Towing Ifor Williams type trailers behind artic units?

[Julian]

Another question! I know there's a few knowledgeable truck guys on this forum.

Right, I have an ERF E12 and an old King swan-neck low-loader with two axles with full size wheels right at the back. This is a fantastic tool for moving my steam roller about, but it is a swine in tight spaces and tasks like turning through a farm gateway from a narrow lane can be a real sweat

Sometimes I like to move my Field Marshall tractor about by trailer but at 3 tons + a suitable flat-bed trailer it's illegal behind my Series Landrover. So I wonder if it would be possible to tow an Ifor Williams trailer behind the E12? I would have to fit a 'drop down' plate to the rear chassis cross member and bolt a standard ball hitch to it and then probably make up a wiring loom to convert to the artic electrics and fit 24volt bulbs. With the trailer over-run brakes I'm sure the combination would work very well but am I going to fall foul of any law?

Julian.

[Stormin]

Another question! I know there's a few knowledgeable truck guys on this forum.

Right, I have an ERF E12 and an old King swan-neck low-loader with two axles with full size wheels right at the back. This is a fantastic tool for moving my steam roller about, but it is a swine in tight spaces and tasks like turning through a farm gateway from a narrow lane can be a real sweat

Sometimes I like to move my Field Marshall tractor about by trailer but at 3 tons + a suitable flat-bed trailer it's illegal behind my Series Landrover. So I wonder if it would be possible to tow an Ifor Williams trailer behind the E12? I would have to fit a 'drop down' plate to the rear chassis cross member and bolt a standard ball hitch to it and then probably make up a wiring loom to convert to the artic electrics and fit 24volt bulbs. With the trailer over-run brakes I'm sure the combination would work very well but am I going to fall foul of any law?

Julian.

As far as I know you would fall foul of the law regarding max permissible weight on overrun brakes, being 3500kg. Unless your tractor is just under 3 tonnes and the ifor trailer is very light. I think you would have to convert the trailer to coupled braking or find a suitable smaller trailer for the fifth wheel.
I may well be wrong but trying to get this information out of VOSA seems to be a challenge to say the least.

Didn't know you had a steam roller! Would have been nice to see it at Ellenroad engine house this weekend gone, we had a couple of traction engines, Garret steam lorry and some vintage commmercials attend as well as classic bikes and cars. Would you be interested in attending any future steamings and next years May day event?

[Tim_Arnold]

3.5t is the max on overun brakes, and ball type hitch, with coupled brakes and a suitable ring hitch its only the design weight of the trailer and plated weight of the E12 that limit you. A trailer specialist will give more definate advice but I would suspect that a 4 to 5 tonne gross trailer could be constructed with normal "car" trailer parts with a single brake chamber operating via rods or cables on all wheels.

[Julian]

As far as I know you would fall foul of the law regarding max permissible weight on overrun brakes, being 3500kg. Unless your tractor is just under 3 tonnes and the ifor trailer is very light. I think you would have to convert the trailer to coupled braking or find a suitable smaller trailer for the fifth wheel.
I may well be wrong but trying to get this information out of VOSA seems to be a challenge to say the least.

Didn't know you had a steam roller! Would have been nice to see it at Ellenroad engine house this weekend gone, we had a couple of traction engines, Garret steam lorry and some vintage commmercials attend as well as classic bikes and cars. Would you be interested in attending any future steamings and next years May day event?

Yes, I'll be pushing 3.5 tons. One thing is that the Marshall despite its weight looks little bigger than (say) a Massey 135 so the chances of VOSA suspecting me to be too heavy are slim I would think. I did have a thought - I've seen artic units towing caravans before, Classics going to shows normally so obviously this sort of thing has been done. What I do wonder is if some VOSA chap or copper stops me and expects to see a test certificate on the trailer, that might have them head scratching!

Thanks for the offer regarding the roller. To be honest I have more than enough shows and events local to me and I only end up at about 3 or 4 a year, given the cost of Diesel I'm not really into long distance stuff but thanks again for the offer!

Here it is at The Three Greyhounds 10 days or so ago, Look for a Green Aveling roller:

http://www.tractiontalkforum.com/showthread.php?t=22014

Julian.

[Stormin]

Julian,
Ellenroad is only 30 miles from you in Warrington just off junction 21 of the M62. One of the traction engines there at weekend had driven from Chapel en le Frith 30 miles and 7 3/4 hours though I think that included a few stops at watering holes.

Regarding the trailer have you considered one of the Rubery owen 4 tonne military drawbar trailers, quite a high deck but very manouverable. They ususually come up cheaply in Whithams tender sales, one due soon.

http://www.mod-sales.com/tender/

[Stormin]

Here it is at The Three Greyhounds 10 days or so ago, Look for a Green Aveling roller:

http://www.tractiontalkforum.com/showthread.php?t=22014

Julian.

Very nice roller. A friend of mine had one very similar a few years back before he bought his Sentinel waggon. Can't remember the number though.

[Julian]

Julian,


Regarding the trailer have you considered one of the Rubery owen 4 tonne military drawbar trailers, quite a high deck but very manouverable. They ususually come up cheaply in Whithams tender sales, one due soon.

]

That's certainly a good idea - I could probably get the D4 in that too. I wonder if it would need testing annually by VOSA? That is obviously an added cost.

Julian.