Doug
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Registered: 8th Oct 03
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I am wondering if I could tow a car using an A-Frame on my license?
I passed on 23/09/03 and I have the following entitlements:
B
B1
f k p
If I couldnt tow a car with my license how would I go about being able to?
If I were to be towing a car using an A-Frame or simmilar would the car need to be MOT'd?
I want to buy a car to go skidding in but do not have a trailor and CBA insuring, taxing and MOTing etc
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RichR
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Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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all depends on the weight of the car; at 3500kg kerb weight of the towing vehicle you can tow upto a mximum of 750kg; however, you can have any combination upto 3500kg so long as the towing vehicle's weight exceeds the towed item; ie 2000kg truck towing a 1500kg trailer
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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as for on an A-Frame, I'm not sure how it works
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Doug
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Registered: 8th Oct 03
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It would be an E36 towing a striped out E36....
Would have to do some weight calculations!
But can I tow that on my license?
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DaveyLC
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Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
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You got your license after june 1997 so you can tow a car with someone sat in the other car to recover it but If the car weighs over 750kg you wont be able to tow on an A-frame as it counts as a trailer.
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DaveyLC
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Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
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And regardless of your license limitations I'd be pretty sure that another E36 would put an E36 over its gross weight limit which would be illegal regardless of your license.
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RichR
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Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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An A-frame attachment to a motor car can be used legally, but it is a device which is to be used to recover broken down vehicles to a place of safety, nothing else.
That doesn't include towing broken down vehicles from a place of safety.
'A-frame' attachments are regularly used by used car sales businesses to transport a vehicle back from auction. This is illegal and dangerous in many cases, given that the trailed vehicle may have a similar GVW to that of the towing vehicle, which have a dramatic effect on the braking distances. They also have no breakaway cables in most cases, so if the attachment should fail there is no additional control over the direction or speed of the vehicle.
Legally, if a trailer is over 750kgs GVW it must be braked. All cars apart from one have GVW over 750kgs. Even then, if the trailer is fitted with brakes, those fitted brakes must work on operation of the brake pedal of the towing vehicle.
Some motorhome users have fitted a system which allows the brakes of the towed car to be operated from the footbrake of the motorhome, but from what I understand, they still cannot achieve the required braking efficiencies.
If a towing vehicle weighs a lot more than the towed vehicle, and is being driven sensibly, I'd tend to offer advice, but if I see a car trailling a similarly sized car from one end of the motorway to the other, (usually at 80 or 90 mph), then I'll stop it, report the driver/owner, and make sure the car gets driven back to its destination or is stuck on a trailer.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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^^^ Reply on a police forum regarding the use of an A-Frame to tow a vehicle.
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DaveyLC
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Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
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The police generally dont give a shit anyway.. Unless you have an accident.
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Baskey
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Registered: 31st May 06
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If i passed in 02 can i tow a car trailer (with a mk3 golf on it)
Getting conflicting advice?
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Nic Barnes
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Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
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you need a trailer test on your lisence to cover towing another vehicle. wether it be on your lisence due to how long ago you passed or hat you've done a test, for the average car that most of us would want to tow, you wont be covered unless its on you lisence.
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Nic Barnes
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Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
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you also need to inform your insurance you have a tow bar and you tow cars aswell. as it wont be covered on your insurance either.
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Baskey
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Registered: 31st May 06
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Whats the penalty for towing without doing the test? Iv been towing a golf gti this weekend in my van
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RichR
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Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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car trailer will weigh around 750kg (thats based on a bi-axle SuperRollercoaster 10 boat trailer weight). The kerb weight of a mk3 Golf (VR6) is around 1155kg; so combined total weight of 1905kg. your maximum permissible towing limit is
"at 3500kg kerb weight of the towing vehicle you can tow upto a mximum of 750kg; however, you can have any combination upto 3500kg so long as the towing vehicle's weight exceeds the towed item; ie 2000kg truck towing a 1500kg trailer"
So as a combination you couldn't tow a car on a trailer as the weight would exceed that of the towing vehicle.
