Towing

Sorry for all the questions, lol.

Whats the requirement if I want to tow a car home. I will be using a 1.4 polo, or something bigger and need to tow a gti. Is there specific requirements and needs etc?

You need a ridgid bar not a rope anymore,take it easy and get experienced drivers and youll be ok  :wink:
Bert

How much is a proper towbar etc?

If you're towing the car by rope or bar, the towed vehicle needs to be taxed, MoT'd and insured. You can tow by rope, if its longer than a certain length you need a high-visibility marker in the middle of the rope and you can't go on the motorway. AFAIK (not sure) you need to at least tow on a bar, on a motorway, but its legal, even if you're not a recovery company.

Next up is some kind of A frame which steers the towed car's front wheels. Car would still need to be taxed insured and MoT'd tho.

Next up is some kind of towing dolly which lifts the front wheels off the ground, makes it easier to load than an A frame but since the rear wheels of the towed car are on the ground, still needs to be taxed/insured/MoT.

Then you're into trailers. You need to not exceed the max trailer weight for the towing car (not too easy to achieve, once you add towed car + trailer). And since it will defintely be over 750kgs, it will need to have working overrun brakes.

Obviously the normal towing stuff such as displaying towcars number plate and lights at the rear, apply.

Last time I towed something, it was like this:

Bert said

You need a ridgid bar not a rope anymore,take it easy and get experienced drivers and youll be ok  :wink:
Bert

Didn't realise this was a requirement now, but I'll take your word for it Bert!

when was the last time you seen a tow rope for sale in a garage  :roll:

scouse said

when was the last time you seen a tow rope for sale in a garage  :roll:

?10.80 + VAT from Demon Tweeks…. They're still available!

you can tow with rope still............the solid bars are for recovery type firms etc and are used for certain weights of vehicle and to are to get vehicles to a safe place or garage, cant remember the legislation off hand but YOU CAN STILL USE ROPE

dam these replies are fast. Err the car has mot and tax and gues i can get insured on it. So what do i need on a motorway, a bar?

Topoftherange said

you can tow with rope still…………the solid bars are for recovery type firms etc and are used for certain weights of vehicle and to are to get vehicles to a safe place or garage, cant remember the legislation off hand but YOU CAN STILL USE ROPE

We were under the impression that it's illegal to tow with a rope now, and that you have to use a bar, so that's how we've always towed for the past 12 - 15 months.

Peeps I know all seem to think this too

 :dontknow:

For the price of a towing bar (how many times are you going to use it???) why not hire a car trailer or arrange for a proper recovery company to do the job? Towing by bar on a motorway is uncomfortable, if the car's on the back of a recovery truck or on a 4 wheel trailer, its a much more pleasant journey.

Lidl supermarket have stocked solid steel rigid towing bars, they were only ?10. They get them in now and again so it's worth keeping an eye out for them. I've got one and it's great.

If you need to insure the car you can get single day cover online. I just insured the GTi for a single day for ?15 with www.daycover.com, which is part of Sun Alliance.

Cheers,
Gav

Ive got a ?20 bar and i wouldnt use a rope again,less chance of the towed car meeting the rear panel of the towing car  
Bert

bars are less than twenty quid from machine mart im sure,

a frames basically make the car you are towing a trailer so do not require tax/mot/ins but should be  braked if over a certail weight

see below for the legal blurb
http://www.ukmotorhomes.net/a-frames.shtml

there are a couple of types of ways to brake a car on an a-frame but personally ive never used any with mine

Tass said

dam these replies are fast. Err the car has mot and tax and gues i can get insured on it. So what do i need on a motorway, a bar?

why not drive it back then?????

debs said

Topoftherange said

you can tow with rope still…………the solid bars are for recovery type firms etc and are used for certain weights of vehicle and to are to get vehicles to a safe place or garage, cant remember the legislation off hand but YOU CAN STILL USE ROPE

We were under the impression that it's illegal to tow with a rope now, and that you have to use a bar, so that's how we've always towed for the past 12 - 15 months.

Peeps I know all seem to think this too

 :dontknow:

then they are all wrong too!!! what makes rope illegal all of a sudden then then? its not considered as "safe" as a bar but its not illegal

"The bumper to bumper distance between vehicles must not exceed 4.5m. If the rope or chain is longer than 1.5m, it must be made clearly visible so as to assist other road users".

the towed vehicle MUST have working marker lamps and be insured and mot`d (does not have to be taxed) it must have a qualified driver at the wheel, and no hazzard lights should be on as that is illegal, you should diplay the registration of the towing car on the rear of the towed car if possible, and you can tow on a motorway but only to "rescue" someone and you must leave at the first exit you get to

any questions?

If the wheels are on the public road, it needs to be taxed.

or you can go for this version………..

You are legally required to have a piece of paper attached to the rear of the towed vehicle, with 'On Tow' scrawled on it in biro. It has to be paper in case it rains and then it will go soggy and (even more) illegible. If you can manage to mis-spell 'On Tow' so much the better.

The tow rope should be no more than three feet (approx. one metre) in length and should be no less than twenty years old. Some sort of rag must be tied somewhere along the length of the rope for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

Your journey should include at least one fifteen mile section of motorway or dual carriageway where you can drive along quite happily at 22mph with your hazard lights flashing.

This is the law. It must be, I've seen it loads of times.

paul_c said

If the wheels are on the public road, it needs to be taxed.

Not so my learned friend!! the towing vehicles "tax" covers the towed vehicle in circumstances of moving a car from A-B you are unlikely to fall foul of the law on that one, especially if you obey the towing law guidlines and put the towing vehicles plate dispalyed on the rear like your supposed too!!!

end of the day, a 1.4 polo is going to struggle to tow a golf over and great distance! it will eat fuel, be slow as hell and hadle like an over loaded shopping trolley!! the best (and probably cheapest) option would be to buy a train ticket to where ever the golf is, and drive it back!!