"A" Frame Towing

andy24

Before i start am not sure if am posting in the right category.
Just a quick Question.....
can a vectra B be towed on a "A" frame with no hassle?
thanks
andy

sandyc

Yes almost any car can be towed on an A Frame. However it all depends on what vehicle you are using to tow it.
The towing vehicle needs to be significantly heavier than the vehicle being towed as the A frame basically converts a car into an unbraked trailer.

andy24

the towing vehicle is a audi A4 estate so should be ok
thanks
andy

sandyc

Should be ok as long as you're careful.
Back in my Blue Oval days I dragged a Mondeo Saloon home 40 miles with my Mondeo Estate. I took my time and only had one scary moment on a roundabout 5 miles from home.
Have you ever used an A Frame before?

andy24

no i aint used 1 but my mate has.
also does it matter if the car been towed has no doors?

Gary14

andy24 said:
no i aint used 1 but my mate has.
also does it matter if the car been towed has no doors?

As long as the car being <u>towed </u>has current tax, mot and insurance you can tow the car with the A frame.

sandyc

That all really depends on the view of your local constabulary to be honest.
I used to drag stripped rolling scrap shells to the weighbridge on a regular basis with no intervention from the plod. I also dragged my dads car about 80 miles home from my uncles place. The traffic police had a good look but simply cruised by on the motorway. They would possibly take a different view if you had an accident or the car being towed was visibly dangerous or insecure.
However Im not sure what the current legislation is as it seems to be a grey area.
I also cant speak for the view of an insurance company if you did have an accident caused by using it.
The choice is yours.

Gary14

sandyc said:
That all really depends on the view of your local constabulary to be honest.
I used to drag stripped rolling scrap shells to the weighbridge on a regular basis with no intervention from the plod. I also dragged my dads car about 80 miles home from my uncles place. The traffic police had a good look but simply cruised by on the motorway. They would possibly take a different view if you had an accident or the car being towed was visibly dangerous or insecure.
However Im not sure what the current legislation is as it seems to be a grey area.
I also cant speak for the view of an insurance company if you did have an accident caused by using it.
The choice is yours.

Yes was going to do the same pick up scrap motors strip and take shells for weighing in, the dolly would have been perfect solution for towing and storage, but current legislation states that if any part of the towed vehicle i e the tyres are in contact with the road then the vehicle requires ins, tax and mot.

I didnt bother in the end as a trailer was to expensive to purchase, needed to be a specific weight for my Transit to tow. Due to the commercial aspect of towing a trailer for hire and reward needed to adhere to current driving hours etc,etc,etc

Yet again some bright spark do gooder stopping the working man make some cash :thumbdown:

sandyc

Most of the scrap uplift guys in my area use an A Frame in conjuction with a transit transporter so they can collect 2 cars on one trip.

solorider

as the towed car is classed as an unbraked trailer most cars have a max towing capacity of around 500kg to 800kg,as the average car is well over that you will be breaking the law,idealy to be legal you will need a large van or a 4x4

Gary14

sandyc said:
Most of the scrap uplift guys in my area use an A Frame in conjuction with a transit transporter so they can collect 2 cars on one trip.

So they are braking the law, cant be bad. dunno.. As soon as i start towing and my luck, the law would have me on my first tow cryb..

andy24

looks like am taking engine out in my garage then instead of m8s drive lol
cos i have that type of luck 2 get caught too
thanks guys

sandyc

They arent illegal to use but there are mixed views on what the law is regarding the vehicle being towed.
Ive used mine for years to tow various vehicles 90% of which werent remotely road legal and never had been pulled despite being seen by traffic police numerous times.
Im always careful to make sure the vehicle is securely hitched on, make regular checks on the way and I use a working tail board with registration plate on the back.
I think the Police up here generally wont bother unless you are doing something really stupid like towing a dangerous or insecure vehicle, not using a tailboard or being extremely stupid like trying to tow a Transit van with a Corsa.
I did read a real corker on a similar debate on the Ebay foums about a chap waiting for someone to come and collect a car. The buyer rang up to say he would be along in the afternoon and asked if the car had a towbar, which it did.
He promptly appeared to collect towing another car already which he then unhitched and hitched onto the back of the car he'd come to collect before hitching them both to the car he was driving using a 2nd A frame thus towing 2 cars behind him in a train.