does the car being towed need to be insured?

[samthornton1990 23]

As above but they are starting to get iffy on towing with ropes apparently, either ment to be a towing bar or a trailer

 

And yeah the car has to be insured as it wouldn't be legal to have it on the road without insurance

Edited March 11, 2012 by samthornton1990

[Liquid_106 97 1 Cars]

This is what I find so annoying as you can't find a definitive answer anywhere.

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.

And a 'trailer' is apparently insured on your car third party (if you're fully comp).

 

Clear as mud!

[johno_78 2]

If only two wheels are on the ground then it is classed as a trailer, so no insurance needed. By having all 4 wheels is is a vehicle in it's own right, especially as it will need a driver to steer it when on a rope.

[welshpug 1,657]

BUT, an unbraked trailer can't be over 750 kilos...

[Anulfo 22]

If only two wheels are on the ground then it is classed as a trailer, so no insurance needed. By having all 4 wheels is is a vehicle in it's own right, especially as it will need a driver to steer it when on a rope.

 

Good point.Unless you are using an A-frame with a braking system as lets face it a 205 is more than 750kgs gross weight.

[Liquid_106 97 1 Cars]

If only two wheels are on the ground then it is classed as a trailer, so no insurance needed. By having all 4 wheels is is a vehicle in it's own right, especially as it will need a driver to steer it when on a rope.

Assumed an A-Frame to be one of these, so all four wheels would be on the ground:

And so:

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.

So as before the 'trailer' is covered under your car insurance.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Liquid_106

[Anulfo 22]

Assumed an A-Frame to be one of these, so all four wheels would be on the ground:

And so:

 

So as before the 'trailer' is covered under your car insurance.

Yes that is an A-frame which im taking it that as long as the car doesn't exceed 750kgs or has a braking system then you could tow a car legally and it would be considered as a 'trailer' thus no necessity for tax,m.o.t or insurance??

[welshpug 1,657]

for what it costs and the potential hassle/minefield it avoids I would get it transported or borrow/hire a trailer or find a mate with a trailer.

[johno_78 2]

Gotta love those trailer laws We haven't started on licenses, GVW, MAM and other technicalities yet.

 

 

How does the braking system on that A-frame work? I doubt that it would have the required efficiency to be actually legal.

[Liquid_106 97 1 Cars]

How does the braking system on that A-frame work? I doubt that it would have the required efficiency to be actually legal.

What braking system? Must be legal as the website I got the pic from offered is as a fitting service (big RV type things) - doubt they'd do it if it wasn't legal.

[johno_78 2]

What braking system? Must be legal as the website I got the pic from offered is as a fitting service (big RV type things) - doubt they'd do it if it wasn't legal.

 

As Welshpug said earlier, a trailer over 750kgs needs a braking system. The GVW of any car i can think of is over 750kgs, so the a-frame needs a braking system.

[Liquid_106 97 1 Cars]

As Welshpug said earlier, a trailer over 750kgs needs a braking system. The GVW of any car i can think of is over 750kgs, so the a-frame needs a braking system.

Yep, stand corrected (again) had another look and noticed this:

All frames are made to fit the car and work the brakes on all 4 wheels and light to meet the required laws in towing

Guess that's why it's £900+

Edited March 11, 2012 by Liquid_106

[Anulfo 22]

I guess the solution would be as WP pointed out to find a mate with,or hire/borrow a car trailer.You can get A-frames and towing dollies with braking systems built in but these work out pretty darn expensive and for similar money i could probably get a decent 2nd hand car trailer.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Yep, will need to be taxed, insured and MOT'd.

 

If you need something moving locally give me a shout. If it's to move your 205 across the country, don't

[dcc 855]

any trailer over 750kgs, needs to be braked. also make sure your car will tow the vehicle. technically, and legally, my corsa 'c' will tow a bigger weight than my dads chevy suburban, which is madness!

 

on my license biggest combined weight is 4350kgs (as far as i remember).

 

but to be honest, this is not the place to be asking such a serious question, as when your trailer kills a family and you say 'well i was told on a 205 gti forum it was ok???' isnt going to cut it.

[Anulfo 22]

Yep, will need to be taxed, insured and MOT'd.

