Slimy38
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| posted on 27/4/14 at 04:11 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by PeterV
Shall not even attempt to get an IVA with towing setup. Will do that job once everything else is set up, legal and well sorted. As with the WLR, what
passed the IVA was a long way from what became a safe, reliable and comfortable car 18 months later. Can't see this one being any diffrent 
Might still be worth checking it out though. Don't forget most production cars have a rated towing capacity, those figures are used during spot
checks etc. I'm not sure how a kit car could get a rated towing capacity (or how you'd actually prove it?).
I agree it would make sense to sort it after IVA (I can't imagine any kit cars that remain IVA compliant!), but I do wonder whether it might be
a lot more than just welding up a towbar... 
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PeterV
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| posted on 27/4/14 at 08:54 PM |
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This chassis comes complete with the towing sub frame and tow bar mounting face plate already built in. You could pull a Landrover out of the mud with
this massive box section sub frame attached to the OTT back bone chassis. They really over engineered the chassis back in the 80's 
On the tow weights, most cars have them but I can't quite see spot checks by Police ever happening, not sure where they would get the trailer
gross weight from without a weighbridge. Been towing for 30 years and only been visited by the police once (in a motorway service station) and that
was a general maintenance and tyre check no mention of weights. Towed a pop up trailer tent with my Suzi GS850 shaft drive bike and that certainly
never had any towing spec, doubt if it ever crossed a Suzuki engineers mind. Not sure if Honda Gold and Silver wings have tow weights or specs but
there are a lot of them towing stuff.
There were legal restrictions 20 odd years ago in the UK. Use to be some sort of kerbside weight versus trailer weight calculation. Was an attempt to
stop Triumph Spitfires towing 30Ft Gypsy caravans down Cornish lanes. Those laws have all been scrapped. As far as I can tell we are left with the
speed limit restrictions as the UK's only difference to EU law on towing.
There are restrictions based on when you passed you driving test. If, like me, you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you are generally
entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes.
Other legal requirements:
If the towing vehicle weighs 3500kg or less (Gross Vehicle Weight or GVW) then max Length (excluding the coupling and drawbar) 7.0m and Width Maximum
2.55m
Since 1982 all trailers, including unbraked ones, must be clearly marked with their maximum gross weight in kilograms.
Since January 1, 1997, all unbraked trailer plates must show the year of manufacture.
Department of Transport Code of Practice states that it is desirable for trailers less than 3,500kg gross vehicle to carry a manufacturer's
plate clearly showing manufacturer's name and address, chassis or serial number, model number, number of axles, maximum weight per axle, nose
weight or coupling, maximum gross weight and date of manufacturer.
There is government advice on towing "only towing in accordance with the manufacturers VIN plate information", but it's advice and
does not seem to be a law as such. Maybe manufactures only put weight limits on to protect themselves from claims on chassis bending and clutch
destruction etc. Me thinks dead pull weights are not the only issue as the nose weight of the trailer is just as important to save the rear end.
Found lots of detailed towing info in my 2008 SAAB 93 AWD V6 handbook and only max weight info in the 900's handbook so I guess things have
changed over the years. IVA forms do allow for towing mass data to be stated and there is a lot of info in the IVA manual about tow weights, tow ball
heights etc. that I will need to study but at first glance nothing seems to say you can't have a tow weight specified even if it has no tow ball
fitted.
This looks like a interesting subject that must have turned up on 4x4 kit car builds so I'll have to do some searching.
Anyone else been down the towing route?
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SteveWalker
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| posted on 27/4/14 at 11:00 PM |
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I looked not long ago and all the rules concerning manufacturer's declared towing weights (including requirements for type approved tow bars)
and hence some cars not being able to tow at all seem only apply to type approved vehicles and not individual ones. I could be wrong, as I've
not had to IVA anything, but it may well be that the IVA forms only mention towing weights for imports of non-European type approved vehicles?
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PeterV
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| posted on 28/4/14 at 10:47 AM |
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IVA application just gives boxes for axles 1,2&3 then Gross KG followed by Train Kg and Towable Mass. My reading of towing guidelines is that the
Tain Kg should be the Gross Kg + Towable Mass. This info goes on the VIN plate and the car is then able to tow.
On the IVA pass certificate there are boxes for
16.4 Technically Permissible Mass of the combination
18.0 Maximum Towable Mass or Maximum UK GTW (tractor units only)
Quiet how anyone is suppose to work these figures out is a bit of a mystery??
My WLR pass cert has both of these as N/A so therefore can not tow anything. This is most probably because I filled out the application form with both
as N/A. Everything else I wrote on the app form just got copied onto the pass form and then the log book. The only entry taken from the test was the
Kerbside (fully fuelled, watered and oiled) weight measured on the day. This meant running down the road to a petrol station to by an extra gallon
because we used lots messing around before and during the test and the tank needs to be maxed out at weighing time. Next time I'll take a spare
fuel can with me!! Having established the (totally dry) corner weights some months before the test, it was a surprise to find my beast had put on 65Kg
by test day.
And there was me thinking "IVA, simples. I'll just do the same as last time without the mistakes"
Glad I've got a many many building months ahead to figure this towing bit out!
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