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Post by armada on Dec 7, 2006 20:29:20 GMT
On top of all the latest c**p on new lorry regulations, this one really takes the biscuit. I got my copy of Showing World yesterday and read avidly the 'Transport Feature' on page 24. Apparently your vehicle now has to be 'loaded' when tested so that your brakes can be checked correctly, they advise using feed sacks or bales of straw - how many of those are you going to have to use to bring your vehicle up to maximum weight? I will need to check my plating cert, which is in the lorry (legal requirement - tick) to find out my unladen weight. BUT my laden weight is, as many of you know 17 tons!! You lucky people with 7.5 tonners will only have to shift 3 or so tons . It has a covered body on it and a rear ramp, so everything will have to be carried by my good self UP the ramp  :'(. It will have to be distributed evenly throughout the vehicle to ensure that the brakes operate correctly and that no single axle is overloaded). So, in theory if unladen Dolly weighs 10 tons, I have to get 7.5 tons of 'stuff' onto her so that we meet the requirements. I dont believe it, really, I just dont. Some one tell me its an early April fool. |
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Post by dl on Dec 7, 2006 21:55:35 GMT
hasnt this always been the rule! we took my friends box a couple of yours ago we filled a few water butts whilst in the box, when we got to the test centre we then had to explain what we had done because the butts had all leaked. (testers found it amusing) but the box past anyway.
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Post by armada on Dec 7, 2006 22:23:56 GMT
Not to my knowledge, have had boxes tested for 30 + years, hgv and non hgv and never had to do this before.
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Post by Cherrytop & Spicery Stud on Dec 8, 2006 8:12:54 GMT
Sure they normal have weights in
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ness
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Post by ness on Dec 8, 2006 8:56:15 GMT
I am afraid this has always been the case. The load sensor valve cannot be checked unless the vehicle is loaded and as a result the braking will be inefficient. They dont have to be fully loaded to the maximum but enough to kick the load sensor valve in. Livestock carriers are not often loaded but if the vehicle fails its test they CAN ask for it to be done. Its not a new rule. As a lorry driver I have been taking vehicles for test for years and we always load trailers. In fact we load our horseboxes with concrete fence posts!!!!!!
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Post by armada on Dec 8, 2006 10:39:51 GMT
All the vehicles I have taken have been horse or cattle trucks and its complete news to me. And I dont have a handy stack of concreete fence posts!!
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Post by guest 101 on Dec 8, 2006 11:45:26 GMT
On the vosa website it does say that lorries should be loaded up and has said so for the past few years (that I am aware of-only checked a few years ago as that is when we switched from trailering to a lorry) I was rather bemused and just left it empty, our yard owner said she had never loaded hers up so I didn't either. As it happened a brake pipe blew on mine so instant fail and had to be towed home  This year it passed, but on the brake report it said that one of the back brakes was coming up at 2% under pass level due to insufficient load, the tester said it would be well over pass rate when loaded. |
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Post by Philippa on Dec 8, 2006 14:01:53 GMT
As said, this has always been the case however we have never been asked to load any of our vehicles be them 7.5 tonners or HGV's.
Simple answer is - DON'T ASK THE QUESTION - then you can just play dumb. lol
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Post by armada on Dec 8, 2006 18:02:16 GMT
Am I right in thinking the divisions would count as load? Ours has the bar ones (by that I mean they are'nt those that pin into the floor and roof, but to a bar running along the side of the body) with metal grills at the front and they are very heavy and there are four of them. In fact I should imagine they weigh more than the ponies.
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Post by sallyw on Dec 8, 2006 18:09:07 GMT
Good grief what else will this government come up with to hit us poor horse owners. We all rushed about and got passports and yet we have never ever had to produce them - except for Vacs for Royal etc. The lorry regs are now so complicated that even the people building new boxes are not sure. I have had to have some lights fitted along the side of mine for some reason. We have had trouble over our muck heap because our (horrid) neighbours tried to say that we now needed a licence for it. To say nothing of the hunting ban. Lets all vote for the other lot next time!
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123
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Post by 123 on Dec 8, 2006 21:23:52 GMT
i thought the lorry only had to be loaded when tested if there was air suspension on the lorry. I have never had to have my lorry (Ford cargo) loaded when it was tested.
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ness
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Post by ness on Dec 8, 2006 21:46:00 GMT
Ermm its not picking on horsebox owners!!!!! It is part of the HGV MOT and as long as I have been driving wagons it has been!!!!!!! It not new and if you looked into your HGV MOT you would know that! I am sorry but it is your responsiility to know what your MOT entails. You are all obviously adept at the internet so use it to check with VOSA. These are not cars they are commercial vehicles. I am happy at the test being strict. Those are my babies on that wagon.
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Post by Guestless on Dec 8, 2006 21:46:52 GMT
They are supposed to be loaded although we haven't ever loaded ours for its test. Although there is a lot of bureaucracy relating to horseboxes, this is actually a sensible rule - it means your horsboxes brakes are tested properly. They can react an awful lot quicker if there is no load so you may pass your test, but then your brakes don't work efficiently when you have your horses loaded.
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Post by sallyw on Dec 9, 2006 8:24:21 GMT
I do agree with Ness that it is my babies too that are on my lorry and I want above all for it to be safe. However, I think that everyone agrees that the regulations are complicated; new ones are in troduced without explanation and that us horseowners do seem to have had more than their fair share of new rules imposed on THEM. If only someone would give us a simple guide to being a lawful horse owner - the trouble is it would be out of date before it got printed.
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Post by frozzy on Dec 9, 2006 10:03:28 GMT
Our wagon has always been loaded to go for its test with concrete blocks to add a bit of weight. Main Dealer looks after our box and think they probably know the law.
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Post by vroom on Dec 9, 2006 21:37:12 GMT
its always been the case since ive been taking my lorry for its test - and when laden you will actually get a better score on the brake tests. I only know cause when i had mine checked by the garage before its test this year the mechanic took me and lorry to the local bus depot to put on thier brake machine! - The score though good enough was lower than when i took it for the test with straw loaded in back. The extra weight helps with braking.
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:'(. It will have to be distributed evenly throughout the vehicle to ensure that the brakes operate correctly and that no single axle is overloaded). So, in theory if unladen Dolly weighs 10 tons, I have to get 7.5 tons of 'stuff' onto her so that we meet the requirements. I dont believe it, really, I just dont. Some one tell me its an early April fool.
