using a trailer on mog

[b101uk]

Mmm, this is a little like a can of worms!

 

Some considerations.

 

Q: Was your mog first registered in the UK after 1998 regardless of if it has a year related number plate or a Q registration?

 

A: if yes then you should technically have “E” marked towing equipment designed and tested specifically for the vehicle its attached (the same applies to all post 98 vehicles and trailers, though “E” marks have been in use for many years on both trailers and commercial vehicle towing equipment)

 

Fitting non “E” marked towing equipment to a post 98 vehicle leaves you open to prosecution for failure to comply with construction & use regulations &/or type approval regulations, also in the event of a road accident of ANY type and regardless of who is to blame it gives both your insurance company and there’s plenty of room in law to refuse to pay for ANY damage to your vehicle though they will still pay for other 3rd parties damages in most cases, BUT it has been known for insurance companies to back out totally leaving you with a large bill to pay for ALL damage as well as voiding your insurance thus leaving you open to prosecution for not having valid insurance, also it has been know for drivers to automatically get the blame for an accident because of the illegal towing equipment fitted even though they genuinely were not to blame!

 

“E” marking give a unique number to an item of towing equipment which identifies the manufacture, the country of origin and in the case of towing bars/frames/etc (not hitches/or couplings) identifies the specific modal of vehicle its to be fitted which proves that the item has been tested thus received type approval for the weights and forces shown when fitted to that specific vehicle.

 

For pre 98 vehicles (first registered before 1998 in the UK) if you design towing equipment/vehicle mountings for towing equipment then you need to document your design criteria and structural calculations, also ware the item of towing equipment has a equal or lower towing capacity than the vehicle is capable of towing then the towing equipment should be clearly marked with this equal/lower value.

 

With respect to chippers specifically mounted on a 3pt linkage the chipper manufacture AND ONLY THE CHIPPER MANUFACTURE can say if there chipper has the design capability to have a towing hitch attached and the maximum vertical and horizontal forces of any hitch fitted, it dose not take much brain power to come to the conclusion that they will NOT warrant the integrity of there chipper for ANY unauthorised towing hitch design etc fitted/made by a 3rd party even if it attaches to the same place as there own design of hitch, so the buck stops with the 3rd party and yourself, in the case of a new chipper a 3rd party towing hitch could void the chippers warranty especially if there was a later structural failure or problems.

 

Another consideration is a vehicle towing hitch cannot be situated any further behind the rear axel than 1/3 the length of the wheel-base, though there are exceptions for 3pt linkages BUT only when the 3pt lift arms are directly acting as the “hitch” and the implement has an inbuilt pivot as with semi-mounted ploughs, cultivators, harvesters etc which use the arms to regulate implement height.

 

Finally most 3pt linkage mounted chippers with hitches on the rear from the factory state that the hitch is "NOT approved for transportation on public roads" and is mealy for transporting small trailers off-road for convenience etc (TP, Farmi, etc)

 

If it was me I would avoid chipper mounted towing hitches like the plague and given the stump grinder is just 6ft x 3ft I would just make a fold up/down frame that locks in in place with pins when up/down that is fixed to the Unimog front din plate that has little fold down/removable ramps then just drive the grinder on from the side so the wheels of the grinder sit in some channels then just strap it down, you have the advantage that it would counter some of the weight of the chipper thus reducing the rear axel weight so everything would be much better balanced when loaded, though you would need some razed headlights.

[arbogrunt]

I know one bloke who used to tow an Ifor off a tow-hitch mounted on his rear-mount chipper, he never had any probs. Another who carried a small, pedestrian grinder on his front linkage arms on a U900!/ I think the way to go is an extended drawbar - if you can lift your chipper high enough to clear. I had a front mount, so towing was not a problem.

[Stephen Blair]

Why not put your chipper and stumpy in a bigger trailer and tow that, if the chipper is side loaded with the Mog then it would be a matter of taking off the trailer, dropping the trailer side and putting it straight on the mog, i have done that before. Not ideal but 20 mins either side of the day can save a lot of hassle and running about. Also there isnt much room in a Mog for tools, so you could get all your hand tools, barriers etc and even logs and arisings on the trailer and free the mog up just for chip.

[combined tree services]

personally i would considder transporting your chipper on the trailer with your stump grinder , from what i can remember you have a quick link type system on your chipper dont you - ie a triange frame that fits onto your linkage and a traingular resess on yout chiper ? . also is your trailer self braking ( like an ifor) or is it air braked ?

 

im looking for a timber trailer to go behind my mog but obviously needt to be air braked which is a pita .