Ashley Burton
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- Thread starter Migmac
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Migmac
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Don’t know
8ob
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There is nothing wrong with drop plates whether fixed or adjustable as long as they are supported top/bottom and the ball hitch stays within the scope of these supports/stays. Beggars belief anyone would hang a hitch lower than the stays 
Bob
Bob
brightspark
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ive seen a fewThere is nothing wrong with drop plates whether fixed or adjustable as long as they are supported top/bottom and the ball hitch stays within the scope of these supports/stays. Beggars belief anyone would hang a hitch lower than the stays
Bob
cant beat having some extra leverage on the towbar instead of a strait pull 
sako243
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As usual I suspect that @Justme is correct - the Regulation 55 is basically a replacement for the existing legislation that governs tow-bars.
I think the line below is a "clever" / misleading phrase designed to capture more sales. Vehicles prior to 97 (or was it 95?) don't require type approved tow bars (my 1994 300Tdi 110 certainly doesn't) so you can fit anything you want to them (OK it's got to be safe but you get the point - it doesn't need to be tested on that particular vehicle type).
Isn't the English language lovely! Basically there are multiple ways to interpret the line because they've not been explicit and one of those interpretations means they've actually not said anything wrong
I think the line below is a "clever" / misleading phrase designed to capture more sales. Vehicles prior to 97 (or was it 95?) don't require type approved tow bars (my 1994 300Tdi 110 certainly doesn't) so you can fit anything you want to them (OK it's got to be safe but you get the point - it doesn't need to be tested on that particular vehicle type).
I think what they mean is that because it's type approved you can fit it to not only say a 1990 Defender (which didn't require type approval) but also a 2007 vehicle which does (i.e. any vehicle [sic]which is has type approval for this tow bar[/sic]). What they've omitted (probably to get some chancer sales) is that you can't actually fit this to your 2010 Saxo because it wasn't type approved.
Isn't the English language lovely! Basically there are multiple ways to interpret the line because they've not been explicit and one of those interpretations means they've actually not said anything wrong
brightspark
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I see them regularly on pickup trucks
Migmac
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Ah but maybe they had been tested by the manufacturers
I find it odd myself, see lots of them about. I’ve used them myself and never heard of anyone being pulled because of them.
Migmac
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Had one on my ‘58 plate Ranger. If they were illegal I don’t think my employers would have had them fitted.
premmington
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When we go out and recover cars and caravans on a "tilt and slide 7.5ton recovery truck"...
An adjustable drop plate is a "god send" - without it - we would be dragging expensive caravans about at silly angles.
Getting trailer "nose weight" right is the key...
An adjustable drop plate is a "god send" - without it - we would be dragging expensive caravans about at silly angles.
Getting trailer "nose weight" right is the key...
Defenders are prob one of the few vehicles & towbars that will have been type approved tested for them to be used.
So many employers dont have a scoobydoo re the law.
Virtually every time I do a site visit they have multiple issue with trailers & vehicles that are in current use or driver & vehicle combos that are not legal.
Does not make it legal.
To be honest most police would not have a clue that its against C&U regs.
Migmac
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Government organisation, our vehicles are checked heavily. So should be ok but I guess somethings will get missed at times.
OH... Yes!
I recall you are the anti trailer - trailer training chap...
Have we not been here before with you?
Mods - please shut this down!
Anti trailer?
Not sure where you get that from.
Would sort of be counter productive.....
Anti crapy home built trailers? Yes.
I know most in here would build good safe ones but when you see what most consider to be good it makes you wonder if Stevie Wonder made it.
anto44
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Mate of mine recently brought in some Van's and small tipper trucks from the UK, all of them were owned by government agencies and every one of them was fitted with the adjustable height towbar brackets shown in the first post. I know that's not definitive proof they're legal.
