Towing - some advice please (1 Viewer)

[Minxy]

You know they are like a Tardis Mel you have one.

But then you have a Pink Smart and call it him.

Bob.

I've done an advert for 'him' in the Classified section if anyone is interested in a nice pinky purple car!!!

 

[Jaws]

what make of trailer do you use John, seems to be a few manufacturers?

As said earlier, first time towers, if I can benefit from a happy owners experience, the less chance of me getting it wrong

David

We have a Phoenix I bought from Scotties on here.
Extremely pleased with it.. And when I wanted to know what tyre pressures to run on it, a quick call and the chap at Phoenix was most helpful

As an aside, before I bought this one I also went to view a Bantam and one other well know make ( name eludes me .. sorry )
Nowt really WRONG with them but the Phoenix welds were better, the ramp is FAR better, and while the other makes insisted you needed a specific trailer for either the old ( pre Mitzi engine ) types ( from mk1 through to mk 7 ) or for the new series , the Phoenix accommodates either, even though it was bought for the older mk 7 Smartie

 

[Brian and Jo]

we tow Jo,s Fiat Panda on a weigh bridge it comes in at 940kg.
brian and jo

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[gus-lopez]

but for me in the UK a frame is by far the best

Don't they all get outlawed this month ?

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/commun...-car-towing-and-changes-in-the-law/rt/708940/

 

[sleep e carr]

Tried scooter, tried Aixam on trailer, scooter not bad, towing car on trailer a pain and costly on ferry. Had some hairy moments towing in the EU following Satnav, "I can't possibly turn right here"
Got a pair of electric bikes now
BEST ever decision.
And I own a trailer and TOWBAR company!!!

Hi we done most of Eastern Europe in the 6 weeks school holidays we had no trouble towing our little trailer that we have had for years it's very easy to move when off of tow ball, and as for ferries we paid 13 each way for trailer Dover Dunkirk and just paid same for next year

 

[Larrynwin]

Don't they all get outlawed this month ?

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/commun...-car-towing-and-changes-in-the-law/rt/708940/

Not in the UK.

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[Reallyretired]

If only it was that simple. It's a very confused situation, but it is clear that they are treated as illegal by Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Germany as people have been fined in those countries. They are probably legal in the UK as long as they were in existence/use prior to Oct 29th, ones after this date may need type approval as a trailer (or may not as it's all very confused)

 

[Andy]

I've just gone the Daewoo Matiz route, sorting out a frame (unibrake) fairly soon.

 

[Littlewheels]

A "mover" - I'm a little lost...something else I'll need!

David[/QUOTE

Remote control operation.

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[oldmanriver]

we have a smart car on a smart trailer.co.uk, tows really easy nicely balanced and takes the older and newer smart cars

 

[Emmenay]

Ours is a new shape ford Ka on a williams single axle trailer. Total weight comes in a tad under 1400kg. I would not consider any other way and have been towing it for two years now. Never a second glance from the authorities in France Spain and Italy so far and it sure beats worrying about a tow car during random police stops.
Fuel wise, i might get an extra 40 miles to a tank full of deisel without the trailer so no big deal, power wise, with the 2.9 diesel i forget it is there sometimes and find myself doing 70mph, handling wise, again I can be doing 70 and not realise. Stopping it is no problem even in an emergency situation. Reversing it is an absolute breeze, sometimes getting remarks from other motorhomes saying if they thought they could move it around that easy they would have bought one ages ago! I can drive the car on and strap it down in 30 minutes and I can unstrap it and drive off in under 10 minutes.
Admitted the van looks rear heavy in my avatar and thats because it was. It was way way overweight due to shipping a lot of stuff down to spain.
The only downsides to the trailer so far are, front tyres on the van are almost illegal after 18months and about 15000 miles, and storing it when not in use can be a bit tricky if you are tight for space.
Whatever choice you make you will still spend time wondering whether you have spent your hard earned cash on something that is right for you. I know i did. Hope that helps, Good luck.

 

[Jaws]

we have a smart car on a smart trailer.co.uk, tows really easy nicely balanced and takes the older and newer smart cars

You have more or less the same rig as us..
If you go to Spain you will need a '

' sign on the back of the trailer as the total length will be a tad over 40ft..

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[jac-in-a-box]

You have more or less the same rig as us..
If you go to Spain you will need a '

' sign on the back of the trailer as the total length will be a tad over 40ft..

Everyday is a learning day on here - thanks!

David

 

[Jaws]

There is a fairly specific size of board and font needed too..
I got mine from a firm on fleabay.. £18 delivered

From the RAC site:
Towing:
In the case of a camper van exceeding 12m in length, and a car + caravan/trailer combination exceeding 12m, there must be 1 or 2 yellow reflectors (either one long reflector, size about 130 x 25cm, or two shorter 50 x 25cm reflectors) at the rear of the camper van or caravan/trailer.

This is the one I bought:
Broken Link Removed

there are lots of others but most are just stickers
By the time you have got some sort of backing board the thing would stick to properly you might just as well buy the ally one to start with !!

