At what point does a towing dolly become a trailer?

[Liquid Knight]

Because of all the new profit making legislation (I know it will make the world a much safer place having trailers regulated better, children will be able to play with kittens safe in the knowledge that my towing a car to a track day won't kill a million trees) I'm thinking of making a towing frame for my track day car. Now I have bought an old trailer tent frame and plan to shorten it, make a specticle frame for the front wheels and have a bit up front for a tools tyres jerry can etc.

I told a friend about my plan and he said it won't be a towing dolly at all, because it will be used to transport more than the car.

So it will need all the trailer M.O.T and crap like that.

Is this correct.

[thinfourth2]

Firstly its a very very iffy legal area


Secondly you need the bit that has the car on it to swivel otherwise you can't go round corners so its a heavier piece of engineering then you think

[Liquid Knight]

With the front wheels over the dolly wheels the cars steering articulates itself during the tow.

If it does need a pivoting axle that's another issue I can add to the list.

[Liquid Knight]

Basically (MS Paint basic) like this.....




What do you think?

[Mars]

Where have you got the idea that trailers *need* an MOT from? What have I missed?

[Tunku]

Liquid Knight said:

Basically (MS Paint basic) like this.....




What do you think?

It that a GT40?

[Gareth79]

This FAQ has a reply from the DfT of their opinion, and they reckon that dollies can never be used for general transportation of vehicles, only A-frames:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Liquid Knight]

Tunku said:

Liquid Knight said:

Basically (MS Paint basic) like this.....




What do you think?

It that a GT40?

You must be new her. :wave:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Welcome along.

[V8mate]

Tunku said:

Liquid Knight said:

Basically (MS Paint basic) like this.....




What do you think?

It that a GT40?

Talbot Sunbeam.

[thinfourth2]

The front wheels of the car on the dolly can't steer as they rotate around their own kingpin axis.

Liquid Knight said:

Basically (MS Paint basic) like this.....




What do you think?

i think you are going to have a huge crash and die.

draw it from above and consider corners

[mgmrw]

Liquid Knight said:

Basically (MS Paint basic) like this.....




What do you think?

MS PAINT comes to the rescue.

I'm not the only one who uses it for crude diagrams

that is all.

[Greg_D]

that's fine until you take a rear corner off the car, then you're screwed, just get a trailer...

[Liquid Knight]

Gareth79 said:

This FAQ has a reply from the DfT of their opinion, and they reckon that dollies can never be used for general transportation of vehicles, only A-frames:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

A frames use the vehicle steering like this design would where as a recovery dolly has to be pivoted. So this is more like a trolly (trailer + dolly).

[Liquid Knight]

So I started with an old trailer tent frame....





....cut the end off....



...weled it back on two feet shorter...



...made a 6x1 Foot box frame and welded it on...



...wider than the car so I can mount reflecters and or lights there as well.



Quite a few things to do but I'm back at work tomorrow and I won't get chance to finish it.

[Liquid Knight]

mgmrw said:

MS PAINT comes to the rescue.

I'm not the only one who uses it for crude diagrams

that is all.

Crude Diagram? That's the blueprint I just sent to Pantent Office.

[AMv8 dreamer]

I`m failing to see how this is going to go round corners with the car on. When you turn left the left wheel of the car will try to climb out of the frame forwards and the right try to climb out backwards , and the other way round for right handers.

[snuffle]

Looks like it should be nice and easy to load the car onto aswell.

[kambites]

I'm not sure, but I think none of the wheels of the car are allowed to touch the road?

[98elise]

AMv8 dreamer said:

I`m failing to see how this is going to go round corners with the car on. When you turn left the left wheel of the car will try to climb out of the frame forwards and the right try to climb out backwards , and the other way round for right handers.

Yep, its going to be fking dangerous.

A dolly has a pivot for a reason.

[Ug_lee]

It's a real minefield towing cars. However I imagine it isn't going to go around corners very well. It will, but tight corners are going to be painful as they are only allowed for the recovery of broken down cars.

Why not get something like this?

http://www.a-tconsulting.co.uk/caravan_tech/towing...

Then a roofrack for the towed car to stick tyres on etc