Evening all, anyone clued up on law and able to answer these points for me?
I am after a legal definition on towing using a dolly. I wish to collect a vehicle on a dolly before travelling 60 miles on the M4 to return home but after hours of reading on-line I am no further forward on the legalities of this and so hope you can advise?
The dolly is a single axle, inertia braked dolly which will raise the towed vehicles front wheels off the ground and subsequently I believe this is then interpreted as a trailer? Furthermore, If correctly strapped down, with a full size light board and numberplate corresponding to the towing vehicle I believe the towed vehicle (which is now classed as a trailer) is therefore not required to have an MoT or Tax?
My final question will then be all about the weights, the towing vehicle is 2230Kg. The combined weight of the dolly and vehicle is 1990Kg so the combined weight is 4220Kg which is under the maximum allowed by the vehicle manufacturer. Since I passed my test prior to 1997 then I believe the law allows me to tow this weight legally as I have the relevant B+E licence?
If you could please advise if the above sounds correct and legal or any other considerations I should take into account before commencing the journey it would be very appreciated!
yes you do seem to go round in circles dont you.
wonder if a polite phone call to your local plod(get the name of the person you talk to)to clarify what is legal and whats not.
Have emailed both plod and vosa tonight, just after some other opinions :D
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-frames-and-dollies
https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/towing-equipment
These might help but reckon youve seen them already☺
The Police may interpret the law once they think you have broken it but I would never take their advice beforehand as gospel. I am also not an expert but I have bent the rules once or twice.
All you suggest makes sense. If you have properly working lights, good tyres in contact with the road and correct numbers, my belief is that you are unlikely to be stopped. From your plan description, the only area that appears to be grey to me is the second sentence of:
"However, if ââ,¬Å"dolliesââ,¬Â are used for the transportation of perfectly functioning vehicles they will need to be fitted with an operational braking system. Additionally the brakes on the wheels of the towed car which are in contact with the road must work and meet the specified 50% braking efficiency required for a trailer."
I _assume_ that a functioning handbrake would meet that specification. But don't quote me on it.
Edit: You are, of course much more limited in the speeds you can maintain. And you'll probably need towing mirrors.
i towed my mk2 tdi galaxy up from penrith with my mk1 tdi galaxy no issues even go passed by a traffic cop and a biker cop on way home to fife 160 miles as long as the dolly is legal and u have the correct towing straps ect then everything should be fine and as the front wheels are on the dolly the rear car is classed as a trailer for some strange reason