AlexSI

Hi guys!

Im just about to finish uni and ive got a part time job making bleeping noises

During last summer I sat my B+E and now im thinking of towing cars on the side to make some extra money. My options are a cheap transit truck or some sort of 4x4 and trailer.

Whats the opinions on which eqipment and whether it would be a go-er, budget is as cheap as possible but £3k as a rough number


Alex

Ginge !

Get a transit and run in scrap at same time and you might be surprised how you do tbh

STeve

iTrader: (11)

strict laws over carrying towing vehicles for work and insurance has sky rocketed and make sure you also have correct licence which covers you, check rules and restrictions before shelling out any £

YOREVOL

so many threads on here about towing, weight limits, insurance, vosa, licences etc etc etc

AlexSI

There is a metal merchant 5 mins from my house so that could be a plan, need a waste license for that tho but cars I break and scrap is fine. think its worth it?

Ive got the license transit is B aslong as cars arnt more than 1600kg and trailer and l200 etc i have license for aswell. Insurance I have been looking into and will take further if people think its a goer
Yeah ive read most of them which is why im only asking if worth while cos I have license etc

london_chris

to be honest, the transit is a shite towing vehicle, its mgm and towing plate weights are shite.

better of with an old pajero or hilux or l200 or similar and then u can tow alot heavier!

there isnt a massive call for towing stuff round my way tho to be fair unless its bought as scrap.

i would be more incline to buy a recovery truck and do light recovery but will only be worthwile if your busy, the whole time its not busy u are wasting money with having a trailer, and tow car st about.

escortmk3rwd

ive got a r reg generation transit i put turbo engine in i had focus on its back and straight barred a mk2 mr2 no probs at all before than had a non turbo transit n reg had a range rover on its back slightly over weight and a lwb merc sprinter on pulled no bother i see no problems at all with transits newer ones ive got mwb van 2.4 rwd pulls mint with trailer and car on and crap in beck

fraser9764

iTrader: (3)

dont know much about tacho laws but im sure there is something about towing for profit needing a tacho, worth looking into just incase.

escortmk3rwd

you need waste carriers licence to carry scrap cars if you have a beavertail recovery truck you dont as its classed as your own waste and exempt from it i had dole vosa police and enviroment agency get me iam insured through my traders insurance to use any car and recoveries and road side breakdowns also insured to scrap and dispose cars off the motor trader that doesnt exceed 20% of my gross income so bew warned you need insurance to scrap cars and declare it as you get vehicle impounded 6 points on the spot and 200 quid fine there blitzing northeast last week and this week

escortmk3rwd

do need a tacho in to tow mate i play dum at it lol

fraser9764

iTrader: (3)

if you read the original post properly, its not about what it can actually tow, its about what it is plated to tow. completely different.
Vosa are getting stricter on stuff like this, make sure whatever you buy is legally allowed to tow the weight you need and be carefull when chosing a trailer as depending on the tow vehicle and your license, you might have to go for something with a slightly lower Max Allowable Mass (MAM)

ajamesc

Lol you may play dumb and 9 out of 10 coppers are dumb but if the odd one or vosa catch you towing for hire and reward and your gvw / gtw are over 3500kg and you don't have a tacho you in trouble

maido

iTrader: (1)

be worth looking into how many recovery people are around your area etc.. i bought a cheap recovery truck a few month back trying to make a bit of money but to be honest it hasnt took off very well to many people already got the buisness etc so hard for new comers to get the jobs

corkers

i sometimes drive a vw lt35 and trailer which has a tacho in and been stopped by vosa a few times and first thing they ask is to see the tacho so i would give it a good think over if your not going have a tacho in it

tommytwotanks

dont you need an operators licence and i can remember hearing some thing the you can only work within 60 of your base, is that an insurance issue, then you might need planning for running a business from your home coz someone bound to complain

if you passed your driving test after jan 1997 you will need to take another test so you can tow trailers

ajamesc

You won't need an operators licence for one tow vehicle and for recovery you don't need a tacho if you stay with in 60 miles of your base!
Go out of the 60 miles and your over 3.5 tons and you need a tacho

escortmk3rwd

that reply was bout transits being under powered if you read the reply properly

stevieturbo

Pretty sure if you're doing it for monetary gain, you do need a tacho.

There was even a write up about it a month or two ago in Practical Performance car, where the guys were going to lift a car with their transit/trailer combo and got stopped at a VOSA checkpoint and got all sorts of shit.

Rules are rules, but common sense goes right out the window, with them asking some really dumbfuck questions.

