rod towing of a scrap car

Hi Everyone I have a properly designed towing bar (Clarke I think) & have used it a couple of times to help friends broken down without any problems. I want to use it to scrap a car I have that's an MOT failure. But it's sat on my drive for over a year. (The Honda Accord in question only has a defective ABS system, but its old, dented & uneconomic to repair.) Can I tow this car to a local approved scrapyard without any special insurance? I know that my car is the same weight (actually identical model) but surely that is not illegal with a fixed length towing bar? Will an "ON TOW" board at the back be sufficient? Or am I supposed to secure my trailer board to the back of the scrap car?

Local scrap agents may offer me =A360 when I can get double that if I tow it myself. A quick scan of the Police national FAQ's has not revealed any potential offence, but could me doing the towing (instead of a local scrappie) give rise to any potential offence?

Good idea or bad idea?

Thanks.

Reply to
trickymicky
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there are lots of illegalities in there, but I have done it dozens of times without problems

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Local scrap agents may offer me £60 when I can get double that if I tow it myself. A quick scan of the Police national FAQ's has not revealed any potential offence, but could me doing the towing (instead of a local scrappie) give rise to any potential offence?

Good idea or bad idea?

Thanks.

AFAIK you're not supposed to have an unlicensed and uninsured car on the highway, scrap or not.

Rob Graham

Reply to
robgraham

Local scrap agents may offer me £60 when I can get double that if I tow it myself. A quick scan of the Police national FAQ's has not revealed any potential offence, but could me doing the towing (instead of a local scrappie) give rise to any potential offence?

Good idea or bad idea?

Thanks.

Be sure to get some press coverage and phone the local police to report yourself on 999 whilst towing. Are you mad, just pick a quiet time and do it you plonker. You will be lucky to get £60 for a Honda Accord even if you push it/drive it in to a scrap yard. Strip it and sell the bits on ebay - you will get a lot more.

Reply to
Roger

Bumpers, bonnet, wings, lights are all easy sales. Boot lids maybe not as usually rear end damage is paid for by person running in to arse of car but there is always someone around that's done a post. Strip the wiring out and weigh it in. Advertise the engine as come and get it out yourself.

Then drag the remains to the scrap yard for another £30-50. If any of the tyres are any good tell the scrappy you are keeping those wheels, leave it on the floor they will forklift it.

Reply to
Peter Hill

trickymicky gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Absolutely.

If any of the wheels of the tow car are on the road, it has to be legal - a bar is only for "emergency recovery", which means legal towed car plus short distance plus lower speed limits.

Would I do it? Have I done it? Yes. Would I do it on roads with any kind of significant traffic, especially if the car was even remotely part-stripped? No.

You'll come out of it financially ahead if you spend a day or two stripping bits off it, sell them separately, then get the shell collected.

Reply to
Adrian

there is an exemption for road tax while it is on its way to be permanently broken up or exported, the towing vehicle insurance covers the vehicle on tow.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Would you care to provide a link to that?

Reply to
Adrian

The insurance side is no different to towing a trailer and therefore while being towed there is no need for road tax in any case (you don't need to tax and insure a trailer, nor have MoT). IIRC the re-tax form has the details about being permanently exported/broken up (but you only need that if you are driving it there, I know I have read it on some form or other in the past.

ved legislation is available on line

Reply to
Mrcheerful

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Except a >750kg MAM unbraked trailer is illegal.

have read it on some

Reply to
Adrian

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Except a >750kg MAM unbraked trailer is illegal under any circumstances.

Indeed it is.

formatting link

Nothing on there about any exemption.

Reply to
Adrian

I was more meaning the SI rather than the leaflet type handout that you link to.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Ah. My bad - I took

to mean the form you use to re-tax a car...

Reply to
Adrian

Sorry, maybe the one when you haven't got a renewal form? I know I read it on some official bumph a long while ago.

However in many years of moving and towing scrap vehicles around I have never even been stopped, let alone reported (touches wood quickly) I think plod are just pleased to see the scrappers going to heaven.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Yeh, that's the one that's off that page. V10.

Ah, now "Am I likely to be nicked?" is a completely different question to "Is it legal?"

Reply to
Adrian

which is exactly what I said in my first reply, illegal in several respects (probably), but not worth worrying about.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Which is why I snipped that bit - that wasn't the bit I was replying to. It was the specific exemption that I was querying.

Reply to
Adrian

No there's loads of exclusions, if your steam engine is capable of reversing then you can have a heavier one, 4tonnes if it's behind a tractor & doing less than 10mph, or if it's an agricultural trailed appliance.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

"Duncan Wood" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I'll grant you that lot, but with a healthy side-order of "YKWIM"...

Reply to
Adrian

well I know I have read it in the past, unless of course it is now removed from the statutes?

Reply to
Mrcheerful

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