car transporter self-drive hire in herts/beds/cambs?

[humbucker]

hey all

anyone know of a car transporter (like the one below) for hire/self drive in the herts/beds/cambs region? the nearest i can find an available one is in north east london and i could really do with something closer to home. ive exhausted google searches but thought maybe you guys would know someone who has one?

suitable car trailers are readily available but i have no tow bar and dont know anyone that has.

your help gratefully appreciated, ideally looking to use it one day next week.

ta

[MarkW]

If it's easier, PM Spinbitch, he has a car trailer, not sure if he can help?

[humbucker]

thanks mark, just dropped him a line. worst case scenario is drop into london and get the truck, its just adding an awful lot more time to my journey there and back is all. im so surprised NOWHERE has one of these things available. found a place in luton and they had a two month waiting list! found a place in st albans but theyre definition of a 'day' hire left a lot to be desired. bah!

[Spicy-McHaggis]

yeah its rediculous, there is a website i think called shiply not 100% u can get a quote on companies who will ship the car to you, works like ebay! they all bid for ur bussiness by giving u the best quote out there! i got quoted £80 for transportation of a GTE Astra a while ago and distance was like 120miles,

www.shipleytransport.co.uk

[Drizz]

Because most of them trucks are illegal so they cant really be rented out....

[humbucker]

might have a solution, brother in law has a jeep with a towbar and says he can get his hands on a car trailer, hopefully it will be big enough...

could a swb transit with a tow bar pull a trailer with a car on it? i thought it would but others seem to have their doubts. just wondering how feasible it might be to pull a trailer with a hire van fitted with a towbar.

[MarkW]

Should pull it OK, insurance might be an issue, the hire insurance will ony cover the van not the trailer I would have thought.

[humbucker]

yeah i think that will be the case tbh, just looking at different options atm

[fugley]

www..transporterhire.co.uk has a place in Corby

[humbucker]

thanks fugley. i ended up hiring a trailer from GT Towing in welham green in the end and borrowed a jeep cherokee with a tow bar attached. 65 quid for the trailer for effectively two days, not too bad really.

[humbucker]

oh and turns out that because i was towing an omega the weight and length would have been too big for a regular car transporter anyway and i'd have needed a larger 7.5 tonne jobbie. bah.

[fugley]

yeah its rediculous, there is a website i think called shiply not 100% u can get a quote on companies who will ship the car to you, works like ebay! they all bid for ur bussiness by giving u the best quote out there! i got quoted £80 for transportation of a GTE Astra a while ago and distance was like 120miles,

Shipley Transport Services, UK - Road Haulage Bradford, Next Day Pallet Delivery, Warehousing and Shipping

Pal of mine has just had a car disappear. Got someone through Shiply and it turns out that the checks Shiply do on the carriers are virtually zero they sent a letter to a Mailbox place and now the guy cannot be traced. Shiply say it is not their problem as it is the customer's responsibility to check the bona fides of the transporter company.

Shiply do not give a toss they just take a deposit from you as a "booking fee" and they say they have NO responsibility for anything that happens with your car!!

Also we have also found out that many of those who bid to move cars do not have proper insurance -so if they wreck your car your vehicle is not insured.

For car transporter hire self drive rental there is Car Transporter Hire Self Drive OR With a Driver - reasonable rates witha number of locations -downside is that the max load is 1.5t.

[humbucker]

bit of an update on this for the benefit of anyone else interested in finding a similar service in our part of the country...

(copied from the post i put up at Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3 Owners Club)

After a recent house move I was on the lookout for a reliable, experienced and INSURED car transportation service to get some of the motors from the old place to the new place.

I was fortunate enough to hire the services of Robin Hunter. He can collect/deliver your car anywhere in the UK, ideal for moves or if you're buying a new car and need someone to collect and deliver it for you.

Robin offers very competitive rates and a great service with both a flat bed transporter and 4x4 trailer services available for your car (weight dependent). Robin is also happy to store your car for you until you're ready to have it delivered. As he explains:

"We can offer house movers this special deal. We can collect your car(s) say two weeks prior to your moving date, store them in our barn and then deliver them to your new home two weeks after your move is completed. This four week storage will be free but a small charge will have to be made if you require longer, insurance for this storage period will be your own responsibility."

I was very impressed and accompanied him on two of the three jobs he did for me so can vouch for his care and consideration when it comes to dealing with your car.

This is a proper transportation service, not some guy winging it with an uninsured transit and trailer. Robin has vast experience and will accomodate collection/delivery in Europe as well as anywhere in the UK. I am more than happy to recommend him to club members.

Hopefully you will consider him if you are looking to move vehicles about. Tell him I sent you:

Robin Hunter Car Transportation Services

Telephone 01945 420313
Mobile 0775 909 2687

Website: Hunters Car Transportation Services - Specialist in vintage classic car, motorcycle and automobilia transportation

Hope that's of help to you guys. Tell him I sent you

[fugley]

Just a reminder if you are towing - make sure your licence covers you.

Pal of mine hired a trailer and was happily towing it behind his Range rover and got pulled into the weigh station on the A23 in sussex.

First of all he was cross examined of whether he was in the trade (if he was he would have needed a tacho)

Then they weighed the car and trailer the weights were car 2100kgs and the trailer 695kgs. The car he was going to pick up weighed 1200kgs. The VOSA people were kind enough to tell him that had they pulled him with the load on board he would probably been fined around £300 plus points possibly more! (Apparently they can actually charge you with not only driving without the right licence but what you are towing invalidates your insurance and therefore get done for no insurance!)

The max weight of car + trailer + load +driver he could legally use (he has a standard car licence) is 3500 kgs so his max load would have carried is only around 620kgs.

When he suggested to the trailer hire company that it would be helpful if they would warn uninformed clients of the law. He was basically told that it would hurt their business so it was up to the customer to take their chances.

So, if you did not pass your test before 1/1/97 or have a standard car licence be very wary what you hitch up and tow.