towing cars [Archive] - :::.Nissan 4x4 Owners Club.:::

clivvy

27-11-2010, 18:52

so, on my way to Cheshire this morning, we saw a 4x4 towing a car, using one of them long pole type things the AA use. Well, when i say long it wasnt that long, but anyway, what are they, how do they work, how much and what are the legalities of towing a vehicle with one?

seems to me that they are a very easy way of towing home your new project car yourself with using trailers etc...?

kbekl

27-11-2010, 19:10

thats a rigid bar they use the tow hitch and the front tow point are alot safer that ropes as the car in fron controls the braking
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-CAR-VAN-RIGID-TOWING-BAR-TOW-POLE-SAFER-THAN-ROPE-/230471375568?pt=UK_Recovery_Tools&hash=item35a92a1ad0

rustic

27-11-2010, 19:34

I have a similar one, fits under the rear seats easily. Never used, like the tow rope I carry, but if I left them at home.....:nenau:nenau

It relies on a driver in the towed vehicle, so I would assume this would have to be taxed, insured and MOT'd.

I'm not sure how far is a reasonable distance to use one, :nenau
I think mine was from Aldi and cost a tenner at the time.

briggie

27-11-2010, 19:42

im not sure , but i think you arent allowed to tow on the motorway , regardless of tow rope or whatever

kbekl

27-11-2010, 19:54

unsure of the law now but these used to be used on the motorway to tow cars with or with out tax and mot,unsure about the details but because the driver of the tow car only has to steer think it is alloud but you are better off with a towing dolly or trailer

clivvy

27-11-2010, 19:58

hmm..im not sure redex...the one i saw seemed much chunkier than the one in the ebay link. And, you say relies on a driver in the towed car? well, there wasnt a driver in this towed car!!

hmmm....could it have been an A frame? do the same rules apply?

larson

27-11-2010, 20:09

clive my mate made one of the bars its simple scaffolding pole will the towng end of the trailer welded on one end ( bit what fits over the towing ball ) and a u shaped/d shackle welded on the other end.. ebay Item number: 350189109029.. very easy for me to make you if you got the parts

tezzer

27-11-2010, 20:17

this is what you want,-- i cant seem to get the 180590260875

then you dont need another driver.

Thomas-the-Terrano2

27-11-2010, 20:18

Peasgood

27-11-2010, 20:27

a frames are not legal, if the towed car, then classed as a trailer exceeds
750kg gross weight. unless has a braking mechanism.

yes so most of the motorhomes tugging cars are wrong side of law.

thered exclusions for break down truck, suspect most dollies are iffy too.

best place for an invalided car is on a flatbed, be a truck or full trailer.
True enough.
The RAC and AA are phasing them out too.
I think the only time they are allowed is emergency recovery. They are cracking down on them too.

clivvy

27-11-2010, 21:21

makes sense, ive seen several motorhomes towing toyota Aygos, Mazda MX-5 and smart cars, but i suspect even those tiny cars wot be allowed soon? So why they clamping down??

11redrex

27-11-2010, 22:22

this is what you want,-- i cant seem to get the 180590260875

then you dont need another driver.

Love the chunk of slotted angle iron / fence post welded across the A :lol
what a bodge up.

Still I shouldn't say too much, I've used a bit of scaffold with a rope looped through it to tow in the past :o

briggie

27-11-2010, 22:32

Reg 86 Road Vehicles (Con and Use) Regs 1986

Where a trailer is attached to the vehicle in front solely by means of a rope or chain, the distance between the trailer and that vehicle :

1. Shall not exceed 1.5 metres unless the rope or chain is made clearly visible

2. Shall not exceed 4.5 metres in any case.

Peasgood

27-11-2010, 23:36

makes sense, ive seen several motorhomes towing toyota Aygos, Mazda MX-5 and smart cars, but i suspect even those tiny cars wot be allowed soon? So why they clamping down??
Because it is against the law I guess. I think they are even more keen on the continent.
Noticed a few of those motorhomes now have little trailers instead of an A frame.

lacroupade

28-11-2010, 00:37

makes sense, ive seen several motorhomes towing toyota Aygos, Mazda MX-5 and smart cars, but i suspect even those tiny cars wot be allowed soon? So why they clamping down??

they aren't allowed now....as TTT says, can't exceed 750kg in weight and I believe there isn't a car in the UK that meets that requirement any more with the exception of a Caterham......or a Trottermobile!

Terranosaurus

28-11-2010, 00:52

tezzer

28-11-2010, 01:08

Love the chunk of slotted angle iron / fence post welded across the A :lol
what a bodge up.

