towing illegally..........
I run a timber company,i could ''say'' it's agricultural/forestry if there is an advantage to do so.......?.I deliver timber to jobs once a month,about 4-5tonnes sawn oak.At the moment,as of yesterday i was unaware i have been doing this illegally,i have either used my 280ge,no tacho, with half to three quarter tonne on the roof,yes, very heavy duty roofrack and no damage to gutters to date,with about another tonne in the back of the G,plus a three and a half tonne trailer with two to three tonnes of timber on it,or hired a transit van,no tacho, and hooked my trailer up to this,most recently over to mull from edinburgh.Apparently it is illegal to do this without a tacho for commercial purposes,as it's over 3.5 tonnes.Anyone got any clever ideas as to how i can do this legally,i am considering buying a lwb g wagen and turning it into a flatbed,perhaps re registering it for forestry,as you can haul alot more ,apparently[not sure of this at the moment]then put trailer on the back for deliveries,and as such no need for tacho,and ,apparently GTW of 15 tonnes,not interested in a unimog,too slow?
p.s.i got my licence in1987.Cheers
I don't know the in's and out's of the UK law (or the Irish law either) but the weights you talk about sound way over the top to me. Your brakes, transmission, suspension and tow hitch must all be over stressed at those weights. I admit I have pulled 5 tonnes too but only very rarely (probably illegally). If this is something you need to do every month then you probably need a small truck. A Mog is probably worth considering.
Eddie.
Fairly certain the no tacho rule for agricultural / forestry use is within a certain distance of base, 50 km or less perhaps.
current models can tow 3.5 metric tons braked weight, your 280 is a lower figure than this though partly because of the drum brakes on the rear axle
http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedkingdom/mpc/mpc_unitedking...
if you don't want a Mog how about a Pinzgaur
http://wzeu.ask.com/r?t=p&d=eu&s=uk&c=a&app=aoth&l=sem&o=41627709&sv=0a6...
You also have to take into account the Gross Train Weight ( i think they call that maximum autherised mass, these days, lol). ie a fully loaded vehicle may not be able to tow the same weight as it would if it was empty.
Unless you do qualify for exemption, I can't see how you can legally carry that kind of weight without a tacho, and probabley an operators license too.
A Unimog with the fast axles option will happily cruise at 50mph and is rated to carry up to 8 tons. I doubt if your 280 could go any faster loaded with 5 tons of lumber !
The Mog is only worth considering of course if you need the off road ability it can provide. There are also a few ex military 4x4 trucks that are a cheaper alternative to a Mog and still have off road ability.
Obviously if you don't require to go off road then all you need is a small truck.
Should be a few Vario 4x4's around. Been a factory option for years. Not a Unimog in any way, and I would imagine a lot less desirable so less £, although they are being snapped up for expedition campers.
Or how about an old classic. May be the way round a lot of regs.
I would far rather have one of these than a Vario.
http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/,26,97,/35347/Reynolds_Boughton.htm
Very low mileage, excellent condition, 4x4, hi-lo ratio, locking diff, nice big winch and very ugly. Whats not to like.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr,you're both so right.I want to re invent the wheel,but both of these are cheaper ,more practical and just the job for what i need.Don't worry though i'll find a reason not to buy one, spend a fortune doing the 'perfect' vehicle only to find that my plans have changed when i've finished,why,because that's what we do!!Cheers guys,i'll let you know what nonsense i get up to.Ex military vehicles are hard to beat................
Your only allowed to tow 3 tonne with a G, regardless of a tachograph or not, you will have to fit one if you don't want to get nicked, or just risk it and get a fine !
Great blog.
That military Perkins looks great. Just right for city living!
I would imagine that this is a bit big for your requirements but I quite fancy one myself.
MAN464, 8x8, four wheel steer, self recovery winch and a six ton crane, all for only £29,500.
You could make so many friends in town with that thing,park it up in any street and folk would be desperate to meet you.Size matters.
I'd be inclined to steer well clear of the ex-mil Reynolds Boughton. They're okay for plodding about in the woods in low range, but on the road they're a different matter. There was a very good reason why the MoD got shot of them. Oh, yeah, and the Perkins Phaser 4 litre they are fitted with was only good for about a 110bhp, plus it was coupled to an auto box. The whole thing was a recipe for disaster and the erratic steering/braking problem they had didn't help.
Incidentally, over-run brakes are only good for 3.5 tonnes gross trailer. Over that you need air brakes, so, as mentioned above, you are really in need of a "proper" truck. An ex-mil Bedford MK Turbo 4-tonne 4x4 might be an option worth considering.
Somebody suggested a Pinzgauer. Even the 6x6 wouldn would be struggling to cope with what you want to do and there is still the problem of no airbrakes for the trailer, so restricted to 3.5 tonnes gross trailer mass.
It ain't easy, is it?
Old military classic? Bedford RL. I nearly bought one once from someone who had been using it for their timber business. Had a bloody great winch in the back. Great truck though!
404 were petrol so 617a will not rev as fast.. do not think they ever did fast axles for them either... so either way unlikely to see 40mph. I hear Germans are taking 411 and putting VAG 1.9tdi in there and getting them up to 55mph somehow.. so it is possible. Really you want a 406 or similar if going 'Mog .. I did see one for sale over by Dunkeld about a month ago.. soft top with some tarting up.. looked fair at 60mph and 100 yards! Actually a 416 which are more common and ex army.. but hard to keep it Agri and going distances like that with a 'Mog really does not work legally.
4x4 sprinters do come up sometimes.. with a decent diesel too... otherwise ex council 4x4 gritters but you will soon be into Class 3 HGV.. and really the truck based 4x4 is too heavy to go far off road (tyre width and hence ground pressure).
'ear is this what they used to trot around the GLCM during the 80's? (Cruise missiles)
wonder what that optional extra would cost....
Spider1V
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Thanks for all your replies,it seems that the mighty G cant do everything,although.......i saw on the web a very nice twin rear axled truck cab,flat bed, military G,looks like this would do the job,at a price though.........,so big block,you're probably right,a unimog,or perhaps an 814 vario flatbed which IS the answer,but too easy,and like many of you i'm a tinkerer,so i'm now thinking along the lines of a lwb 404 unimog,the 617td engine and gearbox conversion,fast axles,and i can still go into the woods with it.In theory this gives me the flatbed,carrying and towing capacities,probably agricultural/forestry use,offroad for the woods [vario cant do this,but i suppose someone has done a 4x4 version of it],and speed[ish] for deliveries.Anyone done one of these and what's it like?Cheers