Why does a GAZelle with a trailer allow you to earn more than two GAZelles?

Good afternoon, dear reader.

In most cases, passenger cars are operated without trailers. Therefore, car owners who only occasionally transport cargo on a trailer eventually forget the points of the traffic rules governing movement with a trailer.

This article discusses traffic regulations related to towing trailers:

• What is a trailer?
• Categories of driving license for transporting a trailer.
• Documents for transporting a trailer.
• MTPL insurance for trailer.
• Speed ​​of a vehicle with a trailer.
• Sign: Driving with a trailer is prohibited.
• Transporting people in a trailer.
• Lighting devices on the trailer.
• Road train lamp when towing a trailer.
• Is it possible to transport several trailers at the same time?

What is a trailer?

The concept of “trailer” is discussed in paragraph 1.2 of the traffic rules:

“Trailer” is a vehicle that is not equipped with an engine and is intended to be driven in conjunction with a power-driven vehicle. The term also applies to semi-trailers and trailers.

Please note that from the point of view of traffic regulations, a trailer is a vehicle .

For example, this means that a collision between a trailer and an object constitutes a traffic accident.

A car together with a trailer is called a road train:

“Road train” is a mechanical vehicle coupled to a trailer(s).

This concept can be applied to both trucks and cars with trailers.

Prices

You can currently buy a GAZelle-3302 model truck with an 8.5 m semi-trailer that has not yet been used for 1,000,000 rubles or more.

For an isothermal van you will have to pay about 1,500,000 rubles, the cost of a refrigerator will already be 2,500,000 rubles.

But a car with serial number 2409, produced in 2005 and with a mileage of 110,000 km, already costs 550,000 rubles. The price for new cars of the GAZelle-Next family starts from 740,000 rubles.

Driving license categories for transporting a trailer

Let's look at the driver's license categories that allow you to tow a trailer:

Note. The table is compiled on the basis of Article 25 of the Federal Law “On Road Safety”.

Thus, a trailer with a permissible weight of 750 kg or less can be attached to absolutely any vehicle and this will not require an additional category.

As for category B, in some cases it allows you to “drag” heavier trailers:

For example, the permissible maximum vehicle weight is 2,000 kg, the vehicle's unladen weight is 1,500 kg. In this case, you can add a trailer with a permissible weight of up to 1,500 kg to the car and no additional category will be required.

Driver's license categories

If you want to transport heavier trailers, you should undergo training and pass exams for category E:

• theory;
• autodrome (4 exercises);
• city.

Note. The theoretical exam is taken using the same set of tickets as the exam for the main category. For example, for category CE the CD set is used, for BE - ABM.

ABM TicketsCD Tickets

How to open a new category?

Important Connection Features

To connect a trailer for a GAZelle, experts recommend using stranded copper wire with double insulation. Its cross-section should not be less than 1.5 mm2, although an excessive margin will not be beneficial. The exception is the ground wire, which provides a negative contact. Therefore it should have a cross-section of 2.5 mm2.

After the trailer for the GAZelle is connected, you must:

• check the performance of lighting equipment;
• protect the socket elements from moisture by using graphite lubricant, which slows down the oxidation process of contacts.

If you have any doubts that you can connect everything yourself, then you should contact professionals who will do this work quickly and correctly. As a rule, this can be done in the same place where you decided to buy a light trailer for a GAZelle.

Below is a video on how to properly connect a trailer socket.

Documents when transporting a trailer

Clause 2.1 of the traffic rules:

2.1. The driver of a motor vehicle is obliged to:

2.1.1. Carry with you and, at the request of police officers, hand over to them for verification:

• registration documents for this vehicle (except for mopeds), and if there is a trailer, also for the trailer (except for trailers for mopeds);

That is, in addition to documents for the car, the driver must have with him a trailer registration certificate .

Naturally, the trailer itself must have numbers (registration plates):

2. On motor vehicles (except for mopeds, trams and trolleybuses) and trailers, registration plates of the appropriate type must be installed in the places provided for this purpose, and on cars and buses, in addition, a license card must be placed in the lower right corner of the windshield in prescribed cases.

MTPL insurance for trailer

Article 4 of the Federal Law “On Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance” says the following:

3. The obligation to insure civil liability does not apply to owners of:

e) trailers for passenger cars belonging to citizens;

That is, for a personal trailer for a passenger car, registration of compulsory motor liability insurance is not required .

