Legality

[leeds]

What is the legal situation of having a bonnet mounted spare wheel kit on a Defender without the spare wheel on the bonnet?

I know various bonnet mounted mascots were made illegal due to possible injuries to pedestrians.

So what is legal situation with having bolts stiicking up through the bonnet?

Regards

Leeds

[white90]

dunno

but the 2.2 tonnes carrying the bonnet would be more of a worry to me personally.

[Happyoldgit]

If it's an OEM part then I can't see the problem.

Regarding bonnet mounted mascots the following is taken from the Lejeune site

Many people think that it is illegal to mount a mascot onto a modern motor car. This is not the case. There are two relevant sections in the statute law, and these should be taken into consideration before mounting a mascot:

Regulation 53 Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 states: “No mascot, emblem or other ornamental object shall be carried by a motor vehicle first used on or after 1 October 1937 in any position where it is likely to strike any person with whom the vehicle may collide unless the mascot is not liable to cause injury to such person by reason of any projection theron.”

Section 40A Road Traffic Act 1988 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 states: “a person is guilty of an offence if he uses, or causes or permits another to use, a motor vehicle.... on a road when.... the condition of the vehicle..., or of its accessories or equipment.... is such that the use of the motor vehicle.... involves a danger of injury to any person.”

At the time of publication, the amendment to the law by the 1991 Act has not been tested before a court in relation to mascots. Over the last twenty years a handful of convictions have been made under Regulation 53, but they are not binding and our experience has been that the police will not normally raise any objection provided that the mascot is positioned well back on the bonnet, near the windscreen as shown below.

[Guest dew110CSW]

dunno

but the 2.2 tonnes carrying the bonnet would be more of a worry to me personally.

I always thought the same about Bush wires running from the front to the roof of 90/110s. Someone once said to me it was illigal because it could seriously hurt a pedestrian, I just asked. "And the 2.5T, flat nosed Land Rover, without wires, would not harm at all?"

Hook, line, sink her

[Andy]

back to my old arguement again, if the twats dont walk infront of cars they wont get hurt

[bill van snorkle]

They should be made illegal. I have experienced the spare wheel being torn from the bonnet on a relatively mild jump due to the captive nuts on the mounting plate pulling through the thin sheet metal of the galvanised dish.

I would hate to think what would happen in the event of an otherwise survivable low speed head on collision if the spare ended up going through the windscreen into the passenger compartment of the other vehicle.

Bill.

[western]

90/110/Defender bonnet mounted spae carriers use a different attachment with a good strong backplate on the inside to the circular raised dish type as used on Series vehicles.

From the Td5 fitted 90/110 the bonnet carrier is no longer a option.

[bill van snorkle]

90/110/Defender bonnet mounted spae carriers use a different attachment with a good strong backplate on the inside to the circular raised dish type as used on Series vehicles.

.

That may be so but do you really think it matters that the mounting is stronger when the pathetic bonnet hinge pivots on the bulkhead and feeble bonnet latch would just shear off instead. So now you have th wheel attached to the bonnet going through the other vehicles windscreen.

At any rate the serious reduction in forward visibility on its own should be enough to discourage owners from mounting the spare up there.

Bill.

[reads90]

dunno

but the 2.2 tonnes carrying the bonnet would be more of a worry to me personally.

Tony you have remined me of a mate who used to sell Vauxhalls who used to say. A 2.5 ton Vauxhall Montery front is going to really hurt with or with out a bull bar, thats the least of your worries

[western]

That may be so but do you really think it matters that the mounting is stronger when the pathetic bonnet hinge pivots on the bulkhead and feeble bonnet latch would just shear off instead. So now you have th wheel attached to the bonnet going through the other vehicles windscreen.

At any rate the serious reduction in forward visibility on its own should be enough to discourage owners from mounting the spare up there.

Bill.

would be interesting to find out how many LR bonnets & front mounted spare wheels have come off during a accident, I bet no-one knows, I'm not keen on them just for visiblity reasons, my own 110's spare is on the back door.

[Turbocharger]

On the injury front, I suspect the ruling with hinge on the words

where it is likely to strike any person with whom the vehicle may collide

I know that, during a roadside inspection from VOSA, you have a much stronger case to say that any sharp edges on bodywork are much less likely to injure a pedestrian if they are on the offside of the vehicle. I'd suggest that you might be fine if the 'ornament' was further back on the bonnet.

[mmgemini]

I carry a spare on my bonnet for two reasons.

1 I carry two spare wheels when on holiday.

2 It's a lot easier to roll the wheel up the front of a Series or Defender than it is to lift on onto the spare wheel carrier on the back door.

I have no visibility problems at all with the spare on the bonnet.

I see a lot of Land Rovers carrying spares on the bonnet in places wher the roads are really rough.

If you look at My Defender you'll notice that I've tied the bonnet and wheel down a little bit more than usual.

I think I'd rather take my chance with a Defender mounted spare wheel than a cat on a Jaguar bonnet.

mike FOAK

Knickers

I can cause trouble in an empty house !!!

[Guest diesel_jim]

I had a link somewhere (can't find it now! ) for a French company that made a neat bracket that fitted on top of a 90/110 bonnet.

you had 2 replacement hinges, and this frame (kind of an A frame, with the point of the "A" being at the front of the bonnet in the middle, directly above the catch that locks into the top of the radiator bracket) and the two legs of the "A" welded to the hinges.

So the spare actually sits on this frame, as opposed to the bonnet itself, and doesn't rattle and bounce around and eventually crack your bonnet like the factory mount does.

was very neat.

[Porny]

I had a link somewhere (can't find it now! ) for a French company that made a neat bracket that fitted on top of a 90/110 bonnet.

you had 2 replacement hinges, and this frame (kind of an A frame, with the point of the "A" being at the front of the bonnet in the middle, directly above the catch that locks into the top of the radiator bracket) and the two legs of the "A" welded to the hinges.

So the spare actually sits on this frame, as opposed to the bonnet itself, and doesn't rattle and bounce around and eventually crack your bonnet like the factory mount does.

was very neat.

This one:

Have a read here: http://www.difflock.com/magazine/4x4_Gear/...eel_mount.shtml or if you speak French http://www.rrconcept.com/catalogue_liste.p...chage_liste=29# - some other nice stuff on there too.

Ian

[Guest diesel_jim]

This one:

that's the little bugger!