But then, most of the people that work for the government and create and enforce their stupid rules are dumbfucks.

ajamesc

I work for daf and do tachos if you stay with in 60 miles of your base and your business is brake down recovery you don't! But the average man with a van working for hire and reward i.e moving a car for some one for money or picking a car up for work or to sell or anything along them lines will need a tacho if there over 3.5 tons gvw or gtw

Point 26! http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/Trans..._Form_0510.pdf

ryan_gwa

I needed a car transported, but had nothing to tow my trailer at the time. A pal of mine recommended a website called Shiply.

Pretty much advertise what you want moved, where to collect and where to deliver. Then people out-quote each other.

But, it also works the opposite way. You look for moves and then work out a quote. Very much like eBay with feeback. The only downfall is the fee for using the site when you accept a quote (much like eBay in that respect as well!).

www.shiply.co.uk

escortmk3rwd

ive got transit spec transit beavertail and 7.5 beavertail and been going nearly 20 year and theres too many at it ive got full insuranand charge £30 for locals and being under cut by people charging £20-25

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

I used to do a lot of towing/recovery via a 4x4 and trailer.
Been stopped by vosa many times and never an issue found.
Need to keep the truck and trailer in good order all lights working etc and generally your ok.
Transits have all sorts of issues with regard to towing laws if their the 5-stud axle version,I'm not 100% why but they do for some reason,I know many people who got out of towing with vans etc as it attracted too much attention and swapped to 4x4's with no issues.
Beaver tail is really handy particularly as regards quick jobs as its a lot less hassle than linking up the trailer etc.
There's money to be made but its getting harder and harder all the time,fuel,insurance,competition etc its nit always worth the hassle.
I had a car delivered from here via series one recovery,time I worked everything out even using my own trailer and 4x4 there wasn't £50 in it from doing it myself plus I never left the property.
Horses for courses but at £1 a mile with my LPG Cherokee I used to make about £100/£150 out of a 250 mile run which is 500 miles in total,I'd be out at 5am usually and back home early afternoon traffic dependant.
Some you win some you lose,south Wales to north Wales is a total nightmare as its uphill and down dale constantly,no motorway so your working it hard plus your only 150/200 miles tops,you'll use an easy £80/90 in fuel so only making £60 for a days work.
I used to charge £1.20 a mile for that way plus from London back to Wales charge the £10 or so the bridge was.

london_chris

no it wasnt, hence the mentioning of mgw and plate weights.

dependant on transit power spec i wouldnt really commentt as there are so many variants in engine power output and i havent driven any others than my own 125ps tdci 11plate tranny.

escortmk3rwd

mine are the generation transits not latest ones and i kill them as there only 100 to 200 for complete van or truck and replace engine ive got new shape transit van i run round with and had crank seals x2 timing cover egr valve fuel filter housing boost regulater thats me only owning van 5 days

Fordmad!

Id just get a transit recovery for around 2k and see how you go. Get a waste carriers licence £120 a year and correct insurance.

Do recovery's, collections, delivers, scrap cars etc see how you go.

Ifv i dosnt work out sell the truck, you won't loose much then!

ajamesc

Going down the collecting scrap cars route or scrap metal route or transporting cars route is some thing that will need a tacho if your vehicle weighs more than 3500kg on its own or while towing a trailer

Fordmad!

Recovery truck is 2000kg have to be 4x4 or van to go over the 3500 mark id imagine

escortmk3rwd

dont need waste carriers licence if its beavertail ive been quizzed loads at emr in gateshead

Fordmad!

For the sake of £120 id get one! Also covered for any old scrap you get too!

AJC

iTrader: (6)

If you want a good towing vehicle. That's cheap, get a 300tdi discovery.

The likes of warriors & hilux's are too light to use IMO. The disco is great. I ran one for 3 years as only my tow vehicle. There bulletproof too and you can see everything out the rear when reversing.

I now have a disco 3

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

I've got a gassed grand Cherokee newer generation that's for sale cheaply!!!
4.0 petrol tow anything,in fact I towed one of the quoted vehicles on it (was a 3.9v8,wow that had no cornering ability!!!) and with LPG you get 30/32 mpg equivalent as its now bang on 1/2 price.

Nice to tow in leather air conned luxury.

escortmk3rwd

traders insurance only covers you for car related stuff and if your caught with anything thats not something to do with a car or motor trader insurance is void i got pulled at hexham few year ago went to court for carrying scrap on my traders and was two quarry truck rads had a full day trial and police the prosicution argued they were scrap i got a not guilty because there off a truck and there for vehicle parts