I asked this question in another group and no-one came up with a definitive current answer. The most recent legal(ish) answer was dated 2008
" I was informed last evening that it is illegal to tow a broken down vehicle with a rope and it has to be a solid tow-bar. Is this true?"
Alternatively, Google for 'towing vehicle with rope' and decide for yourself.
Towing is covered by the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, which, in Regulation 85 (1), states:
'Where a trailer is attached to the vehicle immediately in front of it solely by means of a rope or chain, the distance between the trailer and that vehicle shall not in any case exceed 4.5 m, and shall not exceed
1.5 m unless the rope or chain is made clearly visible to any other person using the road within a reasonable distance from either side.'I have read that rigid tow bars are, however, a requirement when towing on a motorway, but have not found the relevant legislation.
Colin Bignell
'Its potentially dangerous,' as is all driving. Its just stating the completely obvious, at least to any person capable of driving. Any towee will be aware of the risks of travelling very close to the vehicle in front, with no ability to see ahead if its a van, no ability to steer one's course or even stop the combined vehicles.
Rope towing has always been an economic choice. Increasing wealth and awareness of liability and risk issues is seeing it become unpopular.
NT
Try sending this to uk.legal.moderated where if it *is* true, someone will be along quite shortly to quote and verse.
It may take longer to prove it *isn't* true, because there may well not be anything to quote.
IIRC you can tow off a motorway with a rope, but not tow onto one. A rigid bar can be used to tow on and off. That is however from some time ago.
Steve W
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The big snag is most vehicles have both power steering and brakes. One being towed with the engine stopped will have neither. So towing with a rope should be done with great caution - and only if both drivers have experience of doing so.
The only time I was towed with a rope was nearly 40 years ago, and it was bloody frightening. I don't normally drive less than a car's length behind the vehicle in front.
And don't do what a friend of mine once did, and forget to put the key in the ignition of the towed vehicle to release the steering column lock ;-) Apparently he managed a quite graceful drift into the side of a parked van.
ISTR it feels a bit strange at first from the POV of the person in the towed vehicle, having to start slowing down before the tow vehicle has in order to keep the rope taut and avoid too much stress when pulling away again; it's easy to break a rope...
cheers
Jules
Well it will, I don't think a vechicle that had absolutely no steering or brakes without the engine running would be allowed on the road. How ever the effort required to turn the steering wheel and get effective braking is huge. I wouldn't want to be towed in a modern car via rope unless the route was straight and flat or just a very short distance.
I guess many people get caught by the fact the first application of the brakes after the engine is stopped is normally fairly normal from stored vacuum. It's the second and subsequent ones when you have literally stand on the pedal...
I have towed and have been towed by rope, I prefer to be the tug. When being towed you are *very* close to the tug and really have to concentrate looking past the tug so you can anticipate the tug slowing and keep the rope taught. The tug just (ha!) has to remember that the rope might be slack and pull off very gently until they feel the weight come on or can see that the towed vehicle is moving.
Which is why both drivers need to be experienced at such things. The towing driver realising speed must be kept low regardless of holding up other traffic.
There is no problem with towing a broken down car with a rope that is suitable for the purpose. As long as you comply with requirements for identifying the rope between the vehicles, and towed car has an 'on tow' sign.
This is different to commercial towing that may well require solid tow bars.
Be warned that if you offer to Tow someone they could end up damaging your car, and you 'may' not be covered for this. My Father towed my sister, he stopped at junction ... she forgot that brake servos don't operate and piled into back of his car ... he wasn't very happy.
Neither *power* steering or brakes. Didn't say no steering or brakes *at all* Although to some it might appear just like that.
Yup. And the traffic very light. So best very early in the morning.
As I said, both drivers must know what they're doing.
Other thing is that many towing brackets as supplied with a car are only designed for winching it onto a tow truck - and may not survive the rigours of towing.
and worse, after an hour, in fog, no lights either...
It depends on what the fault is. Possibly the engine/alternator still works.
but, strickly speaking, the towed vehicle is a trailer and would need a "trailer" lighting bar at the back - powered from the towing one.
Yes - and no matter how careful you are, it is very very difficult to keep the rope taught - and consequently there are frequently fearful 'snatches' as the slack in the rope is taken up.
Indeed. Some years ago I bought a nearly-new VX Omega that had a problem with its 'idle air control valve'. The symptom would be that the engine would cut out on the over-run - and it would happen without warning and, because the engine is quiet on the over-run, I wasn't even aware that the engine had stopped the first time it happened. I was slowing down for a bend, the engine stopped, I tried to turn the wheel into the bend and for one horrible moment I thought that the steering had seized because the wheel just wouldn't turn with normal effort. Quite frightening...
The way I was taught to do this was to aim for the vehicle being towed to do the braking. Which obviously doesn't work for emergency stops or if the towing vehicle is too big, but so long as you keep slow works quite well most of the time.
I've been towed on a rope and on a rigid bar. The former experience was much better - partly because it all took place a lot slower, partly because there was a bigger gap and I could actually see what was going on. The longer the rope, the better.
Why was it happening much slower? (I've done both and found that not having to worry about slack with the bar more than made up for it not being as long.)
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