# is towing a car with a rope legal? **URL:** \ **Category:** SON240sx Automotive\ **Created:** [September 25, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944 "2005-09-25T11:57:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Alex](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/1 "2005-09-25T11:57:54Z")
one vehicle tied to another. is it legal? im leaning towards no… :lol: ---
**Author:** ![Solarian](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/solarian/32/5514_2.png) [@Solarian](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Solarian)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:08pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/2 "2005-09-25T12:08:08Z")
I’m 99% sure it’s illegal. However, I have done it and it works pretty well 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SHIFT\_KA24DET](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@SHIFT\_KA24DET](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/SHIFT_KA24DET)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:09pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/3 "2005-09-25T12:09:43Z")
With the proper rope its legal from what I’ve been told. You just need working lights on the towed vehicle and someone in it obviously to steer and brake. ---
**Author:** ![Alex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Alex](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:14pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/4 "2005-09-25T12:14:15Z")
> [@SHIFT\_KA24DET](#): > > With the proper rope its legal from what I’ve been told. > > You just need working lights on the towed vehicle and someone in it obviously to steer and brake. cool i had all that. got some funny looks though ---
**Author:** ![Hector](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/43a26b/32.png) [@Hector](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Hector)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:14pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/5 "2005-09-25T12:14:29Z")
u can push it with another car , u just cant pull it with another car, right from the pigs mouth, and i checked with a few other piggys in the pen as well ---
**Author:** ![Alex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Alex](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:18pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/6 "2005-09-25T12:18:50Z")
> [@Hector](#): > > u can push it with another car , u just cant pull it with another car, right from the pigs mouth, and i checked with a few other piggys in the pen as well really? pushing it seems much more dangerous if you ask me ---
**Author:** ![NiTeRiDeR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/dfb087/32.png) [@NiTeRiDeR](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/NiTeRiDeR)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:59pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/7 "2005-09-25T12:59:17Z")
Towing anything that isnt FIXED (rope = not fixed) for any reason other than getting it out of a ditch, will get you in shit… If your using a fixed system then it should be alright… basically… if you are towing a car, and you stop… a rope will not stop the car you are towing… and there is no control as to where the car is situated behind you (another lane). if you fastened up some solid metal bar im sure it would be more legal. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![AmIdYfReAk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a4c791/32.png) [@AmIdYfReAk](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/AmIdYfReAk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/8 "2005-09-25T14:18:07Z")
i know this from experance, in the burlington area, its illegal to tow a car with a person in it. but towing a car with a rope is perfectly legal ( as long as its actually a towing rope ) . as stupid as it sounds, yea… i got a ticket for being in my told toyota wile my dad was towing it with the Van. ( on a Towing rope ) ---
**Author:** ![AmIdYfReAk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a4c791/32.png) [@AmIdYfReAk](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/AmIdYfReAk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/9 "2005-09-25T14:19:01Z")
anyway, the best bet i think for you is to call your local police department and ask them. simple as that. The responces in this thread obviously from one side to another. ---
**Author:** ![sidewaze](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/sidewaze/32/5497_2.png) [@sidewaze](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/sidewaze)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/10 "2005-09-25T15:24:04Z")
> [@Alex](#): > > one vehicle tied to another. is it legal? im leaning towards no… :lol: No it’s 100% ILLEGAL! I know this for a fact because the other week my car would’nt start and I was parked beside the Durham Regional Police station out here in Oshawa. My starter was dead so I call my wife to bring the van and I was going to tow it home as I only 2 min’s away. Tanya wanted to make sure I was allowed to so she went in the police station and asked and the officer said no. He did say that if I had chains that it may be overlooked but not if you use rope. Despite that I towed it home anyway, or rather Tanya drove the van and I was in my 240 to work the steering and brakes. So don’t do it man. I got lucky where as you may not. Later brother. Easy 8) ---
**Author:** ![Alex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Alex](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/11 "2005-09-25T16:14:35Z")
> [@sidewaze](#): > > [quote=Alex]one vehicle tied to another. is it legal? im leaning towards no… :lol: No it’s 100% ILLEGAL! I know this for a fact because the other week my car would’nt start and I was parked beside the Durham Regional Police station out here in Oshawa. My starter was dead so I call my wife to bring the van and I was going to tow it home as I only 2 min’s away. Tanya wanted to make sure I was allowed to so she went in the police station and asked and the officer said no. He did say that if I had chains that it may be overlooked but not if you use rope. Despite that I towed it home anyway, or rather Tanya drove the van and I was in my 240 to work the steering and brakes. So don’t do it man. I got lucky where as you may not. Later brother. Easy 8)[/quote] thx for the warning but its already done heh ---
