towing on A frame ?

[Schakal]

is it legal to tow a car without tax and mot on the m4 using an A frame ?

[Bigfoot]

If any wheels are touching the ground you need an MOT, tax and insurance I believe.

[Chris Hebden]

Thats right as far as i know. You might be able to blag it, but wouldn't recommend it!

[Ashy]

I've done it loads never had any bother... But not 100% sure that its legal!!!

There is a section on the dvla website about towing laws!

[Scoff]

its a bit of a grey area I think. I've had no bother at all with the law, I see other people using them even when the car is blatently a race car and not road legal. if you look at the towing laws then the car infact becomes a trailor the second you attach a hitch to it. it might negate the requirement for tax and mot (I'm not entirely sure that it does though?) but, then trailor laws apply! If the "trailor" weighs more than 750kg or more than half the weight of the tow vehicle then it needs to have brakes. If the trailor has brakes then they need to work as trailor brakes. so there are atleast those 2 technicalities they could have you on if they were so inclined. I use mine to pull my car all over the country, you see some factory cars come with a-frame attachments from new!! people hook them upto motor homes with no problem.

[Schakal]

thanks for the replies , i got the message .
will have to sort a flat bed :crap:

[D4WNO]

10 seconds looking on the DVLA website came up with this lol

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/inf30.pdf

[Scoff]

10 seconds looking on the DVLA website came up with this lol

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/inf30.pdf

well yeah but it doesn't tell you about the specifics of a-frame towing, not much does. but then I havn't looked it up for a couple of years.

one good point from that doc though is that you need B+E entitlement on your licence, which is fine if your getting on a bit like me but if you passed your test after 1997 you won't have that entitlement unless you've taken an additional test it seems.

[Scoff]

thanks for the replies , i got the message .
will have to sort a flat bed :crap:

it just depends how fussy you are. I've towed all kinds, I can tell you that my A-frame is by far the safest and most comfotable thing to tow with by a long shot, safer than a trailor, less likely to wander, much lighter overall, etc. for the sake of a couple of minor law infrigments I'm not going to stop using what I know is safer, just because the powers that be cannot be bothered to recognise the fact.

[TNT ANDY]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)


it just depends how fussy you are. I've towed all kinds, I can tell you that my A-frame is by far the safest and most comfotable thing to tow with by a long shot, safer than a trailor, less likely to wander, much lighter overall, etc. for the sake of a couple of minor law infrigments I'm not going to stop using what I know is safer, just because the powers that be cannot be bothered to recognise the fact.


A good case of ' the law is an arse' Mr S