1986 BX19 TRS Estate - Be quick or its off to the breakers

[rutter123]

2.1t/d engine/box would fit? mmm...thinks...but just cant swallow the transport costs, and wouldnt want to tow it (trailer add bx estate 1700kg) tho the tzdt would pull it i dont think mr traffic cop or mr vosa would approve, A- frame is another option providing the the suspension system is ok, plus 270 mile round trip. could be a costly venture.

[saintjamesy89]

What are the legalities for towing? Would my TXD turbo 'legally' be allowed to tow it on a car trailer?

[Mothman]

The legal towing weight should be in your vehicle hand book Tom.
The TZD would tow it but including the trailer weight you would be over the legal limit and if you got a pull from old bill they would throw the book at you. However, if you could borrow a 4x4 with a towball then ime sure it would not be a problem.
Anyway, the guy has been hanging on to it for years, wonder why he cant wait a couple of months more then Tim can get at it?

Andy

[citsncycles]

As he's mentioned in an earlier post it's been tucked up in the garage nice and cosy because the wife couldn't bear to part with it. Now the garage is needed for other things and it's taking up space on the driveway so needs to go. He's willing to keep it a little past the original deadline of (IIRC) Wednesday if there's real interest (which there seems to be), but understandably as it's in the way he's thinking days rather than weeks.

The best bet for shifting something like this if you don't have your own facilities (or they're off the road ) is someone like this outfit:

http://www.transporterhire.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I hired one of their trucks to shift my Series 1, cost for the day was around £90 IIRC plus the fuel, which was almost certainly cheaper than paying someone else to do it. For this I got a Merc. transporter with winch, straps and full insurance (there may be an additional charge if you are under 21, but I can't remember), and got comprehensive instruction on how everything worked beforehand. They seem to have trucks dotted round the country (the one I used was based near Radstock). I have no connection to this firm, but would use them again myself.

[mds141]

What are the legalities for towing? Would my TXD turbo 'legally' be allowed to tow it on a car trailer?

Technically speaking Tom your licence won't be valid. After January '97 the categories changed. ie 7.5 tonne entitlement was removed and a B+E category was added. IIRC if towing anything over 750 kg you will need to sit a further test to enable you to have B+E entitlement. It's essentially the same test as a class 1 HGV!!

[citsncycles]

, unless you're an old git like me, although good luck trying to get a driving job without taking the test these days! Thinking about it, even some of these transporters for hire may be over the limit for you young uns as I think you may be restricted to 3tGVW!

[Tim Leech]

I have a man with a trailer (a very close friend) who will happily collect it for me for the price of the fuel, BUT the car he will use to tow it with will be a V8 Cayenne Diesel at 25mpg, which will be 15 gallons round trip which is £100, just depends on how much it would cost the likes of shiply to transport it.

Also depends on the cost of the car aswell, I cant do anything for a few weeks down to work commitments.

[saintjamesy89]

Thanks guys, I know I couldn't tow it. I was more thinking Tim could, in my TXD (as it has the towbay and electric paraphanelia). But as you say, trailer+car on tgrailer would be over the BX's towing weight (which I think is 1400kg?).

I have a friend with a trailer, and steve's uncle is retired and has a dico 3 TDV6 so I could retrieve it for next to nothing

[Dollywobbler]

BX towing weight is 1100kg, but that goes way beyond the recommended (I think) 80% of the towing vehicle weight. The problem these days is that car trailers are plated for more than a BX can tow, so if you got pulled by the Police, they could book you even if the actual weight of the trailer is within the limits. I presume this was done because the practicalities of actually taking a car trailer to a weighbridge to satisfy the curiosity of a police officer are not very good. In short, unless you've got a big 4x4 or a van, forget about it.

Even if you can get a trailer/beavertail, the fact that it's not-running would make collection tricky as you can't raise the suspension.

[Mothman]

I was very lucky when i towed Mollie home in that she started[just the once then stalled] and that the rear suspension is on 3 blocks of wood each side so straps could easily be put around the rear wheels.
However, Tim, ime sure it could be done in a day in you either go Mike's way or hire a trailer. I got one local to me off ebay and it only cost me 39 quid. OK, i had to give 200 quid as a bond against accident damage but got that back. Lucky i have a good towing vehicle. Mind you, 100 quid to get the motor isnt a bad deal, especially if its so rare.
I musnt will not shant be tempted!!!

Andy

[citsncycles]

I have a friend with a trailer, and steve's uncle is retired and has a dico 3 TDV6 so I could retrieve it for next to nothing
Thanks guys, I know I couldn't tow it. I was more thinking Tim could, in my TXD (as it has the towbay and electric paraphanelia). But as you say, trailer+car on tgrailer would be over the BX's towing weight (which I think is 1400kg?).

I have a friend with a trailer, and steve's uncle is retired and has a dico 3 TDV6 so I could retrieve it for next to nothing

That'd handle the weight!

The problem these days is that car trailers are plated for more than a BX can tow, so if you got pulled by the Police, they could book you even if the actual weight of the trailer is within the limits. I presume this was done because the practicalities of actually taking a car trailer to a weighbridge to satisfy the curiosity of a police officer are not very good. In short, unless you've got a big 4x4 or a van, forget about it.

The one I borrowed to shift Ripley the 2CV last week has quite a low carrying capacity, even if you can decifer what's still visible on the plate - Plod wasn't worried when he had to flag me down to say the road ahead was closed anyway!
My own trailer is technically too big (2t gross weight), but it predates the need for a plate so they'd have to take me to a bridge to weigh it. We occasionally get them bring a vehicle into work off the motorway (we're less than a mile from the junction), and they once brought in a Rover 800 series towing a large flat bed trailer with a LWB high top campervan on it. Turned out the engine for the van was in the boot, overloading the car on it's own, and the van on the trailer weighed in at over 4t!

Even if you can get a trailer/beavertail, the fact that it's not-running would make collection tricky as you can't raise the suspension.

Ah, now I've done this before - you need plenty of blocks to both lift the end of the ramps and effectively extend them. If you are using a trailer then you also want a jack to support the rear after you've lifted the front as much as possible. It's a PITA but doable. Depending on the pump location on this particular engine, I've heard of people connecting them to a cordless drill to get some pressure going, alternatively pull the spark plugs and tow it up and down the road until it's pressurised!

[Dollywobbler]

Ha! I like the tow-pump technique! Not saying it can't be done, just that you need to plan for all this. When I collected Timex, it was low on LHM and I couldn't get it off the car trailer!

[citsncycles]

A mate in the trade told me about the towing technique - in the days before his business could stretch to a recovery truck (or even a trailer for that matter) he used to recover broken down Citroens this way.

[saintjamesy89]

I think this trailer has ramps that fold down so you can drive up them, it's a two track (for the tyres) two axle car transporter. So I would have thought it could be towed/pulled up the ramps (think it has a hand winch too).

I was hoping with a good battery and some fresh petrol that it'd start, the GT did after a similar lay up period (4 years less). It's up to the seller now and what he replies with, and what Tim wants to do. But we'll get this one saved one way or another.

[Caffiend]

But we'll get this one saved one way or another.

- excellent news both of you, will look forward to updates