Installation of the towing coupling mechanism must be carried out in accordance with traffic regulations and TR TS 018/2011, which will be discussed in more detail below. You also need to find out whether the installed towbar needs to be registered. If the rules are not followed, the driver may be held administratively liable under Art. 12.5 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. The fine for an illegal towbar on a passenger car in 2021 is 500 rubles. The article examines whether the installation of a tow bar relates to structural changes, lists the rules for installing a trailer hitch, and examines the features of notifying the traffic police about work performed, conducting examinations and registration.
What is a towbar
A towbar, or towing device, is a part for attaching a trailer to a car body. It is suitable for towing trailers and trailers, allows you to transport snowmobiles, ATVs, and install bicycle racks.
According to GOST, the tow bar consists of two parts:
- a cross beam that is attached to the car body;
- ball joint on this beam.
Towbars come in three types: removable, conditionally removable and non-removable. Let's look at what situations they are suitable for.
Non-removable. The ball joint is welded to the beam and cannot be removed. This is the most reliable solution for heavy trailers.
Conditionally removable. In such a towbar, the ball is bolted to the beam. It can be removed using tools, the beam will remain in place.
Removable. In such systems, the towbar ball can be installed and removed without tools - simply unscrew the nut with a plastic handle by hand. After this, the towbar on the car will not be visible from the outside.
The towbar is installed under the bumper and connected to the electrics, if it has an outlet. Photo from flickr.com/photos/zieak/
general information
A towbar is a special trailer hitch (tow hitch), the main purpose of which is to securely secure a cargo trailer to a vehicle. At the same time, the legislation in force in the Russian Federation in 2021 precisely regulates the procedure and requirements for the use of such equipment.
For example, this device, in some cases, may be regarded by the legislator as making unauthorized changes to the design of the car. And this, in turn, entails administrative responsibility.
Category of license for a car with a tow bar
The category of rights depends on what kind of trailer the driver plans to attach to the towbar. We wrote about the categories in the article about trailers:
| Car | Trailer weight, kg | Total weight, kg | Category |
| passenger car | up to 750 or vehicle weight | up to 3500 | B |
| from 750 | from 3500 | BE | |
| cargo | up to 750 | — | C, C1 |
| from 750 | — | C.E. | |
| from 750 | up to 12,000 | C1E | |
| bus | up to 750 | — | D, D1 |
| from 750 | — | DE | |
| from 750 | up to 12,000 | D1E |
What documents are needed for a tow bar?
There is no need to register the towbar if you are installing the device on a vehicle for which it is intended. This can be checked in the model's instruction manual.
The work must be performed at a certified center - a dealer or service station. Then three documents will be enough:
- towbar passport with installation mark;
- copy of the certificate of conformity for the tow bar. It must be certified by a store or service center;
- sales receipts or invoices.
The driver is not required to register the towbar if he can present these documents to the traffic police inspector. This is stated in clause 77 of technical regulation 018/2011.
How to avoid a fine
Traffic rules regulate traffic police fines for driving with a towbar. Traffic police officers have the right to fine if a homemade or purchased part protrudes beyond the bumper, does not have the appropriate documentation, or covers the license plate.
To avoid a fine for a towbar, the traffic police must provide documentation confirming that the installed part of the folding removable type is registered with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, or installed at the factory that produced the car. In this case, the police officer will not be able to fine the driver.
The owner may be fined for making changes to the design of the car. To avoid this unpleasant fate, you will need to register additional devices. Previously, before changes were made to the traffic rules, any alteration of a car was punishable by the authorized withdrawal of funds. However, the new law has become more lenient on the installation of additional devices; it is important that they meet safety requirements.
There are four situations in which a fine issued for placing a tow bar is considered illegal if it is appealed:
- according to the provisions of Article 12.5 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses, traffic police inspectors have the right to issue the driver a warning instead of a fine if the owner of the car reports that he will correct the identified violation as soon as possible;
- establishing a removable type design - the presence of such a device will not allow proving that it affects the factory external characteristics of the vehicle;
- the tow bar was placed on the vehicle by the manufacturer;
- The driver has certificates confirming that the device used complies with all standards.
A device intended for towing other vehicles or transporting trailers and trailers must be secured to the machine in accordance with all legal provisions. Otherwise, the car owner may be fined. The size of the monetary sanction varies from five hundred rubles to five thousand, depending on the degree of potential danger that the mechanism may pose. Therefore, the car owner needs to carry documents confirming the legality of installing the unit on the vehicle.
What is the fine for a tow bar without documents?
For a homemade tow bar. A homemade towbar that is not designed for a specific model is dangerous for the motorist and other road users. If the inspector decides to check the towbar and does not find the necessary documents, he will impose a fine of 500 rubles under Part 1 of Art. 12.5 Code of Administrative Offences.
If you manage to convince the inspector that you will correct the violation in the near future, you can get off with a warning.
For a faulty tow bar. For a non-functioning coupling device, you will be fined under Part 2 of the same article of the Code of Administrative Offences.
The fine is the same - 500 rubles. In this case, the inspector has the right to send the car to the impound lot.
Why install a towbar?
In most cases, a towbar is installed for towing trailers, trailers and vehicles whose weight does not exceed 3.5 tons. Thanks to this installation, it is possible to evenly distribute the load formed under the influence of inertia and weight.
Typical versions of this mechanism are quite simple and represent a spherical frame structure, which is securely fixed on a metal curved protrusion.
