"A" FRAMING A VEHICLE - REQUIREMENTS & LEGALIT

[MEX]

Hello all,

I want to tow a suzuki behind my patrol with an "A" frame arrangement and need to know the requirements for QLD & NSW for doing this legally. QLD Transport don't seem to know anything so I was wondering if any of you had the required info.

I would imagine there would be requirements for braking, lighting, the towed vehicle being registered etc.

All help appreciated.

Cheers MEX

[tt6_lux]

NSW
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registration/ ... v_2007.pdf

[MEX]

thanx.

Now I just have to find the equiv for QLD!

[98lux]

Keep an eye out around your local caravan parks and have a chat with some that are doing this.

[MEX]

Found QLD requirements. Page 7 onwards.

http://pan.search.qld.gov.au/search/cli ... on=qld-gov

[stockhorse]

How do you activate the brakes on the towed vehicle? Seems a lot easier to use a car trailer.

[Mr Sausage]

I've seen heaps of motor homes come through town here with cars on an A-frame setup, and I've always been puzzled as to how they're set up for braking and steering.
Reading through those links, there's really no info as to how it works. Are the brakes set up to work as an electric unit? and what do they do to have the steering turn with the tow vehicle?

[zagan]

maybe they pick up the front wheels and simply treat the car as a trailer.

can't use a awd car for this though.

[Mr Sausage]

maybe they pick up the front wheels and simply treat the car as a trailer.

can't use a awd car for this though.

That's a Dolly system when they do that, and some states don't allow that method as they classify the car and the "Dolly" as two separate trailers, in other words, the dolly has to be attatched to the tow vehicle. Same as a tow-truck.

Been pretty intruiged by this, and found one manufacturer of A-frames saying that it was acceptable for the front wheels to scrub sideways, so I'm guessing (as I really can't find a straight answer anywhere) that you just pull (drag) the car and spend lots of money replacing front tyres.

[Mr Sausage]

How do you activate the brakes on the towed vehicle? Seems a lot easier to use a car trailer.

most of the A-frame manufacturers I've looked up use an adjustable cable system to the brake pedal of the car.

[droopypete]

I've always been puzzled as to how they're set up for braking and steering.



and what do they do to have the steering turn with the tow vehicle?

The steering geometry allows the towing vehicle to influence the towed vehicle, in other words when the towing vehicle pulls the car to the right the towed vehicles front wheels turn in the same direction, with no scrubbing don't engage the steering lock , you need to make sure that having the drive come "up" the drive train instead of down, isn't going to run any bearings dry anywhere along the drive train.
Peter.

[Mr Sausage]

Thanks for clearing that up,
it's just I had it in my mind, with a cars negative castor, the front wheels would have a tendency to "flop" in the opposite direction, interesting.

I guess the designer of the A-frame system really had a cars steering physics and geometry in his favour then!

[grimbo]

also the towing vehicle needs to be 3 x the vehicle mass of the towed vehicle I believe which is why motorhomes can tow a Suzuki behind but a Patrol can't. I looked into doing this with my Sierra behind my Patrol and found out it was illegal in Australia to do so

[viet667]

A few years ago I bought an A Frame & braking system from the US to tow my GQ behind my bus which is a 10 ton Hino with air brakes.
The braking system consists of an air ram that attaches onto the seat base in the towed vehicle and pushes the brake pedal. It is supposed to have enough force to push the pedal and not need vaccum in the power booster. It takes air from the bus air brake system via a quick disconnect hose coupling . I have never used it yet as the bus hasn't run for a while due to a major interior rebuild, so don't know how well it works.

The other brake systems that don't have air brakes, use a self contained compresser / ram set up the plugs into the car cig lighter and activates by a pendulum setup inside the unit which senses that brakes have been appilied by the towing vehicle and then applies a proportioned amount of push to the brake pedal.

[Struth]

Perhaps an electrical brake system controlled by the tow vehicle could work.
It would need to operate a solenoid or something to activate an air cylinder or some such in the towed vehicle and could be adjustable from the cab of the towing vehicle.

Cheers

[bogged]

any reason not to buy a trailer?

[Struth]

any reason not to buy a trailer?

If you could tow with an A frame then life would be easier.

No driving on and off trailers, no extra weight of the trailer to tow, etc.

Cheers

[Dee]

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... 138425.php

[ISUZUROVER]

I saw this in Perth a few weeks ago. It had an A-frame, but it also had air lines connecting the bus to the landie. I suspect it has been modified to run air brakes, coupled to the bus brakes.

