Safety Tips For Towing Your Vehicle

Have you ever had your car breakdown in the middle of nowhere? In situations like these, your first natural instinct may be to try a bunch of different techniques like jump-starting the battery, checking the spark plugs and checking the battery connections. However, such actions seldom work especially if you don’t have prior experience. So the last option you are left with is to tow your car or get it towed from professional hauling service.

Getting your car towed by an experienced tow truck company or pickup trailer is the safest option but if you find yourself stranded in a remote location where it is difficult to arrange a pickup trailer, you might end up having to take the services of an inexperienced company. Unusual incidents like this can happen at any time so it is best to be prepared.

In this blog, we have discussed some pointers that can help you safely tow your vehicle.

Knowledge About Your Vehicle

Every job requires the use of certain tools and expertise for completion. Before you perform any towing task it is important that you read your car’s manual to check the tow rating of your car. Normally sport utility vehicles and large trailers have tow hitches pre-installed but unfortunately they are excluded in normal passenger cars.

You should know whether the car you are towing is a two-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle and check its engine transmission.

Crucial Aspects You Should Consider

First, make sure your towing vehicle is big enough to tow the towing vehicle so that it can easily accelerate, decelerate and can perform engine brakes.

Secondly, make sure nobody is sitting in the car that is being towed except for someone on the driver seat to position the car on the road and hit the brakes when needed. Shift the gear of the car being towed to neutral and turn on the ignition switch to prevent the auto-locking feature. If you are towing a vehicle at night or during hazy weather turn on the hazard lights of the car being hauled to alert other fellow drivers.

Towing A Car With A Tow Strap

This is not the safest method to pull a car to your desired destination. But you can use this method to cover short distances. Don’t use any old chain or weak rope for this purpose.

Use a proper tow rope that has a length of at least 4-5 metres so that the car being tugged will have sufficient time to stop. Make sure that the tow strap is not delicate, old or damaged. If the strap is damaged it won’t be capable of bearing the load and may cause serious implications for others travelling on road.

Most tow straps come with an (on tow) indication which needs to be displayed on the rear of the car.

Use Of Tow Dolly To Pull Vehicle

Various methods are used to tow the cars. One popular method is the use of a mini trailer-like structure called a tow dolly.

In this method, the front wheels of the vehicle are elevated above the ground and are fixed on a dolly whereas the rear wheels are continuously in contact with the ground. Normally it is considered good for cars to have a front-wheel-drive option but effective transport depends on the weight, size and wheelbase of your car.

Utilizing Tow Bars

The most common method used to carry a vehicle is by using tow bars. There are two variations, RV mounted, which is a tow bar that is inserted into a trailer hitch, and A-frame trailer which connects to a trailer hitch via a coupler. A coupler fits safely and pivots on the tow vehicles’ tie ball to ensure safe connection.

Hiring A Tow Trailer

Pulling a vehicle requires certain skills and experience. Professional towing companies hire and train staff to prevent your car from being further damaged. So employing a towing trailer is by far the safest option to tow a car. The vehicle is overhauled inside the trailer and it is hooked.

Important Driving Tips

When on the road there are certain rules and restrictions you must follow. When towing a car you need to be even more attentive as a slight blunder can result in serious injury to others on the road.

Drive slower as the additional pressure on your vehicle will curtail the braking system of your car. Avoid immediate braking when pulling a vehicle with your car. Keep an eye on the road and beware of other drivers and use proper turn signals. To ensure security check the quality of your tires before starting your journey.