However, in all other cases, trailer insurance must be taken out. In 2022, a separate trailer policy will not be issued. Information about the use of a trailer is entered into the car insurance (check the box). However, the cost of insurance if you have a trailer can increase by up to 40 percent, although for some trailers it remains unchanged.

You can calculate the cost of a policy for using a trailer using the following calculator:

OSAGO calculator

Speed ​​of vehicle with trailer

The traffic rules set speed limits only for passenger cars with a trailer :

• 90 km/h - on the motorway.
• 70 km/h - outside the populated area.
• 60 km/h - in a populated area.
• 20 km/h - in residential areas, bicycle areas and courtyard areas.

Please note that we are talking about the type of vehicle (passenger car), and not the category of vehicle (B).

For example, if a small truck (Gazelle) is traveling with a trailer, then these restrictions do not apply to it. That is, a Gazelle with a trailer can travel 110 km/h on the highway and 90 km/h outside the city.

The same applies to small pickup trucks, which often resemble cars in appearance.

That is, restrictions exist only for passenger cars. Other types of vehicles (trucks, buses) can travel at the same speed with a trailer as without a trailer.

Description and scope of application

The reason for the active integration of GAZelles with semi-trailers not only in intracity, but also in long-distance transportation is their reliability, endurance, as well as an impressive working life and increased vehicle comfort.

The described type of machines is widely used for transporting various cargoes - from construction materials to manufactured goods and food products - from warehouses to retail outlets.

Such tractors are in great demand in construction, agricultural, industrial and many other areas.

Another important advantage of the described technology is that a category B license is suitable for driving it.

That is, having all the characteristics of a cargo vehicle, this vehicle remains, in fact, a passenger car, which has much more opportunities for unhindered driving within the city than heavy trucks.

A GAZelle with a semi-trailer is an ideal option for both personal use and commercial purposes.

Its efficiency, coupled with high maintainability, makes this machine the most popular type of this category of equipment in the segment under consideration.

The main advantage of the described technology is the ability to transport bulky, but not very heavy, long cargo both within the city and on long trips

These machines are optimal for transporting PVC pipes, rolled building materials (insulation materials), wood products, large assembled furniture, etc.

Do you know which tasks are common when dismantling Schmitz semi-trailers? This review examines the grounding device for tank trucks UZA-2MK 06.

The far-sighted decision of GAZ technologists to create a light-duty truck to work specifically with this type of cargo made it possible to fill the once empty segment of the Russian automobile market.

To accurately understand the design features of tractors with semi-trailers based on GAZelle, one should consider the technical characteristics of the mentioned type of vehicle in more detail.

No trailer driving sign

The traffic rules include a sign that prohibits driving with a trailer:

3.7 "Driving with a trailer is prohibited." It is prohibited to drive trucks and tractors with trailers of any type, as well as tow motor vehicles.

Please note that in this case we are also talking about the type of vehicle (truck or tractor), and not the category of the vehicle.

That is, this sign prohibits movement:

• Any trucks (categories B, C) with trailers.
• Any tractors with trailers.
• Towing of motor vehicles.

The sign does not prohibit the movement of cars or buses with trailers.

Transporting people in a trailer

Paragraph 22.8 of the traffic rules:

22.8. It is prohibited to transport people:

• outside the cabin of a car (except for cases of transportation of people in the back of a truck with a flatbed or in a van), tractor, other self-propelled vehicles, on a cargo trailer, in a caravan trailer, in the back of a cargo motorcycle and outside the seating areas provided for by the design of the motorcycle;

That is, transporting people in a cargo trailer is prohibited .

Other Important Aspects

When choosing trailers for GAZelle, you should pay attention to the following components and structural elements:

• Suspension type. The basic unit, which affects the life of the tow hitch and the safety of the cargo. It’s good if an air suspension is installed, although for models with a small load capacity, a rubber-harness option is quite suitable.
• Brake system. It can be inertial or pneumohydraulic, suitable for heavy GAZelle trailers.
• Drawbar shape. Preference should be given to a “V” shaped design. A straight drawbar is suitable only for solving the simplest tasks and indicates special savings for the manufacturing company.
• Tent or van. Which option to choose is up to the owner to decide. Most often there are GAZelle trailers with awnings. They are cheaper and can easily be converted into an on-board version, which allows you to load goods from above. It is advisable to use a van for the delivery of goods that require reliable protection from external factors. Installing refrigeration equipment allows you to turn it into a refrigerator for the delivery of perishable products, including fish, meat, semi-finished products, etc.

