Car Trailer Transporter - Hire

[BorniteIdentity]

Friends.

 

I have a couple of cars to move around in the next week or so: including the Sierra bASe.  Following the formal bollocking I got for being late when the Merc exploded 2 weeks ago, I can't really gamble driving it 150 miles.

 

SO

 

1) Does anyone have a trailer capable of lugging a sierra?

2) Has anyone used a hire company anywhere in Herts/Beds/Bucks/Cambs

 

I know the shiter's way is a dolly - but I really do value my licence, and it's a massive grey area.

 

Anyone?

[capsuleboy]

Might be bit far north but Barwell Trailer hire are real good guys, I use them often...

[stephen01]

http://www.trailerhirewestmidlands.co.uk/

 

Really good chap, been using him while in france,  he also has a couple of 4x4's for hire if your car is not up to it!

[Skizzer]

Would Shiply be a lot less hassle for no more money?

[Six-cylinder]

I use Helpful Hirings in Thame for trailer hire. I have been told about a place in Milton Keynes and I can get the number if needed

http://www.helpfulhirings.co.uk/equipment/trailers/woodford-tilt-bed-car-transporter-trailer-16-x-61

 

Lately I have felt having it moved by a professional seemed a better solution. I have just had a dead car collected from London N5 and taken to Milton Keynes and I was not even present either end. Steve at The Car Barn charged me £150. I have my own tow car but hiring and fuel mean I had all the hard work done for not a great deal of money.

 

I do know Steve at The Car Barn, 07801 077017

https://www.facebook.com/TheCarBarn8/

[dollywobbler]

I used FS Trailers a few times back in the day - they're Huntingdon based.

[Captain Furious]

Have you thought about car transporter hire, like a beavertail transit sort of thing

 

May not be much more expensive and a lot less of a faff.

[Angrydicky]

Found this place, could be worth a look. http://active-rentals.com/cars/recovery/

[Captain Furious]

Yup, I was looking at the same place when I picked my last acquisition up, managed to get a lift in the end though so I drove it back

 

Seems like a decent deal on the face of it.

[BorniteIdentity]

I need to move a couple of cars - one is a journey of 30 miles, where the average Shiply quote is £150.

 

HUNNITFIDDY BUCKS!

 

I'm genuinely thinking of getting a trailer and earning from it if that's the going rate.  Over £200 to get the Sierra from Cambridge to Southend!

 

I think a Beaver would be best (fnar fnar) but I can only haul 3.5 metric tonnes of ass on my licence - so it'll need to be a little one.  Or I rope in my FIL.

 

Thanks. I'mma keep you updated yo.

[BorniteIdentity]

Found this place, could be worth a look. http://active-rentals.com/cars/recovery/

 

Just had an amusing conversation with the bloke.

 

"Err, it's not available at the moment".

Oh, ok.  When's it back.

"Well, it's back. It's just failed its MOT"

Right.

"On numerous things".

Oh.

"Like, we're probably just going to throw it away".

 

#ConfidenceBuilding.

 

They'll hire me a car trailer for £40 a day including straps which seems pretty fair.  

[Angrydicky]

Sounds like a good deal, assuming you have a suitable tow car

[3VOM]

Just had an amusing conversation with the bloke.

 

"Err, it's not available at the moment".

Oh, ok.  When's it back.

"Well, it's back. It's just failed its MOT"

Right.

"On numerous things".

Oh.

"Like, we're probably just going to throw it away".

 

Surely the Autoshite way is to offer to buy it?

[worldofceri]

 I can only haul 3.5 metric tonnes of ass on my licence 

 

I take it you don't have B+E on your licence then?  A trailer and suitable tow car will take you over this threshold, whereas a 3.5t beavertail will be man enough for a Sierra.

[BorniteIdentity]

I take it you don't have B+E on your licence then? A trailer and suitable tow car will take you over this threshold, whereas a 3.5t beavertail will be man enough for a Sierra.

Really ?

 

Licences issued from 1 January 1997

If you passed your car driving test between 1 January 1997 and 18 January 2013, you can:

 

drive a car or van up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM

 

tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

 

 

 

I thought this second calculation would put me under. My van plus car plus empty trailer weight.

 

I'm wrong...aren't I?

 

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[Dave_Q]

MAM is maximum authorised mass or the plated weight of the trailer, so basically if the capacity of the tow car + trailer is over 3.5t you are technically illegal.

 

Depending what van you have it could have a MAM or train weight of over 3.5t anyway, so even though a 1.8t van towing a 500kg trailer with a 1.2t car on it is 3.5t, the train weight of the van (probably 3t or so) and the plated MAM of the trailer (possibly 2t for a car trailer) means you need B+E.

 

That could all be wrong so someone correct me if so.

