Friendly but firm police caution re A frame in France

[138go]

Perhaps in the past the French / Spanish Police have not bothered because they had no way of chasing fines BUT now the DVLA are more than happy to pass on your information on to them perhaps it's worth it. The only MH's we saw with a toad on the back were Uk ones last time we visited France / Spain.

If the A Frames had to have CE approval I hate to think what the costs would be as each would have to be tested on all the MH's it fitted and all the different combinations of car. Then there are the crash tests

 

[Deleted member 29692]

There are several companies that provide these "safe, tested, compliant" A frames up & down the country,

Ask any of those companies to provide you, in writing, specific details of exactly what they claim their product is "compliant" with.

 

[Charlie123]

For us this means the end of our motorhoming days. Plain and simple.

We bought our van so my wife could travel with me in Europe. She can no longer travel by plane and we must be sure she has a bed that suits her. The MH fills as many of the criteria as is possible .

So if France are taking this stance then we can no longer travel. We were due to travel to France in 3 weeks time but now it seems it's not viable.

So all the antis of which there are many can sit behind their keyboards and smile smugly as they can now say they are right.


But a question not that it matters..... A vehicle towing a car on an A frame has a far far more stable rig than any caravan and car or car and trailer.

Ridiculous. But then I would say that.

Ya know what when I saw the thread title I knew exactly who would be posting and hell was I right .

Not having a great day can you tell ..........

 

[138go]

Ask any of those companies to provide you, in writing, specific details of exactly what they claim their product is "compliant" with.

Disclaimer:

The information provided on this website is to the best of our knowledge correct as of August 2017. Information is provided to help customers with their queries and should not be relied upon for legal representation. We recommend that anyone needing accurate and up to date legal information, contact the relevant governing bodies directly.

..

 

[Mel]

For us this means the end of our motorhoming days. Plain and simple.

We bought our van so my wife could travel with me in Europe. She can no longer travel by plane and we must be sure she has a bed that suits her. The MH fills as many of the criteria as is possible .

So if France are taking this stance then we can no longer travel. We were due to travel to France in 3 weeks time but now it seems it's not viable.

So all the antis of which there are many can sit behind their keyboards and smile smugly as they can now say they are right.


But a question not that it matters..... A vehicle towing a car on an A frame has a far far more stable rig than any caravan and car or car and trailer.

Ridiculous. But then I would say that.

Ya know what when I saw the thread title I knew exactly who would be posting and hell was I right .

Not having a great day can you tell ..........

I think its not the norm in France.
I would go if you have a problem
Unhitch and go off for a coffee til they have left.
There are more & more with a-frames in France

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[tonyidle]

Charlie I know an A frame is an ideal solution for your particular needs but can you not use a trailer? Just remembered - it was storage when not in use that caused problems IIRC. On site, if space is tight (not often I admit), I park on the trailer. If storage at home is the issue would that not be a solution?

I can't comment on stability other than to say that our Smart on a just-big-enough trailer has no effect on my 3.5tonne motorhome.

 

[SpeedyDux]

As far as I have been able to discover it, the French FAQ on A-frames seems to be:

Est-il possible de tracter une voiture directement attelée au camping-car ?
Non, ce système homologué dans certains pays étrangers (Grande Bretagne, par exemple) n’est pas
autorisé en France
Commentaire
Le système d’accrochage de la flèche de traction sur la voiture nécessite une modification notoire de la
carrosserie du véhicule impliquant une homologation de la Drire
Dans la mesure où ce système de remorquage exige que son utilisateur intervienne sur le système de
freinage de la voiture à chaque installation, dans la mesure où il n’est pas possible de reculer sans avoir
à descendre de voiture pour débrayer le frein, il est totalement improbable qu’un ingénieur des mines
puisse donner son agrément pour cet accessoire, même s’il est homologué à l’étranger.

Roughly summarised, the A-frame system isn't authorised in France. (Therefore it is illegal to use an A-Frame on French roads.)
The commentary says that the key points are first, that the modifications to the body/structure of the Toad itself have not been homologated; and second, the fact that the Toad braking system must be re-connected every time the Toad is hitched, and impossibility of reversing unless the driver first gets out of the MH to disconnect the Toad braking system, means that it is totally improbable that the French Examiner could give official approval to this type of accessory even if it is approved in another country.

Unless that French FAQ is wrong this looks pretty conclusive.

 

[tacr2man]

For us this means the end of our motorhoming days. Plain and simple.

We bought our van so my wife could travel with me in Europe. She can no longer travel by plane and we must be sure she has a bed that suits her. The MH fills as many of the criteria as is possible .

So if France are taking this stance then we can no longer travel. We were due to travel to France in 3 weeks time but now it seems it's not viable.

So all the antis of which there are many can sit behind their keyboards and smile smugly as they can now say they are right.


But a question not that it matters..... A vehicle towing a car on an A frame has a far far more stable rig than any caravan and car or car and trailer.

Ridiculous. But then I would say that.

Ya know what when I saw the thread title I knew exactly who would be posting and hell was I right .

Not having a great day can you tell ..........

It is perfectly legal to tow a car behind your motorhome , BUT it has to be on a trailer . This also gives you the added bonus of being able to reverse without limitation .

 

[big map]

For us this means the end of our motorhoming days. Plain and simple.

We bought our van so my wife could travel with me in Europe. She can no longer travel by plane and we must be sure she has a bed that suits her. The MH fills as many of the criteria as is possible .

So if France are taking this stance then we can no longer travel. We were due to travel to France in 3 weeks time but now it seems it's not viable.

So all the antis of which there are many can sit behind their keyboards and smile smugly as they can now say they are right.


