how many trailers?

[GreenV8S]

Saw a circus truck heading up the M1 last night, and noticed that behind the humungous truck was an even bigger twin axle trailer, and behind that was a tiny "little" 20' trailer. I thought you were only allowed to tow one trailer in the UK - am I wrong?

[Dwight VanDriver]

You will probably find that the towing vehicle is either a 'Tractor'

'not in itself constructed to carry load other than equipment for propulsion, loose tools and equipment and ulw n/e 7370k,

or its bigger brother a 'Locomotive' - 7370k uppards.

The former can tow 2 trailers, the later 3 trailers.

dvd

[Flat in Fifth]

I have learnt summat there DVD. I always thought that only people allowed to use road trains (aka double bottoms) were showmen, i.e. circuses and travelling fairs.

[towman]

Incidently, the reason why you don`t see this configuration used for freight is because locomotives and tractors are limited to 20mph.

And how`s this for weird............ If it`s broken down and being towed behind a recovery vehile, an artic is classified as one trailer if it`s unladen, two if it`s loaded (and therefore cannot be recovered)

[GreenV8S]

So, would this combination be legal pootling down the motorway at 50 mph? It looked just like an ordinary big truck and two axle trailer (the sort often seen on the continent, with the front axle of the trailer looking like an A frame) but with an extra smaller trailer on the back.

I've been trying to figure out how you would reverse something like that. Just reversing the truck and trailer I reckon would be a major problem, but with the extra trailer I reckon it would be practically impossible.

[Flat in Fifth]

This article (click) gives a good overview.

Stan Robinson was the first to campaign in UK with a conventional rigid truck towing a drawbar trailer on the back of which is a fifth whhel coupling onto which a conventional semi-trailer is hooked.

Denby transport solution (click) is imho a better one. The Denby system uses a 16.5m artic with a second fifth wheel mounted on the first semi-trailer bogie. Onto this is hung a standard semi-trailer. All sorts of fancy rear wheel steering goes on, more complicated than Stan Robinson's rig yet it fully meets EU turning circle requirements, from memory Stan Robinson's doesn't or didn't at MIRA trials.

The Scandinavian systems are much simpler set ups which don't meet turning circle standards by a long chalk but are much simpler rigs but roads less crowded and more space. Mind you when one starts to slide on the ice tis a broon trooser moment.

[chrisgr31]

GreenV8S said:

So, would this combination be legal pootling down the motorway at 50 mph? It looked just like an ordinary big truck and two axle trailer (the sort often seen on the continent, with the front axle of the trailer looking like an A frame) but with an extra smaller trailer on the back.

I've been trying to figure out how you would reverse something like that. Just reversing the truck and trailer I reckon would be a major problem, but with the extra trailer I reckon it would be practically impossible.

According to Towmans post it wouldn't be legal, on the other hand if it was pootling down the M1 at 20mph the situation would be even worse!

As regards reversing I had this discussion with a freind recently as at our carnival there was an artic, towing a much trailer which had a generator on it. Presumably technically illegal but never mind. To reverse you would have to initially turn in the direction of the corner you wanted to go round, the cab would then kick trailer one in the opposite direction, which would then kick trailer 2 in the right direction. You would then of course need to get trailer 1 going the right way, by turning the cab in the opposite direction, whilst hoping trailer 2 stays going the right way! etc. All compounded by the fact that seeing trailer 2 might be difficult!

[towman]

Seriously, reversing a turntable trailer is not difficult. It does however require intense concentration as you have to do everything in the opposite manner to normal.