Towing a car behind a Motorhome in Europe
Some time ago, last year, my wife and I read on this Forum that people were taking their cars and towing them behind their Motorhomes(without a trailer)and people were giving accounts of their experiences of this. Please can anyone remind us of their experiences
in France, Germany and Austria? Also, we remember that there were some Letters translated into different languages, for the various countries in Europe, that could be downloaded and copied in order to give them to the local police, should we get stopped.
Can anyone remind us of where we can find these Letters please? Many thanks.
Comments
-
Although tolerated, I believe that when towing a car behind a camper on the continent all the wheels must be off the ground i.e. no A frame. Yes I know it is largely ignored by UK campers who tow a car but one day someone will be 'done'.
0 -
Khondab, some people using a- frames in Europe are stopped and warned, some are stopped and told to uncouple and drive each vehicle separately, some are stopped and fined, some drive at night to avoid being noticed, and some just do it despite this Club
saying not to. I don't think a translated letter will sway things for you.0 -
It's possible you'll get away with it and equally possible you won't. We have travelled through France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Croatia all without towing a car and never felt the need to. I
very much doubt that a letter would get you "off the hook" if stopped.0 -
We have towed our car on an A frame in Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. For awhile we had no problems at all, other than some folk asking where we got it from. Then we got stopped in Germany, no problem the police just looked it
over checked documents and wished us a happy holiday (others have been fined) we got stopped in Belgium, the policeman there was not having it, as far as he was concerned they are illegal and no amount of paperwork would change his mind. We were not fined
but advised that in the future we would be. It is true there are many people out there who do tow on an A frame and have no trouble, the French have started using them but the situation remains that in Europe they are illegal. If you check the Motorhome thread
there are a number of threads relating to A frames with lots of good advice and opinions. We no longer take the car to Europe but still use it in the UK.0 -
The problem is Tigi the manufactures in the UK keep telling folk that its OK to use them in Europe, because its allowed in the UK and while we are visiting another EU country they have to allow us because of the Vienna convention. All I can say is you try arguing that point with a German/Belgique/Spanish police officer and see where it gets you, best thing to do is plead ignorance and apologize for any misunderstanding and hope they just give you a warning, or better still don't do it.
0 -
I can confirm Tammygirl's post. Years ago we had an altercation with Italian policemen, and it simply wasn't possible to argue that our Citroen BX wasn't overloaded, but the fact that was 'low' was because of the suspension. They just appear not to understand and repeat instructions in Italian, with gestures which indicate 'they really mean it'. Eventually our small fine racked up and racked up, and we had absolutely no option but to pay up. No letter would have helped - they probably would have torn it up - and no amount of pleading that they were upsetting my children made any difference.
If you aren't fluent in a language, then make sure you don't give them cause to be able to stop you in the first place.
0 -
The problem is that no piece of legislation, neither on the Continent nor in the UK, makes any reference to A-frame towing. Whereas in the UK the position is that nobody will object so long as it isn't explicitly stated to be illegal, the Continental approach is somewhat different. They will always treat car plus A-frame as a trailer and will apply exactly the same conditions that refer to trailers, including the need for whole vehicle type approval, lighting equipment, braking efficiency, specific VIN plate for the complete trailer (the one for the car is no longer valid as soon as the A-frame is fitted), etc. etc.
0 -
Its the suppliers of these A frames that need taking to task, they are the ones telling customers "its ok to take to Europe as long as you have these letters to explain" its not ok end of. As Lutz has pointed out many many times the unit does not conform
to European laws.0 -
I clearly call reading last year that EU legislation had changed and cars have to be towed (behind motorhomes) on a trailer! in other words an A frame will not suffice. The UK have allegedly chosen to opt out of the legislation.
There has been no change to any legislation. It has been like that all the time. The only thing that may have changed is the strictness under which it is enforced.
0 -
If you are stopped by some authority it matters little whether they are familiar with any regulations. They have greater power than you, so it is advisable to humour them rather than argue. In such cases, they are a ‘customer’ and will always be ‘right’.
0
