Swallow Yachts Association
Swallow Yachts Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: Graham W on 27 Jun 2018, 11:53
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Has anyone got any recommendations for breakdown and recovery insurance for car & trailer, where the trailer is a whisker under 8m long? My policy with Breakdown Direct, which is ending soon, seems to be no longer available. Green Flag have a length limit of 7m for trailers. Some of the caravans clogging up the roads seem to be a lot longer than that and I assume that at least some of them have breakdown and recovery insurance.
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Graham
This must be a fairly recent change as I took out a policy with Breakdown Direct in March 2018 without any problem (trailer length they allow is 8m). Cost £53 for the year.
Would be interested in any solutions you find.
David Hall
Lady G BC23 #51
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It might be worth checking what they mean by trailer length. The drivin license requirements are based on the length from the end of the draw bar. The rules about where that ends are different for caravans and other trailers. For boats it's the end of the triangular bit. For caravans the length measurement starts from the front of any storage box, or the solid part of e caravan.. If that is the way they're measuring then you may qualify after all.
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According to the Breakdown Direct website, they “are in the process of arranging new and improved vehicle breakdown solutions for our new customers going forward.” I wonder if you are still covered if you are going backwards? ::)
An interesting point on trailer length. For breakdown lorry purposes (say your axle seizes and the trailer needs transporting) if length is measured from the apex of the triangular bit or perhaps from the tow hitch at the front, where is it measured from at the back? From the back of the trailer or the back of the boat, which has a substantial overhang?
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Anybody got any ideas?
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Graham
Recovery Plus
To cover me for my recent Mylor trip i took out the Green Flag breakdown cover, it covers the car and trailer against mechanical breakdown, i specifically asked the question if the trailer wheel bearing failed (for example) would they get the trailer to a repair site and they said yes. With the cover on one car only (any driver) the premium was 43 pounds for the year. They treat boat trailers the same as caravans from the conversation i had with them. Trailer length i believe restricted to 8 mtrs which just about covers my Bayraider 20 (best check with them before you proceed).
Peter
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Thanks Peter. However, on their website it says “size limits of 7 metres long, 3 metres high and 2.55 metres wide”. And 3.5 tonnes, which ought to be enough! The problem with braked trailers for the BR20 is that they are quite a bit longer than the unbraked version.
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We are with the AA having specifically spoken to them about trailer recovery as the previous company we were with before we brought Escape into the family did not offer suitable trailer cover. I can't remember if I specifically asked about breakdown to the trailer and after waiting 10 mins on the phone to check with them have given up :( .
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I'm covered with Britannia Rescue - include trailers up to 8M in their standard cover. https://www.britanniarescue.com/
Its part of LV who have their own ads https://www.lv.com/breakdown-cover, I don't know what if any the difference is!
I asked Britannia some years ago about wheel bearing failure on a trailer and they said "For example if the trailer has any kind of problem you would be able to call us out."
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Bob, Chris, thank you! My car insurance is with LV=, so from what you say they seem an obvious choice. I’ll give them a call.
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I’ve now insured with LV=/Britannia, who confirmed that a trailer is covered up to 8m long. I’ve measured my BR20 and braked trailer carefully and it’s 7.9m between its furthest extremities. So however length is measured, I’m covered.
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Bob, Chris, Graham, thank you, we are also with LV which is a relief. I can confirm the BRe on a braked trailer is also "7.9m between its furthest extremities".
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I know this problem well from trying to get cover for a BC26. Many recovery services limit the length to 7m. A further problem is that even where length isn't limited, the maximum width may be set to the old legal maximum trailer width of 2.3m. The law changed some years ago - and with a 2.54m beam the BC26 makes the most of the new 2.55m limit - but many recovery companies/insurers, e.g. the AA, have not changed their terms and still specify a limit of 2.3m.
As an aside, I notice that a BC23's beam is just over 2.3m so this width issue theoretically applies to BC23s too although at 2.36m beam you'd have to have a very pedantic recovery driver (and armed with a good tape measure) to fall foul of that limit!
