Spare tyre dilemma

[Smirke]

has anyone heard of someone being pulled over and having their van measured to check if it was within legal limits???
Have the dilemma where we want to have the spare on the back, but been told that we are 300mm within the legal length (from axles to the rear/front) at the moment. If we mount the spare on the back it takes us 200mm over the legal limit. Still have yet to take the van in for inspection (been at fix it shop waiting for warrantee items for the last 4 months.....). Will be getting it inspected before tyre gets mounted, obviously, but just wondering if someone has heard of the tape measure being whipped out. Have already got the pulley mounting thing from Carac for an under van mount that we bought when over in Melbourne picking up the van, but decided to go the rear bumper as jayco pranged the van and dented the bumper. (Gave them the choice....new bumper or pay for spare to be mounted). Can't put spare on front as that's where we are mounting the box which will house the engle and BBQ.

 

[SMJ x2]

I read somewhere yesterday,caravanning news online I think, where the cops pulled over a van with the number plate to high.
I will look it up and report back

 

[Drover]

Getting a tape run over your rig can happen but usually by scalies not coppers as they really don't cover that sort of thing, you would have to have something to attract them though I would think.
All my years on the road with log book checks, weighing and measuring never came across a van getting downe, well have seen really big ones towed by small trucks getting a compliance check but they usually looked like they needed it.
Get a second opinion on the lengths, if a dealer advised you it would probably be wrong anyway.

PS: all I can find is a max of 12.5mts.

 

[dagree]

@Smirke Most maximum requirements are based on weight!!!!

There is some mention I saw recently on the WA Dept of Transport page regarding overhang and total legths but from memory they had photo's of box trailers on it.... Will have a look and post the link if I can find it again!

 

[SMJ x2]

A typical recent issue had been the height of registration plates on caravans, he said.

A flabbergasted caravanner copped an unexpected $415 fine after being stopped in NSW and told his caravan's rear number plate was 30cm too high.

This is from the Sept issue of Caravanning online.

 

[dagree]

Safe Towing Bulleting from Dept of Transport WA...

Have a look on page 1 regarding following and stopping on carriageways if over 7.5M and page 6 for projecting loads.
Worth the effort to ask the question of the "Scalies" as @Drover mentioned!

 

[SMJ x2]

just reread OP,its not about number plates at all.Thats what happens when you multi task.

 

[Stevie No Issues]

Recently got done by the local council for parking my van out the front.. The guy got his tape out and measured it at 8.1m... I had the drawbar shortened the next day and I take the spare off the bracket now to get it under 7.5m.. Funny thing is he came back a few times later in the week and fined me again.. Had to fight the fines and prove it was under length to get them withdrawn.. It's been sitting out the front now for the last 2 weeks just to pisss off the neighbour that complained.. Karma is a bitch..

 

[Where to next]

I have a 21.64 and I have just had a new rear bar made up and mounted the spare wheel to it. I had not heard about the legal length reg that @Smirke has referred. Considering I have now got the spare on the rear I thought I better have a look. In Victoria there does not seem to be such a regulation. Just a max. length of 12.5 meters.

Had a look at the WA reg. The area that refers to the reg is under the title 'Projected Loads', which may not apply to a spare wheel as it is not a load items. It would need some more clarification but appears to be within the regs to have the spare wheel on the back.

 

[Smirke]

A typical recent issue had been the height of registration plates on caravans, he said.

A flabbergasted caravanner copped an unexpected $415 fine after being stopped in NSW and told his caravan's rear number plate was 30cm too high.

This is from the Sept issue of Caravanning online.

I do remember reading that when someone posted it, or else I saw it on Facebook.

 

[Smirke]

Recently got done by the local council for parking my van out the front.. The guy got his tape out and measured it at 8.1m... I had the drawbar shortened the next day and I take the spare off the bracket now to get it under 7.5m.. Funny thing is he came back a few times later in the week and fined me again.. Had to fight the fines and prove it was under length to get them withdrawn.. It's been sitting out the front now for the last 2 weeks just to pisss off the neighbour that complained.. Karma is a bitch..

That is something I would do. However, our neighbours are excellent, Infact our whole street is excellent. Our van, when it comes back, sits on our front lawn or what's left of it. I have already pee'ed off the council (esp the mayor), and the premier and minister for transport, and have just started on the PM. I guess one more thing won't really matter.......

