Towing with a braked dolly

[marT350T]

Does anyone know for sure if I can tow a polo weighing 810kg with a braked dolly legally ?

[japhilip]

IIRC you can, as the dolly is braked, so it falls within the braked trailer regulations. (Trailer weighing more than 750 kg's but less than 3500 kg's

[norasport]

Also don't forget drivers who passed their test after 1st Jan 1997 will need further training and a licence upgrade to tow any form of trailer.

[BMWBen]

errrm that's not correct....

[quote]
Motor vehicles with a MAM not exceeding 3500kg having not more than eight passenger seats with a trailer up to 750kg. Combinations of towing vehicles in category B and a trailer, where the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle

[/quote]

Category B.

[marT350T]

japhilip said:

IIRC you can, as the dolly is braked, so it falls within the braked trailer regulations. (Trailer weighing more than 750 kg's but less than 3500 kg's

Thats what I thought but I have found on another chat room that they only can used for recovery and as 2 wheels of the car are touching the road this counts as 2 trailers in tandem so the cars wheels need to be braked aslo ?????

One more question does the the car being towed have to be taxed ?

[thinfourth2]

marT350T said:

Does anyone know for sure if I can tow a polo weighing 810kg with a braked dolly legally ?

Yes i know for sure you can tow that legally

YOU might get tired after a few miles i would try a car

[marT350T]

[japhilip]

marT350T said:

japhilip said:

IIRC you can, as the dolly is braked, so it falls within the braked trailer regulations. (Trailer weighing more than 750 kg's but less than 3500 kg's

Thats what I thought but I have found on another chat room that they only can used for recovery and as 2 wheels of the car are touching the road this counts as 2 trailers in tandem so the cars wheels need to be braked aslo ?????

One more question does the the car being towed have to be taxed ?

Towing a car on an a-frame (so all 4 wheels of the car are on the ground) is only to be used in emergency situations, unless you fit a system that operates the towed vehicle's brakes. You're using a dolly not an a-frame.

The 2 trailers in tandem is not true, you aren't allowed to tow 2 trailers (except in certain circumstances, and not the ones discussed above). Car on a dolly counts as one trailer.

You need a tailboard with lights, and the numberplate of the towing vehicle. This must be fastened to the back of the towed vehicle. Car being towed is thus considered a trailer, not a car in it's own right. Don't rely on me being correct now, but I think you don't need tax on the towed vehicle as it's now a trailer (which aren't subject to tax).

[medieval]

To my knowledge the towed vehicle, if in contact with the road, will need to have a valid MOT certificate and be taxed for road use.

To avoid this then the only option is to ensure all four wheels are off the ground i.e. via a suitable vehicle trailer.

Regards

[japhilip]

medieval said:

To my knowledge the towed vehicle, if in contact with the road, will need to have a valid MOT certificate and be taxed for road use.

To avoid this then the only option is to ensure all four wheels are off the ground i.e. via a suitable vehicle trailer.

Regards

I'm not quite sure that's the case, because of the use of the tailboard. I know Westfield (I think it was them anyway) used to sell their cars partly built in a configuration so that they could be attached to a towing vehicle and towed home.

To be honest, as I'm not quite sure on this one, if I were you (the OP) I'd have a Google and check it out.