Joel OF Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 ...that you're meant to have an orange(?) triangle sticker on the back of your vehicle if you transport gas bottles. It's not law, more of a curtesy to the emergency services in the event of a road accident as it can change the way they approach the situation. But another upshot of these stickers/magnets is that you can't be clamped or towed because then the vehicle becomes the responsibilty of the council, and they don't want anything to do with a vehicle that may have a bottle in the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Interesting Joel and I believe a good topic. We all should know the proper and legal way to haul hazardous materials on public roads. In America hazmat placards are only required if the vehicle is carrying a reportable quantity of a reportable substance. This is not only for EMS and other 1st. responders it's for clean up and superfund purposes.Knowing what you're carrying is important, reportable substance / quantities lists are available online. Some substances have frighteningly small reportables, some are ANY release. Isotopes, radionucleotides and biologicals fall under the Any category.Placards are free almost everywhere for the asking, they can be the magnetic or stick on signs, the changeable placards in the dedicated frames cost a little. It may be a hassle just to haul a 5gl. jug of waste motor oil but you do NOT want to have to pay to have it cleaned out of a ditch if you roll your truck and you'll be really LUCKY if your insurance covers any of the cleanup and fines instead of dropping you like toxic sludge.Before anyone takes what I've written at face value, be aware I've been out of hauling anything but my butt and occasional load to the dump for a good 10 years so my info is dated. I doubt it's gotten more lax but I could be wrong. Happens all the time. Check the regs yourself before you haul almost anything you can't eat. Heck you might have to placard a 55gl. drum of used fryer oil, I'd have to check.Remember, "reportable substance" and "reportable quantity".Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 I'd be interested to know the uk regulations on this.I don't know about clamping, the last time I was doing anythig in parking restricted zones was London, and they don't seem to be into clamping too much there.Now, parking tickets on the other hand! Whoo boy! I'm not sure if I wouldn't prefer the clamps, at least those can be dealt with (by the psychotically stubborn). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Clamped?Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Jones Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 They put a 3 legged clamp around one of your front wheels so you cant drive the car and you have to pay to get them removed. they also have a thick plate cover over the wheel nuts so you cant just swap over the wheel. small geni and a decent grinder takes ages to remove one ( so Ive been told) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 OA torch, exothermic torch, plasma cutter, demo saw with abrasive blade.... You just need the right toys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 OA torch, exothermic torch, plasma cutter, demo saw with abrasive blade.... You just need the right toys...I'll have to update my tap test before I leave the house...spectacles, testicles, wallet & watch, plasma cutter.You get fined for damaging wheel clamps but folklore tells the tale of a bloke who got one off without damaging it so didn't have to pay the release charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Portable plasma isn't hard. A mid sized genny will power what you probably need and air can be in cylinders. I've run my plasma remotely off my Scuba cylinders with an adapter. Exothermic torches like Airpack Slice torch or Brocco torch would be preferable. All you need is a 12v battery to ignite the rods and an O2 supply. They come packed in a nice portable package that's easy to carry. That's what you usually see them use in movies to cut safes and what the cops/fire rescue often use for entry. It's basically an Oxy lance and will cut everything from steel , wood, concrete on land or under water. Great fun. if you ever have the chance to play with one I highly recommend it!And yes I've been know to have demo saws with abrasive blades, Oxy acet torches and other instruments of destruction on the truck fairly regularly ( doesn't everyone?). When I worked with the commercial dive company I could have even had access to the exothermic torch if I'd wanted. I had a chance to buy one once and passed and am kicking myself ever since, though I'd almost never need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Okay, seen those. Here it's a pretty serious fine for destroying one, it's not like they record the license #, ymm of the rig and know the ser# of the boot. Even if you get it off they know who's rig it was clamped to and if you damage it you have to buy a new one.Olden days you could let the air out of the tires and they'd loose enough Dia to slip a lot of stuff over/off them. The new super low profile tires? Not likely.I'm thinking what'd be more satisfying for me would pick the lock remove it and put it on a cop car if left unmanned for a couple minutes. We don't have parking meter readers so that would be out. Maybe just do the mayor's limo or similar.Oh it's not like you'd get away with it, all the numbers are recorded but you wouldn't get tagged for destruction of public property and the story in the papers and on TV would be a hoot.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 While, cutting off the ###$#$ things really appeals to me , I would caution against the obvious! Firstly being the proud owner of a seldom(read virtually never) used Arcair Slice torch and a couple of plasma cutters as well as a number of miscellany of mechanical cutters. There are fairly few of these that I would want to be using near my tires and vehicles paint job. Secondly and possibly more relevant is that Mr.Plod(to those not raised on a constant diet of Enid Blighton Mr.Plod is the police officer in Noddy books) is reputed to suffer from since of humor failures when the public elect to remove any form of restraint/restraints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Mr. Plod takes his B&D seriously then does he?Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 B&D = cheap and pretty "DIY tools" what 'they like' seems more like S&M (the spawn of unmarried parents) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 All I'm saying is that Sometimes the police have need to get somewhere *fast*; however the Mayor or Council Members generally don't... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Agreed Thomas, I don't hinder police, even the serious PITA cops, they typically solve themselves eventually. The Mayor or city council? Oh yeah. The easiest solution I know of for booting my vehicle is not get tickets. The last parking ticket I got was 1979 in Seattle on vacation. Walked out from a store and the folk's car was . . . GONE! I was standing there looking up and down the street thinking I was off a block or something when a local pedestrian asked if I was looking for my car. "this is a tow away zone and the wrecker is on patrol 24/7." The gentleman pointed to this little bitty sign and a cab stopped and asked if I wanted a ride to the impound yard. That was a Mad Hatter ride!Got to pay the tow charge and just drove to the cop shop and paid the ticket. <sigh> $25.00 ticket, $15.00 cab fare (E ticket ride) and $75.00 tow charge. Going through it in Anchorage isn't nearly so reasonable.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Joel, I don't know about the clamping side of things but the first part of your question is correct. A car with a compressed gas sticker on it will be treated very differently by the emergency services and as I understand it, will likely be dealt with first. Aside from that, removing the clamp would likely see you in more trouble as the information will have been entered into the system... You'd be better off just paying the fine. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Letting out the air has been said to work. I've no idea if that's true or not.Taking a disk cutter to them only works if you are absolutely sure that there is no evidence left behind... of anything... at all. Make sure it is all gone-e-gones & entirely bye-bye.That is the weakness of the clamp, why they are not as popular as they once were. With a ticket, all you need is a photo. With a clamp, you also need a compliant victim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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