[fool_injected]

How do you activate the brakes on the towed vehicle? Seems a lot easier to use a car trailer.

I haver seen sierras with a solinoid to activate the transfer mounted handbacke triggered by the tow vehicle
Basically it is the same as electric brakes on a trailer

[Struth]

I saw this in Perth a few weeks ago. It had an A-frame, but it also had air lines connecting the bus to the landie. I suspect it has been modified to run air brakes, coupled to the bus brakes.

Now that is a fantastic looking way to tour Oz

[Mr Sausage]

Now that is a fantastic looking way to tour Oz

You're not wrong!
How brilliant would that be, cruise nice and steady to wherever you like, then wander off in the hills somewhere remote, chuck a line in, nab a Barra or Trout...
cruise back home to camp, smoke or bake that aqua trophy, feast upon it with a chilly ale (or nice red!)
Watch that fire glow down, admire the silence of the surrounds....

then take the missus inside your traveling Hilton and smash the rrrrr's off her...

My kinda road-trip!

Actually, was thinking earlier when ISUZUROVER posted that pic, that this forum has pretty much everything. But a caravan-camping off-road topic would actually be quite useful.

[fool_injected]

Seen a luxo motor home a show (300k plus)
It had a 'garage' in the rear where you could drive a Jimny straight in.

At bathurst some guys have shortened a moke. Just fold the windscreen down and slide it into the luggage bay on the side of their bus

Beats towing

One day .... I wish

[Mr Sausage]

it was a while back, perhaps 98,99? there was a bloke in Queanbeyan NSW built up a MOG into a camper.

Unsure of the details, but I would ride past daily going to work and watch this thing "Evolve"!

The money he put into it must have been phenominal, 6WD I think, chequer-plate all over, purple cab... but the design was great. All the walls kind of came out from the body making the living area huge, kitchen converted to a bathroom, door on the back drooped down with a couple of dirt-bikes inside, solar panels on the roof etc....

I always kept my eye on the build while riding past daily, and it took well over a year, but god it was nice.
Then I actually saw it finished on a television show once, and it was nicely done.

Wonder where it is now.

[ISUZUROVER]

Now that is a fantastic looking way to tour Oz

You're not wrong!
How brilliant would that be, cruise nice and steady to wherever you like, then wander off in the hills somewhere remote, chuck a line in, nab a Barra or Trout...
cruise back home to camp, smoke or bake that aqua trophy, feast upon it with a chilly ale (or nice red!)
Watch that fire glow down, admire the silence of the surrounds....

then take the missus inside your traveling Hilton and smash the rrrrr's off her...

My kinda road-trip!

Actually, was thinking earlier when ISUZUROVER posted that pic, that this forum has pretty much everything. But a caravan-camping off-road topic would actually be quite useful.

But imagine the cost of Diesel!!! That bus must use at least 40L/100km!!!!

[Struth]

Now that is a fantastic looking way to tour Oz

You're not wrong!
How brilliant would that be, cruise nice and steady to wherever you like, then wander off in the hills somewhere remote, chuck a line in, nab a Barra or Trout...
cruise back home to camp, smoke or bake that aqua trophy, feast upon it with a chilly ale (or nice red!)
Watch that fire glow down, admire the silence of the surrounds....

then take the missus inside your traveling Hilton and smash the rrrrr's off her...

My kinda road-trip!

Actually, was thinking earlier when ISUZUROVER posted that pic, that this forum has pretty much everything. But a caravan-camping off-road topic would actually be quite useful.

But imagine the cost of Diesel!!! That bus must use at least 40L/100km!!!!

Yeh, but it would still be good,

[98lux]

Now that is a fantastic looking way to tour Oz

You're not wrong!
How brilliant would that be, cruise nice and steady to wherever you like, then wander off in the hills somewhere remote, chuck a line in, nab a Barra or Trout...
cruise back home to camp, smoke or bake that aqua trophy, feast upon it with a chilly ale (or nice red!)
Watch that fire glow down, admire the silence of the surrounds....

then take the missus inside your traveling Hilton and smash the rrrrr's off her...

My kinda road-trip!

Actually, was thinking earlier when ISUZUROVER posted that pic, that this forum has pretty much everything. But a caravan-camping off-road topic would actually be quite useful.

But imagine the cost of Diesel!!! That bus must use at least 40L/100km!!!!

I was chating to a bloke at 1770 camping ground, and he was getting about 4.5ks per lt. it was a big bus like that (but newer) and he had a ford extra cab courier behind with an A frame.

[Struth]

So that's about 22 Lt per 100km. Not real bad really.

Cheers