Am i legal in the UK ?
Turbo Mini Forums

Is this legal in the UK?
Don't want ant problems if i come abroad with this..
As i'm from Holland..overhere it's no problem,aslong as the towed car has MOT,insurance etc. [roadlegal].
And no,the car isn't broken down or anything..
Offcourse the front car is ok in al way's.





Can't seem to find to much about it in the UK,or on the dvla site..

It's a little car .... eating big money

It's a grey area. I have towed with my A Frame for a good few thousand miles and not had any problem, however if you get the 'wrong' traffic officer they may see things differently.

Hahaha..traffic on the wrong side off the moterway is no problem..as i've been to the UK severel times..
Serieus..that's no problem.
Been with this to Spain,Italy,Denmark and Germany and all over Holland ,al sepert trips.So it's have had a few thousend km's already and it's superb.
Espacially as it's a selfmade device.
And it's a 1 minut job to remove,maybe 2 minutes to put back on.
Already had a few diffrent mini's behind it and it's great.
Since then i put on all my mini's the special bolts for the front subframe,and have made some more nuts/studs to cope with.

Question remains,is this road legal in the UK?.
I know from experiance that's not legal for a German in Germany,but i was allowed to pass through as i am from Holland.[that's where the above pic's were taken,police station along side the motorway,near Durtmond]
And it's legal here [what not?]

It's a little car .... eating big money

By Traffic officer he ment policeman that patrols the roads.

A frames are legal to use however they will be classed as a trailer therefore the car and the a frame must come in under 750kg otherwise its illigal to use other than to take a car to a place of safety, in the uk if a trailer (or car and A frame) max permissable or gross (combined mass) weight are under 750kg than no brakes are required if there over then you will have to be able to operate the trailers brakes.

Department of transport note:
" When an A frame is attached to a vehicle (e.g. a motor car) and towed by a motor vehicle (e.g. a motorhome) we believe the A frame and car become a single unit and as such are classified in legislation as a trailer "
" We believe the use of A frames to tow cars behind other vehicles is legal provided the braking and lighting requirements are met".

The law is set to change in 2014 with type approval being introduced for trailers.

Obviously dont take my advice you need to do your own research

I think the above is pretty much correct.

As long as it's sub 750kg you will be fine and the towed vehicle, ie the mini doesnt actually need to be road legal.

if it is over 750kg then the towed vehicle or trailer would need to have some form of braking.

Googling a while back I found these which seem pretty good. They state what their unit will carry. Although oddly they dont mention the legalities around its usage.

http://www.phoenixtrailer.co.uk/towingdollies.php

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

Ok..looking good.
It's not a towing dolly . Even overhere that's not legal.
Off course the car and a-frame are under 750 kg....same over here,aswell for the braking story.
All the lights work with the front car off course,by a sepert light-bar.
The light bar is because i tow more then one mini with it.
If i would tow only one,i would make the towed car's lights to work with the front car.Like any trailer.

However i found a sysytem to cope with braking the towed car if it's above 750 kg.
It's positiond i front of the driver chair and linked to the braking pedal ,it works with gyroscoop's/balance or something..if the front car slows down by braking the systems detect's a movement [or something] and will adjust the amount off braking on the towed car.
Downside is that the ignition should be on,position 1 or 2, for the brakes to work.
I found a link,only it's in dutch..so no good for you guys.

My frame has a safty device,as a trailer should have, for not coming off the hook.
It's a steel chain from the front car to the a-frame where it's connected to the frame,and from the frame to the towed car's handbrake cable [under the car]
Also there is a chain from A-frame to the mini's subframe.Just to be sure.

It's a little car .... eating big money

Basically, an 'A' frame turns the towed vehicle inot a trailer, and it must then comply with the regulations relating to trailer construction and use. As a trailer, the towed vehicles brakes must comply with trailer regulations irrespective of it complying with un braked trailer weights. Excepting for recovery purposes.

A 'dolly' is classed as a trailer in its own right and any vehicle attached to it is then also considered a trailer. Regulations only allow this combination for recovery purposes with a restriced speed limit, and not to be used for general transportation.

Bottom line is, if all of the wheels of the towed vehicle are not on the trailer, it's not 'legal' without complicated braking systems, for the purpose of general transportaion.


Having said that, I know a few people whom use the dolly method and the A frame method, and not had any bother, that is not to say it is right. I'll gaurantee that the average Plod is just as confused with the regulations as the average driver. Its not the Police you need to worry about, it's VOSA, as they know ALL about this stuff.

It may be for recovery. But I'd sure as hell rather use a dolly like the above than a frame of any description.

I dont know how any of those frames are legal, as most do seem very dodgy.

And any braking systems must be purely mechanical.
Some of the big yank trucks can pull massive loads and have a hitch to pull them. But they rely on an electric braking system. Legal in the US but not legal in the UK, even though I do see some people using them.

Again, the chances of getting pulled are slim. The chances of a foreigner getting pulled and the cops wanting the paperwork hassle are even less IMO.
But if the worst happened and there was an accident, it would be a nightmare for all involved.

Perhaps consider hiring a proper trailer for a few days ? Or even cheap lightweight trailers to fit a Mini wouldnt be terribly expensive.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

I´ve got a trailer and a decent car at home,that´s no issue.

This is fot the camper ,moterhome,where a trailer is a option,but not what we want.
Car direct behind the camper and touring all over europe.
Where to leave the trailer is always a issue,on campsite´s or where ever.

As the law is a grey area ,almost all over europe, they see it as a trailer.
So insurance and all is no problem.
My company knows about it and has no problems with it,send pic´s to them.
As both car´s a legal, decent ,MOT´d , insured car´s..

Also you got to have a trailer licence in Holland,even as it´s under 750 kg.
A little line in the law here say´s..if the axle´s centre´s wider than 100cm apart.. it´s not allowed to drive without a trailer licence.
With the licence you can tow 3500kg with a proper car in front.

It's a little car .... eating big money

the brake pedal system is a "brake buddy"
http://www.brakebuddy.com/

http://www.fishfight.net/

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

I looked into this about 2 years ago with a view to go racing. I spoke with Surrey Police and the Trailer and towing association and both said in their view it was illegal in the UK to tow a vehicle on a dolly or A frame for any purpose other than recovery (taking the rotor arm out does not count as a breakdown).

Further more for this to be legal the vehicle would need to be taxed, insured and MOT’ed if applicable.

Yes people do it but it does not make it correct. It is a ‘grey’ area.

The government and police like "grey". Makes it easy to fine people when they need a few extra quid or a few more tickets for their tally.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will