Legality of forwarding trailer behind 4x4

[637547]

Theoretical question, has anyone any experience with this.

e.g. small forwarding trailer for compact tractor/quad 3-5 ton (many of the quad ones seem a bit too weedy) capacity behind a tow vehicle at road speeds going to site using crane driving around field moving wood around woodlands etc etc.

 

Obvious requirements are road/speed rated tyres, lights, and brakes if over 750kg which if inclusive of a useful crane is very likely, but what brakes overrun or coupled air and is there an issue with having a walking beam as the only suspension does it require a sprung axle as per the "riko" or could you just spring one side of the walking beam/bogey axle with a coil i.e. borrow from a landrover.

 

Most proper way would be IVA but has anyone been doing long before the IVA stuff.

 

Already aware of the Riko and TCF, main thrust of this is whether a walking beam old forwarding trailer can be used on the road. Nothing obvious in the IVA stuff to say no guessing it would be a "special trailer" but can you then carry a load or would it be like special vehicle cranes when they can only move themselves.

[openspaceman]

 

Obvious requirements are road/speed rated tyres, lights, and brakes if over 750kg which if inclusive of a useful crane is very likely, but what brakes overrun or coupled air

 

Unless it's towed by an agricultural machine your licence will determine the trailer weight, for most it will be 3500kg and that can have overrun brakes.

 

 

 

and is there an issue with having a walking beam as the only suspension does it require a sprung axle as per the "riko" or could you just spring one side of the walking beam/bogey axle with a coil i.e. borrow from a landrover.

 

The relevant part of 1986 C&U regs says "every motor vehicle and every trailer shall be equipped with suitable and sufficient springs between each wheel and the frame of the vehicle. " so no but I can see a couple of ways round using a walking beam.

 

There are exemptions for

 

©an agricultural trailer, or an agricultural trailed appliance;

 

(d)a trailer used solely for the haulage of felled trees;

 

 

 

Already aware of the Riko and TCF, main thrust of this is whether a walking beam old forwarding trailer can be used on the road.

 

It looks like you may but you may be restricted to 20 or 25mph, depending on interpretation and whether the higher speeds now allowed have been applied to the C&U regs. You will require brakes on all wheels if carrying a load unless the trailer can be classed as an agricultural appliance.

[hplp]

Im looking at trying to get a 3-5t forwarding trailer back to Ireland in the next few months. I have a Defender and a class 1 licence. Looking at this it certainly looks possible. The nose weight might be interesting if I leave the craine on but not impossible.

 

Might want to not go over 20mph though.

 

H

[637547]

Thanks for the info on the C&U and the springs.

 

I forgot to mention the nose weight issue earlier as the quad units seem pretty balanced but most tractor ones are designed to put a large % weight on the drawbar, so a tractor size trailer may need the axle moving to balance it out then if going to that trouble you could then consider at the same time adding some heavy leaf springs between that and the chassis (then IVA test).

 

Simplest solution for over 20mph is to just put it on another trailer flat bed, car transporter, but would be nice to move just the one thing once if going between sites. I can see the exemptions possibly working but in different ways.

 

c) you might be able to get singed off for over 25mph (anyone use one at ~50 behind a unimog) but I expect as an appliance no load could be carried. This is more what I was getting at with the idea.

 

d) If they did let you do haulage you should be running a tacho restricted O licence.

 

I have seen a Landcruiser moving combine bits before but that may have had coupled brakes of some sort or they may have just been taking the mick.

[openspaceman]

Im looking at trying to get a 3-5t forwarding trailer back to Ireland in the next few months. I have a Defender and a class 1 licence. Looking at this it certainly looks possible. The nose weight might be interesting if I leave the craine on but not impossible.

 

Might want to not go over 20mph though.

 

H

 

This is an interesting one as in around 1975 I worked for an IH dealership, we delivered balers behind the works 3 ton truck.

 

Now bearing in mind the 1986 C&U regs I quoted must have been superseded by the recent changes in allowed tractor speeds to 25mph for tractors without all round suspension you should be able to tow an ATA or trailer at the higher speed. In fact the 1986 C&U regs do not specify a speed for those trailers exempted from having suspension.

