Truck driving legalities - transporting my 4x4...

[Dee]

Noob question about towing vehicles on trucks.
Looking at the possibilties of towing my sierra on the back of the work truck if I needed to.
I've done some research/searching but couldnt get the info i was looking for.

The truck we have can be driven on an open car liscence, if the load is under a certain amount (2000kg?)
What's the go with securing the vehicle. does it need paticular tie down points/rated etc to hold a vehicle? Or a particular type of tray (steel/designed for cars?)
It's a isuzu with 6000kg capacity i think, single rear axle(dual wheels), with a long (4m?) aluminium tray on it with a hyd tail lift.
Also does this weight limity apply to whats carried ON the truck only? as it has a big tow bar on the back, I was wondering If I wanted to transport two sierras, could I also tow a car trailer with a zuk on it legally?
In QLD and not sure on the regs. thought someone on here may have looked into them when buying a truck..

[oldmate]

probably no different to towing a car on a trailer. Tie the zook down by the chassis and no the wheels so the suspension doesn't allow the car to bounce around.

the only regulations i know come into effect when you are towing for business.

as for the capacity, and i thought the license classes were national, but in NSW a car license is up to 4500 gross vehicle weight. So a 6000gvm would be Light Rigid. Also license are classed on maximum gross weight, not actual vehicle weight. I would double check with qld transport and your work, but I'm sure you can't drive a 6 tonne truck on a car license, regardless of load (and the state your in).

you could tow a trailer too, but the weight of the trailer + zook musn't exceed the rated towing capacity of the truck, and then your truck + zook +trailer+zook must not exceed the gross combination (gvm + total trailer weight)

Also don't tow a trailer with a car on it, when you have nothing on the truck. It's a sure fire way to jacknife[/b]

[Dee]

thanks mate, yeah wouldnt bother towing with a trailer if couldn't use the bed of the truck. would just tow it behind a car.


it has a 4500GVM, 8000GCM, towing capicity of 3500 braked. but for a car licence im pretty sure the carried weight is limited to 2000 or something?
I just had a look at the alloy tray, no way i can secure a vehicle to it. anyone know of rated add-in type vehicle tie down points or anything that tie to the chassis or something?

also i thought most tow truck i see secure vehicles by straps around wheels or diffs?

[oldmate]

sweet. i was worried there you might have been driving with the wrong class.. any just check the tare weight of the truck, but i don't think it will be a problem with a zook, which i imagine don't weigh much.

yeh i've seen straps around wheels, but mostly on questionable local transports. it's much safer to tie down by the chassis.

[jessie928]

sweet. i was worried there you might have been driving with the wrong class.. any just check the tare weight of the truck, but i don't think it will be a problem with a zook, which i imagine don't weigh much.

yeh i've seen straps around wheels, but mostly on questionable local transports. it's much safer to tie down by the chassis.

actually, the best way to tie down the vehicle is by the wheel/axles.

When you use the chassis, you are working against the suspension of the vehicle. You could break a attac point quite easily on a rough road. Imagine trying to tie down a rangie with 6" lift and boat like suspension onto a truck using the chassis as tie down points.

When you use the wheels, you leave the suspension to do what its designed to do.

best way to attach a vehicle to a trailer is via the wheels IMHO.

JEs

[mkpatrol]

Look up the heavy vehicle guide for Queensland, it will tell you how to secure loads onto trucks. Every truck driver is tested on it for their licence.

A link should be availiable on the QLD transport website.

[Dee]

Look up the heavy vehicle guide for Queensland, it will tell you how to secure loads onto trucks. Every truck driver is tested on it for their licence.

A link should be availiable on the QLD transport website.

thats exactly where i've been looking to no avail.

will keep lookin..

[jessie928]

Look up the heavy vehicle guide for Queensland, it will tell you how to secure loads onto trucks. Every truck driver is tested on it for their licence.

A link should be availiable on the QLD transport website.

thats exactly where i've been looking to no avail.

will keep lookin..

here you go mate

http://www.ntc.gov.au/viewPage.aspx?pag ... 3006200200

this is teh one specific to vehicles

http://www.ntc.gov.au/FileView.aspx?pag ... 300790020/

incidentally, the correcty way is apparently to attach it to the wheels.


Cheers,
Jes

[want33s]

Dee,
I have always tied vehicles onto trailers/trucks by the wheels.
If you secure the wheels properly the car can still move on its suspension but won't go anywhere.
If you try to tie the vehicle down by the chassis you risk the straps snapping if you hit a large bump and the load compresses its suspension(loosening the straps and possibly coming unhooked) and then rebounds putting a lot more strain on the straps than the static load.
Only vehicles with no suspension IE: Road rollers, Tractors, Forklifts should be tied down by the chassis.

A truck with a 4500kg GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) can weigh up to 4500kg FULLY loaded.
An 8000kg GCM (Gross Combined Mass) is loaded truck plus loaded trailer.
One Zook on the tray and one on a trailer will piss it in as long as it's a car trailer not some special Ex Telstra heavy duty Bobcat trailer or something.
I can show you how to secure a vehicle with ropes or chains or straps if you like.
You'll need at least an 'LR' licence.
Jas.

[mkpatrol]

Look up the heavy vehicle guide for Queensland, it will tell you how to secure loads onto trucks. Every truck driver is tested on it for their licence.

A link should be availiable on the QLD transport website.

thats exactly where i've been looking to no avail.

will keep lookin..

here you go mate

http://www.ntc.gov.au/viewPage.aspx?pag ... 3006200200

this is teh one specific to vehicles

http://www.ntc.gov.au/FileView.aspx?pag ... 300790020/

incidentally, the correcty way is apparently to attach it to the wheels.


Cheers,
Jes

These are good publications & generally used by the states but they all have their own spin on things. Just make sure that the state adopts these guidelines before you use them.

[Dee]

thanks all.

so, as for adding points to tie to into a tray. it doesnt have hooks, flip up loops/eyes, expanded mesh floor or anything. just a normal flat alloy tray similar to a ute, with swing up sides & the aluminium tie down rails along the sides.

Anyone know of any flush-fitting tiedown/lashing points that can be added into the tray somehow?

[want33s]

Mate, Its only a Zook.. 1200kgs max... A pallet of bricks weighs more than that!
As long as you spread the load the stock ally tie rails will be fine.
I'd use ropes instead of ratchet tie downs.
Jas.