This will raise a smile.
My bro-in-law got stopped by VOSA the other day. He was driving his Espace and towing a trailer 8ft x 4ft.
First off they got him for driving the Espace taking his errection gang of 6 blokes to the job site. Although technically, he was driving to his place of work and not charging the people for using his car.
Next was the trailer. They siad that the ratchet leg of the old style bradley double lock over run brake system was missing and should be engaged in the ratchet teeth on the top of the hitch to be activated by the breakaway cable. If you put the ratchet lever to the engaged position, the first time you hit the brakes, you lock on the trailer brakes. So their impression of the brake functionality was wrong.
But despite that they issued a prohibition notice only allowing travel to be repaired.
My bro got the ratchet lever fixed and took the trailer to the local VOSA MOT station for inspection and stamping of the notice so that he could then go to the cop shop to get the release signed off. When he got to the cop shop, he found out that the prohiition notice was the wrong type. VOSA had issued a vehicle notice and not a trailer notice. Then to cap it all, the copper looked at the trailer and said that the hand written number plate was illegal and had not been put on the VOSA notice, as too was, the bolts protruding from the corner posts of the trailer body as they class as sharp protrussions. Then when he saw the brake lever repair, he said that it didn't matter about the ratchet not working as that was just for parking anyway and on that basis, the VOSA notice should not of been issued.
Oh I nearly forgot. The VOSA chappie tryed to get a diesel sample out of the fuel tank but couldn't get past the anti-syphon devices. Instead he proclaimed that just by sniffing the tank filler neck he could tell if red diesel was present. I've never heard such a load of cobblers in my life. The VOSA chap isn't super man! All the idiot had to do was to take the fuel filter off to get a fuel sample.
So my best advice would be, to know a bit about how your car and trailer functions, just in case you get Eignsteigne sniffing your tank.
I had a simlar situation when I towed a twin axle horsebox. The front wheel bearings of the box were warmer than the back, because the box was travelling nose down due to a low hitch height on my Laguna.He swore blind I'd got knackered wheel bearings. The accompanying police traffic cop had to take him aside and put him right before I lost my temper!!
I don't know where they get them from but VOSA needs to swap the V for a T in some instances
My bro-in-law got stopped by VOSA the other day. He was driving his Espace and towing a trailer 8ft x 4ft.
First off they got him for driving the Espace taking his errection gang of 6 blokes to the job site. Although technically, he was driving to his place of work and not charging the people for using his car.
Next was the trailer. They siad that the ratchet leg of the old style bradley double lock over run brake system was missing and should be engaged in the ratchet teeth on the top of the hitch to be activated by the breakaway cable. If you put the ratchet lever to the engaged position, the first time you hit the brakes, you lock on the trailer brakes. So their impression of the brake functionality was wrong.
But despite that they issued a prohibition notice only allowing travel to be repaired.
My bro got the ratchet lever fixed and took the trailer to the local VOSA MOT station for inspection and stamping of the notice so that he could then go to the cop shop to get the release signed off. When he got to the cop shop, he found out that the prohiition notice was the wrong type. VOSA had issued a vehicle notice and not a trailer notice. Then to cap it all, the copper looked at the trailer and said that the hand written number plate was illegal and had not been put on the VOSA notice, as too was, the bolts protruding from the corner posts of the trailer body as they class as sharp protrussions. Then when he saw the brake lever repair, he said that it didn't matter about the ratchet not working as that was just for parking anyway and on that basis, the VOSA notice should not of been issued.
Oh I nearly forgot. The VOSA chappie tryed to get a diesel sample out of the fuel tank but couldn't get past the anti-syphon devices. Instead he proclaimed that just by sniffing the tank filler neck he could tell if red diesel was present. I've never heard such a load of cobblers in my life. The VOSA chap isn't super man! All the idiot had to do was to take the fuel filter off to get a fuel sample.
So my best advice would be, to know a bit about how your car and trailer functions, just in case you get Eignsteigne sniffing your tank.
I had a simlar situation when I towed a twin axle horsebox. The front wheel bearings of the box were warmer than the back, because the box was travelling nose down due to a low hitch height on my Laguna.He swore blind I'd got knackered wheel bearings. The accompanying police traffic cop had to take him aside and put him right before I lost my temper!!
I don't know where they get them from but VOSA needs to swap the V for a T in some instances