Still I shouldn't say too much, I've used a bit of scaffold with a rope looped through it to tow in the past :o

lol, i didn't mean to buy, just something to show, there was a guy near me who welded a ratchet strap either end of a scaffold pole and towed cars with it for around 18 month, until the car he was towing came adrift, luckily the pole came away with the tow car, hate to think what would of happened the other way round. he bought a trailer after that experience, :doh:augie

11redrex

28-11-2010, 09:47

lol, i didn't mean to buy, just something to show, there was a guy near me who welded a ratchet strap either end of a scaffold pole and towed cars with it for around 18 month, until the car he was towing came adrift, luckily the pole came away with the tow car, hate to think what would of happened the other way round. he bought a trailer after that experience, :doh:augie

That doesn't bear thinking about, all the ways that could have gone wrong :eek:

I had one of those poles for a while, it's buried at the back of the garage now, never had any trouble with it, unless the towing eyes were on different sides. Pulled my mate down the A12 at 70mph with it, my rear eye on the right, his front eye on the left. We took up slightly more than one lane.:o

kbekl

29-11-2010, 21:51

From GLASS web site

The Department for Transport have an interesting page on their website giving advice on a number of areas which may be of interest.

I found the pdf re 'A-Frames and Towing Dollies' of interest, there has been and continues to be a lot of mis-information on various websites and forums about this.

DfT webpage is at;

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/

or the direct info

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/factsheetaframes.pdf

briggie

29-11-2010, 22:01

if you are bored and have some time to fill .... heres the road traffic act :rolleyes:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/contents

briggie

29-11-2010, 22:14

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069862

briggie

29-11-2010, 23:04

if you are bored and have some time to fill .... heres the road traffic act :rolleyes:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/contents

interesting innit ? :augie

Deleted account DD

29-11-2010, 23:04

anoraks :augie

briggie

29-11-2010, 23:08

how about the m.o.t testers manual !!! :naughty....... exciting huh ?

http://www.motuk.co.uk/mot_testing.htm

Thomas-the-Terrano2

29-11-2010, 23:09

Even if under 750kg they must have functional over run brakes as must any trailer that has brakes fitted even if under 750kg. Also must have auto reverse brakes if manufacturered after a certain date (quite a while ago now) a frames are legal for recovery to a place of safety only.

Any doubters go on Mudclub or Difflock and ask - you'll get hit with a whole barrage of abuse LOL

dunno about this surely 750kg gtw has been a cut off for need for brakes and is
also limit of trailer weight for many classes of vehicle do avoid need for a +E
trailer licence extension.

i do know a motor home owner with an aframe, AND a mechanism to connect
with the brakes, though frankly for cost involved of modding his little citreon
van been cheaper to buy a trailer to put it on.....

as for plonkers, someone came into work other day said seen a car towing
a car single handed with a strap with what appeared to be broom handles
to stiffen it out. well lead car had gone one way at fork in road, the tugged
the other.lol

briggie

29-11-2010, 23:12

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual/contents.htm

rustic

30-11-2010, 02:04

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual/contents.htm

Read that one, a couple of points I noticed, tow bars if fitted are checked. corrosion, tow ball and towing eyes etc :eek:

Replacement panels of different material may affect the structure and strength of a vehicle, what springs to mind is the fibre glass bonnet and wings that were fitted as a one piece to minis in the 1970's, wow what a bodge.:doh

TONUP

30-11-2010, 09:37

I was alway told that you may not tow a car on the motorway with a rope, but you can with a rigid bar. Makes sense when you think of it.

I didn't know that you could tow with a chain. Sounds dangerous!

Alan

Deleted account DD

30-11-2010, 09:39

Out of necessity I did a fair bit of research on those tow poles and frames a while back.

They are , as has been eloquently put already, strictly for recovery only. The definition of recovery is fairly well open to case by case interpretation but certainly doesnt extend to removing a spark plug to pretend your A Class id u/s and is to be towed behind your motorhome :augie

On the subject of motorhomes, the weight alone of a small car often hits their rated tow capacity often because the coach builder hasnt put the model through due process to get the rating or they fall back on the chassis manf rating (rare) which can be low. Remove the unlawful tow dolly and put the vehicle on a trailer and its too heavy.

You can easily get tow bars for most mobile homes because theyre commercial chassis's and the holes are there.

Not all fall into this black hole but a vast proportion do (from memory ;))

Muckypup

01-12-2010, 13:32

My understanding... ropes on motorways are illegal, as are all a-frames as they exceed 750kgs and are unbraked.
They become legal if you stick a driver in the drivers seat to press the brake pedal...

As for rigid bars, perfectly legal as you have to have a driver steering and braking for them to work.
I had an ace rigid bar for towing my samurai, long piece of box section with two trailer couplings one at either end. The samurai had a tow ball on the front so it made a very secure and centrally located towing bar.

They are also ace for hills as the towed car can aid the towing vehicle with a skilled driver at the wheel, but only if the towed is a runner! :D

I also didnt think you needed mot & insurance to be towed as the towing vehicle's insurance normally covers towed items...
I know mine does but I have a proper bespoke traders policy