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Towing Pole- safe, recommendations?

neilrr

MB Enthusiast
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Jul 20, 2004
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I need to move a dead car about 50 miles & was looking into buying a towing pole.

Anyone have any experience of these things or can give me any tips?

Anyone between the M3 & M4 got one they'd care to lend me next weekend. :D

TIA
 
It's not illegal. 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.
 
I have a pole you can borrow, west london area.

Is the towing eye on both cars on the same side of the car? If not, then you cant use a pole safely.

I have a sprung tow rope too should you need this as an alternative?
 
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HERE is a group test for the top 10 towing poles by Auto Express.
 
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Is it so dead you cannot call the RAC/AA/Greenflag and get towed home?
 
It's as dead as a dodo & not coming back to life - a Cosworth someone shifted at redline from 3rd into 2nd instead of 4th & blew the bottom of the engine out.

My local towing guy told me today that for a car to be legally towed it must have tax & an MOT. I thought (& I don't know where I got this from) that only applied if it was on a rope, if it was on a bar the towing car's paperwork was sufficient.

I think it'll probably be trailered now. Ta anyway.
 
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