At the same time, today, depending on the load installed on the devices, towbars are divided into 3 types :
- From 2,500 to 3,500 kilograms;
- from 1,500 to 2,500 kilograms;
- and up to 1,500 kilograms.
The design of special-purpose towbars, as a rule, is a strong bracket with a ring-shaped loop placed in it. This device is located on the trailer drawbar. The actual fastening of the entire towbar structure is provided by a metal pin threaded through the ring in the bracket.
Expert opinion
Oleg Ustinov
Practicing lawyer, author of the website “Legal Ambulance”, one of the co-founders of the “Our Future” foundation.
Today in the Russian Federation GOST-28248-89 has been established, corresponding to the international standard called ISO 1103-76, which regulates the permissible dimensions of a ball-type trailer hitch, as well as the procedure for applying the appropriate identification marks to it and the actual parameters of the coupling. This document is applicable to most types of trailers (up to 3,500 kilograms), except for special ones.
In addition, the device in question is divided by type of installation into :
- Flanged or conditionally removable, requiring a special platform on which they are fastened with bolts. This type of towbar can be removed by the driver if necessary.
- Removable . This is perhaps the most common type of device, equipped with a special latch for quick release of the hook. In 2021, such towbars are quite often included in the package of SUVs, as well as pickups.
- Fixed , which are completely welded structures and are initially a structural element of the vehicle bumper.
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How to legalize a towbar
If the car model does not provide a towbar or you use a device without a certificate, this will be considered a change in the design of the car, that is, tuning. The towbar will have to be registered and a note about this will have to be included in the vehicle registration certificate (VRC). To do this, follow the steps.
Select a laboratory. We talked in detail about how to do this in the article about auto tuning.
Get a conclusion from the laboratory. Send your application to the laboratory and, if everything is in order, you will be given a conclusion.
Coordinate changes with the traffic police. Submit the laboratory report along with the application to the technical supervision department of the State Traffic Inspectorate.
Install the tow bar. You can do this yourself; there is no need to contact an authorized service.
Obtain a protocol from the laboratory. Employees will compare the planned changes with what happened.
Receive a certificate of design conformity and an examination report. To do this, submit the following documents to the traffic police:
- statement,
- citizen's passport,
- STS and vehicle passport,
- declaration statement from the work manufacturer,
- copies of certificates of conformity for the tow bar,
- receipt of payment of state duty - 800 rubles.
Contact the registration department of the traffic police. There you will be marked in the STS and PTS.
Towbar registration procedure
In cases where the towbar is not provided for in the technical documentation for the vehicle, registration of the trailer hitch is mandatory! All details of the installation of the trailer hitch, as we mentioned earlier, are regulated by the current legislation of the Russian Federation, namely, technical regulations dated January 1, 2015 TR TS 018/2011, also known as the regulation “On the Safety of Wheeled Vehicles”, according to the standards of which - to install a tow bar on most modern models of passenger cars, the car owner does not need to register these changes with the traffic police.
The authors of the website “Legal Ambulance” strongly recommend that their readers install the tow bar only in authorized centers that retain the warranty of the official dealer of the model. In addition, be sure to save the receipt for payment for services!
It is worth noting that even if the possibility of equipping a trailer hitch is provided by the vehicle manufacturer, the vehicle owner must check the availability of the mechanism itself in the spare parts catalog, in which it must be present under the corresponding number.
About problems with the law
In case of non-compliance with the above rules and regulations established by the legislator, the installation of a tow bar may be regarded by representatives of the law as an unregistered design change to the car.
Every owner of a passenger car can learn about the possibility of installing a trailer hitch on their vehicle by studying its operating manual, which in 2021 can be found on the automaker’s website.
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In addition, you can use your car’s VIN number as a data source. The plate contains 4 maximum permissible weight options. If only 3 values are indicated on it, then the trailer hitch is not provided!
Example:
- load on both axles;
- road trains;
- the car itself;
If, as a result of inspecting the car and studying the documentation for it, it turns out that registration of the towbar in 2021 is mandatory for you, you should follow these steps:
- undergo a qualified examination before and after installation;
- receive the appropriate safety certificate;
- personally visit the traffic police, where officers will inspect the car and check all available papers;
- receive a PTS, as well as a technical certificate with a towbar included in it.
Remember
- A towbar is a coupling hook under the body; it can be removable or non-removable.
- To drive a car with a tow bar and a trailer up to 750 kg, a category B license is sufficient.
- If your vehicle model has a towbar, install the device at a certified center. No registration required.
- The fine for a homemade or faulty towbar is 500 rubles. The inspector has the right to send the car to the impound lot.
- If a tow bar is not provided for your car, be prepared to pay an accredited laboratory and go to the traffic police. After this, you will be given notes about the tow bar in the STS and PTS.
All articles by the author: Ilya Novikov
What is a towbar and when can it be installed?
A towbar is considered a special towing device for a vehicle, which is necessary for towing trailers and various trailer designs.
This device contains several main parts, some of which are:
- Crossbar. This part of the towbar is installed in special holes, which are unique in their basic location for any vehicle, namely: specialized holes made in the car body or on the frame.
- Ball joint. This towbar element is installed to the vehicle beam.
A tow bar is used by people who transport relatively small loads or who often use their vehicle for long trips.
Many vehicle owners install a towbar as a protection device. For example, in the event of a possible accident, it is the towbar that will take on the greater impact force. But, this is a mistake and it is necessary to remove the towbar when it is not used for its intended purpose.
