Notice Title

Alternative Standard for Towing Connections for Heavy Vehicles for Use When Towing Trailers With a Maximum Towed Mass of Less Than 3500kg

Pursuant to regulation 16A (1) (c) of the Heavy Motor Vehicle Regulations 1974 and pursuant to powers
sub-delegated to me by the Director of Land Transport Safety, I, Peter Waring, Principal Engineer, hereby specify in Schedule 1 of this notice alternative standards for towing connections on heavy vehicles to NZS 5446 to be used for towing trailers with a maximum towed mass (MTM) of
less than 3,500kg, subject to the conditions specified in Schedule 2.
Schedule 1
(i) Towbars meeting the requirements of NZS 5467: 1993 Code of Practice for Light Trailers; or
(ii) Towbars meeting the requirements of NZS 5446: 1987 amended by Appendix A to Policy Statement No. 5, issued by the Ministry of Transport on 12 January 1989.
Schedule 2
(i) The design and installation of the towbar must be certified by a person approved for this purpose by the director of Land Transport Safety.
(ii) The towbar is to be permanently identified with:
(a) The manufacturer's name.
(b) Towbar model number or part number.
(c) The maximum towed mass (MTM) in kg (braked/unbraked).
(d) Vertical load in kg.
(iii) Towbars complying with Schedule 1 (ii) of this notice must not be certified or used for trailers with a maximum towed mass greater than 2,000kg.
Signed at Wellington this 12th day of September 2000.
P. WARING, acting under authority sub-delegated to me by way of an instrument of delegation dated 1 March 1999.