 

However the over riding act is the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 and that limits these types of trailers/appliances without suspension to 20 unless these also were subject to the recent changes for tractor speeds

 

The superimposed load on the tow hitch would have to be within the limits of the pin-hitch-drawbar and suspension limits of the vehicle.

 

In the past I moved my unbraked Moheda 9 tonne trailer behind the LR110 but I wouldn't risk it now.

[Justme]

First off, what licence do you hold & when did you get it?

 

You have to comply with two set of rules. C & U plus licencing.

[Justme]

Im looking at trying to get a 3-5t forwarding trailer back to Ireland in the next few months. I have a Defender and a class 1 licence. Looking at this it certainly looks possible. The nose weight might be interesting if I leave the craine on but not impossible.

 

Might want to not go over 20mph though.

 

H

 

You class one (CE?) is not a factor in this as the minimum weight it applies at is 3500+ kg.

 

So you are driving on your BE licence.

 

When did you pass your BE test or the test that gave you BE IE B pr 97 or the CE.

[637547]

So just to go over what has been said already in a different way.

 

Bare trailer no crane under 750kg should be ok provided it has road tyres not off road only quad ones up to 20mph (maybe 25) possibly with a beacon depending on the road.

Trailer inclusive of crane so over 750kg but within plate weight of the tow vehicle, need road tyres, overrun brakes and the nose weight within the hitch rating, also 20mph.

 

Really going to jobs would need a second road trailer to move the off road trailer to site if you going more than about 2 miles, so possible but pointless.

 

Other scenario is to get creative modify a trailer so it has both a walking beam and sprung suspension, but that requires a IVA test however if you passed you would just carry on happily like every other trailer out there. Whole different discussion on interesting solutions to that one (i can think of a few).

 

Real shame as a lot of these trailers around the 2-4 t mark seem to be about 1t or less empty inc crane and grab which is about the same as a big ifor tipper and walking beam is sooo much better when it gets a bit lumpy.

[openspaceman]

So just to go over what has been said already in a different way.

 

Bare trailer no crane under 750kg should be ok provided it has road tyres not off road only quad ones up to 20mph (maybe 25) possibly with a beacon depending on the road.

Trailer inclusive of crane so over 750kg but within plate weight of the tow vehicle, need road tyres, overrun brakes and the nose weight within the hitch rating, also 20mph.

 

Sounds about right, actually my Jussi comes in at under 750kg with crane I think, I would need to change the tyres though

 

Really going to jobs would need a second road trailer to move the off road trailer to site if you going more than about 2 miles, so possible but pointless.

 

At 20mph (but it is probably 25mph if I can find an updated regulation) how much time difference over a road vehicle on a 10 or 20 mile journey?

 

I used to drive between sites but nowadays the big problem would be leaving the kit in an unsecured area overnight.

 

With the Jussi and Ferarri I used a 7.5 tonne beavertail but that increases costs. The ideal would have been a small tractor or ATV carried to site on the forwarding trailer behind a dual purpose vehicle, and off again at the end of the day. I've been considering this and it is doable within the 3.5 tonnes, On the road payload would be around 2 tonnes of wood but in the woods it would have a higher capacity. I would opt for a variable geometry between forest and road. This way you can carry all the kit and spares necessary in the towing vehicle.

[637547]

Was looking to the slightly larger trailers 4-5 t to get a crane with higher capacity so 400-700kg trailer ~400kg crane is still not a heavy trailer. Plus most capable 4x4 have a lot more tow capacity than a quad.

 

Understand the 10-20 mile trip in the tractor but thinking more about the >50 mile zone so outside tractor range and looking at vs low loader.

 

The idea here was not pure forwarding more forwarding already winched material around a ride network to roadside/site yard etc, but considering most rides where the big boys are not at play a forwarding trailer would be far superior to bogo road trailer with or without a crane. The 4x4 would be the forwarding vehicle (dont want to get into the do's and dont's of that) which is why it would be nice to have as basic and mobile a setup as possible.

Having something that could do this and carry some load around on the road would be lovely.

 

Dual purpose does sound a good setup but does add one more piece of kit to the list.