How to Tie the Axle Hitch
Usage
The Axle Hitch is what you want when you need to get a rope around a vehicle or boat axle for an emergency tow. An axle is awkward and cramped to reach, so this hitch is built to need only one pass of the line around it — then you finish the job by tying the classic bowline loop you already trust to actually hold the load.
It was designed for a single, straight pull: hook a line to a hard-to-reach anchor and drag. That is its one real job, and it does it well.
Why Learn the Axle Hitch?
The honest case for the Axle Hitch is access. When the anchor is buried and hard to reach — an axle, a spar, an upright — you often can't get your hands in to wrap the rope round and round. The Axle Hitch solves that: one pass around the object is all it needs, and the load-bearing knot gets tied out in the open where you have room to work. If the anchor is easy to reach, you don't need this hitch — a plainer attachment will do.
Common Uses
The Axle Hitch has a narrow but genuine set of jobs, all built around one idea: reaching an anchor you can barely get to.
Vehicles and Boats
- Emergency towing by the axle — the knot's namesake job. Round the axle once, pull the loop clear of any projecting parts, finish with a bowline, and tow in a straight line.
Sailing and Docks
- A towing hitch to a wharf stringpiece — the same single-pass trick works on a dock stringpiece or similar awkward anchor where a full wrap is a nuisance.
Other
- Hauling in tight spaces — it also works for dragging loads like pallets off any hard-to-reach anchor, not only a literal axle.
Other Names
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Notable Features
- One pass does it: only a single pass of the line around the anchor is needed, even though the finished hitch bears on two parts — the whole point when the anchor is hard to reach.
- Borrows a trusted lock: the hitch itself does no gripping; it delivers the working end into a bowline (or a midshipman's hitch), and that finishing knot carries the load.
- Good for awkward spots: it adapts to any horizontal bar or upright you can barely get a hand around.
How to Tie the Axle Hitch
Step 1
Pass a bight of your working line around the axle or other hard-to-reach anchor. You only need one pass, even though the finished hitch is double.
Step 2
Pull that loop out and away from the cramped anchor point until it clears all the projecting parts — on a car, keep drawing it out until it is well past any bodywork in the way.
Step 3
Bring the bight back and work the hitch closed against the anchor. It settles into a double bearing even though the line only passed the object once.
Step 4
Finish by tying a bowline in the working end against the standing part — the side of the rope running off to the load. That bowline is what actually locks everything, so tie it clean and snug it up before you trust it.
Pro Tip: For a finish that is easier to release later, swap the bowline for a midshipman's hitch — it is less liable to jam after a heavy pull. And always work the loop fully clear of obstructions in Step 2 before you close the hitch, or you will be fighting for room to tie the finishing knot.
If the pass-and-pull-out move is hard to picture from flat steps, the Knot IQ app has knots in full 3D you can slow down and orbit until the move makes sense. Practice it on real cord too — a length of 750 lb bushcraft paracord around a chair or table leg is all you need to get the feel.
Similar Knots
Cow Hitch vs. Axle Hitch
- Advantage: The Cow Hitch is simpler and faster to put on an object.
- Disadvantage: It has no separate lock — it holds by friction and load direction alone, where the Axle Hitch delivers a real load-bearing finishing knot.
Girth Hitch vs. Axle Hitch
- Advantage: The Girth Hitch shares the same single-pass convenience and is quick to loop on.
- Disadvantage: Its security is a property of the wrap itself, with no finishing knot — so it lacks the Axle Hitch's borrowed, load-rated lock for a real tow.
History
The Axle Hitch was published by Clifford Ashley in 1944, in The Ashley Book of Knots. He credited its ancestor knots to Captain Daniel F. Mullins, a wharf worker who used them to drag heavy diesel engines on rollers around the docks; Ashley adapted the idea to towing a car by its axle. It never crossed into the mainstream canon — modern vehicle recovery leans on shackles and tow straps — which is why you rarely see it today.
Security Level
Treat the Axle Hitch as a single-pull towing hitch, not a lifting knot. The wrap around the axle does no holding on its own — the bowline (or midshipman's hitch) you finish with is the part that carries the load, so tie that knot well and set it before you pull. Keep the pull straight and in line; it is not made for angled loads.
Downsides
- Straight pulls only: it is best for a straight, in-line pull and is not as effective on angled ones.
- Not for hoisting: it is a towing hitch, not a rated lifting knot — do not use it for vertical or overhead lifting. For a reliable fixed loop to lift or secure with, tie a proper bowline instead.
- A niche tool: it only earns its keep when the anchor is genuinely hard to reach. For everyday attachments, a simpler hitch is easier.
FAQ
Do I need to wrap the rope twice around the axle to tie an Axle Hitch?
No. Despite one modern source describing a double wrap, the original description and every knot that corroborates it use a single bight passed around the object once. The word "double" refers to how the finished hitch bears on the rope, not the number of times it goes around.
What knot finishes the Axle Hitch?
A bowline is the standard finish, tied in the working end against the standing part. You can substitute a midshipman's hitch, which is less likely to jam after a heavy load.
Is the Axle Hitch still useful today?
Its literal use — towing cars by the axle — has mostly given way to straps and shackles. But the single-pass idea still works for dragging loads off any awkward, hard-to-reach anchor, so it remains a handy trick to know.
Important Notes on Safety
Don't mistake the Axle Hitch for a plain Cow Hitch or Girth Hitch — those have no separate finishing knot, and skipping the bowline the Axle Hitch relies on drops the very part that carries the load. Keep the pull straight and in line, and remember this is a towing hitch, not a knot for hoisting or overhead lifting.