 

In real life you're unlikely to get pulled as long as it looks right, but I've been turned away by a trailer hire place in the past when trying to hire a box trailer as I didn't have B+E

[Eddie Honda]

Go sniffing around yell / gumtree for people that shift motahs.

 

I got a quote on Shiply once, but from the username ringing a bell in my head I looked and found their moby number and cut out the middleman.

[Eddie Honda]

The second calculation doesn't really work for sticking cars on trailers. It can work for a small car and small caravan.

 

Get it wrong and it'll be a long walk home

[worldofceri]

tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

 

I thought this second calculation would put me under. My van plus car plus empty trailer weight.

 

No, it's the plated weight (aka gross weight or MAM) of the trailer that's considered for the purposes of what you can tow on your licence.

 

A car trailer would be 2000kg at least I would have thought.  Most are 3000-3500kg I believe.

 

Check the chassis plate of your van.  It will look a bit like the one below which is on my Saab.

 

1720kg - MAM of car only (max gross weight)

3220kg - MAM of car plus any trailer (max train weight)

950kg  - max front axle load

910kg  - max rear axle load

 

 

As you can see, even an old Saab is getting close to the 3.5t maximum when fully loaded up.

[purplebargeken]

Sorry, I read that as Scab 

[stephen01]

what daveq said, however I feel the rules are somewhat open and can be interpreted another way, I've asked police officers and they don't know!  however I've seen trailer companies offering to plate a trailer at a lower weight.

 

The scary thing is my MIL could go and jump in a 7.5t lorry and happily drive it, where I myself can't as I passed after 97'

 

I always keep under the 3.5t limit and the Honda weighing about 2 ton gives me 1500kg to play with. I've only ever towed two cars, one being my herald and the other being the panda, both weighing in at approx. 750Kg, even allowing a 500kg trailer I'm under the limits.

 

like has been said if you look legit you'll probably be left alone.

[worldofceri]

It's not police officers you need to worry about, they often don't know.  It's VOSA/DVSA that will have your bollocks.

 

I agree that you'll probably be fine if it looks alright - and I may have risked it myself in the past - but the worst case scenario is you're involved in an accident and your insurance is invalidated because you're unlicensed for the outfit your driving.

[BorniteIdentity]

Grrr.

 

No weight on VIN. It's a Japanese import. Granvia... effectively a swb Hi-Ace

[Captain Furious]

Most car trailers are plated to at least 2200KG so are not only over what you can legally tow on a B only licence but also beyond the limits of what most normal saloon cars can legally tow.

 

Still see plenty of them doing it though.

[colnerov]

Grrr.

 

No weight on VIN. It's a Japanese import. Granvia... effectively a swb Hi-Ace 20160608_143020.jpg

 

 Hi, So with no weight on the plate that's deemed not suitable for towing and you must not tow at all with it. Although you may know that, there are plenty that don't. There are some Discovery's about that are the same, even though they are capable of towing 3500kgs, and so can't be used for towing.

 

 No weight on the plate, no towing. This applies to vehicles manufactured after '97 and came in with the licence changes.

 

 Colin

[BorniteIdentity]

Hi, So with no weight on the plate that's deemed not suitable for towing and you must not tow at all with it. Although you may know that, there are plenty that don't. There are some Discovery's about that are the same, even though they are capable of towing 3500kgs, and so can't be used for towing.

 

No weight on the plate, no towing. This applies to vehicles manufactured after '97 and came in with the licence changes.

 

Colin

Manufactured '95/96.

 

God my head hurts.

 

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[stephen01]

It's not police officers you need to worry about, they often don't know.  It's VOSA/DVSA that will have your bollocks.

 

I agree that you'll probably be fine if it looks alright - and I may have risked it myself in the past - but the worst case scenario is you're involved in an accident and your insurance is invalidated because you're unlicensed for the outfit your driving.

 

I called my insurance to check that trailers are covered and was left shocked when I was told that it's not covered as part of my standard policy, (Fully Comp) not only that a roof box wasn't covered also! As my insurance was due for renewal I just added these as I knew I'd be towing a trailer on my trips to france. I always try to keep on the right side of my insurance as I've a friend who didn’t inform her insurance of an address change due to relationship breakdown, she had an accident and her ins co basically said 'goodbye' you're on your own. She's still paying the insurance bill nearly 8 years later..

[Captain Furious]

It does seem to be one of those areas where the DVLA\DVSA\VOSA whoever it is has deliberately made it as complex as possible

 

Never even occurred to be to check I was allowed to tow by my insurance, but just checked my policy terms and I am.

[worldofceri]

The point is you won't be insured regardless if you only have a B licence and the combo falls into B+E.  Normally towing is covered as standard but third party only.

[Captain Furious]

I have B+E because I passed in 96