Towing puts extra force or pressure on your vehicle that can damage your vehicle’s suspension system, brake, and transmission system. In this blog post, we have come up with some necessary information about towing a vehicle, its types, and possible risks. Moreover, we have also crafted a list of common measures to prevent any damage.
Vehicle Towing | A Comprehensive Guide
Vehicle towing requires complete guidelines and possible risk information. Before towing a vehicle you should consider multiple aspects such as the weight of the vehicle, towing equipment compatibility, visibility assessment, accelerating or speeding, turning, braking, and tire pressure, etc.
Common Types Of Towing
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Flatbed Towing
Flatbed is the safest and tear-free method of towing a vehicle. In this method, a flatbed truck is commonly used that can be tilted or lowered to bottom ground level. The towing vehicle is tightened on the flatbed surface by using straps or chains. By using this common method along with appropriate guidelines, you can shift any type of vehicle without any damage.
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Dolly Towing
Dolly towing is another common method in which we use a small trailer with two wheels and ramps for towing a vehicle. The ramps of the trailer seize the movement of the front two wheels and prevent them from contacting the ground surface while allowing the rear wheels to touch the ground for movement.
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Hook and Chain Towing
Hook and chain is another popular method but this method has various disadvantages for vehicles. In this common method chain and hook are used to tow the vehicle. This method usually affects the car suspension system, skin, and undercarriage.
Possible Risk Factors From Towing
Incompatible Equipment
While towing a car, incompatible equipment can cause severe type of vehicle damage due to imbalance weight, improper alignment, and incompatible braking.
Limited Visibility
If you are not considering the width, length, and height of the towing car, it will create a hindrance in visibility while turning or changing lanes in driving.
Accelerating and Speeding
If your vehicle has less momentum or inertia than in normal conditions, it can cause trouble while towing.
Turning
If the towing car has wider wheels than your vehicle, and you are making a normal turn, it will cause a collision of both the towing car and the vehicle.
Braking
In the case of towing, if you are applying brakes at normal space or distance, it will also cause a serious accident because now your vehicle has double mass.
Tire Pressure and Blowouts
Maintenance of tire pressure is another important factor that drivers must consider while towing a car. Inappropriate tire pressure will cause blowouts.
Vehicle Not Related For Towing
Always remember that vehicles have their own specifications such as weight limit, towing gear, trailers, and couplers. if you’re using a vehicle that is not able to bear the load of a towing car, it can cause serious accident.
Unbalanced Loads
Unbalanced load is another crucial risk factor that can cause severe damage to vehicles.
Measures To Prevent The Damage From Towing
We have provided some effective measures to prevent towing damages.
- Before towing a vehicle, always put your vehicle transmission in neutral.
- It must be ensured that your emergency and parking brakes are inactive.
- Before towing, always consider the length, width, and height of the towing vehicle to prevent visibility restrictions while changing lanes or turning on the road.
- Cross-check your vehicle’s inertia and momentum to tow a vehicle. It must be ensured that your vehicle has high momentum and inertia to lift the car.
- Double-check the condition of the tires to prevent them from bursting.
- Try to distribute vehicle weight evenly on the trailer because unbalancing may cause severe accidents.
- If you are trying to tow a car that has broader tires, then at the time of turn at curves or corners, make a wider turn to prevent collision of both the towing car and vehicle.
- In the case of towing, always try to apply brakes at a well-defined distance.
- It must be ensured that your towing equipments are compatible and secured, whether the vehicle owner is utilizing an axle cradle, flatbed truck, hook, or chain.
- Hiring a professional towing service provider can skip towing flaws.
- Moreover, the rear drive shaft should be removed from the vehicle and it must be ensured that your rear wheels are on the ground.
- Try to prevent your towing car from swaying and check multiple times if you feel any movements.
Conclusion
It is concluded that towing can cause severe damage to your vehicle without proper arrangements and preventive measures. Therefore, before towing every vehicle owner must have the essential knowledge about proper equipment, speeding, braking, tire pressure, and turning of the vehicle. In addition, vehicle owners must know about possible risk factors and measures to prevent towing damages.
