HI everyone, new to the forum and been out of professional driving for a long time but kept my hand in helping friends and doing voluntary/personal driving.
I am looking to transport classic cars, carriages, caravans and trailers. I am inclined to use a 7.5 tonne mini artic converting it from a rigid, with either a medium length chassis with no sleeper-cab or a shorter wheel base with either sleeper or crew-cab. I can go up to 12,000 kgs gross train weight which will be plenty to allow 2 cars in a curtain side trailer. Part of the reason I want to use such an outfit is that it is quirky, which will likely appeal to fellow petrol/diesel heads and the place I live and will hopefully store and park my lorry (subject to O licence and council approval) is at the end of a narrow (but hard with no hedges or walls etc) mountain track and the smaller and lighter truck will deal with that better. The reason for considering a medium wheelbase chassis to convert is because I would be able to make room for a small teardrop or similar tiny caravan which I could use as a sleeper. The vehicle would also double up as a leisure vehicle in that I would make my de-mountable MKP camper/caravan body fit the trailer for holidays (it is currently sitting on a 3.5 ton 6 wheel tilt and slide recovery truck I own).
However, I have been thinking that perhaps an equally good option would be to use a 7.5 tonnne recovery lorry and have it set up to tow either an air-braked curtainsider trailer or a 3.5 tonne curtainsider turntable trailer on overrun brakes. I know the latter are now rare but they do still come up occasionally and I have some experience of towing such things behind large 4x4s. I also have experience of building bespoke trailers and pick-up bodies so am comfortable with welding and fabrication. Any ideas, thoughts or advice about this seemingly bonkers proposal greatly appreciated and I don’t feel insulted that easily unless comments are rude or offensive so fire away.
Thanks or “diolch” as we say here in North Wales
Dafyddcoch
How about looking at an urban artic, they’re fairly compact and already set up with a fifth wheel. I assume youve got your class 1 or at least a passed c1+e and not just the c1+e (107) that you used to get automatically when you passed your car test?
Rich_T:
I assume youve got your class 1 or at least a passed c1+e and not just the c1+e (107) that you used to get automatically when you passed your car test?
Thanks for your reply. I passed my car test before 1997 (a long time before) so have the entitlement to drive mini artic up to 8,250 kgs but am currently organising a test with a local trainer to take c1e to upgrade to the full 12,000 kg and remove the 107 restriction so I can start straight away and will then most likely later go on to take a C test and then CE. I’m happy to do this anyway as it is a long time since I drove professionally and it makes sense to re-train. Back in the bad old days (early to mid-80s) I was driving bodged up 7.5 ton recovery trucks and using 21ft car trailers behind them which my boss told me was legal, I now know he was lying. No tacho, no plating, just run on trade plates. we were more concerned about the RAC, NBRC inspections than the ministry, appalling really. Mind you, you should have seen my recovery boss panic when testing came in for most recovery lorries ha ha.I want to be much more professional than that and offer a bespoke high-standard service, hence seeking opinions of others regarding best truck to use. If I could find an urban artic like a former dray lorry that’d be great but they don’t usually come with a sleeper cab so that needs to be factored in. Thanks again
dafyddcoch:
HI everyone, new to the forum and been out of professional driving for a long time but kept my hand in helping friends and doing voluntary/personal driving.
I am looking to transport classic cars, carriages, caravans and trailers. I am inclined to use a 7.5 tonne mini artic converting it from a rigid, with either a medium length chassis with no sleeper-cab or a shorter wheel base with either sleeper or crew-cab. I can go up to 12,000 kgs gross train weight which will be plenty to allow 2 cars in a curtain side trailer. Part of the reason I want to use such an outfit is that it is quirky, which will likely appeal to fellow petrol/diesel heads and the place I live and will hopefully store and park my lorry (subject to O licence and council approval) is at the end of a narrow (but hard with no hedges or walls etc) mountain track and the smaller and lighter truck will deal with that better. The reason for considering a medium wheelbase chassis to convert is because I would be able to make room for a small teardrop or similar tiny caravan which I could use as a sleeper. The vehicle would also double up as a leisure vehicle in that I would make my de-mountable MKP camper/caravan body fit the trailer for holidays (it is currently sitting on a 3.5 ton 6 wheel tilt and slide recovery truck I own).
However, I have been thinking that perhaps an equally good option would be to use a 7.5 tonnne recovery lorry and have it set up to tow either an air-braked curtainsider trailer or a 3.5 tonne curtainsider turntable trailer on overrun brakes. I know the latter are now rare but they do still come up occasionally and I have some experience of towing such things behind large 4x4s. I also have experience of building bespoke trailers and pick-up bodies so am comfortable with welding and fabrication. Any ideas, thoughts or advice about this seemingly bonkers proposal greatly appreciated and I don’t feel insulted that easily unless comments are rude or offensive so fire away.