Two services we have found that accommodate the BC26 (unlimited length, up to 2.55m width and weight limit of 3.5T) are RAC Arrival and Green Flag Mayday. I would be interested if anyone else knows of services that cover a BC26 because our renewal is due this month...
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Interesting - Green Flag Mayday web site (today) quotes max length of 7 metres.......
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I called Green Flag today and found out the following:
Green Flag Mayday policies cover any size vehicle or caravan but are only offered to members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club (The Caravan Club to us oldies); membership of this club costs £51 per year.
Normal Green Flag policies only cover towed vehicles up to 2.55 m wide, 3.5 tonnes weight and 7 metres long, excluding "the A frame". Assuming that Riff Raff, Terence (the trailer) fit this rather vague criteria, cover for trailer and car recovery (5 yr old Yeti) was quoted to me for £49.00 pa (roadside assistance, get you home cover).
Seems too good to be true - Skoda are quoting me £90 with no mention of the trailer.
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interesting!
my Bre and trailer have been trucked by green flag, I think I might have told them it's 7m overall, which on reading the above it apparently isn't.
anyhow I'm sticking with green flag as they've been brilliant both times I've needed trailers moved.
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My guess is that the 7m limit comes from the UK towing regulations, which are not particularly clear when it comes to defining a trailer, overhangs etc. A useful extract from www.gov.uk, "Towing with a car of van: the basics" says
"5. Gross weight of towing vehicle and size of trailer
A towing vehicle with GVW of 3500kg or lower is restricted as to the size of trailer it may tow. The trailer can be a maximum of 7m long by 2.55m wide. A heavier vehicle can tow a trailer of maximum 12m long by 2.55m wide. Exceptionally, where the trailer is specially designed to carry long loads (eg one or more boats, gliders), the 7m limit does not apply."
The last sentence is the relevant one.
I actually think that from the trailer defns, that the trailer part of my BC26 is 7m (the extension bars for the lighting board are not fixed structures), although obviously the overall length of boat + trailer is over 8m.
Peter
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I'm covered with Britannia Rescue - include trailers up to 8M in their standard cover. https://www.britanniarescue.com/
Its part of LV who have their own ads https://www.lv.com/breakdown-cover, I don't know what if any the difference is!
I asked Britannia some years ago about wheel bearing failure on a trailer and they said "For example if the trailer has any kind of problem you would be able to call us out."
As my breakdown cover with Green Flag is up for renewal i called LV Brittania Rescue today to get a quote for this year, when i posed the question of trailer and boat recovery for a wheel bearing failure (as an example) the call handler made a comment that in the terms and conditions of the policy they are not responsible for the boat, the recovery vehicle may not be able to load the disabled trailer with the boat loaded, the responsibility for removing the boat is with the policy holder.
It may be worth a call if you have this policy to clarify the situation with LV Brittania.
Peter C
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Peter
Thanks for the heads up.
I have a policy with Britannia rescue and having read the policy document, it makes no mention of not being responsible for the contents of the trailer or items upon it such as a boat.
I have phoned seaking clarification, and they made a very similar statement to the one you have in your post.
I asked where this was written down and hopefully tomorrow they will be able to provide some documentation and clarity.
In the past I have called upon their services when the trailer was incapacitated and they did recover the Bayraider 20 on its trailer on the back of the recovery vehicle.
John
BR20 WindLass
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Graham and others
Leading on from the UK discussion has anyone a recommendation for European breakdown and recovery cover including boats and trailers?
Bill
BR20 Askari
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Bill,
It’s that time of year again, more or less.
I’ve only just seen your question from last year and don’t have an answer. I used to insure through Breakdown Direct but I’m not sure in hindsight that my trailer was properly covered, being longer than the 7m limit. Or maybe they moved the goalposts. Luckily, I never had to use it abroad but they rescued me in Scotland once when a trailer bearing seized.
After a long trailering hiatus, I’m looking at breakdown cover again but only for the UK. I’ve left LV= and am not sure they would cover me any more. From my research, it looks like the only way of getting long trailer cover with no questions asked is to take out membership of one of the two caravan clubs and buy insurance through them. But it’s expensive. Does anyone have any alternative solutions?
