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Changing classification from land rover to tractor, mog owners?


muddy

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Before i start, i know about mechanical links, 32kph speed limits, red diesel blah blah blah, i DO NOT want to know about changing to limited use (1.5km restriction from base).

I have a discovery, well it was a disco although it is now far more tractor than disco, it is infact like a miniture unimog (i call it the minimog) and i wish to get it reclassified to the same status as any tractor you would go buy, no mot, free tax, red diesel for ag use etc etc, it will not be used to go shopping or to have my nails done etc.....

I know there a number of people on here who have unimogs and would like to know whether they have had anything to do with vosa/dvla about their clasification status. It seems strange to me that unimogs, fastracs and fendt toolcarriers to name a few have a 'load area' yet are still classed as tractors OR do they sidestep this as the load area is classed for NOT carrying a load, other than equipment for propulsion , loose tools, and loose equipment as detailed here:

"Motor tractor” means a mechanically propelled vehicle which is not constructed itself to carry a load, other than equipment for propulsion , loose tools, and loose equipment, and the weight of which unladen does not exceed 7370 kilograms

[section 185 RTA 1988.]

So if anyone has any info on the process i would be grateful to hear it, by the way i have spoken to the dvla but they want me to go to my local office with a portfolio hence me asking for any tips before i wade in to the can of worms :rolleyes:

Also if it makes any difference the chassis has not been modified, everything is bolt on.

Cheers, Will.

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so you dont want it limited use?

i think you have to but its more than 1.5K i think... could be wrong

but thats only between land so you could hop across the country and back if you want (in theorey).

you can have pick-ups registered as ag use standard.

next doors got a battered old hilux running on the ag classification and its allowed to carry loads itself.

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I am pretty sure that the 'motor tractor' which you have found in the RTA is not the same as an agricultural tractor. A motor tractor is an industrial truck (the sort of thing you see pulling a chain of luggage carts about at an airport, for instance).

Certainly so far as type approval is concerned, the deciding factor on whether a machine can be an agricultural tractor is not whether it can carry loads but what it is used for and whether it has the ability to mount different type of implement. In effect it must be fitted with a three point linkage in order for it to be an agricultural tractor. The definition is in Directive 2003/37/EC (which, IIRC, has now been replaced but I'm not at my desk so I don't have the reference to hand). In any case that will be largely academic since what you will need is an SVA, not an EC type approval.

You may find that you hit a brick wall because LandRover have not had the Disco type approved as an agricultural tractor whereas Mercedes have had the Unimog approved as a tractor in addition to it being a normal road vehicle. But I could be wrong about that and there is nearly always a route for single vehicles to be approved.

The law on all this stuff has recently changed with the introduction of the Whole Vehicle Type Approval Directive so you will need to ensure that any advice you get is from someone who is familiar with the current legislation, not how it was done in the past.

You need to be speaking to VOSA, and possibly the VCA, not DVLA.

Good luck - you will need it!

Nick.

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I tried some years ago and got no sense from the local DVLA at all. As far as they were concerned if it was built as a LR then that's what it was.

However I know people have had them reclassified, so I guess it's all down to finding a helpful bod at the DVLA. It makes no difference whether you are a farmer or not.

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It's more complex that that, I am afraid. It would either have to be registered for limited agricultural use or as an 'agricultural machine'. Agricultural machines include tractors.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/TaxationClasses/DG_069649

What is not clear to me from this page is whether you can claim that any machine is a tractor if that is not what the manufacturer originally had it type approved as. Otherwise, it would have to be treated as an agricultural engine and a converted Disco might not meet that definition either.

Nick.

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Would be interested in getting a definitive for this too. The link to the DVLA info

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/TaxationClasses/DG_069649

would suggest there are few options open to you. You need to go more than 1.5km so limited use is out.

Your disco weighs more than 1000kg so light agri vehicle is out

The remaining classes have problems too.

Could you find some way to permenantly limit the truck to 25 mph as this would seem the easy option to get it classified as an off road tractor.

Perhaps you can "convert" it to a specialist fencing truck or something like that and reclassify it as an agri-engine. But then you would not be allowed on the road unless going to a fencing contract.

Perhaps it is possible to get it reclassified as an agricultural tractor quite simply? Would just mean that any road work would have to be related to agricultural use. The powers that be are getting pretty strict on this too. Farmer recently got fined for using red diesel to mow the local school playing fields as that is NOT agricultural usage.

