Not wishing to contradict here All at Sea, but as per the previous posting this is my understanding of A frames -
There are strict regulations on braked trailers and, whilst a braked ‘A’ frame attached to a towed car constitutes a braked trailer, it is not legal for transportation as it cannot comply with EC71/320. With car dollies, the situation is somewhat different. Under regulation 83 of the Road Vehicles (construction & Use) Regulations 1986 (SI.1986/1078) Amending Regulations, a car dolly, with a car in place, will be considered as two trailers. This is legal for recovery but, under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 (Schedule 6) the combination is limited to 40 mph on motorways and dual carriageways and 20 mph elsewhere.
I therefore do not understand how it can be legal to tow anything over 750 kg using an A frame?
I am certain you are correct snowy. I looked into this several years ago when I started towing my classic cars to shows with the camper. The law regarding A frames, dollys etc seems so obscure and contradictary that we opted to use a car trailer. Incidently dollys (spectacle lifts) ruin diff pinnion bearing on rear wheel drive cars
I'm convinced the police do not understand the rules and only when involved in an accident would they take an interest.
A Fiat Cinquecento weighs 710kg (Fiat Cinquecento) so the weight of the A frame has to be less than 40kg, bear in mind most car manifacturers quote weights that don't include petrol, spare wheels, jacks etc. So it is just about legal providing the car is contains nothing else. Sailing pretty close to the wind I'd say. When we looked into A frames a lot of the companies said it was legal but it's not their licence at risk.
Is it legal and safe to tow a Aixam on a normal "A" frame eg. the ones that use chains to rap around the track control arms (Aixam Weights 350kg)
I must admit that i do question if i really need to tow a car, as my main reason for buying a MH was that i didn't intend to stay in one place for more than a couple of days, as that was part of my rationnale between buying a towing caravan or a MH, I felt that if i wanted to stay in one place more than a few days at a time the caravan was proberbly the best option as i would have use of the car, and as i felt that i really wanted to travel i purchased the MH.
The other issue is the cost of the car+insurance+legalaty+etc. would it be cheaper to hire a car ?? when and if you need it, as there are quite a number of camping sites that have Bus routes near them.
Sorry, I didn't realise you were still trying to contact me. The e-mail is definitely jtanner at towsure.co.uk - I've had about half a dozen emails from UKCS members already today!
There will be lots of information about a-frames on our new MH section, but in the meantime I've posted my thoughts on another thread:
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Towing a car with a Motorhome