 

If you need something moving locally give me a shout. If it's to move your 205 across the country, don't

Cheers Dan

[Batfink 201]

hows a trailer going to kill a family? I've never worried too much about using an a-frame with a proper light bar etc. Probably not legal but unless you are particularly dodgy or unsafe its very unlikely you will be stopped by the police. I've taken a none road legal car from london to exeter without being stopped by passing traffic police. My A-frame has been used to recover plenty of normal cars as well.

The reality is that there are really not many police on the road any more, let alone one interested or understanding of a minor traffic offence.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

hows a trailer going to kill a family? I've never worried too much about using an a-frame with a proper light bar etc. Probably not legal but unless you are particularly dodgy or unsafe its very unlikely you will be stopped by the police. I've taken a none road legal car from london to exeter without being stopped by passing traffic police. My A-frame has been used to recover plenty of normal cars as well.

The reality is that there are really not many police on the road any more, let alone one interested or understanding of a minor traffic offence.

 

May be considered by you as a 'minor traffic offence', but when you tally up the fine and points for having no MOT on it, no Tax, or it being insured, it's a potential licence loser. Is it worth it? I don't think so.

 

I agree the likely hood of being stopped is small, but still possible and the risk alone vs the cost of doing it properly is a no brainer for me.

 

Transport companies offer very competitive rates. A friend and I trailered a Peugeot back about 200 miles last year. The fuel cost was a fair bit, and a day lost by both of us. A transport company wanted just £20 more than what I spent out. I was pushed in to buying it the next day and didn't get the quote back in time so took the punt as the car was scrap money and way to good to miss anyway.

Edited March 12, 2012 by chipstick

[Anulfo 22]

any trailer over 750kgs, needs to be braked. also make sure your car will tow the vehicle. technically, and legally, my corsa 'c' will tow a bigger weight than my dads chevy suburban, which is madness!

 

on my license biggest combined weight is 4350kgs (as far as i remember).

 

but to be honest, this is not the place to be asking such a serious question, as when your trailer kills a family and you say 'well i was told on a 205 gti forum it was ok???' isnt going to cut it.

 

Agreed towing can be dangerous if not done in a safe manner.My initial question was simply aimed at some of the site's members who have had experience of towing cars up and down the country.I am well aware of the maximum towing capabilities of my car and a 205 on a tandem axle Brian James or an A-frame wouldn't come anywhere near this.My experiences with the police in the past is that you can get a few that get a bee in their bonnet about things like lights not functioning correctly on a trailer lightboard and handwritten trailer number plates!!!As chipstick pointed out if you get stopped with a couple of these issues then you could be looking at 6points on the licence,possibly more.

As long as you set about it correctly and with the correct equipment there is no reason why you should be wiping out families at all!!

[dcc 855]

I was being dramatic for added effect!

 

I hope you dont kill a family, but in all seriousness, towing using an a-frame isnt strictly legal, as there are very few cars under 750kgs, meaning your 'trailor' (aframe attached to a car) HAS to be braked, and ofcourse, it is not, which means, no insurance.

 

I know this because my old man nearly got caught out, luckily the officer wasnt a tw@t, and let my dad drive home with the car on an aframe, soon replaced with a BJ trailor.

 

however, a solid (rigid) bar between the 2 vehicles gives you permission to tow a vehicle 1 motorway junction, depending on how you read the 'grey' areas of the law.

[skylinefeb75 5]

Guys....great debate. My mate is a traffic cop and he has confirmed that as long as there is no driver in the car being towed and it is not being towed by a rope it does not need to have MOT or tax or for that matter insurance.

 

Now...the real reason for my post......I want to build a purpose designed frame to tow my 205....has anyone on here done this? A-frames are great but weight far too much and are a ball ache to fasten over the front wish bones!! Im thinking more along the lines of something that connects to two "Hoops" protruding from the front bumper, attatched somehow to the subframe.................has anyone done this on their 205?? if so please spread the knowledge and pics??

 

Cheers

 

Andy

Edited April 23, 2012 by skylinefeb75

[welshpug 1,657]

that would then be classed as a trailer, in which case its well over the legal 750 kilo limit for unbraked.