Think you may find it is more trouble than it is worth. Basically the DVLA have closed all loopholes. If you genuinly need to use the truck solely for agricultural purposes on the road I think you should be able to get it sorted though.

Keep us informed if you manage to sort it

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You USED to be able to take the tub off a 90, so it did not have load carrying ability, and call it a land tractor. But since then the governing bodys be it be DVLA/VOSA have closed all loop holes.

Technically most farmers (including myself) actually break the law regarding the distance a tractor can legally travel before it becomes haulage. Then you get into the whole white/red diesel, tax, mot, speed (LOL at tractors only being able to go 20mph legally, seriously who drives that slow?)

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on scrap heap racers many years ago one team (barly pickers i think) built a fastrac like with a lorry cab and had that regestered agricultural, so maybe if you went down the line of SVA/IVA you may be able to get it reclassified

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on scrap heap racers many years ago one team (barly pickers i think) built a fastrac like with a lorry cab and had that regestered agricultural, so maybe if you went down the line of SVA/IVA you may be able to get it reclassified

The rules have changed since then - it used to be the case that there was no approval requirement for tractors other than for the cab noise performance (IIRC). That's not the case any more.

Bit more than that if you are running it on cherryade......

You can run on red with the limited agricultural use category, which is easy to get: you just apply for it. However, the OP said they don't want to do this. My guess is that is because they don't want to be restricted to 1.5km from base.

The details of what you can do on red are here:

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/downloadFile?contentID=HMCE_CL_000164

It's a lot more restricted than most people think (as the farmer in Hampshire found out).

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The rules have changed since then - it used to be the case that there was no approval requirement for tractors other than for the cab noise performance (IIRC). That's not the case any more.

You can run on red with the limited agricultural use category, which is easy to get: you just apply for it. However, the OP said they don't want to do this. My guess is that is because they don't want to be restricted to 1.5km from base.

The details of what you can do on red are here:

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/downloadFile?contentID=HMCE_CL_000164

It's a lot more restricted than most people think (as the farmer in Hampshire found out).

i would have thort with not too much work it would be possable to get a disco or defender to pass

yes not hard to get it wrong with red these days

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VOSA/HMRC did a Hampshire farmer over using his tractor to mow the local football pitch (for no payment).

Think you will find it was North Devon. A 'collection' from HMRC drove all the way from Plymouth just to catch him as he was about to leave the football pitch.

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Cheers folks, currently in the process of fitting a 3 point linkage, its on 15.5" jelly like rubber and i want it for getting into tight fields for abit of spraying/groundcare etc and few small paddocks where trees mean i cant get in with a modern tractor, and i dont fancy trailing a classic tractor on the road, also as OF mentioned it will be very handy for fencing in some of the tighter, steeper, wetter spots i seem to end up in :ph34r:

I have been working as an ag contractor for the last year and am familer with the vosa red diesel palava, large scale farmer and contractor mag did an interesting feature on it a few months back and i know that if you are a farmer out doing a bit of contracting its a massive grey area.

Hopefully going down to the dvla office next week to try and get further into the can of worms.

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Cheers folks, currently in the process of fitting a 3 point linkage, its on 15.5" jelly like rubber and i want it for getting into tight fields for abit of spraying/groundcare etc and few small paddocks where trees mean i cant get in with a modern tractor, and i dont fancy trailing a classic tractor on the road, also as OF mentioned it will be very handy for fencing in some of the tighter, steeper, wetter spots i seem to end up in :ph34r:

I have been working as an ag contractor for the last year and am familer with the vosa red diesel palava, large scale farmer and contractor mag did an interesting feature on it a few months back and i know that if you are a farmer out doing a bit of contracting its a massive grey area.

Hopefully going down to the dvla office next week to try and get further into the can of worms.

let us know how you get on would be something all us farmers would have an intrest in i'm shore

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  • 5 years later...

yes, this is possible. I am a farmer myself and this is why and how I know that it is possible: I reclassified a 1998 landrover defender 90 , 300 tdi (2.5 litre)  from a commercial vehicle to a agricultural tractor. I did this because I took on a 16 year old employee and this would be his method of transport to and from work. I do have to pay some tax on the vehicle per year and this vehicle is not allowed to travel more than 10 miles away from my farm, luckily my apprentice lives 8.5 miles ish away. I run this on white diesel because he lives in a town next to a police station! it is limited to 60kmh ( jcb fastrac speed) it cost me about 286£ to reclassify the vehicle and my 16 year old apprentice can drive it on a tractor license, but apart from a good reason like this, it is not worth the hassle to change it. I hope this was helpful!

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