A towbar is defined as a towing hitch designed to connect a trailer or van to a passenger car. This device is used by many motorists. However, in connection with the latest changes in legislation, an urgent question arises, under what conditions the hitch is installed on the car.

A separate law governing exclusively the use of a towbar on a car is not provided for by traffic rules. The main position to which the traffic police inspectors refer is article 12.5 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation. This regulation provides a list of equipment installed on the vehicle, for which a penalty is due.

There is no separate hitch in article 12.5 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation. However, recent amendments and comments to them prescribe that this device is an add-on to a vehicle, the unauthorized installation of which entails a fine.

Then refer to Technical Regulations "On the safety of wheeled vehicles" TR CU 018/2011... This law provides for changes in the structure of the car. If such are provided by the manufacturer, then they are considered regulated, that is, legal.

Changes in the laws on the towbar provide for its operation if:

• device passport with data on its installation filled in by the car service;
• copies of the certificate of the mounted device;
• certificate of work performed for its installation.

The decision whether it is possible to install a towbar under the new law depends on the installation procedure performed.

The procedure for installing a towbar

For the legal installation of the towbar in accordance with legal regulations, certain procedure:

• are determined with the possibility of installation - a passenger car must be designed for towing a trailer, for a towing device the manufacturer means a special place;
• choose the unit from the manufacturer, coordinating the choice with the model and make of the car;
• turn to a car service for installation with further paperwork;
• receive documents for the installation of a towbar, register it with the traffic police.

Register the device with the traffic police not necessaryif observed conditions:

• installation is provided by the vehicle manufacturer;
• the device has a passport and a certificate proving the legality of its installation;
• the device was installed according to the instructions without making any changes to the vehicle design, that is, drilling, welding and other actions were not carried out.

Registration of the towbar in the traffic police is implied in a situation where the installation is carried out independently or changes are made to the design of the machine. Registration costs vary depending on the type of vehicle and the cost of the device itself. For registration are provided documents:

• application for registration, its form for filling is offered on the spot;
• double-sided copy of the TCP;
• towbar documents;
• car registration certificate.

Based on the application expert examination is organized to establish the possibility of using the specified device. The car owner must, based on its results, collect certain documents:

• a diagnostic card confirming the safety of the vehicle used;
• a contract for the purchase of a towbar and other papers related to its use, including a certificate;
• declaration from the car service where the device was mounted;
• the expert's decision on the possibility of operating the car.

Based on the above list, the driver is issued certificate, confirming the legality of using the towbar.

What is the penalty for a hitch without a trailer?

The new law on trailers according to the Technical Regulations and Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation determines a fine for illegal use of a towbar of 500 rubles... At the same time, an alternative is prescribed - verbal warning... Based on this, the question arises, how can collection be avoided.

Drivers who have not had an offense for a long time are more likely to call for a warning. Traffic inspectors do not often pay attention to the presence of a towbar without a trailer. But even the most conscientious will be loyal to law-abiding citizens.

An excellent solution would be to use a removable tow bar. In this case, the traffic police inspector will not be able to interpret the device as negatively affecting the safety of the vehicle. The presence of all documents completely frees the driver from collection.

The car driver can refer to paragraph 77 of Chapter 5 of the said Technical Regulations. According to its provisions, the vehicle is not checked for safety in the presence of complementary devices, provided:

• the installed units are for factory use;
• there is a certificate of suitability for this vehicle;
• availability of documentation from the manufacturer and compliance with the used brand and model of the machine.

It will not be possible to evade collection if the device is homemade or changes were made to the structure of the car during its installation. In this situation, you will need documents certifying from the traffic police, in their absence, a fine is issued.

Incredible hype arose after the introduction of the technical regulations "on the safety of wheeled vehicles", misleading millions of law-abiding car owners that they need to register a towbar with the traffic police. In 98% of cases, there is no need for this, since the owners of the vehicle do not make changes to the design of the car.

However, in order to prove to the conductor with a striped stick that you are not a camel, you should have a set of documents for installing a towbar. Consider the list of papers required for a quiet life of the driver, with which even the most picky inspector will not be able to write out a fine for an illegally installed towing hitch (towing hitch).

