Towing?

[Henry Harris]

   

[Bob Culver]

At least equally
"Do you promise to stop at the rate to which I am accustomed?"
Few things are more terifying than a rope tow by someone you do not know. And even the ones you do can be forgetful.
Whenever I am towing I cannot resist advising the towee to "Follow me"
I have a solid (wooden) bar with brackets to fit both ends of all my and family cars over the years. Enabled the wife to be towed without drama.

"Young man I have been towed before. I'll do the downhill braking"

"'I'm on my way to compete in the Mt Vertical mud plug trial. if you can tow me there please, someone will know how to fix it"

"Tow me home and I will have something nice for you"

"I know you are not Stirling Moss. Are you Archie Scott Brown?"

(As a schoolboy I remember ASB practising starts at the Levin circuit. It was a quiet week day. We were free to wander in and stand alongside the car as he did full take offs. I remember him complaining that the car was snaking)

"Take off gently. You dont want to pull the back axle out of your D type""

"I'll folow you"

[Steve kay]

That's one way of doing it. We have always had the missus driving the towcar, and myself steering the machine at the end of the rope. We remain married, the cars (largely) undamaged!

[Renaud]

When very young I had a 2CV. She had some failure about 100 miles from home. I called my father who came with the Simca 1000 and a rope. My father was a terrific driver, very thorough but... very fast. The 2CV was a 1955 one, very slow... usually. 40 mph was for rear wind only descending moderately steep slopes. My father brought me safely but with great gusto. One thing though, he knew very well to let me brake before him.

[Andy Bennett]

I was once towed by my father when my Cortina broke down in the town. As we set off on the straight road I forgot to undo the steering lock.

The end of the high street was a sharp left bend to traffic lights, 2 lanes. As he turned in the left lane and stopped, my steering locked after a slight turn, and I found myself neatly next to him in the second lane. Luckily there wasn't a car in my way but the quizical look on his face asking me what the hell I was doing next to him rather than behind remains with me.

I never forgot the steering lock again.

Andy B

[Chris Garner]

My first Seven was a rather decrepit Ruby found in a builders yard on the outskirts of Nottingham. My father agreed to tow me the ten miles to home in his new Singer Gazelle. Despite owning Sevens in pre war days he'd obviously forgotten about their brakes and twice on the way home he braked sharply with me crashing into the rear of his car. He was not a happy bunny but the heights of the bumpers on both cars coincided, so little damage was sustained. He vowed, however, never to tow me again.

[dickie65]

I used to have a Berkley T60 three wheeler, It threw its primary drive chain through the casing which flew out of the front of the car into a bridge.
My father came to tow me home with a Mk1 Escort Mexico,
On the way home as he was cornering gently !!! the Berkley went onto two wheels.
I have been towed in the Austin a few times but without the excitement.

[Tony Griffiths]

I wasn't being towed, but the Chummy was on a trailer being towed along a Belgium motorway by a well-tuned Jensen Interceptor. On several occasions, the speedo went well past 140 m.ph. mark and this, believe it not, peeled some of the chrome from the radiator. OK, I admit it, the chrome was coming off in any case, but it still made for a good story.

[Renaud]

Hmm Tony, just say that the speed peeled off the chrome on the radiator. Don't mention the Jensen. No need for superfluous details...

---

I so much love that "Towing" post that I initiated a similar one on our ATF blog. I even borrowed the image above (giving credits of course)

[John Mason]

I have been towed on a number of occasions but only once in my Ruby when my wife was driving her car as the tug. It was only for about 1/3 mile on minor housing estate road with little traffic back to our house. She really did not want to do it and it took a lot of persuading to get her to agree as she had never towed anything before. NEVER AGAIN I have never been so frightened in my life. she drove at30 mph but on the narrow streets and reasonably short rope it seemed like 70. My wife also didn’t like the experience either. When asked why she drove so fast Her reply was “to get it over with quickly.”

John Mason