the Traffic Regulations 1976
Pursuant to Regulation 16A (2) of the Heavy Motor Vehicle Regulations 1974, pursuant to Regulation 90 (1) of the Traffic Regulations 1976, and pursuant to the powers delegated to me by the Director of Land Transport Safety,
I, Laszlo Andras Hidvegi, Senior Engineer Safer Vehicles Policy, hereby exempt the vehicles specified in Schedule 1 of this notice from the requirements in Schedule 2, subject to the conditions in Schedule 3, until the time specified in Schedule 5.
For the purpose of this exemption, the term "agricultural trailer" is defined in Schedule 4.
This notice replaces the exemption for the towing connection of agricultural vehicles and the brakes of agricultural trailers published in the New Zealand Gazette, 12 December 2002, page 4496.
Schedule 1
All light tractors that are being used to tow heavy trailers, all heavy tractors and all heavy agricultural trailers.
Schedule 2
Regulation 16A (1) (c) of the Heavy Motor Vehicle Regulations 1974, requiring vehicles to comply with the New Zealand Standard 5446: 1987 Code of Practice for Heavy Motor Vehicle Towing Connections: Drawbar Trailers.
The requirement in Regulation 83 (b) of the Traffic Regulations 1976, according to which a trailer must be fitted with a brake that operates immediately to stop the trailer if it becomes disconnected from the towing vehicle.
Schedule 3
1. A towing connection must be suitable for its purpose, must be in safe condition and in good working order.
2. A coupling must be fitted with a locking device, and it must be possible to verify by visual inspection that the coupling is locked in its fully engaged position.
3. The towing connection, other than a three-point agricultural linkage, fitted to a tractor to tow a trailer, must have the following, clearly displayed in kilograms, on or adjacent to the coupling, by the time specified in point 6:
(a) the maximum mass of a trailer that can be towed by the tractor by means of this towing connection; and
(b) the permitted maximum vertical load for the coupling.
4. The towing connection, other than a two-point or three-point agricultural linkage, fitted to a heavy agricultural trailer for the purpose of towing it, must have the following, clearly displayed in kilograms, on or adjacent to the coupling, by the time specified in point 6:
(a) the maximum mass of the trailer, including the mass of any vehicles that can be towed by the trailer; and
(b) the maximum vertical load at the coupling when the trailer is fully laden.
5. The data in 3 (a), 3 (b), 4 (a) and 4 (b) must be rounded to the nearest 100kg and must be established by the vehicle manufacturer, the manufacturer of the towing connection, a specialist certifier approved by the Director of Land Transport Safety or a chartered mechanical engineer.
6. The data in 3 (a), 3 (b), 4 (a) and 4 (b) must be displayed after 1 July 2004.
7. A heavy agricultural trailer and a vehicle towing it or a heavy tractor towing a trailer, which are connected by
a coupling other than a two-point or three-point agricultural linkage, must have a safety chain to ensure that the trailer and the towing vehicle remain connected if the coupling fails.
8. The safety chain must be permanently attached to the trailer and non-permanently connected to the towing vehicle.
9. The safety chain must not be attached to the trailer by welding of the chain itself.
10. The safety chain must have a breaking strength of at least twice the maximum mass of the trailer.
11. The safety chain must have markings stamped on to it
by the manufacturer, from which the breaking strength of the chain can be established and verified either directly or indirectly.
12. The attachment point of the safety chain on the trailer must have a strength that is at least equivalent to the breaking strength of the safety chain.
13. The safety chain must be connected to a connection point on the towing vehicle that has a strength of at least twice the maximum mass of a trailer that can be towed by the tractor by means of the towing connection other than the three-point linkage.
14. The attachment point and the connection point for a safety chain, where practicable, must be fitted to
a component that is not readily removable from the towing or towed vehicle.
15. The length and attachment of the safety chain must:
(a) allow full articulation between the tractor and the trailer; and
(b) prevent the connection from contacting the ground if a coupling failure occurs on level surface.
Schedule 4
For the purpose of this exemption, an agricultural trailer is a trailer that is designed exclusively for agricultural purposes.
Schedule 5
This exemption will lapse on the day when Land Transport Rule: Heavy Vehicles [Rule 31002] comes into force.
Dated at Wellington this 4th day of July 2003.
LASZLO ANDRAS HIDVEGI, Senior Engineer Safer Vehicles Policy.