 

[Smirke]

Safe Towing Bulleting from Dept of Transport WA...

Have a look on page 1 regarding following and stopping on carriageways if over 7.5M and page 6 for projecting loads.
Worth the effort to ask the question of the "Scalies" as @Drover mentioned!

Thanks @dagree. It's the 2 points under the purple car about the distance from the centre of the axle to the rear being less than 3.7m or the one after it, which is about it being less than from the centre to the front. Thank goodness we got the extended draw bar.......I think.

The problem is because when we picked up the van from the factory, even though it had been licensed and given WA plates (sent over from jayco here) the van hadn't actually been inspected. At least that's what the license papers say.
I mentioned it to the guy who is doing the warrantee work on the van. Luckily he knows a guy who can do it for us so I don't have to take it to any licensing place....phew!

 

[chartrock]

I think the only thing that can affect fitting a spare to the rear bumper is the third dot point below.

Projecting loads
Should projection of the load be required:
• All projecting loads must be made easily visible and be unlikely to cause injury, obstruction or damage.
• The load must not project more than 150mm beyond the trailer's width or to more than 2.5m overall width, whichever is the lesser. (Loads in excess of 2.5m width can only be carried when a permit is issued by Main Roads WA.)
• The distance from the centre of the axle or wheel group to the rear of the load must not exceed 3.7m.
• The distance from the centre of the axle or wheel group to the rear of the load must be equal or less than equal to the distance from the centre of the axle or wheel group to the front of the load.

At night a red lamp should be attached to a projecting load which cannot be easily seen.

I'm not sure on a 21 footer but at 3.7 metres from between wheels to the rear of the spare on the bumper is a pretty big distance and is more than half the 6.8 metres overall of the van where the greater proportion of the length must be forward of the axle.

 

[dagree]

The distance from the centre of the axle or wheel group to the rear of the load must not exceed 3.7m.

True @chartrock 3.7M doesn't leave much room for larger vans... Be interesting to see how people with bike racks etc may be affected also?

 

[Smirke]

Our fix it guy got the tape measure out before calling me. He said at this stage we are 300mm ok, but once the spare goes on we are over by 200 mm. Said he'd still do it....no probs there, but to get it inspected first and then bring it back.

 

[dagree]

Total of 500mm seems a bit much for bracket and wheel. If it wasn't dark I'd go out and take a measurement

 

[Smirke]

Not sure how he's designed it, but I don't think it's a fold down type. We have enough room for it to be rigid.
Something to check on....what it will look like. I just said I wanted it, didn't really care what it looked like.

Think we'll just go for it and hope for the best. Just have to make sure that it's detachable in some way or not a mission to remove it......just in case.

 

[dagree]

It'd be interesting to see if any members of the law or Dept of Transport "Scalies" know the regulations regarding the distance from wheel to rear overhang??

I'm the same as you.... Just go for it and plead ignorance if stopped and checked

 

[Drover]

https://infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/vsb1/vsb_01_b.aspx this is the spot to start from then work back to the state regs, in some cases state may conflict with Federal but overall they should all be compliant, caravans as with other trailers all must comply with a multitude of dimensions which can be a pain to make sure all the boxes are ticked.
Regulations regarding the size and types of vehicles parked in urban areas is a council by law and nothing to do with state or federal law .

Basically max length 12.5 mts, 3.7 mts from axle to rear and tail lights 1.5mts from ground but can be up to 2.5mts in some conditions, so there would be the out if you number plate is up high along with your tail lights.

 

[Drover]

forgot to mention, if you have the plates and papers, carry on regardless your compliance plate is probably wrong as well so it don't matter..

Got pulled up in truck for being over length, it seemed the towing eye on the bull bar put me over by 50mm, I bit my tongue, grabbed wheel bar and unscrewed the dangerous eye bolt, since he wasn't pulling out his pen I then mentioned the 40 odd ton behind the offending eye bolt would worry me more and make a bigger dent........................he just smiled and gave me a copy of weights and measures toilet paper, nice bloke as he didn't give me a ticket for god knows how many hundreds of $$$ and signed my log book.
But the maroon lights on a ute still make me sit up.