How to legalize a towbar: documents for installation

It often happens that when registering a car with a towbar, the traffic police refuse to register. Everything is simple here, if there are no documents for the hitch, it can be removed. But what if you drive a vehicle and see disgruntled mines on the faces of police officers with an infernal desire to punish a malicious violator. It's simple - carry your documents with you.

You do not need to register a towbar with the traffic police, if it is not homemade and the manufacturer provides for the installation of a towbar. If the car owner will carry the following papers with him, he is not afraid of meeting with our valiant traffic police.

Passport for TSU

The passport confirms the purchase of a towbar designed for a particular brand of car. He also proves that the towing hitch was manufactured in the factory, in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements. It must be completed by the salesperson with the "living stamp" of the organization.

Certificate of conformity

It must be certified by the attachment dealer. The certificate is the main document that removes the obligation to register the vehicle with the traffic police. It contains information on the safety of the design and the compliance of products with the requirements of TR CU - 018/2011. This document also contains information about the types of cars on which you can legally install a towbar without contacting the State Traffic Inspectorate.

Type approval TC (OTTS) or operating manual

The design of the machine must provide for the installation of a towbar, that is, the designers of the manufacturer's plant have made calculations and there are standard places for attaching the towbar. This information can be found in the instruction manual - it is this page that you just need to scan and carry with you. However, for a car that has more than one owner, it is not always possible to find this document.

You can contact an authorized dealer and get a vehicle type approval (OTTS) from him or simply find it on the Internet, download, print and put it in the glove compartment. You should be interested in the information located in the weight section, where axle loads, maximum load and maximum weight of the trailer with and without a braking system are indicated.

If the towbar is already installed, but there are no documents for it

If the documents are missing and there is no way to restore them, it is easier and cheaper to buy a new hitch. Registration in the traffic police of changes made to the design of a car is quite a costly and troublesome business and there is no guarantee that you will ultimately receive approval for operation with the installed hitch.

Briefly, the registration process will look like this:

1. A preliminary visit to the laboratory to provide the car for examination and determine the possibility of installing a towbar.
2. Contacting the traffic police and obtaining permission to make changes.
3. Installation of the towing hitch both in service and independently.
4. Passage of technical inspection.
5. Repeated appeal to the laboratory of technical expertise and obtaining a protocol for checking the safety of the structure.
6. Issuance of a certificate and registration of a towbar at the State Traffic Inspectorate.

As for the fines for an illegally installed towbar, it will amount to 500 rubles, according to Art. 12.5 Administrative Code. But even if you have legalized the vehicle, you can be fined for driving without a trailer, which creates an additional danger for road users or for interfering with reading the car's license plates. These cases are not the rule for all regions, but often the most meticulous and law-abiding employees issue fines that are problematic to challenge. That is why towing hitch with a removable ball is gaining more and more popularity, so as not to provoke controversial situations on the roads.

Question: My neighbor in the garage scared me that now the traffic police will fine for the towbar, and that now it needs to be registered. Is it true?

Hello dear motorists! Yes, there has indeed been a fuss about this issue lately. Let's see if the registration of the towbar in the traffic police is really necessary?

We were first asked this question after June 1, 2016. To be honest, at that time we ourselves did not know the answer and therefore asked the district traffic police department for clarification.

Question to the inspector

To our question, the deputy. the head of the department replied that indeed many people are interested in this law. Under the new rules, changes in the design of the vehicle must be registered. But there is a certain list of changes in the design that does not require approval from the traffic police. And that's exactly the TSU that is on this list. But again, there is one "but".

The design of a car should assume the installation of this device in the future. In other words, the car manufacturer calculated constructively that a towbar could be installed on this car. According to statistics, almost 99% of cars can be fitted with a towbar.

Optionally, you can document the changes to the traffic police. After that, a record is made in special marks in the technical standard and TCP.

What you need to have

You can do without the traffic police. There is a list of technical changes made to the design, which do not require approval from the traffic police. In order not to issue a fine or, God forbid, to stop registering a vehicle, you should add to the usual set of documents:

• compliance (copy) and a passport for the towbar, which comes complete with the towbar. The passport must contain the seal of the auto center performing
• Documents provided by a car center certified for this type of activity. You will be given a copy of the auto center certificate, certified by a "live" seal, and an act of completion.