But a question not that it matters..... A vehicle towing a car on an A frame has a far far more stable rig than any caravan and car or car and trailer.

Ridiculous. But then I would say that.

Ya know what when I saw the thread title I knew exactly who would be posting and hell was I right .

Not having a great day can you tell ..........

Charlie just go. We've done miles (or kilometres) in France over many many years and we've only been pulled once by the French police. I showed them the car a tow link and emailed it to the nice policeman who waved us on our way. My bits of advice would be stick to the nationals and don't go on the motorways, and stay out of Spain and Germany. Have a lovely holiday.
Broken Link Removed

 

[138go]

homologation de la Drire

It's also because the vehicle has been modified and the modification is not type approved. If you could get Smart or Toyota to add the tow parts to the front on both sides and then get the vehicle through all the relevant crash tests etc. Then you would get round that little bit.

A lot of Uk drivers do go to France with a Toad you just have to be aware that the Spanish / German Police don't approve of them and some of the French Police don't like them.

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[Deleted member 29692]

Disclaimer:

The information provided on this website is to the best of our knowledge correct as of August 2017. Information is provided to help customers with their queries and should not be relied upon for legal representation. We recommend that anyone needing accurate and up to date legal information, contact the relevant governing bodies directly.

..

Nuff said

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Something occurs to me.

Many people on this site are only too ready to scream with righteous rage for Trading Standards or courts or whatever in the event of the tiniest insignificant disagreement or a trader not supplying the correct tea bags.

I've just realised that none of these people have ever unleashed their wrath on A-frame suppliers whose entire business is built on the dishonest claim that their product is "legal and approved for use in Europe"

Just saying

 

[busby]

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

Compliant to what??? BUSBY.

 

[Chris]

Just avoid France

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Just avoid France

Are A-frames legal in Wales?

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[Chris]

Are A-frames legal in Wales?

Perfectly legal

Unless you are English

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Perfectly legal

Unless you are English

I hope none of the Wales rugby team use them then

 

[chaser]

Now this is just my view, so probably different to everyone else on here, you have a motorhome that you can go more or less anywhere in , so why do you want to pay out for an a frame or trailer, and tax and insure another vehical plus all the extra ferry costs and find ing camps and things that will take you , never mind being at risk of fines, when you could just hire a car when you get where you want to be. Probably workout far cheaper and more convenient all in one.

 

[Reallyretired]

I have nowhere to store a trailer when not in use. I have investigated trailer hire and cost is £180 per week, the fine of €135 is thus less than a weeks hire charges so sensible just to trust to luck. To buy a new one (bigger than Smart car) is £3k+

 

[Munchie]

Thing that gets me is that if a foreign driver breaks the law in the UK there is often an outcry! So, is it not incumbent on UK drivers to obey the law in other countries?

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[chaser]

I have nowhere to store a trailer when not in use. I have investigated trailer hire and cost is £180 per week, the fine of €135 is thus less than a weeks hire charges so sensible just to trust to luck. To buy a new one (bigger than Smart car) is £3k+

Sorry don't understand this post,

 

[Ivory55]

Thing that gets me is that if a foreign driver breaks the law in the UK there is often an outcry! So, is it not incumbent on UK drivers to obey the law in other countries?

You're right, it should be the same rules etc across the eu or not do any , not just the ones a particular country likes.

 

[pappajohn]

I have nowhere to store a trailer when not in use. I have investigated trailer hire and cost is £180 per week, the fine of €135 is thus less than a weeks hire charges so sensible just to trust to luck. To buy a new one (bigger than Smart car) is £3k+

But can you guarantee 100% you won't get your collar felt more than once in any week.
You could be unlucky and get pulled 3 times in one day if plod are having a purge.
Could turn out to be expensive.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

But can you guarantee 100% you won't get your collar felt more than once in any week.
You could be unlucky and get pulled 3 times in one day if plod are having a purge.
Could turn out to be expensive.

Also if you're stopped and made to unhitch but don't happen to have a second driver who can drive the car the fine becomes a minor detail.

 

[tonyidle]

I have nowhere to store a trailer when not in use. I have investigated trailer hire and cost is £180 per week, the fine of €135 is thus less than a weeks hire charges so sensible just to trust to luck. To buy a new one (bigger than Smart car) is £3k+

Under the car?

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[tonyidle]

Now this is just my view, so probably different to everyone else on here, you have a motorhome that you can go more or less anywhere in , so why do you want to pay out for an a frame or trailer, and tax and insure another vehical plus all the extra ferry costs and find ing camps and things that will take you , never mind being at risk of fines, when you could just hire a car when you get where you want to be. Probably workout far cheaper and more convenient all in one.

If you already have a suitable car it's a no-brainer. And why would any site refuse to have you? A trailer with a car on top or a toad is no larger than the car parked next to a caravan (which in itself is of similar size to the average MH). My 3 years experience with Smart on trailer is that site operators simply do not comment or perhaps they see so many that its simply accepted.

 

[Pia]

Try using Aires with a caravan

You're not supposed to use Aires in France if you are towing anything be it a car, caarvan or trailer.

 

[big map]

You're not supposed to use Aires in France if you are towing anything be it a car, caarvan or trailer.

Oops didn't know that.

 

[Larrynwin]

You're not supposed to use Aires in France if you are towing anything be it a car, caarvan or trailer.

Hence my statement

 

[Pia]

Try using Aires with a caravan

...my point is that it's not just caravans who can't use Aires..it is ANYONE towing...including motorhomes towing cars or motorhomes towing trailers....though we have seen both in Aires.... obviously disregrding the rules.

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