I'm seriously considering getting a recovery truck..

[horriblemercedes]

1 hour ago, Cheezey said:

I saw a scruffy Transit recovery wagon yesterday in traffic and was thinking about this. This thread is pretty much my train of thought. Modern cars now too heavy for these, especially electric cars. 
Questions and thoughts that came to mind: What real use are these smaller recovery vehicles now? Will they be worthless except for moving classics? Surely these are a bit safer for the inexperienced than towing a car on a trailer. 

I think they're a perfect solution for very specific requirements. I know club racers who use them to transport something like that's not road-legal or that you wouldn't want to use on the road (many older race cars or even more modern stripped stuff) and even with a caravan on the back to provide somewhere to stay. Like towing a car trailer with a motorhome but more biased towards the vehicle transport side of things

[wuvvum]

As others have said, if you're going to get a recovery truck to transport anything bigger than a Perodua Nippa I'd go 7.5t - apart from the weight thing they tend to be cheaper as anybody under the age of 42 won't be able to drive them on their car licence so the demand is lower.  I don't think you need an operator's licence or any of that shiz if you're only using it for private use to transport your own vehicles.

Be warned though, if you have a recovery truck you suddenly become everybody's best mate.

[tom13]

2 hours ago, lesapandre said:

This 5800€...

Now this would be awesome with a 2CV hanging off the back.

[tom13]

@DaveDorson Think about the angle of entry as well if you a looking at putting a lowered car on it. Some of these older ones suggested have very sharp transitions.

[MJK 24]

I brought this Volkswagen down from Motherwell to Cirencester.  It had done 688,000 MILES but intriguingly, felt like it may have done more.   
 

Despite passing  it’s MOT only a fortnight before, it had no real footbrake, no handbrake and the ABS light was on.  It also had the wrong gearbox in it.  Reverse was marked bottom right on the well worn lever but was actually push down top left.  I’m thinking the original threw its hand in and they’ve fitted one from a 1.9d.

The price for this headache on wheels, £3,700!! I asked the chap if he bought it to put the body on a T5 or T6 but he told me he was going to put it to work!

 

[sierraman]

I’d imagine at most Caravan Club affiliated camp sites they’d welcome a Bedford CF beaver with a Rover 200 on the back and a caravan with open arms. 

[Saabnut]

Some of those French units are lovely, but do remember if over 3.5t the MOT exemption starts at 1960 not 40 years. It is an MOT exemption not a plating exemption and anything over 3.5t gross needs plating. Pre 1960 commercials are plating exempt providing they are not used for hire or reward.

[Timewaster]

6 hours ago, Spurious said:

Also the bonus of everyone having a BE license now so you're legal towing a bigger trailer wheras you'd need a C1 and a bigger van to haul anything useful on a van I would have thought. 

Did this actually go through? 

I thought it had been postponed, kicked down the road maybe not to return? 

[Spurious]

1 minute ago, Timewaster said:

Did this actually go through? 

I thought it had been postponed, kicked down the road maybe not to return? 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-rules-for-towing-a-trailer-or-caravan-with-a-car-from-autumn-2021?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_source=3a09bd52-3e30-471c-aded-bee5829c91c5&utm_content=immediately#full-publication-update-history

Allegedly so, it's gone through.