That is, in fact, the towbar must be manufactured and tested at the factory for a specific car model. He must obtain a certificate of conformity, a copy of which is provided upon sale. And also the towbar must be installed in accordance with all regulations by a legal entity that has the appropriate permission to carry out these works.

Check out below a very informative video on modifying the design. It talks about various additional equipment, bumpers, gas-cylinder equipment, which must be necessarily made to changes. They asked a question about the hitch at 16 minutes.

How to be those who already have a towbar

You need to find such a certified auto center that will agree to diagnose your car, or rather a TSU. The technical condition looks, the possibility of further operation. Next, the manufacturer is determined and a request is sent. If the answer is positive, a passport for the towbar is issued, if it was not there, a certificate of conformity, an act of work performed and a certified copy of the auto center certificate.

How much opium for the people

How much does certification cost? Naturally, this procedure takes some time for requests and paperwork. An auto center that produces diagnostics incurs certain labor costs. The cost of this service in our installation center is 1500 rubles. When installing your new towbar, the cost is 1000 rubles. And when installing our towbar a package of documents is issued free of charge.

Can you bet on everything? How to find out?

The majority of cars are allowed to be installed by the manufacturer. But there are models for which the plant did not give recommendations in order to use them as a tractor for a trailer. You can find out for yourself whether it is possible to install a coupling device on your iron horse by looking at the plate with the VIN code on your car. They are usually located on the middle right door pillar or under the hood. Consider the example of the Renault Sandero plate.
Pay attention to the numbers with kilograms at the end. In this case, there are 4 of them.

• 4. Indicates the gross vehicle weight. That is, the mass of the equipped vehicle plus the permissible weight of cargo or passengers;
• 5. Indicates the permissible weight with trailer. I think there is no need to explain;
• 6. and 7. These are the masses of the maximum front and rear axle loads.

It follows from this that if your plate contains a designation of the mass with a trailer, then a towbar is provided for the car. And if there is no number, then the hitch is not provided.

What if the installation is not provided by the factory?

Question, so question ... And in this case there is a way out. If we are not talking about changing the car, then it can be legalized with the help of expertise. Now in order.

• First, you still have to do everything that you read about above. Either install or obtain documents from a legalized installation center.
• You need to undergo an examination at the traffic police. There you will need the documents issued by the car center and documents for the car.
• The TCP and the technical standard will make notes about the changes in the design.

* The traffic police itself does not carry out any examination, but issues forms of documents and sends to the address.

What is the punishment?

In some regions, they have already started to seriously fine car owners for illegal tow hitch. The fine is under article 12.5 of the Administrative Code of Part 1 in the amount of 500 rubles. If you are being punished for the first time for TSU (maybe something that you did not know), then the same article provides for a warning. Be polite to the inspector and tell him you will fix it. In this case, you may have to avoid punishment. But don't hesitate with legalization if you really need a towbar. If you don't need it, then just take it off and don't look for adventures in one place)))

What about 2019?

The towbar is also called a towing hitch, designed to be attached to a trailer vehicle. Its installation is common among Russian motorists. They often ask themselves the question of whether it is necessary to issue a towbar in the traffic police for a passenger car, and what fine the driver faces if the corresponding documents are not completed.

The fact is that, despite the fact that the hitch is a simple small hook to which the trailer is hooked, its installation is a change in the design of the car. According to the latest amendments to the law, any change in the external and internal structure of the car, without obtaining the appropriate documents and permits, leads to fines. In some situations, there is even the arrest of the vehicle and the cancellation of the registration certificate. In this regard, it is important to figure out what a hitch for a passenger car is and whether registration with the traffic police is necessary.

The towbar has a lot of applications. Most often it is used to attach a trailer, trailer, or transport a bicycle. It is also irreplaceable in case of need for towing.

All types of towbars can be divided into three groups:

• end;
• welded;
• removable, which can be easily removed and screwed on.

According to the rules of the road, the towing hitch should be removable, but it is recommended to install the fastening with bolts. Since it is more reliable and able to withstand heavy loads.

A licensed and correctly installed towbar does not impair the appearance of the vehicle, retains a good overview of the registration numbers and is generally unobtrusive on the car.

The purpose of the towbar is to attach special transport equipment to the vehicle. All other tasks are not spelled out in the law, but are permissible. The main thing is that the transported things do not interfere with other DD participants.

