My off roader is fully road legal but not the most convenient vehicle for weekend trips.
Haven't space for a trailer so maybe an A frame would be the answer.
Has anybody fabricated one?

As I understand it, the trouble with A frames is that the car you're towing either needs
A [a driver] + slow speeds
B an automatic brake

Also believe, that in it's simplest terms, an A frame used to tow a car is illegal.

They're allowed to be used in an emergency without any modifications to the car.

To be used on a car, it must become a trailer, which means having lights wired correctly, and in the case of a landrover, the correct brake systems for a trailer of that weight.

Luke

I know nothing about the legalities, however I do know that the guys with those huge American campervan/ Winnebago jobs often use an A frame to tow a small car when then go away.

So I guess you need to dress up as a camper, ooh er and ask one how they do it.

Hope this helps.

Towed car still needs T&T and unless you come up with a wizzy way of coupling the brakes you'll need a large tow vehicle (camper?) to be legal with your rather heavy unbraked trailer. Other than that just slap a lightboard on it an go, they're great.


Oh, but don't expect to be able to reverse it

I understand anything you tow needs to be braked over 750kgs. The camper van chaps have to have a fancy braking system put on the vehicle being towed. unless its a smart car, because there lighter than and egg shell.

That sounds quite possible. I notice they sometimes have the towed cars rear lights coupled (which can't be too difficult if you don't mind hacking the loom) so mayby they have a way of tapping into the braking system as well. That would be neat.

see link.

http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/vehicles/towing.htm

Anyone know were or who sells the aframes you see behind campers as I was looking the other day on the net and couldn't find any for sale.

http://www.protowframes.co.uk sell the coupled brake A-frames.


However this site suggests they are not strictly legal, I think due to the lack of auto reversing brakes.

Thanks

ebay as well

What about the trailer, wheeled A frame that picks up the two front wheels of the vehicle only?

Where do they fit in.

A frames & recovery-towing dolly’s are illegal for use for anything other than “the recovery of a disabled mechanically propelled vehicle to the nearest place of safety”.

Things that affect legality of use.

>750kg unbraked being towed.

Lack of auto reverse brakes.

The towing head is not matched to the braking system in the case of A frames with silly things that fit on the brake peddle in the vehicle being towed.

There are UK and EU C&U and type approval regs that state that with over-run brakes the only part of cars etc that may be used as donor parts for trailer are, hubs, stub axels and wheels, brake parts may NOT be used, and over-run hitches that use hydraulics + brake lines may only be used with specific wheel braking parts for with the manufacture obtained UK and EU C&U and type approval with, as in the case of some NATO trailers.

If brakes are fitted to any wheel on a trailer they MUST work regardless of if it is ><750kg

If the vehicle has VED in force or is registered with the DVLA (v5) then it can never be a trailer! Only a disabled mechanically propelled vehicle.

If the vehicle has a SORN in force it must not be on the public highway unless supported in its entirety by a trailer or some other form of load bed.

The only means to use A frames other than the above is with trucks with air brakes, as you can connect trailer lines to charge the air tanks, actuate the brakes and parking brake on most trucks being towed by another truck, witch is how CP (combined power) and DP (distributed power) works when using 2 or more trucks to push/pull abnormal loads.

Some years ago when moving interstate I once towed my other Landy with an A frame 1500 miles through two states with coupled lights. The towed vehicle was unregistered and I had to get temporary 48 hour registration at 2 state borders to complete the journey. The police that issued the temporary permits on both occasions classed the towed vehicle as a trailer.
Aside from that an A frame is a handy peice of kit to have when two vehicles are travelling in remote areas or severe terrain. 2 ordinary 4x4 vehicles coupled together becomes one high mobility 8x8 so long as the vehicles have Nato hitches and the A frame has a ring coupling. Normal trailer ball couplings only have 15 degree capability. Towing in the event of breakdowns is also easier with an A frame. It's a lot more relaxing being towed 400 miles on the end of an A frame than trying the same feat on the end of a rope I can tell you.
Bill.

you must love A frames then! That's in the US, where you could hire a tandem trailer from U-Haul for $10 per day, returning it to a depot clear across the country for virtually no additional cost