Towing with a dolly

[Smegmium]

Afternoon all
Quickie for you:

My license allows me to drive a car + trailer combo up to 3500KG, and the trailer + contents cant weigh more than the car. Simple enough.

But what is the situation with pulling a car on a dolly?
Weight-wise i'd be fine (towing vehicle weight approx 1800KG, Dolly + car attached to it approx 740KG)

- Does the dolly need brakes? (AFAIK not, as the combined weight is under 750KG)
- Does the car on the dolly need to be road-legal? (AFAIK no, as the dolly + car are classed as a trailer)

I ask as I will soon need to start taking some new built cars to test locations, but havent got room for a full car trailer.

Edited by Smegmium on Wednesday 5th November 14:28

[kambites]

I'm fairly certain that towing with a dolly isn't legal in the UK except for recovering a broken-down vehicle.

[andburg]

Yes the car being towed would need to be taxed and tested although it would be insured whilst being towed under the towing vehicles policy.

I'd expect the weight of the car and trolley would need to fall under the unbraked towing limit for the tow vehicle

[Smegmium]

andburg said:

Yes the car being towed would need to be taxed and tested although it would be insured whilst being towed under the towing vehicles policy.

I'd expect the weight of the car and trolley would need to fall under the unbraked towing limit for the tow vehicle

Interesting you say it would need to be T&T, as being classed as a trailer (combined dolly/car under 750KG) A trailer does not need to be braked or have any sort of test...
Any reference for this?

[kambites]

It certainly needs to be taxed and tested - that's basically a requirement for the vehicle's wheels to touch the public road.

[andburg]

Not that i can link to

the problem would be it is not a trailer, it is a motor vehicle on tow, remove the engine and seats and maybe you could argue it was a trailer but i'd doubt that!

[R0G]

Smegmium said:

Afternoon all
Quickie for you:

My license allows me to drive a car + trailer combo up to 3500KG, and the trailer + contents cant weigh more than the car. Simple enough.

But what is the situation with pulling a car on a dolly?
Weight-wise i'd be fine (towing vehicle weight approx 1800KG, Dolly + car attached to it approx 740KG)

- Does the dolly need brakes? (AFAIK not, as the combined weight is under 750KG)
- Does the car on the dolly need to be road-legal? (AFAIK no, as the dolly + car are classed as a trailer)

Not as simple as you seem to think

The plated weights are used for the 3500 kg limit for B towing - not actual weights
That would be the plated GVW of the towing vehicle added to the plated MAM/GVW of what is being towed

If towing a motorised vehicle then if any wheel of that is touching the road then it must be fully road legal

If the plated MAM/GVW is over 750 kg then it must have at least over-run brakes

I fail to see how you could do what you want to do legally

[TooMany2cvs]

If any of a trailer's wheels have brakes, they all have to be braked automatically by the towing vehicle.
If a trailer's unbraked, then the MAM (max laden weight, not the actual, either taken from the trailer plate or the car's plate or the max load of all the tyres added together) has to be <750kg.
If you want to view it as a car being "emergency recovered", then the trailer regs don't apply, but there are maximum speed and distance rules, and the car has to be taxed/insured/tested.

[Deisel Weisel]

If the vehicle being dolly-towed is not taxed and tested, would 'trade plates' cover it?

[Spangles]

Deisel Weisel said:

If the vehicle being dolly-towed is not taxed and tested, would 'trade plates' cover it?

Trade plates only cover VED.

[TooMany2cvs]

Spangles said:

Deisel Weisel said:

If the vehicle being dolly-towed is not taxed and tested, would 'trade plates' cover it?

Trade plates only cover VED.

So you could always say it was going to an MOT... In which case, why not just drive the thing?

[andburg]

Try that and you risk losing the trade plates and a huge fine for improper use, plus driving an untaxed, untested vehcicle

[R0G]

Smegmium said:

My license allows me to drive a car + trailer combo up to 3500KG, and the trailer + contents cant weigh more than the car. Simple enough.

The rule where the trailer plated MAM cannot exceed the empty weight of the car was revoked on 19/01/2013

For all the current rules see this - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa... - pages 7 to 10

[paintman]

This is the Dept of Transport position on 'A' frames & dollies.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120606...
The relevant part for the OP is:
"The use of “dollies” is intended for the recovery of broken down vehicles, not for the transportation of a vehicle from “A” to “B”. Under Regulation 83 of C&U a motor car is permitted to tow two trailers when one of them is a towing implement and the other is secured to and either rests on or is
suspended from the implement. When used for recovering broken down vehicles “dollies” are exempt from having an operational braking system fitted, provided that the towing vehicle is capable of meeting the minimum prescribed braking requirements for the combination. However, if “dollies” are used for the transportation of perfectly functioning vehicles they will need to 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. The dolly would also be required by Regulation 22 of C&U to be fitted with suspension.
Regulations 19 and 22 in C&U permit a broken down vehicle to be recovered without complying with these requirements. However, there is further legislation under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 that introduces a limitation on the maximum speed that the combination can be driven;
this is 40mph on motorways and 20mph on other roads."

You need to get a trailer & somewhere to keep it.

[R0G]

paintman said:

You need to get a trailer & somewhere to keep it.

OP cannot because they only have a B licence

To do what they want to do they deffo need B+E