Friendly but firm police caution re A frame in France

[gus-lopez]

Even if you have informed the insurers of your intention?

If the accident was in a country where they aren't legal, like here, then they have a get out.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

So what is legal and illegal in France & the continent these days? Not that I ever want to have a toad on the back of our MH as we have E bikes, but if the A frame is the type that applies the brakes on the towed car when you brake, what is the problem? There are several companies that provide these "safe, tested, compliant" A frames up & down the country, so can we use them or not? Really confused now, please educate me.
Thanks

Everything is illegal that IS NOT Specifically ALLOWED , that is the way Napoleonic law works. Ours is completely different everything is allowed unless actually illegal.. This will however change as the EU is run on Napoleonic laws.. We will have to change to it as well. Another reason not to stay in.

 

[Snowbird]

Taking your smartie on an A frame is a risk you take like others. I have been tempted to A frame our toad on our winter trip. I have mates who have done it for years and never been stopped all through France, spain, and Portugal and back. My worry is if at any time you are involved in a accident the insurance company would be laughing because for them it would be a case of, you should have not been A framing your car so you are not covered. Easy get out for them.

Strangely, when I insured the Smarty with the same insurers that I use for the MH, the nice man said "Will you be towing the Smart behind your motorhome". I replied "yes, why else would a man that has driven a Mercedes all his life drive a bloody bubblecar". He laughed and said OK, no problem. I even have the same period of time abroad with the thing that I do the MH. Did he think I was going to drive that bubble from the UK behind the bus ?. Heaven forbid .

 

[Benjii]

Ok, so a dolly, although I think is pretty safe, as the Americans do it all the driving season and not it’s illegal to go distance, has anyone seen a really neat trailer, one that stands up, lays on it’s side, folds up, in fact any towing system that’s neat and is legal in Europe and doesn’t give you headaches of what to do with it when you arrive in an area that’s worth exploring.

 

[Pilote87]

I have just remembered that a few years ago, I, along with a two other British, were travelling with a Dutchman who had converted an old coach, installing a washing machine, tumble drier and dishwasher just to make life "comfortable" whilst on the road. One of the Brits had a twin-axle Euromobile and was towing on an A-frame.

However, the Dutchman regularly travelled down to Spain for the winter towing his car, not on an A-frame or trailer, but using an hydraulic suspended tow, just like a breakdown truck. I wonder how he would get on in Spain now, with a rig like that.

J

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DDJC]

Off to France tomorrow and I am towing a Suzuki Ignis on a trailer. The Ignis has been converted to use a Towbars 4 Towcars A Frame with the electronic braking.

Having used both, I can tell you that if legal, I would always want to use the A Frame. It is much easier, less faff and performance pretty unaffected. So, for UK, Ireland and weekend trips to Northern France or Belgium, I would use the A Frame.

However, as has been explained countless times in this and other threads, while the law about A Frame use is at best contradictory, the use of a trailer is not (as long as you within weights and driving licence limitations). Therefore I want to avoid being pulled over, so I am using a trailer.

I have the Insurance, CE statement, registration docs, translations etc etc etc for the A Frame, but do I really want to be pulled over in a place where my command of the language would not be sufficient for a technical discussion? No, I want to get where I am going.

It would be great if the UK determined that use of an A Frame was definitively legal, because then, under the Vienna convention, if a vehicle/setup is legal in UK, it could not be illegal in Europe (except Spain which did not sign the convention). And UK membership of the EU is nothing to do with Vienna.

The problem with motorhomers lobbying the UK government to legislate that the use of A Frames (obviously adhering to a set of official specifications) was legal, is that they might determine the opposite and make them illegal. I don't fancy being the guy who facilitates that!

This trip, we will be counting the Toads and Trailers and their nationality. Just out of curiosity.

 

[Minxy]

I'm ready ....

 

[DDJC]

Back from Normandy and I did not see any A Frames. Not one.

Saw fifteen trailers, mostly single axle. Also, mostly French mohos, only three Brits.

I am aware that I sound completely sad describing the results of two 6 hour duration drives of trailer spotting.