We hope that the tips from this article will help you choose and buy a trailer profitably in Nizhny Novgorod, increasing the profitability of transportation with a GAZelle.

Trailer lights

Paragraph 19.1 of the traffic rules:

19.1. In the dark and in conditions of insufficient visibility, regardless of the road lighting, as well as in tunnels, the following lighting devices must be turned on on a moving vehicle:

• on trailers and towed motor vehicles - side lights.

The side lights on a trailer must be turned on in the following cases:

• in the dark;
• in conditions of poor visibility;
• in the tunnels.

Procedure

To connect a trailer for a GAZelle, you need a special seven-pin connector, which can be purchased at any specialized store. Its main elements are:

• Fork. Its installation is not difficult if the connection is made in accordance with the instructions developed by the connector manufacturers.
• Socket. To install it on the tow bar, there is a platform with holes for fastening.

Connecting a trailer for a GAZelle begins with the installation of a towbar connector, which is performed in the following order:

• The negative cable is disconnected from the battery.
• In the rear wheel arches there are distribution blocks that go to the rear lights of the car.
• I pull the socket wires, enclosed in corrugation, through a suitable technological hole. A rubber bushing is installed in it to prevent chafing of the cable.
• The ends of the socket wires are crimped with ring terminals and screwed to the appropriate contacts of the sockets without disturbing the connection diagram.

Road train lamp when towing a trailer

8. The following identification marks must be installed on vehicles:

“Road train” - in the form of three orange lights located horizontally on the roof of the cab with gaps between them from 150 to 300 mm - on trucks and wheeled tractors (1.4 t class and above) with trailers, as well as on articulated buses and trolleybuses;

Road train lights are installed only on the following types of vehicles:

• on trucks with trailers (regardless of category);
• on wheeled tractors heavier than 1,400 kg with trailers;
• on articulated buses;
• on articulated trolleybuses.

In this case, we are again talking about the type of vehicle:

For example, a pickup truck or a Category B van that is towing a trailer must have these lights installed.

On the other hand, on a bus that pulls a regular cargo trailer, a road train light is not required.

Main types and their technical characteristics

Mounted on various GAZelle models (3302, 2409, 3310), semi-trailers are divided according to their purpose into flatbed/tilt platform, refrigerator, manufactured goods and insulated vans.

Also, depending on the needs of a particular customer, various types of special equipment (truck crane, compressor, tow truck for transporting passenger cars, etc.) can be installed on semi-trailers, depending on the needs of a particular customer.

Photo: GAZelle tractor with a berth in the cabin and a CMU mounted on a semi-trailer

Side (tilt) platform

A GAZelle with a flatbed semi-trailer is the most common model of this type of vehicle. Lightweight aluminum sides that fold down on three sides allow for trouble-free loading and unloading.

If desired, this type of semi-trailer can easily be converted into a tented one by installing a metal-wooden frame and tensioning oilcloth material on it. This allows for the transportation of goods that do not require careful handling: bricks, steel sheets, boards, etc.

Refrigerator

Refrigerated semi-trailers are used to transport goods that require storage at low temperatures. This could be food, medicine, chemicals, flowers, etc.

Isothermal van

An isothermal van does not structurally provide for temperature regulators, but maintains a special mode due to the structure of its walls.

In most cases, they are made of sandwich panels and perfectly protect the transported cargo from external influences.

The carrying capacity of the van semi-trailer, as well as the tilt model, is 1.5 tons. At the same time, they have the same internal dimensions, which are 1.8 x 3 m in width and height.

The useful volume of the van body is 9-10 cubic meters. m, and for a truck with an awning this parameter is 8 cubic meters. m. The length of the semi-trailers is 4.5 m.

Semi-trailers are designed for a capacity of 4 pallet spaces.

A GAZelle with a semi-trailer is an excellent option for effectively solving non-standard problems.

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A large number of consumers have already made their choice in favor of this type of truck, noting its excellent performance, ease of maintenance and repair, and most importantly, unusually high profitability.