Towing with telehandler

[Dman2]

Whats the law regarding towing with a telehandler.
Neighbour reckons its not legal to tow a trailer on the highway with a telehandler.
Loads of people do ???

 

[ACEngineering]

Whats the law regarding towing with a telehandler.
Neighbour reckons its not legal to tow a trailer on the highway with a telehandler.
Loads of people do ???

I think its all down to how its registered with DVLA?

 

[nick...]

My jcb has towing details on serial number plate on chassis behind cab and differant weights depending on trailer weights.ive also got a trailer brake fitting on rear of machine
Nick...

 

[Lincs Lass]

Everybody here does it ,bale trailers ,drilling boys especially when its vining pea drilling time

 

[Robert K]

My jcb has towing details on serial number plate on chassis behind cab and differant weights depending on trailer weights.ive also got a trailer brake fitting on rear of machine
Nick...

Our JCB 541-70 says max 10 tonne

 

[Exfarmer]

Surely, the V5 will tell you max train weights etc

 

[Two Tone]

It isn’t illegal to tow a trailer with a telehandler. But it is illegal to carry a load both on the trailer and the loader (pallet tines) at the same time (either but not both).
This law stems back to the time when farmers would move milk churns down the road in a linkage box and on a for end loader. Only one can be loaded, not both!

So, trying to carry a couple of extra seed bags on the pallet tines as well the trailer full of bags is illegal.

 

[Hobbit]

Would you need a trailer license as a handler is a specialist agricultural vehicle not a tractor?

 

[Mur Huwcun]

Would you need a trailer license as a handler is a specialist agricultural vehicle not a tractor?

according to a Police / Vosa presentation and chat we had yes as it’s not a tractor/agri. Can’t drive one on cat f at 16 either, need Cat B car license. Again depending on taxation class for some telehandlers you would need to be 21 to drive one same as Forager, Combine or any other self propelled vehicle

 

[Jim B]

Many telehandlers are now homologated as a tractor, for this very reason.

 

[bert]

Many telehandlers are now homologated as a tractor, for this very reason.

Yes, I was told by our dealer that JCB are classed as a tractor, and that you can even drive them on the road with just a tractor license if there is no attachment on the front

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Loadalls are crap for towing

 

[TripleSix]

It depends what it says on your V5

If it's Registered as a "Tractor" you can tow with it.

If it's an "Agricultural machine" it's not allowed to tow a trailer.

 

[Dman2]

Not looking to tow with ours, does`nt have a pickup hitch on anyway, just wondering what the law was
Ours says Telehandler on V5
Confused the guy who came out to do telehandler training, as he reckoned because it was a pivot steer we should be doing loading shovel course

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

It depends what it says on your V5

If it's Registered as a "Tractor" you can tow with it.

If it's an "Agricultural machine" it's not allowed to tow a trailer.

you are sort of right, an Agriculture machine can tow a trailer, but only to facilitate the movement of attachments, ie a combine pulling a header trailer, a forager towing a whole crop header, or a handler towing a trailer with a buckrake on it is legal,
towing a trailer loaded with bales is not legal for an Agriculture machine,
yet it is legal if taxed as a Agricultural vehicle

 

[Gav]

Not looking to tow with ours, does`nt have a pickup hitch on anyway, just wondering what the law was
Ours says Telehandler on V5
Confused the guy who came out to do telehandler training, as he reckoned because it was a pivot steer we should be doing loading shovel course

He was wrong, pivot steer telehandler’s have their own certification category known as J8, rigid chassis ones up to 9m reach are under J2.

Any telehandler made after January 2018 has the potential to be chassis plated as what’s known as a T1a Tractor, not all manufacturers have all their machines in this category yet so it’s worth checking on new ones. These ones can tow on a standard tractor licence, those plated as a telehandler require a car licence and therefore B+E to tow with them, JCB’s construction machines and pivot steers are still in this category as are some Kramer machines the last time I checked.