Im thinking of making or buying a small ish tow dolly for my 7, and just wondered what the current legal status of them is ?
as are they really a get you home bit of kit, or can I tow my 7 that is all road legal on a tow dolly or bars, and be with in the law ?
I have a full licence since 1977, so can tow legally
tow car is a 2008 mondeo, so is about 4 times the weight of the 7
steve
It was covered quite well on here a little while back.
The basic problem that most people have is that if the trailer (car) has its own braking system then it must work in conjunction with the towing
vehicle. There are systems that let you do this. A quick google suggests that most motorhome towing types select cars under 750kg so they dont have to
be braked.
Its a grey area, and a can of worms has just been popped. BIG TIME!!
Hang fire for my impending court case....then I'll give you a definitive answer.....
So, as my car has an all up weight of 520kg di I fall into the un braked catergy
steve
I short: irrespective of the weight of the vehicle, if the wheels that are touching the road have brakes, they have to work effectively. As of last year, a change in the law states that 'trailers' (as that's what you have turned your towed car into) with axles more than 1m apart, cannot have drawbar activated overrun brakes. This includes all those little cars being towed behind motorhomes and are using the overrrun cables to the brake pedal. Towing with a dolly puts the front wheels on the dolly so the dolly needs to have working brakes and the rear wheels are on the road so they also have to work but can't use overrun brakes attached to the brake pedal, as the axles are over 1m apart.
I read up on it and found it very restrictive - dollys with wheels can only be used for breakdowns and then max speed is very slow (below 30?) unless they are braked etc . Can't remember the exact detail but decided a trailer was simpler and safer if VOSA are parked in a lay by nearby
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
I short: irrespective of the weight of the vehicle, if the wheels that are touching the road have brakes, they have to work effectively. As of last year, a change in the law states that 'trailers' (as that's what you have turned your towed car into) with axles more than 1m apart, cannot have drawbar activated overrun brakes. This includes all those little cars being towed behind motorhomes and are using the overrrun cables to the brake pedal. Towing with a dolly puts the front wheels on the dolly so the dolly needs to have working brakes and the rear wheels are on the road so they also have to work but can't use overrun brakes attached to the brake pedal, as the axles are over 1m apart.
quote:
Originally posted by wylliezx9r
Out of interest where did you get the information that the braking cannot be performed by over run ?
quote:
Originally posted by chillis
quote:
Originally posted by wylliezx9r
Out of interest where did you get the information that the braking cannot be performed by over run ?
I believe owelly has been to court on this very subject. The rules changed recently mainly to stop vehicles being towed without a driver at the controls, ie when using a dolly or towing behind a camper. Towing dollys and spec lift can be used for recovery only and by an approved recovery vehicle. (towing your smart behind a camper is not recovery)
So you have to flat tow with a driver in the towed vehicle or tow a trailer with the vehicle on. For some this may mean an additional driving test for towing.
Have a looksy at UNECE Regulation 13 which came into force in the UK in 2014.
5.2.2.2 Trailers of category O2 shall be eqipped with a service braking system either of the continuous or semi-continuous or of the inertia (overrun)
type. The latter type shall be permitted only for centre axle trailers.
2.12 "Inertia (or overrun) braking" means braking by utilizing the forces generated by the trailer's moving up on the towing
vehicle.
I havn't got the time at the moment to pick all the bones out the new and old regs so have a google about.
Part of Human Rights legislation says laws cannot be retrospective so I would assume that this can only apply to new trailers
(or I could be wrong)
Ha ha, can't imagine arguing your human rights position with Mr Vosa at the side of the road ending very well 
Originally posted by ianhurley20
Part of Human Rights legislation says laws cannot be retrospective so I would assume that this can only apply to new trailers
(or I could be wrong)
Retrospective laws are interesting. Providing you started your journey before that particular law came into force, you may be OK...
I almost bought a brand new Dolly to tow a citroen c1 behind my motorhome, fortunately I found this document just before i bought it & opted for
an Ifor Williams trailer.
Copied direct from the .gov site
The use of “dollies” is intended for the recovery of broken down vehicles, not for the transportation
of a vehicle from “A” to “B”. Under Regulation 83 of C&U a motor car is permitted to tow two trailers
when one of them is a towing implement and the other is secured to and either rests on or is
suspended from the implement.When used for recovering broken down vehicles “dollies” are
exempt from having an operational braking system fitted, provided that the towing vehicle is
capable of meeting the minimum prescribed braking requirements for the combination. However, if
“dollies” are used for the transportation of perfectly functioning vehicles they will need to be fitted
with an operational braking system. dditionally the brakes on the wheels of the towed carwhich
are in contact with the road must work and meet the specified 50% braking efficiency required for a
trailer. The dolly would also be required by Regulation 22 of C&U to be fitted with suspension.
Regulations 19 and 22 in C&U permit a broken down vehicle to be recovered without complying
with these requirements. However, there is further legislation under the Road TrafficRegulation Act
1984that introduces a limitation on the maximum speed that the combination can be driven; this is
40mph on motorways and 20mph on other roads.
Hope this helps,
CJ.
Makes you wonder about A frames, I used to tow my landrover with one of these!
Well, that seems to of answered all my questions, perhaps i will get a trailer !
Thanks guys,
However, i saw two campers over the last couple of days towing small cars on A frames, so its obvousley not widley known about the new rulings
steve
[Edited on 20/8/15 by steve m]
quote:
Originally posted by steve m
Well, that seems to of answered all my questions, perhaps i will get a trailer !
Thanks guys,
However, i saw two campers over the last couple of days towing small cars on A frames, so its obvousley not widley known about the new rulings
steve
[Edited on 20/8/15 by steve m]