Morris Minor Owners Club

If you need to tow a Moggy where do you tie the rope?

I do not want to danage the old girl.

Any ideas?
Regards Don

I'd be interested in the answer to that. Having removed the front bumpers from mine.
I have fitted towing eyes to the front of my daughters Riley Elf, but they bolt direct into the subframe.
Is there any similar product that could be bolted onto the chassis legs? Or is it worth having something
welded in place in case of breakdowns?

Round both the tie-bar front mounts, thus making a triangle with the 'pull' on the peak - certainly NOT on the bumper mounts........ I do believe it is now illegal to tow with a rope - except for emergency removal from a dangerous situation.

My experience is that it's usually the Minor that does the towing, so I'd tie the rope to the towbar

Illegal to tow with a tow rope?? What can you tow with then, I see tow ropes in the shop all the time - seems a bit irresponsible if they are illegal to use!

Solid tow bar. But actually - I rather suspect that any towing (except for emergency/safety etc) is not allowed now. And no - I don't know where to see such legislation - but I'm sure I read it somewhere.....

I have just spent some time searching the Department of Transport, DVLA, Highway Code and other websites.
The current Highway Code states

In the event of a breakdown, be aware that towing a vehicle on a tow rope is potentially dangerous. You should consider professional recovery.

[Laws CUR reg 100 & MV(DL)R reg 43]

The laws relate more to who can tow a vehicle, license categories than the vehicle itself. The only other rules seem to confirm that you can only tow a car if it is road legal (insured, taxed and MOT'd)

I towed one using the hooles in the engine bay floor - til it ripped the metal clean out.

On the new one some donut has tried towing on the engine mount towers - which has bent and twisted both.
Even the tie bars (as recommended above and used by the AA for my old one) arent particularly beefy.

I wander if anyones tried welding a hoop to one of the chassis legs - like on a new car?

Back in the day we towed a Morris home many a time. A chain to the lower suspension leg did the trick. A tip to help reduce the shock when slack accidently occurred is to hook the chain diagonally to the tow vehicle. It takes some of the jolt out when the chain/rope is taught again. Of course, nylon tow ropes are great too. My state of Pennsylvania still allows rope/chain towing but neighboring New Jersey has required solid tow bars for many years.

I would use a recovery service if I were a long way from home. However, last time the daughter's Elf broke down (before fitting the tow eyes) we had to wait 90 minutes for the RAC man, to be told, what we already knew, that he couldn't repair it. We then waited another 90 minutes for the recovery lorry. 3 hours waiting, when only 5 or 6 miles from home. In these circumstances I would always opt to tow and fix at home. Picking my Minor up from its MOT in the next couple of days, I'll ask them what they suggest re towing eye/welded plate.

My son has advised me on this, he is a VOSA enforcment officer. As others have posted, yes it is now illegal to use a tow rope. Unless the vehicle poses a significunt danger as to postion to pedestrians or other road users if the vehicle is to be left in position, however the vehicle must not be moved if it where to be it would imped an investigation.
As regards to towing a vehicle home if it's deemed that it is only a short distance of up to a mile and will not be on Motorways a rope can be used, however the vehicle being towed must comply the Road Traffic Act and must have valid Insurance MoT and Road Excise Duty (tax).
If the vehicle doesn't comply it must be recovered by another means i e full recovery or suspened tow. An A frame towing device can be used by a private car to tow a non compliant vehicle as the towing car complies with the Road Traffic Act, but must not exceed maximum towing weight for that car that is towing.
Originaly the Minor was designed with recovery points at the rear, being a rear wheel drive it would have had rear suspended tows in the case of a breakdown.
As for retro fitting recovery points to the front, this may infringe on the Construction and use Regulations of the Road Traffic Act, if they were to pointing down from the vehicle structure they could impose an injury risk to pedestrians in the case of being run over, and there for may fail the MoT for a dangerous protrouding object, however if the recovery points were to positioned facing forward, for example welded in front of the angled slope of the front chassis this would put them up behind the bumper and would be demmed safe.

That's one thing that really annoys me about the law - you never know when it changes (or what it was in the first place) and it takes a lot of effort to find out!

Well done Alan - and thanks for that. I am however surprised that an A frame device can be used to tow a NON-COMPLIANT vehicle?? I thought if a 'vehicle' had it's wheels on the highway - it had to comply with MOT/Tax/Insurance (except for going to pre-arranged MOT - even then insurance still required) - whether it was being towed/pushed/parked/not capable of being 'driven' (ie no engine etc) . So can you please confirm - a car with no MOT/Tax/Insurance can be towed with all it's wheels on the highway - by another car (assumed to be fully compliant) using an A frame device - provided the max towing weight for the towing car is not exceeded ??

This reminds me of when a French recovery driver tried to drag my van up onto his wagon using the tie down eye at the front of the OS chassis leg.

He left the handbrake on and pulled the eye out, then claimed the whole van was rotten!
An exaggeration I assure you!

bmecosse, So i'm led to believe from my son. however i wil ask him an confirm your question, i would hate to missled you or someone else and land them on the wrong side of the law.

Hanvyj It's only illegal to tow a vehicle with a tow rope over a long distance say over a mile, it is only an emergency aid as my son said to move a vehicle from a dangerous position say to a safe place at the side of the road, unless to do so would imped an investgation.

Thanks Alan - but I believe any vehicle with it's wheels on the highway must have tax and MOT and Insurance. Please do check and let us know! It's important we get this exactly right. Roy

Flippin nanny state.
I've towed for miles using a rope, there's no safety risk provided the tower and towee have a modicum of common sense.
It annoys me when folk are deemd so stupid as to require un-necessary laws to mitigate their assumed stupidity - the rest of us sufferring as a result.
I guess they changed the whole A frame law in order to placate all these 'smart' car dragging motorhomes.

Any chance you can let us know where we can read these regulations for ourselves, because what you have written contradicts the current version of the Highway Code.

Many Thanks Alan useful advice.
Regards Don

bmecosse, update on your question, you can tow a NON COMPLIANT vehicle with an A frame but conditions apply, 1 The vehicle being towed must not be readly driveable buy means of, it must not have an engine fitted either or transmission if both of these are fitted the drive shafts must be removed and must not be in or on the towing or towed vehicle, so in effect the the A frame and towed vehicle become a trailer and so covered by the towing vehicle.
2 You can use an A frame to tow a vehicle to and from a pre arrange place of repair or MoT but the towed vehicle MUST have Insurance as it is in a readily driveable condition.
If using an A frame you must not exceed the maxium towing weight for the towing vehicle, as in all intense and purposes it becomse a trailer.
I hope this clears the muddy waters some what, as when and how to tow a vehicle. best advice if in doubt pay for recovery. It's more expensive in the long run if you get prosecuted.

To answer MG's question, if you can obtain an upto date copy of the Road Traffic Act it's all in there as for the Highway Code my son tells me to throw it out of the window as it's so out of date.