Towing Tow bars or Tow Ropes?

[madmondeoman]

We have been given new instructions for work vehicles saying to carrya tow rope for emergency use, I was told by the AA when they recovered my Focus last year that tow ropes are illegal and you should only use tow bars.
Does anyone know for definite before tow ropes are purchased for everyone?
 
Thanks

[Fazerider]

Clearly the AA are not all singing from the same hymn sheet:
http://shop.theaa.com/store/other/tow-rope

[madmondeoman]

Exactly the garage the car recovered too sad the same no tow ropes anymore. Any  on here that would know?

[richfzs]

Not definitive, but hte highway code on line just says you should be aware that towing with a rope can be dangerous, and recommends professional help

rule 98 about half way down the page.

Suppose its feasible that professional types have been told they can't do it anymore, due to the disparity of their experience with that of the guy they're towing, but muppets like thee & me can continue on the "once in a blue moon" event to get us out of a situation?

[Sunny Intervals]

What is the rope going to be used for ?

I assume your company has break down recovery, so would assume towing would be carried out by that company.

But if ropes are to be carried to pull vehicles out of mud or ditches, bars are useless.

I would get clarification on why ropes are to be carried

[BBROWN1664]

Tow ropes are legal.
Poles have benefits but the clue was in the words you gave. FOR EMERGENCIES. if you break down you call the AA or whoever, you don't tow your own car in to the garage. Emergencies could be something like happened to me the other week. Sister in law beached her car on a rock just off the side of the road when parking. Me with a tow rope pulled it clear. I doubt a pole would have been log enough to allow me to remain on the grippy Tarmac rather than the sloppy mud!

[goldfazer]

'Poles have benefits ' - yeah, coming over here, never doing a days work and getting £26k for sitting on their arses.

Oh, hang on, wrong thread

[limax2]

  but should that not be :-
'Poles have benefits ' - yeah, coming over here, doing the work and our lot getting £26k for sitting on their arses. 

[marksfazer]

I worked for the AA for a while a few years ago and found that some cars had a recessed towing eye and you were not able to use the pole, as it would foul the body work when you went round a tight corner. Older passats are a good example.
As far as the law goes i'm not sure, but when I worked there in 2005 a tow rope/strap was standard kit on a patrols van.


Mark

[rustyrider]

There's also a difference in law about 'recovery' and 'transport'.  For instance, a two wheel dolly or spec lift is legal to use for recovery of a broken down vehicle but not if you are simply transporting it to somewhere else, as the law says that any trailer weighing over 750 kgs must have all road wheels braked.  As two wheels are on the road it is considered to be a trailer but the wheels on the road are not connected to the towing vehicles braking system, so it is legal for recovery but not transport.  Recovery is defined as moving a non-functioning vehicle to a place of repair or disposal.  I think the same general rule applies to using a rope or pole.  If you are dragging a dead car off the motorway or out of a ditch, you can use a rope, if you are towing it simply to move it from one place to another, you should be using a pole.

[madmondeoman]

I have spoken to the woman at work who is organising this.
She spoke to this company yesterday and said 1 of our engineers thinks its ilegal to use a tow rope on a motorway, they replied oh yes you need to use a tow bar, we wouldnt suggest they use the tow rope but they need to have one on board WTF? 
 
Why recommend to a company that you carry equipment which you know is illegal and they suggest that you don't use it?

[BBROWN1664]

It is not illegal to use a tow rope on the motorway. Not advisable, but not illegal. Tow ropes are for recovery (emergencies in other words) tow poles are better at allowing the towing vehicle to brake for both vehicles. tow bars are what is fitted to the back of a car that tows a caravan.

[dolau]

I had heard of that---- my next door neighbour  has a  smart car  that he just brought to tow behind his bus sized camper van  and now he  cant 

Can you tell that I dont like him 

Twat!!

[rustyrider]

Actually, the Smart is the only car you can tow behind a camper (or any other vehicle if you really must) on an A frame or dolly.  It is classed as a trailer but as it has a MAM of under 750 kgs, does not have to be braked.  You can also get an A frame that incorporates a braking system that applies the brakes on a towed vehicle when needed.  That way you can attach anything else behind your mobile bungalow.

[dolau]

Bugger!

[madmondeoman]

Dolau is off to buy a smart car now then