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Hello,

We're looking to develop a space on our website specially focussed on motorhomes. It would have links to items of interest to motorhome users, and may incorporate special features etc.

In particular, there will be some pages with information and advice about towing with a motorhome, especially aimed at those starting to tow for the first time. I was wondering whether any of you had any advice which you may like to pass on. It would be great if you could reply to this thread if you had any thoughts about the following:

How do you find towing with your motorhome?

What do you tow?

In what way does it add to your experience?

Was there a particular piece of advice which you've found invaluable?

Has there been anything which you've learnt the hard way?

Have you ever run into problems with the police or state officials at home or abroad?

What is the strangest thing you have ever seen being towed?!

Many thanks in advance,

John Tanner

Towsure (Sheffield)

How do you find towing with your motorhome? - Very easy

What do you tow? a boat

In what way does it add to your experience? no more getting changed in the carpark - spend a day skiing and then get washed and changed in the nice warm MH

Was there a particular piece of advice which you've found invaluable? Don't forget the bung

Has there been anything which you've learnt the hard way? See previous question

Have you ever run into problems with the police or state officials at home or abroad? none- we are about 43 ft from front to back

What is the strangest thing you have ever seen being towed?! motorhome towing a caravan

How do you find towing with your motorhome? Easy.

What do you tow? Vintage car (1930's Morris normally)

In what way does it add to your experience? Allows me to visit & drive old cars in areas I couldn't visit in just the car.

Was there a particular piece of advice which you've found invaluable? No

Has there been anything which you've learnt the hard way? No

Have you ever run into problems with the police or state officials at home or abroad?

What is the strangest thing you have ever seen being towed?! One of the childrens dinosaur slide things you find in pubs.

I havre  a m'home and a small car which I would like to take away on longer trips for shopping etc. Can anyone tell me what type of towbar I need to have fitted and cost?Someone told me the type of towbar that recovery vehicles have fitted are illegal for motorhomes!!

Thanks

Donna

Hiya,

There is a good deal of confusion about this, but here goes!

Firstly, you need to buy your equipment as two separate parts: the towbar and then equipment to tow with.

Towbars

These do not have to have the european certificate that car towbars do, although motorhomes produced after 2007/2009 will do. This means that the towbars can be made up by a local engineering company or garage. There are a number of locations where you can get one fitted, we can fit in Sheffield but there are also very good installers elsewhere.

If you're not near one of these installers, we can provide a 'flatpack' towbar with a european ceritficate (we're starting to prepare for future legislation) to a dealer or fitter local to you, but at the moment this is rather more expensive. Please note: it will never be a requirement for anybody to have european type-approved equipment on an existing motorhome.

Towing Equipment

This really is a bit of a grey area, but to the best of my knowledge the following is accurate.

Towing Dollies (front wheels off the ground): May only be used for recovery and at reduced speed.

Towing Trailers: Safe and legal, but also heavier and more expensive.

A-Frames: This is the complicated bit. In Britain, the a-frame and car together are considered to be a trailer. If, therefore, they meet all the legal criteria which a trailer needs to meet (especially regarding braking systems over 750kg etc.) then they are fine. As it is the laws of the 'home country' which apply when in Europe, then this also applies when touring abroad (but you might need to argue this if stopped). Some argue that an a-framed car can never meet this criteria. However, at least one company produces an a-frame and braking system which has been comprehensively tested and they state that it does meet all the legal requirements for a trailer and is therefore totally legal to tow cars with.

Also make sure you have the towing capacity for what you want to tow. Check out the links below on this or give me a ring.

You might also want to read the following:

http://www.ukmotorhomes.net/a-frames.shtml

http://www.ukmotorhomes.net/towing.shtml

http://www.ntta.co.uk/faq/default.htm

And our devoted motorhome pages once they are up and running!

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you want some more information (Direct line: 0114 250 3029). Tony Maris at Towitall in Chesterfield and Bill (Senior and Junior) at Towtal in Stoke are also very helpful if you would like a range of advice.

John Tanner

Towsure: Sheffield

0114 250 3029

jtanner at towsure.co.uk

Just to clarify - the A frame thing has never been tested in court, so at this pont no-one really knows - Johns description is what a common sense understanding of the law would conclude, but for anyone who has three points for doing 36 in a 30 at 4.00 AM will appreciate, common sense and the law are not natural bed partners.

p.s. - The points belong to my father  - 50 years accident free and three points...... I have a road angel, loads of accidents and no points

Quote: Originally posted by kontikiman on 22/09/2005

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How do you find towing with your motorhome? Easy, only know the car is there on steep inclines. Hitching up takes only a couple of minutes

What do you tow? Nissan Micra

In what way does it add to your experience? Give easy access to smaller villages and coastal areas. Saves packing the van everytime we nip to Tesco

Was there a particular piece of advice which you've found invaluable? Get a good tow bar and wiring kit fitted.

Has there been anything which you've learnt the hard way? Not yet

Have you ever run into problems with the police or state officials at home or abroad? NO

What is the strangest thing you have ever seen being towed?

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Hi, how do you tow your micra a frame or front wheels on a trollie.

I have a autoquest and would like to tow by a frame the wifes daewoo matiz, what do you think.

we are going to the south of france next year.

as Towsure and going places, and have visited your stand at feast of lanters, was most impressed at your rapid growth.

am more impressed that you have kept an eye on customer opinion, not least through the threads of UKCS.

hope if you get something off the ground, you may be able to do loads for motorcaravanners, and may they return the favour.

lots of useful links would be brilliant - the more the better. points of interest for sat.nav.etc.

maybe you could lend weight to park and rides, height barriers, good signage, and welcoming stopovers......

who knows, we may one day get aires at service stations, supermarket carparks, maybe with a covering fee, redeemable on shopping or breakfasts.  wont hold breath on councils taking up the challenge and being amenable to stopovers, or laying on facilities....they are more intent on closing facilities, like loos for eg.

Thanks for all the feedback and comments - they're very useful indeed. We're looking at all types of things for the website, and cheers for the ideas Kara.

The website pages will be primarily about giving information and advice, together with any special news items and features. The last thing we want to do is to infringe on the great stuff which UKCS and other websites provide - so, for example, whilst there may be permanent pages/articles about towing tips and advice on travelling with a motorhome for the first time abroad, there are no plans to have a forum, polls or on-line directory of related companies.

Let me know if there is anything in particular which you might want to see included, all ideas welcome!

John T.

Towsure: Motorhomes

PS Johnbow - as above, avoid using a setup which takes the front two wheels off the ground. You can only use this for recovery, which means strict speed limits (20mph on roads) and penalties if you tow a non-damaged car.

BB E695 - You're totally right. The Ministry for Transport refuse to make a definite statement on a-frames, so it is a case of waiting for a case to go through the courts. Will this ever happen? It is a very strange situation in the UK. However, they are definitely illegal in many countries, so be prepared to argue your corner if stopped abroad ("they are 'legal' (but see above) in Britain and therefore, with a UK number plate, it is legal for us to use it here too" - is the normal suggestion).