africanpete Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Hi Anyone towed a discovery using an A-frame? I have towed many cars with one but never a vehicle that has an axle and just wanted to know if it was possible. Cant see why it wouldnt work but just thought I would ask. Cheers Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Yes you can do it, however IIRC A-frames are illegal to use unless you are licensed for recovery. Remember also to remove leave the transfer box in neutral / remove a propshaft I'm sure someone on here can confirm though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UdderlyOffroad Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I guess you’ve googled for A-frame and come up with an awful lot of tosh talked on various forums about the legalities of A-frames. It is a bit of a legal grey area but here’s my take on it: I’ve never heard of the ‘licensed recovery operator’ requirement. If all four wheels are on the ground, then the towed vehicle must have a current Tax, MOT and (these days) insurance. An A-frame is for ‘recovery to a place of safety’ – it shouldn’t be used for a planned trip, towing a (non road-legal) trialer to a comp etc, but perfectly legit to recover your disabled (but otherwise road legal) truck home. A vehicle towed by an A-frame is NOT the same as a trailer, i.e. if over 750 kg you need to have brakes on it and B+E on your licence. You don’t. This doesn’t mean the towing vehicle doesn’t have to be up to scratch, it does. Do not entertain hauling 2-odd tonnes of discovery with anything less than an equivalent size 4x4 or van. That previous statement doesn’t apply to motorhomes pulling small cars behind them – those technically are trailers but again that’s much more of a legal grey area. When all is said and done, IMHO an A-frame is by far the safest means of moving a dead vehicle*. It holds the road much better even than a well loaded trailer. Braking distances obviously are increased, and the A-frame I’ve used states the max speed is 56mph, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable going beyond that. Always use a trailer board with a proper number plate, and preferably and amber flashing light on the tow vehicle (I picked a mine up on the bay of e for <£5). Make sure you can easily prove you own the towed vehicle, plod round here have (rightly in my view) been taking an interest in towed vehicles as pikeys appear to be using any old means to transport scrap cars to be weighed in. Looking like a proper operator will usually mean you get left alone. *Compared to a tow-pole, ropes. Not as safe as a large yellow flatbed truck, but they have a 5-trip limit these days ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Thanks Udderly, what I understood was purely passed on from what I had read on forums in the past. I wasn't very clear earlier but I meant it was allowed to be used by the AA and proper breakdown companies etc but not for normal everyday domestic use i.e. to and from play days every weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 From http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_192285 'Towing a car using an A-frame or dolly If you attach an A-frame to a car in order to tow it with a larger vehicle, the car plus A-frame counts as a trailer. If you use a dolly to tow a broken-down vehicle, the dolly counts as a trailer. In both cases the usual safety regulations for trailers apply.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwyll Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Its more towards the black end than grey . `So best forget about the idea , as someone going to be the first and the way things seem to be going it wont be long JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
africanpete Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Thanks for all the replies. Glad to hear it can be done (actual towing) Thanks also for the info re: legalities etc Cheers Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I was going to add to this but, looks like it's all covered, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robhybrid Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 my contractor neighbor tows his discovery behind his self propelled forage harvester with a sturdy home made A frame and permanent hefty hinges attached to his discovery front end so he has transport home whilst away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 "my contractor neighbor tows his discovery behind his self propelled forage harvester with a sturdy home made A frame and permanent hefty hinges attached to his discovery front end so he has transport home whilst away." whole different ball game legally speaking as agricultural vehicle HTSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickwilliams Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 And apparently very much frowned on by the spoilsports in HMRC who don't believe you should tow a white derv motor behind a red derv agricultural vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 They'd get even more arsey when the saw the forager balancing on an ifor (tri axle for the weight of course) Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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