MOTs on caravans (Braked Trailers)

[Gafferbill]

...you are forgetting that a MOT examiner will not issue a certificate for a car if the Vin number and Vehicle registration number do not match.

He will check this with the DVLA database.

He will already have checked to see if the plates have been tampered with, and if missing or defaced the test will not proceed.

He does this to identify the vehicle and the certificate is issued to the vehicle that displays these identification numbers.

These numbers are recorded on the certificate.

The trailer MOT certificate would be pointless at present, as we do not have compulsory trailer registration and identification.

Lutz has described the German system and compulsory registration and identification are an essential part of its operation.

 

[602]

Hi,

How much does it cost to REGISTER a vehicle? Presumably it would be the same for a caravan?

Having gone that far, how many Chancers.... sorry, Chancellors... could resist bring them into the taxation system, which would then involve SORN, etc. And seeing as insurance brings in another 5%, might as well have that too. Just how much do you think its all going to cost us?

I suppose that if you are pulling a new or nearly new van, adding 3rd party cover to your policy won't cost much. But how many of us with older vans don't have any insurance, relying on the car's policy.

The resale value of your van will drop. Fewer vans wil be sold, so prices of new vans will rise. Fewer vans will use camp sites, so rates rise.

Yes, it seems a good idea, but do accident stastics indicate that it is needed?

On the other hand, it could work out cheaper to voluntarily register my caravan, than buy a new number plate every time I change my tow car. It should also increase its resale value by about

 

[Steve L]

Steve W.

Sounds like you are making a mint out of MOTs if you don't want extra business.

I would of thought it self explanitary as to how one would move the caravan/trailer. Simply a vehicle with a tow bar or a Mr Shifta, would do the job.

I agree there would be a cost involved to register trailers in the first place. But the trade off to that would be that those people who currently tow dodgy rust infested boat trailer or moth eaten box trailers or caravans that haven't seen a grease gun let alone a service annually for many years, will send them to the scrapyard rather than waste money on something which would be beyond economic repair.

On the other hand the people who have either looked after their trailers themselves (as they have the skill set to do so)or have had their caravans annually serviced will have little to fear.

Therefore by default, the roads will potentially be free'd of 80% of those trailers waiting for accidents to happen by neglect.

As I've already said before even the current car MOT is no guarrantee of the vehicle, but simply a certificate to say that on the day and at the time of the test the vehicle met the minimum standard of road worthyness required by law. As soon as the vehicle leaves the test station the certificate is worthless if some moron borrowed a set of wheels with good tyres off a mate to get through the test and then swaps back to his racing slicks!!

Steve L.

 

[SteveW77]

Steve in Leo.

It is not a queson of making a mint, just the fact that it is impossible to carry out out more tests in a day as the time taken per test is controlled by VOSA, by way of restricting computer login. As to extra equipment, a tow vehicle is no use as it will be in front of the van and therefore unless the MOT bay is huge, in the way when testing. A Mr Shifta is an expensive item for a limited use. Personally, I would not want to invest that amount of money for an unknown return. The only way to increase through put is to open another MOT bay, have you any idea how much it cost to fully equipe an MOT bay, let alone staff it.

Steve W

 

[602]

Hi,

I had to take my old Ducato camper for an MOT. The bloke who did it the previous year had closed down, sold his garage as a building plot. Not easy to find somebody who could test the camper, but eventually I did.

Hmmm. They told me to wait in the office, and disappeared into the far corner to test the van. Not what I'm used to ...... I usualy sit in, and press pedals, and twiddle switches. Are commercial vehicle testers exempt from the requirement to provide observation facilities?

Even my latest testing station only provides a chair about 20ft from the pit. And they only do tests on Mondays and Fridays.

602

 

[ProfJohnL]

No one has actually said that a trailer MOT would have to be done at stations where cars are tested. There are already differing types of test station for different categories of vehicles, so if the population of vehicles that require testing was increased to include trailers, then perhaps new test stations for trailers would come into being.

Whilst it is tempting to think that caravan service centres may offer the service, but we hear too many sad stories of where some centres clearly do not have properly trained fitters and craftsmen (or women) to work on basics mechanics plumbing and gas, so another range of skills for MOTs is possibly another thing they can mess up. OR because the VOSA training for the MOT's is quite strict, perhaps it might encourage the owners of service centres to make sure they do employ properly trained component people.

