How to Pick a Tow Rope
Tow ropes are used in several applications: pulling water skiers behind a boat, pulling skiers up a hill, pulling stuck cars out of mud and towing disabled vehicles. Here are some things to look for when buying yourself a tow rope.
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Instructions
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Determine the necessary breaking strength for what you'll be towing. Ropes for towing people need only a low breaking strength, while ropes for pulling vehicles, particularly ones stuck in mud, need a much higher strength. Polypropylene ropes for water skiing have a breaking strength of 800 pounds, while inch-thick nylon ropes for towing vehicles have a breaking strength of up to 25,000 pounds. Inch-think steel cable in excellent condition has a breaking strength of 10,000 pounds, while half-inch-thick chains break at 2,400 pounds.
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Evaluate the elasticity of the rope material. Polypropylene rope is slightly elastic, allowing water skiers to slalom across the boat wake without being buffeted or knocked down by it. Nylon rope can stretch up to 35 to 40 percent of its regular length and when it breaks, it snaps back to the point where it was attached. Steel cable, in contrast, whipsaws wildly when broken, as can chain. Some modern synthetic ropes have much less stretch and therefore a greatly lessened chance to recoil.
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Consider the breaking strength of the item to which the tow rope will be attached. Most towing hooks break at 4,000 pounds; a broken hook can move with the speed and deadliness of a bullet. Similarly, trailer hitches and bumpers can break loose and become deadly projectiles.
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Have a sufficient length of rope for the job. Water skiing ropes tend to be 70 feet in length, with color-coded sections to allow for shortening the rope to make slaloming more challenging. Vehicle towing ropes need to be of sufficient length to pull the towed vehicle without risking getting the towing vehicle in a situation where it too needs to be towed.
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Tips & Warnings
Never play tug-of-war with tow ropes, especially those intended for towing vehicles. It is possible to have enough people pull on the rope to pull it apart with explosive force.
