Thornes must be feeling the slump-another sale

[Hivemaker.]

Sorry,pseudonym not avatar!

No problem,we all make mistakes,it's user name.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Can you get trailers for a S/Car?

Yes you can believe it or not when we were researching (make that trying to convince me!) lady B's first car she showed me a few examples of smarts with trailer - once passed one on the M4 near Bristol

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Can you get trailers for a S/Car?

Why the heck would anyone buy a trailer to put a S/Car in it?

You could do without either, use a proper car and buy a couple of hives with what you save!

Dusty

 

[Luminos]

No QE ?

? The queen excluder is a square of metal with oval slots in - not a very good description
But it kept the queen out alright

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why the heck would anyone buy a trailer to put a S/Car in it?

You could do without either, use a proper car and buy a couple of hives with what you save!

Dusty

If you look underneath the rear of a Smart you'll see the rear of the chassis is just two open ended steel tubes that's just in case it breaks down or runs out of petrol - you can stuff two pieces of wood into them and use the car as a wheelbarrow!

 

[drstitson]

i've long been tempted to get a tow bar made up (if not easy to get commercially). there are two screw holes in the bumper (that fit the bottom of the bike rack - or tow hook if needed) that'd do nicely to anchor one.

 

[alanf]

i've long been tempted to get a tow bar made up (if not easy to get commercially).

Not legal these days. I was checking the possibilities of what could tow our small trailer. The regulations say the car manufacturer has to design the tow bar mounting points and get them certified (the homologation process if you're looking it up). Some cars like the Ford Ka were never nominated as towing vehicles, so cannot be legally fitted with a tow bar for road use. Until recently, Smart cars were in the same position. They may have mounting points for bike racks or other purposes, but if the manufacturer never tested and certified them for towing it's not permitted.

Similarly, the tow bar has to be type approved and plated, as does the trailer. Practically, unless you were obviously unsafe, you're unlikely to be stopped but if there was an accident your insurance would be invalid. I also hear the MOT will soon include testing tow bar electrics. They will no longer be ignored, even if you unbolt the tow ball.

Elf'n'safety gorn mad. If motorway users can't avoid a detached trailer careering across the lanes they were clearly following too closely and have only themselves to blame.

 

[drstitson]

Carabinieri more concerned about drunk unlicensed moroccans than UK plated vehicles with or without illegal trailer!!!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Unless things have changed smart will supply a towbar for their cars so I assume the cars would have the correct anchor points on them, thus legal - the unique tubular construction of the chassis would make it easy to attach a towbar although you may need to change the rear panel - not much of a job as the smart car, true to it's origin as a swatch/VW concept has easily interchangeable panels

 

[MuswellMetro]

i've long been tempted to get a tow bar made up (if not easy to get commercially). there are two screw holes in the bumper (that fit the bottom of the bike rack - or tow hook if needed) that'd do nicely to anchor one.

the 451 can legaly be used for towing but not the pre 2008 450, there was 451 in our road with a german approved tow bar and trailer

 

[TBRNoTB]

? The queen excluder is a square of metal with oval slots in - not a very good description
But it kept the queen out alright

I'm aware what a QE is, I was wondering if you received any of the duff ones from Th**nes! Obviously they sent you only the good ones.

 

[Luminos]

I'm aware what a QE is, I was wondering if you received any of the duff ones from Th**nes! Obviously they sent you only the good ones.

Sorry, I didn't word my reply at all well - I was trying to describe what "my" QE looks like, not tell you what a QE is
i.e that it isn't plastic one.

 

[Somerford]

How I laugh---this thread started about Thor*es sale and ends up about how to fit a tow bar to a Smart car...

LOL

S

 

[tonybloke]

Elf'n'safety gorn mad. If motorway users can't avoid a detached trailer careering across the lanes they were clearly following too closely and have only themselves to blame.

all trailers should by law have a safety chain or steel wire attached to the tow-bar as well as the ball hitch.

 

[oliver90owner]

all trailers should by law have a safety chain

For application of the trailer brakes, I think. Not necesssary on an unbraked trailer?

RAB

 

[tonybloke]

yep, I think it's in case the ball hook jumps off the hitch, so the trailer stays behind the vehicle.

 

[The Cumbrian]

all trailers should by law have a safety chain

For application of the trailer brakes, I think. Not necesssary on an unbraked trailer?

RAB

I think you are correct on this. I have only ever seen wires attached to brakes and therefore on braked trailers. I have never seen on on the little "baggage" trailers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think you are correct on this. I have only ever seen wires attached to brakes and therefore on braked trailers. I have never seen on on the little "baggage" trailers.

The answer is yes and no - the break away cable on braked trailers are designed to apply the brake on the trailer if it comes unhitched and then 'break away' from the towing vehicle so the trailer comes to rest.
The safety wire on smaller unbraked trailers looks similar and is attached in the same way but it is designed not to break but to keep the trailer attached to the vehicle if it comes unhitched - both are now mandatory

 

[Teemore]

My father and I were recently advised that all car trailers now need to have a safety chain fitted irrespective of whether they are braked or unbraked.

 

[newportbuzz]

i have a question. assuming all legal stuff with the smart car and trailor does it matter that the front wheels touch the ground or not?