Light board location

match · 21 July 2018, 11:43

Is it illegal to have your light board attached to the a frame instead of been attached to the trailer as it is higher up. Thanks in advance [emoji106]

Pikey Dave · 21 July 2018, 11:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by match

Is it illegal to have your light board attached to the a frame instead of been attached to the trailer as it is higher up. Thanks in advance [emoji106]

Technically yes, but I’ve done it in the past & plenty more do now. I’ve never heard of anyone being pulled.

match · 21 July 2018, 11:53

Thanks for that [emoji106]

Pikey Dave · 21 July 2018, 17:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by match

Thanks for that [emoji106]

On a side note, I've just spent a valuable couple of hours sourcing & fitting these. We're off to Portugal next week via Spain. If your rig exceeds 12m in length, you are required to have these fitted whilst driving on Spanish roads. The irony is, they are illegal in the UK unless you're over 7500kg. I'll be taking my chances with UK plod, but not the

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Spanish.

Orwell boy · 21 July 2018, 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

On a side note, I've just spent a valuable couple of hours sourcing & fitting these. We're off to Portugal next week via Spain. If your rig exceeds 12m in length, you are required to have these fitted whilst driving on Spanish roads. The irony is, they are illegal in the UK unless you're over 7500kg. I'll be taking my chances with UK plod, but not the Attachment 125960Spanish.

can i be dim ,and ask what they are please?

Poly · 21 July 2018, 20:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orwell boy

can i be dim ,and ask what they are please?

they are like the long vehicle markings HGV's have (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-high...hicle-markings)

Poly · 21 July 2018, 20:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Technically yes, but I’ve done it in the past & plenty more do now. I’ve never heard of anyone being pulled.

We discussed this at length a few years ago and I think actually the conclusion was that possibly the belief they were illegal was mistaken.

Pikey Dave · 22 July 2018, 00:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poly

We discussed this at length a few years ago and I think actually the conclusion was that possibly the belief they were illegal was mistaken.

Isn't it all about the height off the ground? All the "modern" type approved trailers have low level lights. Off the top of my head, don't they have to be around 600mm off the ground or thereabouts?

jambo · 22 July 2018, 01:07

I always thought it was about the board being online with the last object on the trailer hence the extending arms for the board. Usually the prop!!

beerbelly · 22 July 2018, 07:32

I thought the lights / number plate had to be fixed to the trailer and not its contents

neil.mccrirrick · 22 July 2018, 09:38

There has to be a facility at manufacture for a light board to be attached if the trailer is towed with no content

beamishken · 22 July 2018, 09:52

Im with beerbelly my understanding was the board was supposed to be attached to the trailer not the load
In reality I'd imagine if it looks right then its unlikely to get a second glance.
Might be a problem if a low sports car runs into your engine and the driver says he couldnt see your board strapped to the top of the 7ft high a frame

gpsguru · 22 July 2018, 13:10

As I understand the rules, it is not illegal on a boat trailer.

You need to look at 2 parts of the C&U regs ..... the laim trailer regs and the single use regs ........ boat trailers are single use regs just like glider trailers etc.

TBH it is a proper minefield, and most plod will just be happy that you have lights ....... however, if you are pulled in a DVSA road side check and you are unlucky enough to be inspected by a trailer IVA specialist then things may be different !

Taking the above in account the height of the light board must not exceed 2.3m

The UK National Trailer & Towing Association is always a top resource for info............

https://ntta.co.uk/safe-legal-towing...-requirements/

breezeblock · 22 July 2018, 19:01

the best place for a light board is in the bin they are shitty things

69cmw · 22 July 2018, 19:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by breezeblock

the best place for a light board is in the bin they are shitty things

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Orwell boy · 22 July 2018, 22:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by beerbelly

I thought the lights / number plate had to be fixed to the trailer and not its contents

What people seem not to realise when you go for a trailer iva test there is no boat on the trailer , it is an empty trailer they are checking ,ie the trailer must comply with the highway rules ,therefore the lights and number plate must be rigidly mounted on the trailer

RichardinNZ · 23 July 2018, 00:53

Down here (New Zealand) you probably see 50:50 lights attached direct to the trailer or a lightboard somehow temporarily attached to the boat. Given that every trailer has to be registered in its own right and tested yearly it is therefore odd that you see so many parked close to slipways with no lights or number plate to be seen. Outboards have to have a 'flag' attached to them too to show that they project beyond the rest of the boat.

Mine has a lightboard but I am keen to have the lights and plate on the trailer to save a few minutes when launching and retrieving. There are dedicated mounts on the end of the trailer but these would be well forward of the back of the engine/boat. I could probably get away with using these if owned anything but a RIB, but the tubes hide these even more. Do people have some good examples of lights fitted to the trailer that they could post?

Thanks