madmatt

Its not a fault, A land rover is designed to tow well. however the land rover engineers never envisaged it to only tow well in High box, The secret is to learn how to shift from High to low and low to high on the move. With practice you will get a smooth change at about 15mph. I will often pull away in lowbox with a trailer on and then change up. Using low box to pull away loaded and for reversing trailers will save lots of wear on the transmission and extend the life of your clutch,

There is nothing to chip on a 300TDI. Sounds like you are describing a TD5

Thankfully its not an issue for me I was banding random thoughts about in my last post. If I ever had to go down the O licence route I'd make it worth my whule and have at least 7.5 tonner.

Thats right but here is the definition of restricted/ Restricted - To carry your own goods in the course of your trade or business in Great Britain you need a restricted licence. You must not carry goods for other people for hire or reward if you have a restricted licence. If you do, you could be fined and lose your licence. Now I can see a restricted working out ok for a chipper but not say if you were towing a trailer full of logs? Particularly if you've just charged a customer to take it away? whats your thoughts. even a restricted isn't cheap though!

yep looks right but you need a tacho as soon as you tow any chipper, even the baby ones. Just looked at the timberwolf website even the 190DH is under 1020kg. Also to hold an O licence you need or need to employ some one who holds the CPC qualification and have you seen the costs involved?! It really can't be economically viable to obtain an O licence for a tranny and large chipper. You may as well have a 7.5tonner.

You've just beat me to it! LOL thanks for posting that, I new I'd read the multi purpose vehicle exemption some where.

Here is my outfit

Glad to hear your mate is recovering well. Crack willow is all we ever get alongside rivers! really do need our wits about us we often are not felling from a nice flat piece of ground, with text book escape routes.

Well I no thats definatley not true as my friend is a tacho tester and very knowledgeable on the subject. He is handling the installation of the tacho on my vehicle and has agreed with vosa I won't need an O licence. Tacho Charts as I understand it are only checked/investigated when a driver is under suspicion of breaking the drivers hrs rules or in the event of a vehicle being involved in an accident. I agree with you that policing them is a shady area. As I won't have to use mine if the vehicle is running solo without a trailer or If I'm towing a vintage tractor to a ploughing match! I'll email Vosa Later and IF they reply I'll post their reply on a seperate thread. It would be nice to have a document as a gospel answer.

Chipper manufacturers went to great lengths to get chippers under 750kg so post 97 licence holders didn't have to do a B+E test. I belive I'm right in saying that if Vosa can prove you are towing a 750kg unbraked chipper or trailer behind a 3.5tonner for hire and reward yo need a tacho anyway but not an Operators licence. I went through all this 18 months ago when trying to make sure the country park I worked for stayed within the law. I spoke to VOSA/DVLA and the Local traffic police. and they agreed that a 3.5 tonner towing didn't need an O licence. I'm busy invoicing at the moment when I've done I'll ask VOSA again and see what reply I get.

Yeah thats right that rig was totally illegal if the driver didn't hold a HGV licence. And a 7.5 tonner needs an O licence full stop wether its solo or not or an exemption apllies. When the police were talking about Plated weights to him they were talking about them in regard to Driving Licences. these rules are not the same for Operators licences. I still belive that any vehicle that grosses at 3.5 tonnes can tow a trailer upto 3.5 tonnes without an O licence. but will need a B+E drivers licence.

Do you have that as gospel truth and proof of it? If so I'd be very interested to see something. I was told this along time ago by experianced transport manager but the VOSA men were adament I didn't as a transit or defender 130 grosses at 3500kg for the prime mover. And trailers under 3500kg currently don't need annual plating or O licences neither does the transit or defender towing it. If my Landy or a transit grossed at 3501kg then yep they would require an 'O' Licence.

Ouch! Sounds like you were both very lucky. There is a firm around here that has started using an ex fire brigade arial platform its huge!

We were working on a fairly damp site today and I hate getting the bottom of my trousers muddy so I decided to try wearing my gortex gaiters. Blimey!! It proved so good, No Muddy trousers at the end of the day, I was cross cutting with the 066 and didn't end up with boots full of saw dust from my trousers moving up and I never once snagged me boot laces! It was such a simple idea I wish I'd done it ages ago!

Ask on your thread on LR 4x4 mate, they'll have some suggestions they might all not be sensible though! LOL:)

Got it in one mate!

Thanks! I'm running 265/7516's they are awsome on something this big. I've never had my spare on the bonnet as I'd never see over it! The mount is left over from the trucks leccy board days. I will say that a bonnet wiith a spare on is very heavy! My spare is easy to get on and off from where it is but the toolbox and ladder rack were designed and fabricated to take my spare. I really can't advise you especailly as your thinking of going bigger. is it possible to mount it under the tipper body is there enough room?

Well time for a little update and a few more pics, I've spent a few early finnishes and Saturdays working on the old girl. The diesel burning night heater has been removed serviced and refitted. But when it was refitted I also wired it via a remote control switch, so there are no more mornings scraping windows for me! Sit having a cupa and start the heater off the key fob 15 mins later the trck is roasting warm! Last August I decided to compliment the landy with a trailer much thought and deliberations went into it, In the end I chose an Ifor williams GX84 Plant trailer. Mainly because I wanted to able to move a 1.5 ton mini digger or a tracked chipper and also with this model I can still have the optional mesh side kit log firewood haulage. It only takes 5 mins to drop the sides off. It wasn't cheap but I've never been let down by IWT. Here are a couple of pics of the rig, I decided when i bought the trailer I wanted it to take after the landy so I fitted some side marker lamps that matched the truck. Also above the rear light clusters you'll see 3" square clear light lenses, these are alternating flashing amber LED's. I also decided to fit a few extra tail markers. I have often thought trailers should have a reversing light, especially ones that go in and out of builders merchants/tips/timber yards etc. So I added two reverse lights that match the landy's. I also fitted a reverse bleeper on the rear of the trailer. I then through the wallet into the fire and went the whole hog and fitted a reversing camera to the rear of the trailer! Yep a lot of people will criticise my ideas and call it overkill but its so dam usefull! I had to fit an extra 12S socket to the landy and trailer for the beacons and the reverse lights and I bought a puka trailer lead for the camera. There is a close up of the trailer on the next post.

I thought it looked familiar!

It'll be a 300TDI 300's were still used on early S registration

LOL! you beat me to it Peter I wanted to ask that too!

Nice truck TC, essex? Not foleys by any chance?! Think carefully about side steps if you do take it off road they can become a hinderance.

TC your 130 from Foley SV by any chance?

sounds very similar to the set up I got pulled into on the A5. Round here the EA take a mobile office out to the VOSA stops as do customs and excise. Its a right little party!