towing broken down vehicles abroad.

[vwalan]

hi ***** .thought start a new thread . we made them 2metre long .so max tow on one bar is about 3mtr . as they are telescopic . i can put air to a towed truck and carry a hose to put air onto a towed truck . we also have take offs for blowing up tyres etc .
a warning to others towing broken vehicles is illegal in spain.
we have succesfully pushed vehicles short distances and had no problems . even when stopped by the guardia . or traffico. being trucks we can very often tow/push using two poles making a kind of a frame. many trucks have two pins on the front so this is quite easy. we have succesfully pulled others from right down in morocco back into spain . vehicles and you are on time limits and you wouldnt want to leave your vehicle in maroc i,m sure.
also be carefull as you may need a higher cat licence to tow heavy vehicles . easy to go over th 8.250kg with big campers.
very often its quite easy to get your vehicle fixed locally to where you break down ,but they seem to like taking advantage and charge high figures abroad for towing you in.
also remember tyres and batteries are usually cheaper here. if in doubt buy here before you go anywhere. have fun we do .cheers alan.

 

[Guest]

Hi Alan.
As I said in the other thread in a little detain we have towed back from The Alps a tractor unit behind a fully loaded trailer on a bar with the air braked run off the towing tractor and we did not have any problems with the law on that and another couple of occasions and I can recall, one from Reims.
From Spain we have used low loaders, from this thread it must seem like we broke down all the time but that was not the case as it was pretty rare. Just lots of International miles therefore the law of averages is that it has to happen and it is cheaper to get it back by your own company and cheaper than sending two recovery trucks, one for the trailer and one for the tractor.
Not very nice at all when you are on the towed tractor all you can see is the rear doors of the trailer.
Maybe my experiences of the above is why I carry nearly everything for every eventuality and why you seem to carry everything plus a bit more as you have the room and the weight capacity.

 

[Guest]

A couple of peages tried to charge for two vehicles but mostly we paid only for one.

 

[Byronic]

All good reasons for joining/using ADAC recovery. Spare parts from main dealers are also more expensive in Spain than in UK.

 

[Guest]

All good reasons for joining/using ADAC recovery. Spare parts from main dealers are also more expensive in Spain than in UK.

Totally agree Byronic, a good breakdown service for our private vehicles is invaluable. I have waited for over 3 days for spares from the UK on two occasions as much cheaper.

 

[vwalan]

touch wood always made it back under own seam . two year ago broke the gearbox near badajoz in spain managed to get the truck and trailer up to near santander in 4th gear thats all i had .well neutral and 4th. had a few pushes at the traffic lights in santander . strapped a plank of wood to mates front bumper and two tyres to back of my trailer . clutch went leaving plymouth so had to be towed home but we made it.
one year i came home fro erfoud in maroc with steel tube instead of shock absorbers . could omly drive very slowly . i had burst all shocks and broken the torsion bars in a vw t2. but agai .we made it.
have stripped and built merc engines on the beach at tagazoute . changed propshaft joints high in the rif mountains . put helicoils into spark plug holes engine in place on a mates vw. .there must be a god it all worked . cant think how many tyres replaced or punctures repaired . life is an adventure its all good fun. you cant come home on a break down truck . you leave by your own steam you must come home by it. its only a game .

 

[Byronic]

Actually ***** I don't practise what I preach.In fact I've never taken out recovery insurance. I only take basic spares, oil filter,drive belts and a set of sockets and rely on my own resources. I also always travel solo I rarely want to do as someone else may prefer, particularly whilst travelling.
However I always prepare the van to a high standard (by my standards anyway) and hope for the best.
Many years ago I did make enquiries regarding recovery insurance but found it a problem being over 3.5 tonnes and with what looked like hidden exclusion clauses I just gave up. Besides which, I've heard many stories of CAR recovery vehicles eg turning up for a 7.5 tonne breakdown and the ensuing arguments emanating.
Having said all that I am very tempted by the ADAC recovery service. Unfortunately at the moment I cannot trust making online payments due to bank cockups,and I don't want any outstanding issues before I shortly head South.