Tow pole...

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T

TaDa

Active Member
Posts
432
Location
Barnstaple or thereabouts
A couple of years back I did a bit of non-landy trialling.
When I smashed the engine off its mounts I needed to be towed home.
I still remember the stain inducing fear of being pulled by a rope at 30mph+ behind a D2.
I vowed to get a tow pole if I got back into trialling.
So, I'm thinking of it again and thus I'm in the market for a two-pole.

Now, most two poles are rated for < 2,000Kg...

Of course D2s never break down but I find myself thinking that if I'm going to buy a tow pole I should get one that could be used to recover the D2 itself.

Am I missing something? Can non-automatic D2s be towed long distances?

And if so is there a suitably rated pole available in the market?
(preferably one that packs away into a smaller bag)

I've not got any scaffolding poles to hand before you ask :)

Cheers
 
Suggest you do a search on here regarding towing..then investigate the current rules and regulations regarding towing on public roads...and then invest in a trailer. :D
 
Yeah I just saw that on another forum - £270? But I hope never to use it :)

I'm now looking for an howto to make one out of scaffold.

It strikes me that £50 for a scaffold pole and the 'endy bits' and £200 for a welder would leave me £20 better off _and_ with a welder :)

I saw this one: 3,000Kg pole - £45
 
Towing a landy is a bad idea, its suitable only for emergency recovery i.e. getting off the main road. The disco is way to heavy to tow wether its using a rop, bar or a-frame. Personally if your worried about it get breakdown cover. Also autos can only be towed up to 15mph (I think, its in the book but its slow), 4x4's in general shouldn't be towed at speed.

AS for other vehicles, the safest towing method is a-framing, then the bar and last resort a rope. As a-frames and bars are solid they take up room, if its for emergency recovery a rope will generally do (a rope is illigal for commercial use, I carry a frame in my works van but a rope in my disco).
 
discool said:
I pulled a RRC with my RRC by rope from Swansea to South London at 70mph while on the M4 no problem. Towing rules mentioned are for commercial operators not private individuals helping a mate out.
Click to expand...
no towing laws are for everyone what you done was not only illegal but incredibly stupid with no regard for others on the road using a rope is only legal to get to a safe place trust me
 
dyte said:
no towing laws are for everyone what you done was not only illegal but incredibly stupid with no regard for others on the road using a rope is only legal to get to a safe place trust me
Click to expand...

Towing with a rope is not illegal It's not illegal unless your commerical trust me just Google or even this Forum as there was a thread on the subject when the uptodate towing law was introduced
It was and has always been on a motorway but 22 years ago traffic was a bit less and it was great fun. :D

This is from the Police National Legal Database:

"When the vehicles are attached solely by a rope or chain, the maximum distance allowed between the vehicles is 4.5 metres.

If the distance between the two vehicles exceeds 1.5 metres then the rope or chain must be made clearly visible within a reasonable distance from either side to other road users. This is usually done by tying a coloured flapping cloth in the middle of the rope or chain.

The person in the broken down vehicle must be a qualified driver as he is actually driving the vehicle. A further point is that if it is dark then the broken down vehicle must have its lights on as it would under normal circumstances."

Note: Vehicles are only to be towed on motorways, for the minimum distance necessary, to reach a place of safety where recovery may be effected by a recovery vehicle.
 
Last edited:
dyte said:
no towing laws are for everyone what you done was not only illegal but incredibly stupid with no regard for others on the road using a rope is only legal to get to a safe place trust me
Click to expand...

I think you'll find that the max speed for towing with a rope on a Motorway is 30mph anorl as well as only been for recovery to a safe place.
 
and if anyone thinks landy towing is scary , try it with lorries sometime ....went across bristol city centre in a dodge 50 6.5 tonner towed by a ford "A" series on a short chain ....the tow driver went very fast (he was a santa pod dragracer) to scare me....he succeeded ...or grimbsy to london on a stiff bar , 10t cargo behind a 7.5 cargo .

we had several stiff bars , mostly made of scaff type tube with various ends , mainly bow shackles , stopped several times by the law , never any problem with the tow , all over the old paper tacho's , yes
 
must admit I have used various means of towing over the years,
ropes, home made A frames, home made rigid poles,
but ended up with a machine mart non sprung pole.

The heavy`ist car I towed Into a scrappies was a mondeo totaly filled with scrap metal, just room for the driver...

the only thing I will improve on is a piece of cut tire tread insert to cushion the over run clonk you get with them, but other than that they seem to work just fine.
Another improvement could be a bonded webbing ratchet strap to combat the "clonk"
 
redhand said:
I think you'll find that the max speed for towing with a rope on a Motorway is 30mph anorl as well as only been for recovery to a safe place.
Click to expand...

We started off at 30 as far as the Seven bridge tolls then it was 50 but then the sun started going down in Wales so we got a move on where possible for the last 30miles or so untill we picked up the south circular then it was 30mph and traffic all the way home to my mates house in Catford a "safe place" Officer, next day we fitted a replacement clutch and gearbox :).

Can't say I see many cars/vehicles being towed these days when I was "young" mates cars were always breaking down or not starting so out came the rope, is every body in the RAC AA etc.
 
Last edited:
discool said:
Towing with a rope is not illegal It's not illegal unless your commerical trust me just Google or even this Forum as there was a thread on the subject when the uptodate towing law was introduced
It was and has always been on a motorway but 22 years ago traffic was a bit less and it was great fun. :D

This is from the Police National Legal Database:

"When the vehicles are attached solely by a rope or chain, the maximum distance allowed between the vehicles is 4.5 metres.

If the distance between the two vehicles exceeds 1.5 metres then the rope or chain must be made clearly visible within a reasonable distance from either side to other road users. This is usually done by tying a coloured flapping cloth in the middle of the rope or chain.




The person in the broken down vehicle must be a qualified driver as he is actually driving the vehicle. A further point is that if it is dark then the broken down vehicle must have its lights on as it would under normal circumstances."

Note: Vehicles are only to be towed on motorways, for the minimum distance necessary, to reach a place of safety where recovery may be effected by a recovery vehicle.
Click to expand...

towing on to a motorway is illegal you can however recover from the motorway with a rope but only too a safe location nearesr exit i never said towing with a rope was illegal i said what you done was 70 exceeds the limit for any vehicle towing a trailer never mind with a rope
 
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