Motorhomes towing small car

[MXRod]

We have just come back from 2 weeks hols in Cornwall .
One thing that struck me on the trip each way was the number of motorhomes towing a small car. Which bought to mind a couple of questions , how is the braking system of the car being towed modified to operate on over run , I ask this , as a trailer with a GVW exceeding 750 kg is required have a braking, typically towed cars weigh at least 1000kg .
I assume the electrical system of the towed car is modified to allow lighting and indicators to operate or a trailer board carried ,although I did see a couple of times that this mod had not been carried out .
Finally All towed trailers have to have the VRM of the towing vehicle showing at the rear , again , I did see a number not showing the correct number at the rear.
I am not anti motorhomes etc , I am a long time caravanner , so such matters interest me

[normalbloke]

The proper systems operate the brakes on the car via an electronic or mechanical linkage. The rest are chancers.

[Scrump]

Most of them use an A frame with a linkage to the car brakes.

[Spare tyre]

Yes proper conversions have a little wire that goes to the brake peddle of the car being towed then pulls the brakes on much like how a caravan brakes

I’m after one, which I will fit a tow bar to the rear of for a bike rack

[Ussrcossack]

Absolutely a pestilence.

You have a vehicle, why tow another
Ffs

[Scrump]

Ussrcossack said:

Absolutely a pestilence.

You have a vehicle, why tow another
Ffs

Discussed here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[MXRod]

We appear to be drifting from the subject I raised , and why was it moved to the legal section ? it is more of a technical question I asked

[Dingu]

Yes it needs the correct reg of the driven vehicle to be displayed.
Yes it should be braked.
Yes it should have working lights on the towed vehicle.

[Somewhatfoolish]

There are also quadricycles which look like cars that are legal to tow as they are under the 750kg, for example this horrid thing. I think they're fairly popular with the caravan set.

Also popular amongst piss heads as they are legal to drive in France even after you've lost your driving licence.

[Spleen]

Spare tyre said:

…the brake peddle of the car…

A what now?

[mac96]

Somewhatfoolish said:

There are also quadricycles which look like cars that are legal to tow as they are under the 750kg, for example this horrid thing. I think they're fairly popular with the caravan set.

Also popular amongst piss heads as they are legal to drive in France even after you've lost your driving licence.

I don't know, that looks quite fun in this new world of 50mph limits on country roads.. Don't really see why it should be able to avoid the normal legal requirements for a car though, it can reach any UK legal speed, and it's as fast as plenty of old small cars, like a 2CV or a Mini 850.

[0ddball]

Spleen said:

Spare tyre said:

…the brake peddle of the car…

A what now?

Brake pedal, it's something you press with your foot to operate the brakes on a car.

Sure he's spelt it slightly wrong, but I'd assume that anyone with reasoning skills exceeding those of a pot plant would be able to deduce what he meant.

[4rephill]

Ussrcossack said:

Absolutely a pestilence.

You have a vehicle, why tow another
Ffs

So you'd rather people arrive at their camp site, and then spend the next 1~2 weeks clogging up the local roads and lanes every day, with great big, slow moving motorhomes, taking up all the space on the road as they go sightseeing, rather than leave the motorhome on the camp sight, and drive around in a nice, small car, that takes up very little space?

That's some strange thinking right there!

I take then, that if you're ever driving around a nice country lane, that's barely 2 cars wide, and you encounter a motorhome coming the other way, you're more than happy to see it blocking the road, forcing you onto verges, looking for field entrances/farm entrances/driveways to squeeze into to get past, than you would be meeting a small car coming the other way, leaving space for both vehicles to pass without issue?

[Somewhatfoolish]

mac96 said:

Somewhatfoolish said:

There are also quadricycles which look like cars that are legal to tow as they are under the 750kg, for example this horrid thing. I think they're fairly popular with the caravan set.

Also popular amongst piss heads as they are legal to drive in France even after you've lost your driving licence.

I don't know, that looks quite fun in this new world of 50mph limits on country roads.. Don't really see why it should be able to avoid the normal legal requirements for a car though, it can reach any UK legal speed, and it's as fast as plenty of old small cars, like a 2CV or a Mini 850.

I fully understand how a low powered vehicle can be fun as my wife's car is a 1.1 picanto and I quite enjoy driving it everywhere with my foot welded to the floor, but that thing has a 500cc engine... if you want to drive something 4 wheeled *that* underpowered and have fun may I suggest a trabant? I've driven them and they're quite fun because of the insane gear lever etc.

TBF let's face it almost anything motorised is fun. Even a lawnmower.

Doesn't stop what I linked to being horrid though (like the trabant)

[Happy Jim]

I’ve got a Fiat 500 that I tow behind my Motorhome:

Number plate = same as Moho (quick change fitting on the car)
Lights = uses the car lights (all of them, disables Moho rear fog light and only shows tow car fog light)
Brakes = Electrically activated by brake light, Brake pedal applied whilst small Vac pump provides Vacuum to Brake Servo).

The other type of A Frame uses a mechanical over-run system to apply the brakes (most don’t have the Vac pump for the Servo).

Regards
Jim

[alangla]

MXRod said:

Finally All towed trailers have to have the VRM of the towing vehicle showing at the rear , again , I did see a number not showing the correct number at the rear.
I am not anti motorhomes etc , I am a long time caravanner , so such matters interest me

I remember seeing an outfit a few years ago where the owner had put very similar cherished plates on the motorhome and the C1/Aygo thing on the back and had just applied a sticky number on the car’s plate to make it read the same as the motorhome’s.

[BertBert]

A pair of electric pushbikes on the back of the motorhome is the way to go (or as many as you need)

[MXRod]

Happy Jim said:

I’ve got a Fiat 500 that I tow behind my Motorhome:

Number plate = same as Moho (quick change fitting on the car)
Lights = uses the car lights (all of them, disables Moho rear fog light and only shows tow car fog light)
Brakes = Electrically activated by brake light, Brake pedal applied whilst small Vac pump provides Vacuum to Brake Servo).

The other type of A Frame uses a mechanical over-run system to apply the brakes (most don’t have the Vac pump for the Servo).

Regards
Jim

Thank you , that was the answer I was looking for much the same as my caravan then, except the simple overrun braking

Edited by MXRod on Saturday 30th July 08:57

[Spleen]

0ddball said:

Spleen said:

Spare tyre said:

…the brake peddle of the car…

A what now?

Brake pedal, it's something you press with your foot to operate the brakes on a car.

Sure he's spelt it slightly wrong, but I'd assume that anyone with reasoning skills exceeding those of a pot plant would be able to deduce what he meant.

I'd assume that anyone with a modicum of casual observation would realise I was taking the piss.

[rallycross]

You’d have to be a special kind of tt to think towing a car around behind your mobile chav abode was a good idea. Infuriating mobile chicanes.