DFT Guidence on Towing with an A Frame or Dolly
Turbo Mini Forums

Just seen this posted somewhere else:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/v...heetaframes.pdf

Haven't read it all, but the first paragraph basicaly says attaching a car to an a frame turns the towed car into a trailer. So if the 'Trailer' weighs more than 750KG it must be braked. However if the 'Trailer' has a braking system fitted then it must be operated by the a frame...

So, if I want to tow my mini properly and legaly I need to adapt my a frame to brake the car

I guess I need a new towing hitch with a intertia thingy on it and a cable attached to my hand brake cable...

are there not systems that are set up to apply the footbrake?

probably, but I'll bet they're not cheep...

no no no

what that means is you need to get your car under 750kgs :)

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

Nope. I fit has breaks, then they have to be workable by the a frame.

That said, I will be adding lightness where I can...

If you read the article
1) All brakes on the vehicle to be operable
2) The weight is the laden not the unladen weight so does not matter how much you lighten it it still needs brakes
3) You would need something like this installing

http://www.smart-tow.com/braking.htm

On 5th Sep, 2011 Vegard said:
I stand corrected. You should know

Interesting....

I might consider using one of these when I do the ellectrics on the mini. Might be interesting to put that in and then wire the car's lights to a removable trailer board plug. Would save a lot of fooking about with trailer boards and scratched paint...

Just had a propper look at that Smart tow thing. It involves quite a lot of customisation and a big (heavy) box under the seat. Possibly a little over complicated for my needs.

I might have to have a think about how to make something that would push the break pedal for me....

yep. Been giving it some more thought. What about something that can be attached between the pedal and the floor which acts on a signal taken from the brake lights and pushes the pedal a set distance. It would need setting up on some rollers in the first instance, but doesn't sound massivly impossible...

Edited by apbellamy on 19th Oct, 2009.

how about this http://www.caratow.com/system.php
seems a lot of hassle though - I know trailers are a pain to store but would that not be a better idea? I had a short twin axle thing a while back - very light and just long enough for the mini. easy to move about and store

Edited by Rob Gavin on 19th Oct, 2009.

The link looks good, but I don't want to make a permenant addition to the car unless I can help it

I have a 1 car drive plus the double garage with the mini and the metro van in, so can't store it. Also, I'm thinking for break downs on track days etc. It's a lot easier to chuck the a frame in the back of the daily just in case, rather than taking a trailer

I'd rather make my own. Definitely wiring a connector into the loom so that i can tow it on it's own lights.

Edited by apbellamy on 19th Oct, 2009.

the tow car has to be heavier than the item being towed unless you have a CAT B+E licence the combined weight must be below 3.5 tonnes unless you have a CAT C1 licence and if the item being towed is heavier than 750kg it must be able to brake aswell
if your towing using a CAT D or CAT D1 the max weight of the towed item must be below 750kg braked or un braked unless you have a CAT D+E

if the item being towed is over 750kg it must be braked

what have i missed?

Edited by Brett on 23rd Oct, 2010.

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

The mickey mouse approach to braking of the towed vehicle + A frame is to have a cable and lever that presses on the brake pedal, operated by the over-run part of the hitch.

They dont work well (or even at all, sometimes) but they usually satisfy the pold if you get pulled.

Dont know what the insurance situation would be in the event of an accident if these systems could be shown to be ineffective, but I can guess !

There is some changes to the legislation underway:

http://www.ukmotorhomes.net/a-frames.shtml

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

I had a fairly simple idea about braking an A frame. If it had a sliding brake thingy on it, why not just hook it to the rear hand brake cable carrier that the front half of the cable fastens to. It should pull the rear brakes on then. Obviously it would need adjusting for each car and the amount of braking required, but still not too complicated to be impossible.

a cable attached to the bulkhead and front panel and then pinned to the brake pedal so as the overun on the a frame pulls the cable it puts brake on (can supply pics if you need um ) i work on yank motorhomes all day and its common practice .

rob

http://www.fishfight.net/