Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi
I am off to view a car this week but it iS 200+ miles away, I can get a lift there and I would like to drive it back.
However, I am a little unsure if I can trust the car to make it without having issues?

Question is, if I drive it back and I the cars needs to be towed back or at least towed to some where safe, where is the best place to attach a rope?

I was thinking through the grill and to an engine pylon rather than go underneath as I don't want to rip the number plate off.

Any suggestions?

Of course I could have it picked up for £150 on a low loader.

Decisions decisions ..........?

Cheers.

As I'm excessively cautious I'd never drive a basically unknown car all that way. £150 for 200 miles on a low-loader sounds pretty good. I'd be happy paying that to move my car.

Low-loader 2 years ago cost me £200 for 70 miles from storage in Welsh borders to home in West Midlands

I would say it rather depends on the car. If it seems in good condition, has been used regularly and is legal it should do 200 miles without worry. If it’s a project needing work transportation might be more sensible.

Given the cost of transporting you might find it cheaper to take out breakdown service cover including roadside recovery. If you need it it’s money well spent, if you don’t you’ll still have a years cover.

I picked Basil up from 2hours/80 miles away.
It cost me £40 for 24hrs trailer rental.
I quite enjoyed the drive with all the looks I was getting; one young lad nearly had a mishap on his tiny little 125cc-ish motorbike as he was looking at the Moggie too much!

I'd be very wary of attaching a tow rope, as you're then dependant on the Moggie brakes allowing you to stop when the tow car does....

Towing with a rope used to be a common thing. I wouldn't consider it sensible now except in an emergency. If you MUST do it, the only place worth attaching the rope to is around the front of the tiebar on whichever side is most suitable at the time. That way, it won't interfere with the bodywork at all. Other than that, drive the car if it is in good order - or rely on membership of a recovery organisation if you're a member. Otherwise get it trailered.

Thanks all
The car looks extremely tidy but it’s done only a couple of hundred miles in 12 months.

I think you’re right, a low loader is the sensible option .

Cheers

That is an excellent price for a 200 mile recovery - I used to charge 1.35 per mile. On the other hand, joining the AA or similar costs about the same.

To tow like that the towee needs to be able to maintain tension on the rope when decelerating which means the brakes must be in perfect condition since the weight of the tower is also involved. Prepare for fading brakes.

Towing another car on a rope is not for the faint-hearted for either driver. It is difficult to keep the rope taught at all times and there is a tendency for the rope to snatch and jolt the cars - I once, years ago, towed another Minor with a rope around the tie-bar of the car being towed and also tied round my rear axle. I gave up in the end because the endless tugging made me scared my rear axle was going to be pulled off! Hopefully, the rope would have broken first but even that could have been a disaster.
It is never a good idea to tow with a rope at speed as you may well find the car behind ploughing into the back of the vehicle doing the towing when it brakes. As pointed out by ManyMinors, towing with a rope should only be viewed as an emergency measure and, even then, for short distances only at slow speeds.

Towing with a rope is fun ..... many years ago I helped a young lady get her car home by towing it, how suprised was I, when going round a roundabout she ended up next to me smiling and waving She ran over and broke the rope before coasting to a halt on the inside edge of the roundabout. What a mess.

I agree with most of what's been written; but it is sad that there are so many fears about towing. when I first saw the post I thought that it would be about using a Minor for towing, which is perfectly practical as long as the correct weight ratios and/or braking limits are observed. As regards this thread; I say that a properly inspected and locally tested car should be able to complete a 200 mile journey. If the inspection shows areas of concern then no, don't chance it, but if fluids are clean and at the correct levels; tyres and bearings are good; suspension is good; it starts and runs well; and stops in a straight line; plus no corrosion and all electrical items are OK; then what would be the cause for concern?

Towing with a rope is a skill and it's a great shame that it is not taught as part of essential skills. I learnt it on boats where you don't have brakes on the towed vessel, and then applied those skills to cars, and have both towed and been towed many times over the years. Towing modern vehicles is more of a problem as without the engine there is often no power steering or servo brakes; which makes turning and stopping very difficult for the towed driver, but a Minor is a sweet car to both tow and be towed.

Back in the '70's my mates Hillman Imp died. He cooked the engine and it was full of rot. So he salvaged everything he could...seats,glass,doors etc. He got offered £10 for the rolling shell by the scrappy and I got the job of steering it while he towed it using a borrowed Ford Consul.
All went well for a mile or two, I was kneeling down and steering, braking with my right hand. Then the rope snapped and I was left in the middle of the A1 just north of Newcastle. We pushed it the last few hundred yards.
The daft things that you do when you're young,daft and indestructible!

The golden rule in towing is that the towed car should do the braking for both vehicles in order to keep the rope tight all the time.
About three years ago I was having some trouble with my Traveller when the engine would die and anyway was very lumpy when it was running. the culprit turned out to be (it is never ) the coil.

I broke down about 3km away from home and my dear lady drove the tow vehicle. I do the braking I told her unless there is emergency. And just remember to keep the rope tight . I had attached the rope to the front bumper support. At the one and only junction she did brake but did not stop, the rope flopped to the ground and she then tried to accelerate away and pulled the front off. I have fixed it now but it will never win prizes.

Dear, oh dear! I said it was not for the faint-hearted! And simmitc is correct - it is a real skill if you don't want axles or bumpers coming off, ropes breaking etc. And drivers in both the towing and the towed car need to possess this skill and be able to work in tandem.