If it is allowed to install a towbar on the car, it is recommended to do this in a special organization. When contacting experts, you can be sure not only of the quality of the equipment, but also of how reliably it is mounted. Some motorists prefer to install the towbar on their own, this saves money.

With such a decision, it is important to observe the following rules:

Self-installation of the equipment is possible if you do not need to perform operations such as drilling or welding.

The most important question: is it necessary to document the installation and how is the registration of a new towbar in the traffic police.

In reality, it all depends on the underlying circumstances:

1. The owner already has documents for the TSU or the right to install it - it is not required to contact the traffic police.
2. The permit is missing or the documents are lost - it is necessary to register the vehicle, since its appearance on the truck is a change in the design of the vehicle.

Thus, if the towbar was installed at the stage of designing the car, then no action is required to register it. In case of questions from the police, it is enough to present the documentation for the car.

As a sanction for the use of a towbar and the absence of an appropriate permit for it, a fine of five hundred rubles is provided. Moreover, this violation falls under the rules according to which it is allowed to pay at a fifty percent discount for twenty days. That is, this offense does not belong to the category of particularly serious. In addition to this, if there are worthy arguments, the employee's decision is allowed to be appealed. As a rule, a fine is issued only when the towbar either has a non-standard shape or is installed in the wrong place. Both of these aspects can make it difficult to see the number or harm other DD participants.

According to modern legislation, any modification of the car is subject to registration with the traffic police. But a number of design changes are spelled out in the vehicle manual, as well as their registration.

All vehicles and equipment installed on them must comply with current legal standards.

In this regard, in order not to get into an unpleasant situation when communicating with the traffic police about the towbar installed on the car, you must have the following documents with you:

1. Machine manual. It will indicate either that the device was installed on the car at the factory, or that there is no ban on the installation of the towbar.
2. Documentation confirming the technical quality of the towbar and the fact that it is compatible with this car model.

Despite the fact that this particular documentation is a guarantee that a person will not be fined, it is not required by law to carry them with you. That is, if an employee asks about them, then it is enough to verbally confirm the presence of all the papers. So, it was considered what a hitch is and the requirements of the traffic police how to draw up documents. It is more difficult to resolve the situation if a police officer decides to draw up a protocol, it is easy to challenge it by providing a package of documents. However, this will take additional time.

If the device is installed, but the required documents are not available, then it is recommended to contact the manufacturer and request a copy. Of course, this option will work if the trailer hitch was installed in a serious company. If it was not possible to request documentation, then it is advisable to buy a new hitch immediately with a full package of papers. Any offers from third parties offering the purchase of documents exclusively is fraudulent.

Most traffic police officers do not pay attention to such an insignificant element of the car. But in the event of an accident or any raid, you can get a fine.

When registration with the traffic police is required

Since in most cases the installation of equipment is prescribed in the operating manual, it is not required to visit the traffic police department in order to make adjustments.

The main situations when it is necessary to draw up a design change include:

• the manufacturer does not provide for the transportation of trailers with this vehicle;
• towbar differs from standards or interferes with the view of the registration number.

In general, registration of structural changes is not a difficult activity, but it does take a significant amount of time. First, an assessment is made of the admissibility of installing new equipment in the traffic police. Secondly, the compatibility of the towbar is checked after its installation. Further, a safety examination is carried out.

At the final stage, the car owner is issued a certificate of the changes made.

To obtain documentation, the driver provides the following:

• car diagnostic card;
• documents for the towbar itself, which indicate that it can be installed on a car and meets safety standards;
• the first application and the conclusion of the preliminary examination.

With such a document, the driver feels confident. In such a situation, this certificate must be carried with you. Most likely, the traffic police will pay attention to him and request documentation. Their actions will be legal, and only by granting permission will an administrative fine be avoided. How to arrange a towbar for a passenger car and how much the procedure will cost depends on the region and the car service.

If the manufacturer of the device has released a device specifically for a specific vehicle model, then it is required to install it. Inconsistency between the brand and the towbar is an offense.

As practice shows, in 2018, almost all cars are allowed to install a towbar, do they need to be registered with the traffic police? No. Thus, registration is not required in most cases as it is not a structural change to the machine. Unfortunately, there are a number of models for which the installation of traction equipment is not provided. A change in design in this case would be a violation of the operating rules. How to arrange a towbar for such a car is described above.