Most garages that undertake car testing find it to be a steady earner, so there is money to be made out of testing, so I don't see why the same cannot be true for trailers.

Trailer stations would not require the same amount of high tech gadgets such as exhaust gas analysers, and I can assure Steve W that a Mr Shifta or similar product costs far less than some of the equipment that garages normally use.

It is often forgotten that caravans only represent a small fraction of the trailers that are used on out roads, so when thinking about the scale of subject don't forget all the jobbing builders that use trailers, farmers, recovery trucks etc.

I don't welcome the opportunity for the government to pull in yet more of our money from our pockets, but I think there is some benefit to be gained if it improved the road worthiness of trailers, and makes them less attractive to thieves, because of having their own registrations that could be picked up on the PNC systems.

 

[SteveW77]

John L.

I would love to see you pull a caravan over an inspection pit using a Mr.Shifta, unless it has 6ft6inch diameter wheels I think it could be a problem. It is also debatable if it could acutally pull the thing over the brake test rollers.

Steve W

 

[602]

Hi,

Thinking back to my boat trailer (ULW 755kg...MGW 3500kg), I don't think that the over-run brakes came into operation until their was a substantial weight on board. So would they test it laden or unladen? And if the brakes work when unladen, what evidence is there that they adedequate when laden.

I suppose a Tappley meter would overcome some of these problems, but not all.

How should you test "reverse enable" brakes?

602

 

[Steve L]

Oh Steve w. have you got no common sense?

One would simply reverse the caravan over an inspection pit stopping before you dump the motor mover in the hole. Or just basically hitch up to your recovery truck "towball" and reverse further if required.

The up to date brake test rollers actually have a packing block which raises to overcome the trough between test rollers. This not only makes negotiating the rollers easy but also reduces bump damage to the rollers and the vehicles.

Being a qualified shopfloor engineer and also a process technician, I always look for the simplest most cost effective and efficient way to do any task.

Why belong to the can't do won't do brigade when thoses who can do will do and have done always have that smile of self sufficient satisfaction.

Steve L.

 

[Lutz]

Such a big difference between unladen and laden weight as in the case of your boat trailer applies equally to commercial vehicles and their trailers. With regard to the brake test specified for the latter, VOSA recommend that they be laden. There is no reason why trailers under 3500kg should be treated any differently.

By the way, trailer tests performed by VOSA at one of their 91 test stations cost

 

[SteveW77]

Steve in Leo.

It's just a shame that the brake tester in our bay only work in one direction, so reversing over them would not work.

Maybe our kit is old fashioned, I don't know, but it passes muster ever inspection. All I am trying to point out is that not all testing stations will be in a position to test trailers and not all owners will want to bother, as I have already stated, we are already running at maximum capacity.

Steve W

 

[chris_374398963]

Steve in Leo.

It's just a shame that the brake tester in our bay only work in one direction, so reversing over them would not work.

Maybe our kit is old fashioned, I don't know, but it passes muster ever inspection. All I am trying to point out is that not all testing stations will be in a position to test trailers and not all owners will want to bother, as I have already stated, we are already running at maximum capacity.

Steve W

I wonder what the dealers views are on this and also the CC.If he helps safety then I am all for it.What happens when you go to germany with your caravan are we within german law towing the caravan without a MOT.

 

[chris_374398963]

I wonder what the dealers views are on this and also the CC.If he helps safety then I am all for it.What happens when you go to germany with your caravan are we within german law towing the caravan without a MOT.

 

[Lutz]

Have no fear when visiting Germany (or any other country for that matter). It's always your own national requirements that must be fulfilled, not those of the visiting country, so luck is on your side if there aren't any such requirements. Besides, MOT requirements, even for cars, are not the same as German ones, so an MOT certificate would not be sufficient if German law were applied. The certificate will therefore not be of any interest to the German police.

 

[ProfJohnL]

John L.

I would love to see you pull a caravan over an inspection pit using a Mr.Shifta, unless it has 6ft6inch diameter wheels I think it could be a problem. It is also debatable if it could acutally pull the thing over the brake test rollers.

Steve W

Hello Steve W,

I take your point, But I did not say a Mr. Shifta would do the job, I merely pointed out that the cost of a Mr. Shifta is not excessive compared to other essential equipment that garages have to have for MOT's or other work.

The means to move a trailer need not be expensive.

It seems that you are happy to do car testing and by all accounts that fills your time, so it might not be necessary for you to contemplate having to test trailers so the issues won't arise fro you.