Towing A Car With Your Own Vehicle
Random vehicle breakdowns can happen to anyone, even the most experienced professional drivers. Since it’s such an unforeseeable occurrence, many people don’t know how to react once their car inevitably breaks down. More often than not, they will resort to calling their friends or family to come and tow the broken vehicle with their own car.
If you’re not sure whether towing a car with another caris a good idea, take a moment to check out some of the points we’ve made in this article. In case you’re looking for the short answer – it’s typically not a good idea to do this, and here is why.
Things You Should Know Before Towing a Car
Here are some useful pieces of information you should know before you contemplate towing a car.
The Importance of Vehicle Ratings
Every vehicle has a particular rating, which is closely related to towing capacity. As you can assume, towing capacity is the maximum amount of weight your vehicle can tow. You can usually find these ratings on the door jamb of your car or truck. However, if you don’t own a vehicle that is obviously foreseen to withstand and deal with a lot of force, chances are you cannot tow another vehicle.
Predicaments With Towbars
If you want to tow a vehicle, your car has to have a towbar installed. While that sounds pretty simple and straightforward, there is much more to it than meets the eye. Just like the vehicle itself, towbars also have ratings that have to be accounted for before any towing takes place.
Now, sometimes a variety of vehicle models can use a tow bar of the same rating, but many models require towbars of specific ratings in order to ensure safe operation. Either way, if you don’t know the specifics of your towbar and vehicle rating, it’s best to just call a team of professionals and let them deal with towing a carsafely.
Local Law and Regulations
Is it illegal to tow a car with another car?Well, the answer to this question depends on where you live and, more importantly – where you are when your car breaks down. As far as the United States laws go, every state has different rules and restrictions tied to towing laws. For instance, most states require a towing vehicle to have and use safety chains and taillights. A number of states might also require you to use some sort of signaling, for example – a yellow rotating light.
As you can tell, just outright hooking up another vehicle to your own and towing it is not a smart and viable option. You risk paying a hefty fine as well as probably some temporary license sanctions.
Separate Braking Systems and their Importance
By using elementary laws of physics, we can easily conclude that towing vehicles have extra momentum when hauling other vehicles. This puts significant pressure on the braking system, which is why most towing vehicles must have separate braking systems. So, rather than thinking to yourself “How do you tow a car” – you should be thinking about the mandatory equipment needed for the job. In most cases, your personal vehicle will not fulfill all the requirements.
If you’re still wondering, “Can I tow my own car” the answer is – you technically can, but you probably shouldn’t. If you need towing services, we at Phoenix Towing Service will be more than happy to lend you a hand and ensure safe transport.
If you’d like to read more about vehicles, towing, and some useful tips that will help you on the road, don’t hesitate to read our other articles! In case we’ve missed something, let us know by leaving a comment.
The post Towing A Car With Your Own Vehicle first appeared on Phoenix Towing Service.
Winter Towing Tips for Safe Trailering in Ice and Snow
Driving during the winter is completely different compared to driving during the spring or in the summer months. Slippery roads, dead batteries, and frozen stuff all around you is just a glimpse into the common burdens that come with frosty, cold weather. Whether you’re a professional tow truck driver or a roadside service driver, you ought to know everything there is about winters towingor else you risk jeopardizing your as well as the safety of other participants in traffic.
We have made a list of several tips and advice that should help you prepare for potential issues on the road so that you don’t have to waste time and wait for help in the middle of nowhere. Before we dive deeper into the subject, remember – good preparation is everything!
Snow Towing Tips for Safe Trailering
Check out some of these suggestions that should help you get from point A to point B safely.
Using Proper Tires
The first order of business for you whenever the seasons change is to swap your tires and use the appropriate type. Equipping your vehicle with winter tires will significantly improve traction and your vehicle’s ability to grip the road. It will also allow you to accelerate, turn, stop, and slow down with much more confidence, since you can be relatively certain that winter tires will provide necessary protection against a slippery, sometimes even frozen road.
Maintain Control by Installing Trailer Brakes
Contrary to popular misconceptions, not all trailers have independent brakes. Some of them rely on the tow vehicle’s brakes, which is typically acceptable, but not during snow towingWhile you could, in theory, hit a snowy road without trailer brakes and tow a vehicle safely from point A to point B, it’s not something we would recommend doing. Don’t go out on a snowy and potentially slippery road without previously installing a set of brakes on your trailer.
