Problems towing with an A-frame???

I spose i have been lucky so far with fwd cars, not had them do that and I have towed a lot! With the SB cars they full lock as soon as you pull away. It's damn irritating when your in Brighton wanting to tow a car to Essex

The real annoying thing is that a friend tows an SJ410 with one and doesn't have a problem! Mr Ackerman has a lot to answer for!!!

Hi I don't tow myself so might be useless but with you having problems on different cars could it be a fault with the wishbones/ rubbers / ball joints on the cars in question rather than the apparatus.

^ wise words about the law, last time I checked you were ok to A-frame as far as you wanted to a place of safety but things might have changed.

We A-framed the Hunter - with SB & a very worn suspension bush - many miles with no problems when I bought it.
Not sure anything would swing left&right, most cars have a built-in self-centering geometry.

Thank you for the heads up regarding the changes in laws, very interesting read. Might have to up-date with a breaking system!
Thinking about it could it just be the fact that there was excessive toe-out? Just noticed both inner edges on the front tyres on the towed vehicle are heavily worn, just a thought...

I was thinking about trying a different location point but its not easy on an E28. Could it be because the "pulling point" is in front of the centre line of the front axle??? When set up on other vehicles it sits nicely at the rear of the wishbones, behind the centre line. Sounds stupid but only thing I can think of at this point of an evening.

Scratch that, have seen plenty of motor homes pulling cars towed from the very front with adapters on the bumpers. Irritating!

A few vehicles will not tow with an A frame.

They steer counter intuitively , going onto full lock at the first opportunity. A real pain.

The only answer I have found ,in those circumstances, is to ratchet strap the steering straight.

It will then tow fine in a straight line, but turning, at a junction , or a roundabout, is a real hassle, with mucho squealing and oversteer.

Doable though. I've pulled big old lumps from all over Europe using strapped steering. Just go VERY slowly.

Thanks for your input people.

I thought about strapping the steering straight but the idea of having to tow at 56mph (to keep up with hgv's) on two different motorways, in the rain, with a trailer that wants to push you straight all the time kinda scary. Luckily my mate said he would help me tow it back with a ridged bar next weekend, several pints will be exchanged as payment!

Never had this before? Did try and a-frame an MGF on the weekend, but the arms wouldn't clear the frame under the spare wheel section.

It says on VOSA website that any car on an aframe is classed as a trailer.

Thread from the dead bump for this one.

Now I have used A frames (irrespective of legality) for many, many miles, and many different old shonkers, but had a right weird one this morning. A couple of young lads came into work last night asking me to help them move an old bmw. Turns out they scored an e34 525i for PENNIES. Dragged it on a strap no problems, but hitched it to the a frame this morning, and when you turn right, the e34 does a hard left!

Very weird indeed.

I'm going to have another bash later, by hooking the a frame around the back of the wishbones rather than the front (they are like a boomerang shape), but anyone experienced anything like this before? Its a non runner btw, and a steering box

Kfw