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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> Towing a sorn'ed car?
        
(Message started by: ro284 on May 13^th, 2011, 9:18am)

Title: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by ro284 on May 13^th, 2011, 9:18am

Can i tow a car that is sorned off the road? is it legal? of course i would have to steer it with the engine running!
Any advice please.

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by Highlander on May 13^th, 2011, 9:55am

On its own wheels with a rope/bar or A frame?

Legally a towed vehicle has to be fully roadworthy, MOT'd, Taxed AND Insured and towing only used to recover a broken down vehicle to a place of safety

I tow long distance regularly with an A frame, SORN'd, no MOT, no insurance and have never had any problem with VOSA or the Police despite having been stopped many times..

Seems to be one of these grey areas even with the police and a subject prone to many urban legends ;D

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by PJDavis on May 13^th, 2011, 12:59pm

I think you can only 'soft-tow' a vehicle to a safe place. Soft Towing is really a thing of the past that the Cops frown on, however I have been told by a mate that is a Cop, if you're towing only a short distance at a sensible speed, with 'Vehicle-On-Tow' in big letters on the back of the towed vehicle, and the towed vehicle is road legal, WITHOUT the hazard flashers on so that your road intentions are clear, you might get away with it.

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by Highlander on May 13^th, 2011, 1:07pm

You are legally required to have a piece of paper attached to the rear of the towed vehicle, with 'On Tow' scrawled on it in biro.

It has to be paper in case it rains so that it will go soggy and become (even more) illegible. If you can manage to mis-spell 'On Tow' so much the better.

If it rains the wipers on the towed vehicle should be disconnected ASAP

If possible try to use non servo assisted brakes on the towed vehicle.

The tow rope should be no more than three feet (approx. one metre) in length and should be no less than twenty years old.

Some sort of rag must be tied somewhere along the length of the rope for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

Your journey should include at least one fifteen mile section of motorway or dual carriageway where you can drive along quite happily at 22mph with your hazard lights flashing.

This is the law. It must be, I've seen it loads of times. ;D

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by Highlander on May 13^th, 2011, 1:31pm

I remember one occasion many years ago as a brave and foolish teenager in the Scottish Borders towing a workmate home with a rope.

On a fairly quiet A road I managed to get my Escort van and the FSO Polonez I was towing up to over 80 miles an hour, before exiting a long sweeping bend and finding a long queue of traffic behind a caravan just in front of me!

My only option was to pull out and overtake the entire convoy, luckily I made it without meeting any oncoming traffic!

But I had to run for my life when we arrived at our destination!

Mr. FSO Polonez was not a happy bunny! ;D

Weird cars, It was on that car I first met electronic ignition ;D

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4717178479_5ea427cefe_z.jpg

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by Dave2302 on May 13^th, 2011, 1:32pm

;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by Mike H on May 13^th, 2011, 5:01pm

http://livinginthepast-audioweb.co.uk/images/misc/thlaugh.gif

(^ both!)

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by ro284 on May 13^th, 2011, 9:52pm

Thanks for replies guys, as it happens i can get the car transported on a truck (which should be safer) to a huge workshop to store it there, till i strip it for bits, :-[

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by Mike H on May 14^th, 2011, 11:35am

This is the 24V?

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by ro284 on May 14^th, 2011, 1:04pm

Yes Mike it is the 24v sadly. i fitted two new shocks,so will have them back as spares for my 12v or 2-3. my idea was to just have the one 24v and sell the others but am too stretched financially now after being ill. sad really, but thats life.
Cheers

Title: Re: Towing a sorn'ed car?
Post by Baz on May 14^th, 2011, 7:01pm

I once towed an old Corsair which had sat in a damp garage on the Isle of Man for 20 years. Used an a frame and came off the boat in Liverpool (remember them, they used to have a winning football team ;D) and came down the M62 to Warrington. Towed it with the Scorpio and never once got stopped. Passed a few cops on the way and it was pretty obvious that the Corsair was not roadworthy!