Which NEW Pick-Up for Towing

[ForestryFinance]

35 minutes ago, Stubby said:

According to my sat nave a true 50 mph  is an indicated 47 mph  So if I drive at an indicated 53 + the 10% you can fly past all the people driving at what they think is 48MPH

We've really derailed this thread now, but this is getting very interesting now. 

I had always known that the 10%+2 theory was based on inaccuracy of car speedometers, but I also thought that as technology had improved this would change, and really the grace was to allow for inaccuracy of actually reading the needle on the dial (affected by the angle you look at it etc), as well as differences due to wheel size, tyre pressures etc. 

 

BUT THEN, just the other day I caught 5 minutes of a show on some terrible TV channel called Cop Car Workshop.  It caught my interest as they were dealing with a couple of BMW motorbikes to be converted into police bikes. They mentioned that apparently the first thing they do is send the console/dash unit straight back to BMW to get calibrated, as it comes out the factory, from new, about 5mph out! I was gobsmacked, especially as it is like most bikes nowadays, a digital readout of numbers, rather than a needle on a dial. Bonkers that it comes out of the factory like that, and they know it does. 

[Al Cormack]

Thanks for all the responses to this topic... It has been most helpful....

I have chosen to go for a Ford Ranger 3.2 Wildtrack (manual).

Good choice!!
Mines an auto though.

[Al Cormack]

If you are towing 3.5t and the towbar is too high then apparently you need an adjustable towball on a four hole towbar. Drop plates aren’t allowed on commercial vehicles. Found this out after I fitted a drop plate!

[openspaceman]

3 minutes ago, Al Cormack said:

If you are towing 3.5t and the towbar is too high then apparently you need an adjustable towball on a four hole towbar. Drop plates aren’t allowed on commercial vehicles. Found this out after I fitted a drop plate!

I think the type with an adjustable ball on a plate need to be the two pin type, @Justme will know.

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, ForestryFinance said:

Yes true. The same TC has also given me a lot of useful insider info about the average speed cameras which blight the motorway that goes up past me. I've always had a level of immunity as I tend to only speed when I'm on the motorbikes, which are immune to most of the average cameras up here,

Because the  bike has no front number plate and average cameras face your front? It won't affect me much as I avoid motorways on the bike.

1 hour ago, ForestryFinance said:

 

My TC informant told me though that the drain on the PNC in identifying which vehicles were commercial and which were not would be unsustainable, and so the 70mph limit is applied to all. In actual fact, a more important nugget that let slip during that conversation is that as well as the cameras giving 10% grace and then some, they are only ever switched on at maybe 1 or 2 sections at a time  (a section being 2 cameras), as the administrative burden to having the full A9 switched on at all times would be more than the police can handle. 

 

Importantly, the police themselves see these cameras as a deterrent, not an enforcement tool, and I would say they do work like that, just because people can't really get their heads around how they work and it takes way less thought to just drive at 68 and be done with it. Annoying if you're trying to stick at 99 on the bike though...

 

You are a naughty boy

 

My bike is naked so I have had to fit a flyscreen as above 70 the helmet tried to lift off.

31 minutes ago, ForestryFinance said:

We've really derailed this thread now, but this is getting very interesting now. 

I had always known that the 10%+2 theory was based on inaccuracy of car speedometers,

 

No I think this is more  to do with the fact it is a criminal offence and  there has to be proof that the speed was above the limit beyond reasonable doubt. It the prosecution have used this figure as being the best  chance of success. In fact, now that that it has become public knowledge and people are flagrantly abusing speed limits it would only take a more accurate capture device with corroboration for the police to make a few high profile examples. This would happen if the general increase in speeds was shown to increase serious injury and fatatilties.

 

The construction and use regs say a car speedometer must never under read and can over read by up to 10% so you might expect modern speedometers to be around 4mph optimistic at 70mph, which means currently you may be unlikely to be prosecuted at an indicated 83mph but don't blame me if you get done.

31 minutes ago, ForestryFinance said:

 

 

BUT THEN, just the other day I caught 5 minutes of a show on some terrible TV channel called Cop Car Workshop.  It caught my interest as they were dealing with a couple of BMW motorbikes to be converted into police bikes. They mentioned that apparently the first thing they do is send the console/dash unit straight back to BMW to get calibrated, as it comes out the factory, from new, about 5mph out! I was gobsmacked, especially as it is like most bikes nowadays, a digital readout of numbers, rather than a needle on a dial. Bonkers that it comes out of the factory like that, and they know it does. 

Police vehicles' speedos are regularly recalibrated and lorry tachos are quite accurate as long as the tyres haven't been changed. My bikes seem to indicate 60mph when following a lorry set to 56.

[Al Cormack]

24 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

I think the type with an adjustable ball on a plate need to be the two pin type, @Justme will know.

Yes, like a Dixon bate one. 

[Justme]

27 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

I think the type with an adjustable ball on a plate need to be the two pin type, @Justme will know.

Bigger issue is, has the towbar got type approval for use with a drop plate?

[benedmonds]

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[Alex O]

I don’t know much about them but you can get something called a suzzi system for towing which increases your towing capacity I think they are a couple of hundred to buy , a friend of mine and TCD had one on his 57 plate hilux for towing his diggers around on.

[dig-dug-dan]

4 hours ago, Al Cormack said:

 

Good choice!!
Mines an auto though.

 

Wasnt there an issue with Ford selling these saying  they could tow 3.5tonnes, but the vin plate said something different?