wildebus
Full Member
- Posts
- 8,456
- Likes
- 13,580
I would say very relevant (although any regulations quoted either permitting or denying something could well have been changed since of course
)
gasgas
Full Member
- Posts
- 479
- Likes
- 756
Fords were never in any way strong. In the 1970s I went to a scrap yard looking for a part, and saw a Ford with rear end damage and the driver's seat was flattened horizontally. I asked the scrap yard owner what was going on there and he said it had been in a fairly moderate rear end shunt and with all the small Fords, the driver's seat collapses. The driver of that car was now in a wheelchair. Also I now have a friend who had a small one, I don't know if it was a Ka or Fiesta but she had a similar event resulting in her getting £3000 compensation but it has ruined the rest of her life, she can hardly walk and is in constant pain. Small Fords are not worth the ink their brochures are printed with. I used to run a little garage, and I will never own a Ford car. I do however have a Transit based motorhome because Transits are built to a higher quality than the cars.
Last edited:
TonyEmm
Free Member
- Posts
- 84
- Likes
- 100
Apologies to those who think old threads shouldn’t be resurrected but this is important information.
Warning!!
Updated: Nov 28, 2021Product Safety information for a-frame users.
.
Following recent events, including threats to personal safety, I have redacted the company’s information from the above post. any comments mentioning them have also been deleted. No campaign is worth putting the world of myself and my family at risk. In the event anything untoward does occur, there are people out there who know the perpetrator including Lincolnshire Police.
Following a recent catastrophic failure of an a-frame towed car I have, this week, (17.11.21) formally called upon Trading Standards and the Vehicle Safety Branch (VSB) of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to implement a PRODUCT RECALL on specific a-frame installations.
The towed car suffered a sudden and unpredictable failure of the a-frame to car interface. Regardless of the cause of the initial failure,
CRUCIALLY, it should have had an emergency breakaway system installed in accordance with the Road Vehicles (construction & use) regulations 1986 [and amendments] and COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 98/12/EC.
The object of the emergency breakaway system is to stop the ‘trailer’ in it’s tracks and prevent the ‘trailer’ literally breaking away and going wherever, in this case mounting a pavement and scattering pedestrians.
As the company have ignored my request for more information, The number of vehicles affected is currently unknown but if your vehicle is one, a simple visual inspection will identify it.
Do NOT rely on any written statements like “Automatically sets itself up” or “Break-away safety features built in”. Without the ring highlighted, it has no emergency braking in place!
The product is from a company known as [redacted]. Their standard practice would be to install the emergency breakaway facility, identifiable by a ring ‘mini-cable-tied’ to the vehicles front grill, adjacent to the 13 pin electrical socket.
The ring is for the attachment of a supplied, breakaway cable. SEE PHOTO.
if your vehicle was converted by this company and is lacking the ring, it is ESSENTIAL that your car is drawn to their attention with a view to being modified. The company can be contacted at [redacted].
Failure to act is putting LIVES AT RISK!
Home | Tony's Towing Trivia
Campaigning for towing & trailer safety over many years, Tony’s Towing Trivia is a blog concentrating on CatO2 Trailers, and Towing a-frames as used by Motorhome owners for their ‘TOADS’. Safety, including minus standards, is paramount but, legality, both at home and abroad, is also vital..
mistericeman
Full Member
- Posts
- 5,495
- Likes
- 12,880
That looks like a perfect demonstration of what happens when you fix a towing device to a vehicle that the manufacturer of the vehicle didn't design to be attached to....Apologies to those who think old threads shouldn’t be resurrected but this is important information.
Warning!!
Updated: Nov 28, 2021
Product Safety information for a-frame users.
.
Following recent events, including threats to personal safety, I have redacted the company’s information from the above post. any comments mentioning them have also been deleted. No campaign is worth putting the world of myself and my family at risk. In the event anything untoward does occur, there are people out there who know the perpetrator including Lincolnshire Police.
Following a recent catastrophic failure of an a-frame towed car I have, this week, (17.11.21) formally called upon Trading Standards and the Vehicle Safety Branch (VSB) of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to implement a PRODUCT RECALL on specific a-frame installations.
The towed car suffered a sudden and unpredictable failure of the a-frame to car interface. Regardless of the cause of the initial failure,
CRUCIALLY, it should have had an emergency breakaway system installed in accordance with the Road Vehicles (construction & use) regulations 1986 [and amendments] and COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 98/12/EC.