 

[Palmeat]

One thing's for sure - everyone has an opinion on A frames vs trailers. We were newbies to motor homing in 2012. We have a 7.5m van and our initial trips were in the UK. It quickly became apparent that - for us - it wasn't always practical to use the MH as a daily vehicle to see sights and interesting places when on hols. Additionally our van is LHD which places my wife (who can be an anxious passenger) in the 'suicide seat'. She doesn't drive the van. We quickly realised that towing a car might be a good solution - and - again for us - it has made all the difference to our trips whether in UK or abroad.
We don't wild camp or stop at aires or stay overnight - we tend to book a site for an few days in an area we'd like to see and then use the car to tour around before moving on. We have a Toyota IQ which isn't much longer than a Smart car but has the advantage of 2 rear seats (for short journeys) which also fold flat for additional storage.
We use an A frame. Decision for us was simple - less weight, lower cost, more convenient and no trailer to store at home or on site. Has worked well for us with no unwelcome attention when abroad....and you know what, if and when we're stopped in whatever country the hand-wringers believe we'll be jailed, we'll pay up, unhitch and drive separately if necessary. Not a disaster, financial or otherwise.
Simply a judgement call based on your own circumstances, holiday requirements and attitudes to risk. Weigh up all the pros and cons but don't be persuaded there's a right and wrong answer. Good luck with whatever decision you take.

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[tonyidle]

I still don't understand how anyone can believe an A frame is 'legal'. Trailer braking legislation has always stated that where brakes are fitted to an axle they must work as designed. That ruled out any A frames that braked the rear brakes only (and plenty did/do). Using an over-run system that operates the brake pedal (and thus all brakes) has always been controversial in that the servo (where fitted) is inoperative. The latest systems use electronic inertia sensors in a unit inside the towed vehicle to operate the brake pedal. Some of these power the towed cars servo, some don't because they press the brake pedal harder than a driver would.

However, regardless of braking requirements, in every case the towed car cannot be reversed - something that has been a requirement since Adam was a lad. I know there are those who say they can reverse and I agree it's possible - just. Even if the brakes don't operate when reversing (electronic versions won't) it is not possible to manoeuvre in any sensible fashion or to reverse over any distance. None of this would stop me using an A frame in the UK because I believe few Police are interested or understand the law in this area and the likely result of a stop would be a warning at worst. (The legislation has never been tested in court anyway.) The same cannot be said if one is stopped in any other EU country.

 

[jac-in-a-box]

...said lots of good stuff...

It looks as though your decision to tow was based on exactly the same reasons that I've arrived at to tow...as I'm sure many others have.

I'm not persuaded by the arguments that I should tow a caravan or down size. We bought the motorhome and it's arguably too big for our needs (6 berth) - wife and self with two mini hounds, but it works for us in terms of accomodation and space.

We'll certainly be towing, either trailer or A frame. Certainly not adverse to A framing in UK, but as we intend to do some European touring I may well look for a used trailer...for no other reason that my wife would not be happy driving on the "wrong side" of the road - and the potential for being invited to slip the tow car and proceed separately, however remote, still needs considering!

For now and with the MoHo laid up for winter, I 've plenty of time to mull over my choice of car and hope to come across a bargain.

Appreciate everyone's contribution, I've learnt a lot

David

 

[Jaws]

One thing's for sure - everyone has an opinion on A frames vs trailers. We were newbies to motor homing in 2012. We have a 7.5m van and our initial trips were in the UK. It quickly became apparent that - for us - it wasn't always practical to use the MH as a daily vehicle to see sights and interesting places when on hols. Additionally our van is LHD which places my wife (who can be an anxious passenger) in the 'suicide seat'. She doesn't drive the van. We quickly realised that towing a car might be a good solution - and - again for us - it has made all the difference to our trips whether in UK or abroad.
We don't wild camp or stop at aires or stay overnight - we tend to book a site for an few days in an area we'd like to see and then use the car to tour around before moving on. We have a Toyota IQ which isn't much longer than a Smart car but has the advantage of 2 rear seats (for short journeys) which also fold flat for additional storage.
We use an A frame. Decision for us was simple - less weight, lower cost, more convenient and no trailer to store at home or on site. Has worked well for us with no unwelcome attention when abroad....and you know what, if and when we're stopped in whatever country the hand-wringers believe we'll be jailed, we'll pay up, unhitch and drive separately if necessary. Not a disaster, financial or otherwise.
Simply a judgement call based on your own circumstances, holiday requirements and attitudes to risk. Weigh up all the pros and cons but don't be persuaded there's a right and wrong answer. Good luck with whatever decision you take.

Just do not venture down to Spain with it !
Every single year we get folk on here who haven been nabbed for using an a frame in Spain.. and we have lost count of the amount of rigs we have seen pulled over to the side of roads by plod over there...

Even Bryan ( admin on here but unsure he still is ) got done a few years ago.. Cost him €100 and Suzy had to drive the car all the way down, following the RV..

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[Autowbars]

Technically if you follow the EU rules regarding brakes on a trailer, which a towed car on an A frame becomes ALL brakes must work on braking of the towing vehicle on the towed vehicle. That is front and rear. Many A frames do not have the set up for this to work.
Those that can operate the brakes on all four wheels are fine, be aware that those that operate a mechanical system via the handbrake only are NOT legal in the UK or the EU.
That is because in terms of law the towed car is a trailer, the towed car has four wheel braking, and they MUST all work.
Reversing can be a problem on some systems as the act of reversing compresses the the coupling telling the system the brakes are being activated on the tow vehicle. That in turn activates the towed vehicles brakes!

 

[Emmit]

And to answer your second question OP.

You are right. The noseweight of the trailer and load will be included in your rear axle load.
Apparently, the caravan tuggers attempt to aim for 7% of the loaded trailer as a good noseweight.