**Author:** ![s13Junkyard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/s13junkyard/32/5502_2.png) [@s13Junkyard](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/s13Junkyard)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/12 "2005-09-25T16:44:30Z")
i love using the yellow tow rope its greeat ---
**Author:** ![Djandy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Djandy](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Djandy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/13 "2005-09-25T18:50:59Z")
> [@sidewaze](#): > > [quote=Alex]one vehicle tied to another. is it legal? im leaning towards no… :lol: No it’s 100% ILLEGAL! I know this for a fact because the other week my car would’nt start and I was parked beside the Durham Regional Police station out here in Oshawa. My starter was dead so I call my wife to bring the van and I was going to tow it home as I only 2 min’s away. Tanya wanted to make sure I was allowed to so she went in the police station and asked and the officer said no. He did say that if I had chains that it may be overlooked but not if you use rope. Despite that I towed it home anyway, or rather Tanya drove the van and I was in my 240 to work the steering and brakes. So don’t do it man. I got lucky where as you may not. Later brother. Easy 8)[/quote] If your starter was dead, why didn’t you just get the van to pull the car a few meters with it in gear to get it started? ---
**Author:** ![Sasha\_SG](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/sasha_sg/32/5477_2.png) [@Sasha\_SG](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Sasha_SG)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/14 "2005-09-25T19:19:28Z")
the best is when you get rear ended then rear end your tow vehicle the nrealize the person driving was your buddys drunken dad hmmm and this was in a “good” area eh avery? ---
**Author:** ![s13Junkyard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/s13junkyard/32/5502_2.png) [@s13Junkyard](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/s13Junkyard)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/15 "2005-09-25T19:29:49Z")
hahahahahahaha its the bad luck of rx7’s ---
**Author:** ![Fitzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Fitzy](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fitzy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 8:35am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/16 "2005-09-26T08:35:01Z")
we towed a 95 eclipse GS-T with a 1991 Toyota Camry wagon, poor poor wagon, don’t think it ever left 3rd lol, god i was hard on that car. but we did the drive which normall would take 8 minutes in 11 so that was pretty impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Solarian](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/solarian/32/5514_2.png) [@Solarian](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Solarian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 8:57am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/17 "2005-09-26T08:57:07Z")
Hehe… yea, eclipses are pretty heavy. I towed a Suzuki Swift with a Celica GT, car still drove pretty normally. Then several years after the tranny failed… b/c we used that thing like a pickup truck 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DavidSim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DavidSim](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/DavidSim)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 9:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/18 "2005-09-26T09:06:00Z")
Reminds me of a communication training video I saw a number of years ago where a guy pulled over to help someone stranded on the side of the highway. Apparently the guys motor had stopped, he’d run the battery down trying to restart before realizing the problem, now needed a push to get started. The helpful motorist agreed, and as he was getting in his car to push he was told that the stranded car was an automatic, that he’d have to get his car up to at least 35 mph before the other car would start. The stranded guy gets in his car, looks in his rear view mirror, and sees the other car backing up quite a ways. Next scene, you see the helpful motorist hit the gas, see his speedometer climbing to 35 mph, then the big collision as he runs in to the back of the stranded vehicle. Since then, I try my best to be clear when I’m passing on critical information to others. Regards from Pickering, Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![mr200](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mr200/32/5495_2.png) [@mr200](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/mr200)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/is-towing-a-car-with-a-rope-legal/88944/19 "2005-09-27T14:08:29Z")
Heh. Reminds me of when I saw some dude towing an old rickety 12-cylinder Jag behind his GM van with about 30 feet of chain in Oakville/Burlington. Dude waited for the light to turn yellow before trying to make a left turn. Oncoming car didn’t see the chain, and the Jag was still sitting out of the intersection. Oncoming car blows yellow, meets chain. Chain removes itself from Jag, meets a few cars on its way by. Guy meets angry motorists, and eventually very angry cop. AFAIK, the only legal way is with a tow bar. Tow ropes are only to be used for getting vehicles out of ditches, etc. And yeah, the reason being a car with power brakes can stop a whole lot faster than one without.