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Re: Towing an Rn box

Do you have classic car Insurance? The leading companies e.g RH offer a breakdown service to get you home if it can't be fixed at the roadside.

Definitely the safest option for you and your Austin

Re: Towing an Rn box

All Sevens would have been towed at some time. If the number plate mount removed, access to strong points, and no risk of bowing axle.

Violent jerks obviously to be avoided. The handbrake of towed car should be kept lightly applied. As other post, not so practical with a Seven but ideally the towed car should contribute much of the braking so requires anticipation and firm braking applied down grade. A major danger is running over a slack rope, this can lop around the axle, pull taught and lock the steering. For this reason rope best attached near the centre.

For all our family cars including the Seven over the decades I have made simple brackets to attach somewhere at the front. A simple pin coupling to a solid wooden tow bar. Only used three times in 40 years but the wife could manage the towed car, whereas with a rope quite challenging. Vital that bar cannot drop onto road.

(for touring in the back country without breakdown insurance a lightweight solid tow link means that any local farmer for a few dollars can tow to civilisation without drama)

Location: Auckland, NZ

Re: Towing an Rn box

Cliff
Quite agree reckless , so if I adopted the straight tow bar route, easy to fit one end to a modern but how could you fix the other end to the seven ?


One of these is best (or something like it)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-EXTRA-LARGE-M12-D-SHACKLES-12mm-1-2-Towing-U-Loop-Pin-Fastener-HEAVY-DUTY-/191507560361?hash=item2c96bd77a9:g:8TIAAMXQVT9SqCSp

Location: Gard, France 30960

Re: Towing an Rn box

I'm inclined to say "Don't be a pessimist!".

I've hardly ever had to tow a Seven, or be towed in one. When it happened, we did a proper job of it - Almost 150 miles from just outside Beaulieu to Hereford. The tow rope, tied round the o/s end of the axle, broke four times and by the time we got home the Seven (by now with no brakes) was only about three feet behind the towing car.

There were six of us in the two cars and we had to both descend into and climb out of Bath. The journey took about six hours and my headache lasted three days.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the towing car was a 1929 Nash!

Location: Herefordshire, with an "E", not a "T"!

Re: Towing an Rn box

The missis towed me 40mile about this time last year. Using a rope.

No problems at all. No snapped rope. No brake fade. No stress.

I simply tied the rope around the axle where the radius arm meets the axle beam.

Towing you back a couple of mile on a rope should be no problems. The rules previously noted are quite right. It is quite a simple operation.

If your just getting a car up to roadworthy spec som nice short runs to the shop. Or to your mates for a cuppa shouldnt see you far from home.

Re: Towing an Rn box

Hi pearl,yes I have RH insurance with pick up,but isn't there a clause as in the AA that you have to be a couple of mile away before they will pick you up, I mean a short tow half a mile to a mile or so,spose I could push it home !!
Ok so it looks like a shackle around front axle and tow bar or its ok on a rope from front offside axle and slowly,just wanted to know if axle was ok to do that from,pessimism has changed to optimism thanks Martin !
Thanks for the input everybody will let you know how it went

Location: Luton

Re: Towing an Rn box

I was towed through the middle of Stockport on a busy 1960s Saturday morning in a Pearl Cabriolet I'd just acquired on the end of a rope with no problems, just take it slowly and keep the rope tight. All the other occasions of towing with a rope has been the Seven towing failed moderns, the first was regularly tow starting an almost new Rover 2000 in 1963, then recovering a Vauxhall Cresta automatic with a flat battery in 1972, tow starting a neighbour's Ford Escort in 1980s and finally towing our failed Peugeot 206 to the garage twice in 2002. The last incident brought all the garage staff out to see before panic set in to get the car out of sight of the traffic on the main road. The Seven just took it in it's stride.

Re: Towing an Rn box

Dave - I'm sitting here in between eating my breakfast and chuckling over your last incident. The mental image of the Dealer's embarrassment has really made my day. Thanks. Cheers, Bill in Oz

Location: Victoria, AUS.

Re: Towing an Rn box

Glad you liked that Bill, a lot of people know my car including that garage (Peugeot main dealer) my old boss and all have passed derogatory comments about it, joked about it. However over time they have all have eaten their words after they realise it is a reliable form of transport.
I got the car in 1981 and soon took it into work parking it in the Boss's place when he was away. On his return everyone was joking about him finally getting a company car, he wasn't amused when someone explained. I was soon using it for work on a site in Hereford and claiming mileage allowance on it. At a weekend I'd lock it in one of the site containers and get the train home. This caused the site security a head scratcher as it was booked in on Friday morning and out Monday evening with no sign of it on site. Eventually the boss paid a surprise visit and saw the car in the car park and wasn't amused, however the customers boss also saw it and was more interested in the car than a site meeting, he used to own one. The boss wasn't happy with me claiming mileage allowance, however finally accepted the little car when his broke down at work and he asked for a lift home.

Re: Towing an Rn box

Dave Mann
.......I was soon using it for work on a site in Hereford......


Would you have been going in/out of Hereford on the A4103, Dave? If so, I used to see you most days. For the first half of 1981, I was using the RP to commute from just north of Hereford to Caerphilly.

Location: Herefordshire, with an "E", not a "T"!

Re: Towing an Rn box

I was in the Austin from June to October 1981, and occasionally used the A4103 to/from Worcester, most of the time I used the A4110 to Shrewsbury avoiding the A49 to from home. More likely you saw me on the A49 for a mile south of Hereford going to and from the Graftonbury Hotel Martin.