Using an A frame

[Bumbly1]

Possibly looking at using an a frame to tow a Beat behind a camper on holiday but never used one before. I would be interested in opinions on the practicality of this.

Tom

PS I noticed one in one of Beardo's pics of his red Beat.

[LawrenceHarding]

I cannot comment on the legality of this, however I have used an A frame to tow a car used for banger racing in the past. You will need to ensure the steering of the Beat is unlocked as the front wheels will need to turn on corners. You will need to take corners wide or you will be scraping your Beat against anything on the inside and on tight corners you may be dragging the front end sideways. I also found that on a wet road the towed car tended to push the back of the towing car sideways on corners.

[old'uns]

beardo's the one who knows..
i'm sure that he said his frame is 'chained' to wishbones, steering left as is (key in ign ? ) and car 'follows' the towing car steering itself

[LawrenceHarding]

beardo's the one who knows..
i'm sure that he said his frame is 'chained' to wishbones, steering left as is (key in ign ? ) and car 'follows' the towing car steering itself

That sounds right. The method of attachment depends on the A frame and car being towed, mine had a towing eye each side so I used them. The key will need to be in the ignition to unlock the steering.

[bigB]

Or, like Marcair...:rolleyes:

[Bumbly1]

Not worried about the weight issue and most A frames that I have looked at seem to be chained to the wishbones too. As for legality, I think that the towed vehicle must be taxed and insured etc and I suspect the towed vehicle should be no more than 80% of the weight of the towing vehicle. Can anyone confirm this?
Tom

[Bumbly1]

Marcair's device is intriguing, I wonder how that tows!

[beardo]

Firstly the legality of towing with an A frame is a little vague. You are essentially turning the towed car into an unbraked trailer so the law states it must not exceed 750 kgs. Also A frames shouldn't be used to transport cars, just for recovery of a broken down vehicle. So a car pulling a car it would be difficult to prove that you are transporting rather than recovering. A motorhome towing a car is clearly transporting. However, the police usually turn a blind eye. You would have to be seriously unlucky to get pulled and charged for this. Unless of course you are taking the piss and are towing a large car behind. The reason for this is because of the vagueness of the law. Towed vehicle must not exceed 750 kgs unless braked and must not exceed 80% of the weight of the towing vehicle. So if you get pulled the law has to be clear (it doesn't seem to be) and to enforce it the police will have to have both vehicles weighed etc. More hassle than it's worth I suspect. Over in Europe the laws are different and the law is enforced. However, if you are displaying GB stickers you should be ok. Not sure why.

Right, most A frames attach to the lower wishbones using chains and racket straps. They can also be attached to the subframes of cars if it is exposed. The further apart it is attached the better, but too far and the A frame will foul the steering. They are a bit of an arse to fit as you have to get underneath the car to get to the wishbone and some are further back than others. The Beat isn't too bad to do. However, if I were you and was planning to tow the Beat a fair bit I would have the front towing eyes removed and get something fabricated and welded on in their place to attach to the frame. Shouldn't be too much of a head ache to do.

[Bumbly1]

Beardo, thanks for that comprehensive response. I am only looking at towing in UK and then only one particular journey which we do about twice a year so not often. My towing vehicle is a Mercedes Viano Marco Polo so is van sized and looks like a van but is about 2000kg so the weight ratio should be fine and I think a Beat is about 760kgs but it would be best to weigh mine when I get it. Re a more permanent tow arrangement as per Marcair, it is probably not necessary for the little I will use the facility. Thanks again all contributors.

Tom