New test item for MOT- Towbars

There is no need to have any lights at all on a trailer, as I recall.

Ian

How big is the problem of unroadworthy trailers?

Ian

We get 'em all the time in my rural area. Almost invariably it's fuckwits in HGVs going round corners faster than centrifugal force thinks reasonable.

Ian

You presumably don't live near the coast. I live near Poole, and I can tell you that through the summer, hardly ever a weekend goes past without a boat trailer shedding a wheel and bringing the A31/M27 to a grinding halt.

Add to that the caravans which do the same thing bcause "we've only used it for a fortnight a year and the odd bank holiday weekend for the last ten years, so there can't be anything wrong with it". Plus the aforementioned orange box on two wheels variety, and yes there is quite a problem. Don't ask me for statistics.

Last year one had the outer part of a wheel come off, leaving the centre disc part of the wheel still held firmly on by it's wheel nuts. There was an upside to that one though, because the owner got some nasty cuts to his hand in picking up the wheel, so he may have learned his lesson.

Steve

Except that many trailers don't even have chassis numbers.

also there is no need to have any lights fitted at all to your vehicle if your only using it during daylight hours.

Then you recall wrong. The towing vehicle and trailer are counted as a single vehicle when coupled together and the lights and numberplate must be on the rear of the vehicle and therefore the trailer. When towing a trailer, you cannot be prosecuted for missing numberplate or defective rear lights on the towing vehicle as long as those on the trailer are working fine.

Very. Just travel down any holiday route and look at the caravans. Also if you live and travel in rural areas, you'll come across plenty of agricultural trailers that look very dodgy.

You'll find that's more likely to be a lost load or going over on its side. It's virtually impossible to have a HGV trailer break sideways, even under braking.

Easy enough to introduce them. The HGV ones are usually just letters put on the rails in weld.

Wrong. Depending on year of construction, it must have at least stop and indicators.

im afraid your wrong, it applies to any vehicle regardless of age, Direction indicators and hazard warning devices are not required by regulations on vehicles not fitted with any front or rear position lamps

same goes for stop lights & rear reflectors, also they are not required on vehicles used before 1st january 1936.

if its claimed the vehicle is used during the daylight hours only & is presented for a test without the lights, stops ect ect not fitted we have to issue a vt 32 (advise) saying the vehicle was presented without any lights ect fitted.

Yes, it's normally trailers going on their sides. Roundabouts are the favourite places for this, as well as a couple of places where the boys with the disconnected speed limiters find they have to pull in a bit sharpish.

Ian

See the A14 Huntingdon junction, which now has traffic lights as it proved too difficult to drive an articulated lorry round it at least twice a month.

[...]

:-)

Chris

So when I take in my Capri for its MOT which doesn't have side repeaters, as long as I cover all the other lights, it'll pass then?

No problem. I'd just pay VOSA to investigate. I know who'll give a shit more about that.

lol

only vehicles first used on or after the 1st april 86 require side repeaters.