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I researched this a couple of years ago and came to the same conclusion as Graham, either join one of the caravan clubs and take out insurance through them or take the risk yourself.
I chose the latter and carried a large jack, big wrench, lump hammer etc and spare bearings. The orginal version of axle on the trailer had two tapered roller bearings on each axle which were pretty easy to remove but the axle was rated at less than the all up weight of the trailer and boat! I upgraded to a more substantial axle and bought a spare bearing set for that - this was a twin bearing assembly with an inner hollow shaft and an outer sleeve - sort of sealed. I imagined it was a press fit onto both the stub axle and the hub. I never tried to remove one but I could imagine that, when seized, it would be an absolute b*gg** to get off. Nonetheless, I carried on taking the risk.
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Gladys (a BR20) on her trailer with the rudder removed is under 6.9M long over-all. Un-mounting the rudder is a minor faff but saves a lot of bother and expense for insurance and ferries. The trailer is an unsophisticated Bramber. Other BR20 trailers may be longer.
Despite fanatically refusing to allow my bearings to ever be immersed in water, sea or fresh, I have needed to replace bearings every five years or so. I've found it costs very little extra to buy complete new hubs with bearings fitted and save the bother of pressing bearing shells into hubs. This may not be the case for braked hubs.
Matthew
Gladys BR20
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I'm with the AA and have their breakdown/home start/relay insurance - or whatever they call it these days.
I've twice broken down when towing a Drascombe Coaster. The first time, it was a blown turbo on the car. They stuck the car on the back of a pick up truck, hitched the trailer on the back, relayed my trailer back to my house and the car on to the local garage. That was about 10 years ago.
The second time, last year, the trailer brakes jammed on the way to the coast. They came out to the lay-by I had reached, mended the brakes and had me in my way within the hour - even followed me several miles down the road to the next services to check their fix had worked.
As the coaster plus trailer is longer than my new BC20, I'm confident they would respond another time. Faultless service - but then it's not cheap!
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My undismantled BR20 on its braked trailer comes in at just under 8m, from end to end. A lot of insurers have a 7m limit, which must be dictated by what their lorries can carry (rather than tow) in the event of catastrophic trailer failure.
When my bearing seized many years ago, neither I nor my rescuer had the correct chisel-type tool and heavy hammer for sorting it out. They had to source a disproportionately large lorry to carry my boat and trailer from Inverness all the way back to Shropshire. It arrived back several days after I did.
It’s quite difficult wading through the sometimes vague limits and exclusions in the breakdown policy documents. I think my 7.95m trailer would only be covered for roadside recovery by Britannia (their maximum length limit is 8m) and by policies taken out as a member of one of the two caravan clubs (no size limits). Everyone else (including as far as I can tell the AA) have a 7m limit and for the RAC, it’s 6.4m. In all cases, the limits are the same or less than the legal limits concerning maximum gross towing weight and trailer width. This is presumably on the grounds that they don’t want to be seen to be supporting anyone who is towing outside the legal limits.
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Graham,
my eventual solution last summer, when searching for European breakdown cover, was to go for the RAC Arrival policy, which included a year's membership of the Caravan Club. The absence of a length stipulation and breadth of the policy were key factors.
This initially looked extremely expensive, but when I rang the RAC a price matching discussion was possible.
I have not yet engaged with what happens when the policy is due for renewal!
Bill
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Bill,
I can see that for overseas trailering, the expensive option is probably the only one in town. For UK only, Britannia/LV= are a lot cheaper and have a length limit on trailers of 8m, including the A frame. My braked trailer is 5cm less than this. Britannia have an overseas option but I suspect that given how close to the limit my trailer is, it would be easy to get into a vigorous discussion with, say, a French breakdown truck driver about what they will and won’t do.
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Graham,
thanks. No overseas plans with Askari this summer so I''ll certainly have a look at LV when renewal comes up.
Bill