A frame towing

[craig shemeld]

Hi all. Just joined today and hoping to get a bit of feed back regarding towing a vehicle with an A frame.
We have an imala 730 which had a tow bar already fitted when we bought it last year. We are now looking at getting an A frame made up and towing a Renault Captur which is weighing in at 1103kg. Is this about legal as it says on log book for motorhome a1250kg is permittable ?

 

[Speve]

Hello welcome to the forum A frames are a very debatable subject on the forum and you will get lots of opposing views and suggestions?
my advice would be do a search in the blue bar at the top for A frames and digest as much as you can re legality etc?
in the UK you won’t have any problem however if towing in Europe you need to be aware of the differing rules and regulations.
hope this helps a little

 

[DBK]

Hi all. Just joined today and hoping to get a bit of feed back regarding towing a vehicle with an A frame.
We have an imala 730 which had a tow bar already fitted when we bought it last year. We are now looking at getting an A frame made up and towing a Renault Captur which is weighing in at 1103kg. Is this about legal as it says on log book for motorhome a1250kg is permittable ?

Welcome! There will be a sticker somewhere on the vehicle with 4 weights on it. The first is the maximum weight of the vehicle and the second is the train weight which is the maximum weight of the MH with a trailer attached. Assuming your MH doesn't exceed the first figure (the only way to check is to load it for a trip and take it to a weighbridge) then subtracting this figure from the train weight will give you the maximum weight you can tow. This method would be preferable to just using the handbook as the sticker is definitive and would be what an official would look at if you were pulled over for a roadside check.

The other weights on the sticker are axle weights.

 

[craig shemeld]

Hi DBK. Thanks for that. That’s a starter for 10. Will pop down and check that out tomorrow

 

[DBK]

Hi DBK. Thanks for that. That’s a starter for 10. Will pop down and check that out tomorrow

It might be under the bonnet or perhaps by the habitation door.

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[Phill D]

Be aware there are likely to be 2 weight plates , a fiat one and an autotrail one.
You need to use the “phase2 “ autotrail information.

 

[Speve]

What is make and model of your motorhome?as there may be someone on the forum with the same and have some details

 

[Spriddler]

What is make and model of your motorhome?as there may be someone on the forum with the same and have some details

Is there a clue in the OP's first post or isn't that enough info?

We have an imala 730 which had a tow bar already fitted when we bought it last year.

The tow bar weight will come off your published available payload (also any other extras to the standard vehicle such as a wind-out awning, gas bottles, extra battery, solar panels etc.), so as DBK said you need to put it on a weighbridge, fully kitted out for a trip and with all intended passengers to have the correct figures for each axle and the total weight.

 

[Speve]

I see you have an Auto trail Imala you should be alright with the weight you wish to tow? However we had a 2013 Tracker FB and found even after uplating it by the time we fitted a towbar it would not have the capacity to tow what we needed. So you really need to check that your axle weights and payload are up to the task.
good luck we liked our Autotrail but had to change to enable us to tow a car.

 

[Realist]

Welcome.

I would read, read and read more because A frames on here can be a touchy subject and causes loads of arguments.

Have fun.

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[the1andonly]

For use in the UK, no problems don't listen to the naysayers, however, it is vital that you don't exceed the mam gvw or train wt. Use of a Renault captur is possibly a problem, I have not seen one on the road being towed. You need to ask the various a frame suppliers for advice as to is this possible. Not all cars are suitable, an example is mazda mx5 some are some not.
I tow an Up! On a tow a frame.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

I would also (if you have not already) speak to the A Frame fitters to check that they will fit one to a Renault Captur? Not sure that appears on the list of cars that I have seen fitted with A Frame’s? Agree that A Frames are for some reason a touchy subject, we are on our 2nd TOAD, we started out with a Kia Picanto and now have a Fiat 595 Abarth and love it!

 

[62272]

I agree with DDuffs, we A-frame regularly in the UK and France (and Belgium this year), but am dubious about going further afield in EU because of illegality issues abroad. It is certainly a convenient method for us though, although there are a wide range of diverse views on this site, beware!

You will need to check that your intended vehicle is convertible to an A-frame, and also the weight/driving licence implications, which may or may not affect you, dependant on age, etc..

Best of luck with your ventures

 

[craig shemeld]

Thanks for all these answers. It really does make you think if it is all worth while. Think the captur would be a main issue in this project.

 

[pappajohn]

Not encouraging or condoning it in the slightest but many people don't have a clue what their van weighs or what weight they can tow.....they just get on with it.

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[62272]

Not encouraging or condoning it in the slightest but many people don't have a clue what their van weighs or what weight they can tow.....they just get on with it.

Spoke to a Dutch bloke a few weeks back on a French site who said that he had been A-Framing for 10 years (stopped now), and the only place he was ever stopped was in Belgium (after a number of trips without issue). He said the police just made him ‘de-couple’ the A-Frame, but, took him (MOHO) to the weigh-bridge, where he was slightly over. Had to pay an overweight charge of about £100 (Euros).