This might be an unforeseen expense for some people, and many drivers are usually discouraged by the financial impact of this particular investment, but rest assured it’s something you simply must do. Once you install a set of trailer brakes, you won’t have to think about this step ever again.
Stay Vigilant and Alert at All Times
Being aware of your surroundings is one of the main things you should think about while you’re on the road. The fact that you’re on a snowy, slippery road should amplify your awareness and bring it to a whole new level. The idea behind this tip is pretty simple – always make sure not to forget that you’re driving on a slippery road that requires precision, alertness, and smooth inputs. This means no sudden braking, no tight turns, and no speeding. No matter how late you are or how eager you are to get to your destination, you should never rush with towing travel trailer in snow.
lways Be in Control of Your Vehicle
Many drivers are tempted to use cruise control and other convenient, modern options to streamline a long drive, but you should refrain from doing that, especially if you’re towing trailer in snow.While it’s great to let the computer take over the throttle controls and inputs, it’s dangerous to forgo the control of your vehicle on a slippery road. The computer is simply not capable of identifying potentially dangerous maneuvers, which could lead to serious issues on the road.
What are some of your personal tips for winter towing? Did you find our tips useful? Leave us a comment and let us know! If you’d like to read more about towing, proper road etiquette, and methods you can use to avoid potential mishaps, read some of our other articles!
The post Winter Towing Tips for Safe Trailering in Ice and Snow first appeared on Phoenix Towing Service.
How to Turn While Towing
Driving and towing seems like a pretty straightforward and simple task, but there are many nuances involved that could make your life much harder than it should be. Whether you’re a seasoned driver or perhaps just a beginner, you ought to know everything there is about the mechanics behind taking turns with a tow truck and how to be as efficient as possible with your safe driving techniques
If you’re looking for some driving tips for turning,you have come to the right place. This article should give you a better idea of how trailers work and things you should keep in mind while on the road. Naturally, these aren’t hard-written rules you should live by, but you never know what kind of new advice you might stumble upon. Here are some things you should keep in mind:
Safe Towing Tips and Tricks
As a responsible driver, safety should always be your number one priority. No matter how easy it is to maneuver your vehicle, you should always keep your safety and the safety of other participants in traffic in the back of your mind.
Plan Out the Turn
This may seem somewhat over the top and a bit dramatic, but planning out every aspect of your maneuver will significantly lower the chances of failure. It only takes a couple of minutes to plan out your maneuver, and it can save you from having to pay for damage caused by reckless driving. It’s not about the speed but rather about the precision.
Take Significantly Wider Turns
One of the first rules you will learn as a tow driver is to take significantly wider turns than usual because the outside edge of your trailer should clear all obstacles and hazards while turning. In simpler terms, your trailer will always cut a sharper corner than your vehicle, which is why it’s important to take wide turns and increase the chances of making it around the corner unscathed. When it comes to safe driving techniques, this one is a must-know.
Use Your Mirrors
Most drivers are aware of the importance of the mirrors on their vehicles, but many aren’t. There is no unique philosophy behind this tip, or any other tips towingfor that matter; it all comes down to using common sense and training. Ensure your mirrors are always properly adjusted and don’t hesitate to double and triple check your corners before you make the turn.
Train in Your Spare Time
If you’re a professional driver, chances are you don’t have much time to spare, but it’s also safe to assume that you already know how to turn while driving. However, if you’re relatively new in this industry, take a few hours off your free weekend to practice some turns. Put a couple of cones on an abandoned parking lot and spend a couple of hours practicing. This is, arguably, one of the best methods you can use to improve your driving skills.
Size Matters
While similar principles of driving apply to almost any trailer, the size of the trailer itself matters a lot. If you’re struggling to figure out how to turnwhile towing, start with smaller trailers and work your way up. If this isn’t a possibility, make sure you know everything there is about your trailer, its size, and best practices with similar-sized trailers.
Do you have any other advice to share with us? How do you deal with turns while towing? Leave us a comment and let us know! If you’re interested in reading similar guides, read some of our other articles!
The post How to Turn While Towing first appeared on Phoenix Towing Service.
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