Frank McAuley Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 I refer to above.During my trip to France this year I had fitted the usual "Square with red diagonal stripes" to the rear of my towed Toyota iQ. This signage passed muster from the French Police on many occasions - they didn't appear to find fault as I wasn't stopped. Whilst stopped at Parc Verger I met an RV owner who informed me that I was in breach of the Traffic Regs,viz:- the warning square was not compliant; there should be either a one long rectangular "warning plate" or two smaller plates fitted to the rear of the trailer. He was a retired haulage contractor with a good working knowledge of the Traffic laws/regs so I have taken his advice to heart.! May I please have your views on this advice and any help - if necessary- in acquiring these plates for a Brian James Micromax trailer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Frank McAuley - 2013-10-12 12:26 PM I refer to above.During my trip to France this year I had fitted the usual "Square with red diagonal stripes" to the rear of my towed Toyota iQ. This signage passed muster from the French Police on many occasions - they didn't appear to find fault as I wasn't stopped. Whilst stopped at Parc Verger I met an RV owner who informed me that I was in breach of the Traffic Regs,viz:- the warning square was not compliant; there should be either a one long rectangular "warning plate" or two smaller plates fitted to the rear of the trailer. He was a retired haulage contractor with a good working knowledge of the Traffic laws/regs so I have taken his advice to heart.! May I please have your views on this advice and any help - if necessary- in acquiring these plates for a Brian James Micromax trailer? Hi Frank The square, red and whtie striped sign that a lot of us use when we go over to the mainland does not appear in our own Highway Code - so it presumably it doesn't meet UK requirements for a long vehicle / long load. The UK Highway Code does say that yellow / red striped signs should be on the rear of " commercial vehicles or combinations longer than 13 metres " Optional on combinations between 11 and 13 metres. Maybe those were the signs that the RV owner was referring to. Of course, different rules may apply in other countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Hi Frank The square signs are for items attached to the Motorhome. i.e. loaded Bike rack, Back box, etc.. This site description should help understand their use on the continent. http://www.outdoorbits.com/fiamma-plastic-signal-sign-p-162.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Have a look here http://www.transportsfriend.org/road/lights/marking.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildi Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Hi Frank, As you know we have IQ on the same trailer but I think we are about 2 feet shorter. When I checked the info on the countries we were going to visit we didn't need any long vehicle sign or the square as the square was for anything overhanging the rear like bike racks. I should have bought the square though as the have been a couple of times when I have driven the MH without the trailer and although we didn't have the bikes on the back you should still have it on the empty bike rack as it still overhangs. Mark, (5 months on the road now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keninpalamos Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 mildi - 2013-10-13 9:56 AM Hi Frank, As you know we have IQ on the same trailer but I think we are about 2 feet shorter. When I checked the info on the countries we were going to visit we didn't need any long vehicle sign or the square as the square was for anything overhanging the rear like bike racks. I should have bought the square though as the have been a couple of times when I have driven the MH without the trailer and although we didn't have the bikes on the back you should still have it on the empty bike rack as it still overhangs. Mark, (5 months on the road now) On most but not all motorhomes does the bike rack overhang when folded away. See E series Hymers 1995 -1999 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank McAuley Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Tyou folks- most certainly a learning exercise on my part: flicka; never realised that the "board" had to be positioned in a certain way- add to the pre-flight check list; Colin: my understanding of the Regs seem exclude me in that the respective weights are less than 7,500 and 3,500 kgs even though the combination is exceeds 11 metres but is less than 13 metres. Do you agree?; male d seems to agree in that it is optional for my combo! Mark; You're a "brave boy" - 5 mths and still going. 3 mths was enough for me! Did you find a property and how did the iQ and B J perform? Regards and thanks. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildi Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Hi Frank, IQ is great during the day but I find the light crap at night with the beam deflectors now that the days are getting shorter, that's the only fault I can find. I wouldn't have done the trip any other way than with the car on tow as we have used it a lot. I have seen lots of people with A -frames but trailer was the right choice for me but only with the motor mover fitted, it has made the whole thing very trouble free. It was easy to load the car once you get the balance right and use the mover to bring the trailer to the back of the van. When we pitched up it was just unhook the frailer and use the mover to park it (with the car on) and then set up the MH. Had the trailer brakes adjusted last week when I took the MH in to have it's brakes checked. Tyre pressure monitor is working well apart from the odd battery change. Fuel economy with the car on tow is just about the same as without which was a surprise to me. Looked at lots of houses and got the details of all the agents and their websites so we can go through it all again in the spring. Do you drive you IQ on the trailer or reverse it on? I reverse mine as it was the best way to get the nose weight correct, In Hungary at the moment but heading home next week, may take another month to get there though. Take care, Mark. Catch you later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank McAuley Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Our MO was similar to yours simply because of the movers which allowed us to use the tightest of sites.what charging method do you use for the trailer battery? We really didn't use the iQ at night but it ran perfectly and attracted a lot of French attention.I found that a fairly close eye was needed re it's tyre pressures! I'm amazed at your method of loading the iQ: all my research indicated the opposite and my basic physics re "radius of gyration" also convinced me. My experience has supported this but maybe I've got it wrong! I would love to hear other views/opinions!We may even try your method!! still keen on property but nothing firm apart from a liking for the Limousine with its huge availability of property. Like you amazed at mpg,viz same with or without car/trailer. Good luck on your travels and hopefully MMM might print the details; BTW my wife loads/unloads the iQ as I find it quite disconcerting when the horizon disappears! Tyrepal was a brilliant asset when I eventually sorted the parameters for pressure increase bearing in mind the ambient temps; a confidence booster and worth the money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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