Using Tow Ropes

Defender200Tdi · 18th March 2005, 11:21 AM

Not for recovery, just for breakdown tow.

It's taken me ages to troll through the internet to find any regulations on the length of a tow rope. Finally, from TransportSA, I found this:

"If using a towline of any sort, your vehicle must not be more than 4 metres from the vehicle being towed (motor bikes 2.5 metres). If the towline is longer than 2 metres, it must have a white or brightly coloured piece of cloth attached to the middle to act as a warning signal to other road users."

That's it. No mention in the regs for any sign on the towed vehicle or anything of that nature. It does go on to talk about the driver of the towed vehicle needing to be licensed, warning lights operable etc.

I just though that it might be useful if someone else, like me, was wondering what length a tow rope should officially be for on-road use.

Paul [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

**DEFENDERZOOK** · 18th March 2005, 11:34 AM

for starters you need to find out if flat towing is legal....it used to happen all the time in the good old days.....nowadays everyone uses tilt trays.

if it is still legal there is a maximum distance between the two vehicles of somewhere around 2 metres i think.

there are precautions to take before towing constant fwd vehicles, such as removing tailshafts in certain situations.

Defender200Tdi · 18th March 2005, 11:38 AM

The regs I quoted above are current in SA, so flat towing must still be legal here. It appears that 4 metres is the max distance between vehicles.

I have no idea what the regs are in other states.

Paul [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

**noddy** · 18th March 2005, 12:10 PM

Some years ago now, while driving my 130, I was overtaken on the Hume Highway, just south of Campbelltown by a Commodore towing a Datsun 120Y doing 120Kph 8O

The young kid in the 120Y was concentrating so hard his school teacher would have been proud!

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] :?

**VladTepes** · 18th March 2005, 12:47 PM

Interesting given that most tow ropes sold are at least 10 metres in length....

**noddy** · 18th March 2005, 01:12 PM

I don't think they were using a 'proper' tow rope.... :?

**DEFENDERZOOK** · 18th March 2005, 08:22 PM

Originally posted by Noddy
Some years ago now, while driving my 130, I was overtaken on the Hume Highway, just south of Campbelltown by a Commodore towing a Datsun 120Y doing 120Kph 8O

The young kid in the 120Y was concentrating so hard his school teacher would have been proud!

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] :?

consider yourself lucky it wasnt a 200B

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 18th March 2005, 09:40 PM

afaik its illegal in QLD,, but I could be wrong---

What I do know,

BOTH vehicles MUST be registered.

**DEFENDERZOOK** · 18th March 2005, 09:48 PM

best solution here is dont flat tow

with the amount of idiots on the roads you will have someone cut you off causing you to jump on the brakes.

my theory is the tow vehicle will stop before the towed vehicle........ due to the fact that the towed vehicle wont want to pull up cuase the engine isnt running, ande hence no power assistance to the brakes.
let alone the close distance to the tow car.

any bigger gap between the two vehicles and someone will jump between the two...if however its a motor bike it may trip over the tow rope and become a speed hump for the towed vehicle....

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 19th March 2005, 08:23 AM

Originally posted by DEFENDERZOOK+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DEFENDERZOOK)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Noddy
Some years ago now, while driving my 130, I was overtaken on the Hume Highway, just south of Campbelltown by a Commodore towing a Datsun 120Y doing 120Kph 8O

The young kid in the 120Y was concentrating so hard his school teacher would have been proud!

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] :?

consider yourself lucky it wasnt a 200B[/b][/quote]

lucky you didnt say 1600------- 8O

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