Thanks or “diolch” as we say here in North Wales
Dafyddcoch
We have run ex brewery urban artics for some time. They are great in many ways but have a couple of disadvantages that might affect you. They are designed to run at about 23-25 tonnes GTW, depending on the make, and the tractor is a basically a 12t or 14t GVW unit with a 220 - 280HP engine. They are geared quite low so are quite heavy on fuel, loaded or not. A lot have straight 6 gearboxes so are easy to get the hang of, some have a "4 over 4 arrangement and the newer ones obviously autoboxes. The tractors do need quite a bit of maintenance as you have all the bits of a “normal” tractor shoved into a smaller chassis, and at the end of the day, if you buy an ex brewery one, they are selling them for a reason. Same applies for the trailers but they are simple to refurbish, as well as cheap to buy. Tax is cheap, if you run it at 23 tonnes it is £169, we run at 25t so pay £236. At 25t we can carry 12t on an 8.5m trailer. For the work that we do they are ideal but we are a bit odd. 
If you want to ask me any more feel free to PM me, we are in North Wales also. 
However I think a small rigid front & trailer with cross ramps is a better solution, let’s you ditch trailer for really tight access places or if just doing a single motor, I’ve run such set ups for years, makes more sense for me than a mini artic.
iguana:
Spotted this on eBay, could suit?
m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Artic-Ivec … Ciid%253A6
OOo yes, very nice but a bit out of my league if spending in one go. Thanks though, very nice it is
iguana:
However I think a small rigid front & trailer with cross ramps is a better solution, let’s you ditch trailer for really tight access places or if just doing a single motor, I’ve run such set ups for years, makes more sense for me than a mini artic.
Thanks for the advice and yes I can see what you mean. I guess I could purchase a recovery vehicle with crew/passenger cab which would give me my sleeper conversion and it would already have a tilt-n-slide body which could make life easier. I wonder if you could add curtains and roof to an existing tilt-n-slide body? I really want to offer a covered transport service for obvious reasons.
Do you run your trailer on air or overrun brakes and are you running a turntable or close coupled axle trailer? Also, not quite sure what you mean by “cross ramps”.
Thanks again everyone, so much sound knowledge at the end of a keyboard, wonderful.
Cross load= simply ramps at front of trailer flip 'em over & drive onto truck bed, I’ve got a Brian James pdq as per pics in the link, flick through the pics.
brianjames.co.uk/range/range … id=&rid=30
The A frame is strengthened too as puts fair bit of strain on.
You can do the same with an enclosed, just needs opening doors at front naturally!
All my trailers are 3.5t overrun brakes & regular hitch so trucks, 4x4 & van tow compatable, had one enclosed that was 12 & 24v too with double electrics, great trailer just not wide enough for the big supercars so it had to go.
But if you want to run a tilt & slide the crossload setup is not the way, can get a tilt to go to deck of most open trailers, if jockey wheel & winch set up allow, but not an option for a double enclosed.
iguana:
All my trailers are 3.5t overrun brakes & regular hitch so trucks, 4x4 & van tow compatable, had one enclosed that was 12 & 24v too with double electrics, great trailer just not wide enough for the big supercars so it had to go.
I’m not likely to be shifting wide super-cars and if I’m asked in the future I’ll direct then to your good self.
“But if you want to run a tilt & slide the crossload setup is not the way, can get a tilt to go to deck of most open trailers, if jockey wheel & winch set up allow, but not an option for a double enclosed.”
I’m not insisting on tilt and slide but I do already have one made by TVR car transporters (I think they’ve been swallowed up by another company) sitting on a 6-wheel Citroen C25 and thought it could be adapted if I couldn’t find a suitably priced one that is ready made but thinking about it the body is very low and I guess it nay not even touch the ground if attached to a rear wheel drive chassis, especially a 7.5 tonne one. Maybe I’ll sell it and put the cash towards a Brian James. The idea of having trailers that can be towed by my 4x4 is appealing as if my lorry was off the road at least I could limp along with my 4x4 and a trailer for a while.
BTW, I’m liking the Brian James snazzy trailer (thanks for the link). I use Ifor’s trailers currently but not sure they are as good as the Brian James for what I want.
I take it that as your trailers are 3.5 tonne rated you do not have to plate them. Is that correct?
Thanks again
regards