Tow hitch. Legal in the UK?

er-minio

er-minio

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Following my thread about trailers... another questions: are tow hitches legal in the UK?
I see them widely used in the US. Possibly because of heavier/sturdier cars, but also because of very lax regulation/safety over there (I assume).

Considering if a tow hitch can be (with the suitable 4 wheeler) a potential solution to carrying around a dirtbike (<140kg).
 
What do you mean by "tow hitch"?

If you mean a load carried on the tow-ball, then you are having the same effect as an excessive nose-weight?

Pretty sure this is set by the vehicle maker (max nose weight)
 
Like this?

Made by Watlings
 

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then you are having the same effect as an excessive nose-weight
Click to expand...

Yes. In reality one of the cars I'm looking at (Outlander) has only 75kg - so no go.
But I was tempted at looking at alternatives.

(lockdown... can do some planning over car change and bike transport options... I have time :D )
 
First I need to get a pick-up truck and then a dirt bike (again)!
 
All tow bars on modern cars now need to be type approved to be legal. I'm not sure how old the vehicle would be to be allowed whatever a man and a welder can knock up.
The car and the tow bar will have a maximum permitted loading.

The much more flexible US system of a square mount (like below) in a variety of sizes is much more flexible (not legal in the UK).
front-runner-universal-heavy-duty-front-tow-hitch-TBAR009-1.jpg


That is unless "taking back control" allows us to move away from this EU regulations ;)
 
Thanks for the PDF. The table is very useful.

Ye, I don't think there is any suitable car for this to be honest.
Trailer it is :D
 
I wasn't going to buy a pickup.
I saw tow hitches mounted behind some SUVs.

But as pointed in posts #6 and #10, normal SUVs have nowhere near the capacity for those type of weights.
 
er-minio said:
Thanks for the PDF. The table is very useful.

Ye, I don't think there is any suitable car for this to be honest.
Trailer it is :D
Click to expand...
I looked into various options for transporting my R1150GS, including those systems that just raise the front wheel of the bike off the road. My motivation was lack of storage for a conventional trailer. I found that all 'non-trailer' options had a prohibitively high nose weight figure.
(Linking in with your other thread about trailers)
In the end I went for a Motolug, bought from a member on here. I was lucky enough to 'drop on' an SE Plus version which can be upgraded to carry 2 bikes if needed. I have to say I am SO impressed with it. It tows beautifully and is very stable, I've assembled it a few times now and can have it together and ready to load in under 10 minutes. Loading the GS on the first time was a little nerve racking I must admit, but now it's no problem. And obviously storing it is far easier than a conventional trailer.
All in all I would thoroughly recommend it

Sent from my SM-T970 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks.

Yes, I've opened a thread on trailers a few months back and it was illuminating. I think I'll end up down that route.
It's just that, due to lockdown and no bike use, I didn't go ahead with getting a trailer and saw this as a potential option. But I was wrong. :D

I'm used to chuck my bikes in the back of rented vans all the time, so not an issue to load/unload.
It's mostly, same as you, storage space. But I can fix a disassembled motolug in my garage. Will just need some safety hooks on the wall I guess.
 
er-minio said:
Thanks.

Yes, I've opened a thread on trailers a few months back and it was illuminating. I think I'll end up down that route.
It's just that, due to lockdown and no bike use, I didn't go ahead with getting a trailer and saw this as a potential option. But I was wrong. :D

I'm used to chuck my bikes in the back of rented vans all the time, so not an issue to load/unload.
It's mostly, same as you, storage space. But I can fix a disassembled motolug in my garage. Will just need some safety hooks on the wall I guess.
Click to expand...

There is a lot to be said for a collapsible trailer, which also allows you to roll the bike on at ground-level. :thumb
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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