The object of the emergency breakaway system is to stop the ‘trailer’ in it’s tracks and prevent the ‘trailer’ literally breaking away and going wherever, in this case mounting a pavement and scattering pedestrians.
As the company have ignored my request for more information, The number of vehicles affected is currently unknown but if your vehicle is one, a simple visual inspection will identify it.
Do NOT rely on any written statements like “Automatically sets itself up” or “Break-away safety features built in”. Without the ring highlighted, it has no emergency braking in place!
The product is from a company known as [redacted]. Their standard practice would be to install the emergency breakaway facility, identifiable by a ring ‘mini-cable-tied’ to the vehicles front grill, adjacent to the 13 pin electrical socket.
The ring is for the attachment of a supplied, breakaway cable. SEE PHOTO.
if your vehicle was converted by this company and is lacking the ring, it is ESSENTIAL that your car is drawn to their attention with a view to being modified. The company can be contacted at [redacted].
Failure to act is putting LIVES AT RISK!
Home | Tony's Towing Trivia
Campaigning for towing & trailer safety over many years, Tony’s Towing Trivia is a blog concentrating on CatO2 Trailers, and Towing a-frames as used by Motorhome owners for their ‘TOADS’. Safety, including minus standards, is paramount but, legality, both at home and abroad, is also vital..spinner28.wixsite.com
Manufacturers spend years and massive amounts of money designing vehicles and parts thereof to do specific jobs...
In the case of front end structures to protect occupants and pedestrians from damage.
It's not in the least bit surprising if something goes wrong after a 3rd party comes along and boshes a towing device to, structures that weren't designed for it....
Let alone in the case above that structure also appears to be corroded where to towing device has been attached.
TonyEmm
Free Member
- Posts
- 84
- Likes
- 100
Sadly, the installer hasn’t learned. He is still, in 2022, offering Suzuki Alto’s, already converted!
#TowLegal #TowSafe #TowSafe4Freddie
mistericeman
Full Member
- Posts
- 5,495
- Likes
- 12,880
To be honest I wouldn't be happy towing ANYTHING on a A frame that the Original vehicle manufacturer hadn't specifically approved...Sadly, the installer hasn’t learned. He is still, in 2022, offering Suzuki Alto’s, already converted!
#TowLegal #TowSafe #TowSafe4Freddie
Anything else is frankly little more than lucky dip (or more correctly unlucky dip)
Luckily this time no one was hurt or worse.
SimonM
Full Member
- Posts
- 1,831
- Likes
- 5,098
Exactly what I did for a week’s holiday early last year. Parked up the MH at my cousin’s farm and got a car to whizz around in.
colinm
Full Member
- Posts
- 5,512
- Likes
- 6,702
Not the first car to have the front ripped out by a A frame, and unlikely to be the last. You need to inform DVSA who replaced VOSA, they used to keep a database for incidents like this. Also maybe the VCA who are supposed to police the certification of vehicles but seem to have buried their head in the sand over A frames.
TonyEmm
Free Member
- Posts
- 84
- Likes
- 100
I’ve been campaigning for towing safety for over 30 years, including a-frames! I don’t believe an outright ban is the way forward but I have been urging the DfT and DVSA to introduce controls and inspections.
The DfT have a lot to answer for with their view that an a-frame towed car will be acceptable as legal, provided it meets with existing towing legislation. None do (or can) 100% and, my view is that TOAD’s should have their own vehicle classification and relevant rules, controls and inspections.
Of course, that still wouldn’t make them legal in Europe! A number of EU countries (including France, Germany and Spain) have their own National laws that ban the towing of one motorised vehicle with another.
Home | Tony's Towing Trivia
Campaigning for towing & trailer safety over many years, Tony’s Towing Trivia is a blog concentrating on CatO2 Trailers, and Towing a-frames as used by Motorhome owners for their ‘TOADS’. Safety, including minus standards, is paramount but, legality, both at home and abroad, is also vital..
TonyEmm
Free Member
- Posts
- 84
- Likes
- 100
DVSA were informed within days of this incident as were Trading Standards!
I’m not aware of any database that DVSA currently keep regarding a-frame issues, and I’m in contact with a few different departments….
Robmac
Full Member
- Posts
- 46,992
- Likes
- 90,775
Or buy a caravan and tow it with a car.
colinm
Full Member
- Posts
- 5,512
- Likes
- 6,702
From (very poor) memory, it was about 10 years ago that incidents where being logged, I suppose people have moved on/retired and it's all been forgotten about.