You also need to look at the vehicles towing capacity, a LR Discovery 3/RR Sport is 3500kg; a Navara (last shape) is 2750kg
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Baskey
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Registered: 31st May 06
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Actuly it prob made my insurance invalid. Driving not in accordance with my liscence or something. Shit
Il get my old man to tow it in the landy in future
[Edited on 21-09-2009 by Baskey]
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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quote:
Drivers who passed their test on or after this date have category B entitlement only, which restricts the entitlement to motor vehicles with up to eight passenger seats and an MAM of up to 3500kg with trailers up to 750kg MAM (4250kg combined), or larger trailers provided the combination of the trailer and towing vehicle does not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle.
If they wish to tow trailers which cause these limits to be exceeded, these drivers have to pass an additional test to show that they can competently handle a trailer.
Passing the B+E test entitles drivers to tow trailers up to 3500kg MAM with vehicles up to 3500kg MAM.
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Nic Barnes
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Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
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quote:
Originally posted by LiVe LeE
car trailer will weigh around 750kg (thats based on a bi-axle SuperRollercoaster 10 boat trailer weight). The kerb weight of a mk3 Golf (VR6) is around 1155kg; so combined total weight of 1905kg. your maximum permissible towing limit is
"at 3500kg kerb weight of the towing vehicle you can tow upto a mximum of 750kg; however, you can have any combination upto 3500kg so long as the towing vehicle's weight exceeds the towed item; ie 2000kg truck towing a 1500kg trailer"
So as a combination you couldn't tow a car on a trailer as the weight would exceed that of the towing vehicle.
You also need to look at the vehicles towing capacity, a LR Discovery 3/RR Sport is 3500kg; a Navara (last shape) is 2750kg
yes but unless you have a towing class on your lisence it doesnt matter.
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RichR
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Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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He does have a towing class ; however, thats the restricted class as per my above quote. To tow at higher capcities, you need a B+E
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Nic Barnes
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Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
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you cant tow a car on a trailer unless you passed before middle of 1997 though. your jut not covered. and unless you informed insurance, your not covered there either.
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Chadicles
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Registered: 8th Jun 09
Location: Westbury, Wiltshire
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Its only a £70 fine for towing over the weight limit, my mate got stopped by traffic cops and had to go to court and they could only give him a maximum fine of £70 for towing 3x over weight, but ended up getting 6 points as the trailer and vehicle used to tow was well fucked, i recall the wheel falling off when it was sized and recovered as the studs had snapped off the trailer due to the weight!! but it was shagged anyway
[Edited on 23-09-2009 by Chadicles]
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antnee
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Registered: 30th Dec 07
Location: Cov Drives: Clio 197
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How much does a normal trailer weigh? Do any companies make lightweight trailers?
When I used to row, most of the boat trailer companies made light weight versions so they could be towed by anyone 
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Nic Barnes
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Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
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i think the thing with a car trailer is, it has to be strong to support the weight. the stronger made the better it will tow aswell. in terms of rowing, its not a lot of weight to tow in the first place. i dont know the average weight of a car trailer, but theyre not the lightest of things to begin with. maybe could tow an empty car trailer. but average modern car weighs around 1000kg-1500kg.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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Thats one of our boat trailers and weighs 850kg, unladen
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Mike GSi
Member
Registered: 3rd Jan 07
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Drives:Astra VXR
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i towed my corsa with an A frame using my Discovery, didnt even think about wether i was allowed to 
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john_c20xe
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Registered: 10th Feb 08
Location: Eastbourne, EastSussex
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quote:
Originally posted by Nic Barnes
you cant tow a car on a trailer unless you passed before middle of 1997 though. your jut not covered. and unless you informed insurance, your not covered there either.
wrong!
according to the dvla, if you passed on and over 1 january 1997,
you can tow up to a 750 kg trailor
the car used for towing has to wiegh more than what you are towing,
the car the trailor and whats on the trailor cannot exceed 3.5 tons,
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