- Thread starter davesally
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BrokenBiker
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You used to be able to buy a set of drawings and a BOM off eBay for about 45 quid for an approved design (take that with a pinch of salt, it's only approved for them to make)
8ob
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I thought A frames fell into trailer regs as soon as they were coupled to a vehicle, ie over 750kgs being towed and they require brakes etc rendering them pretty much useless . Braked dollies seem to be used more for recovery these days.
Bob
Bob
CompoSimmonite
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Just buy a decent manufactured A frame secondhand rather than a DIY version.
Bobupndown
What could possibly go wrong?
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Bobupndown
What could possibly go wrong?
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Same rules apply.
thought they had a brake set up built in ,,, Ive never really looked at them closely , just the odd car turns up now and then kitted for towing behind campers , we 107s and the likes
BrokenBiker
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its a bit of a grey area...if you are using it to get a vehicle to a point of safety after a breakdown, its legal, but you dont get to choose what that point of safety is...as soon as the risk of a collision is gone, you technically need to stop and await proper recovery.
if its for towing a little shopping trolley behind a camper, they have systems in place to activate the cars brakes just like a braked trailer.
i do agree though, a braked dolly is a better idea all round except they are usually a bit of a pain to tow unladen some times...
when i was on recovery we used to have a few folding a frames for things like vans and what not that had got stuck, crashed or had fallen over in stupidly tight areas, country lanes etc where you couldnt get a truck, so we would use the A frame to drag them out with a defender so the truck could get them with the winch
Munkul
Jack of some trades, Master of none
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I used to use an A frame to tow my drift car around the country on the back of a vw bora 
Prior to that, I drove the car to events, one time i blew a gearbox and spent 3.5 hours on a tow rope from st andrews down to Carlisle
I know which one i preferred...
Prior to that, I drove the car to events, one time i blew a gearbox and spent 3.5 hours on a tow rope from st andrews down to Carlisle
I know which one i preferred...
Only legal if the tow car is rated to tow that, unbraked.Think you're right Bob. You might get away with it but a clued in traffic officer or highways agency will be all over it.
A-frames
www.gov.uk
Having said that my dad has one for a classic Mini rally car, weighs less than 700kg....
Falls apart under legal scrutiny due to non-auto-reversing brakes last time I looked.
Cobbler
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There was an article in one of the camping magazines some while ago, the question had been asked “are they legal” of the ministry. The answer was “as long as they follow the trailer regs, but it would require a test case in court to prove one way or the other” or wording something like that, so a bit ambiguous really.
Nomad
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Thinking on similar lines, I bought kit for a dismantle-able bike trailer from eb@y.
Kit was bare but had all metal welded,
Critical bit: it also had the manufacturer ID plate with tow weights etc .
Just paint it then add hubs, wheels, tyres, hitch, lights. It’s been invaluable and I still have it.
Maybe look and see if anywhere sells pre-welded kits with ID plates?
It doesn’t confirm the legality of brakes / reversing brakes etc on A-frames…
Kit was bare but had all metal welded,
Critical bit: it also had the manufacturer ID plate with tow weights etc .
Just paint it then add hubs, wheels, tyres, hitch, lights. It’s been invaluable and I still have it.
Maybe look and see if anywhere sells pre-welded kits with ID plates?
It doesn’t confirm the legality of brakes / reversing brakes etc on A-frames…
colnerov
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As far as I understand it, the casualty becomes a trailer, if it's over 750kgs including the 'A' frame it needs to be braked. All wheels on the ground need to be braked. Auto reverse brakes. Another fly in the ointment is some cars don't like to be 'A' framed, the steering wheels go on full lock.
What would make them go full lock? Can't imagine pulling them along would make them do that, or they would do it driving along.
Incorrect castor angle would do it, but it would be undriveable on it's own.
colnerov
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I know 2CV's can be challenging, but there is another make of car that is the same. Maybe @CompoSimmonite can remember, it's been a while since I was involved in such games.
