Towing is not as difficult as it might seem to the drivers of the towing and towing service vehicles. The stress is not caused by the complexity of the task itself. But by the fact that the car only needs to be towed when it breaks down, so one driver already has a reason to feel stressed. Instead of waiting to face an emergency, it is worth preparing for this in advance. Indeed, in such cases, it is not at all difficult to forget the basic rules for towing cars.
Roadside assistance and checks or how to avoid towing service
Every driver sooner or later experiences the stress of getting stuck in the middle of the road in a car that refuses to move. Luck comes with someone who takes care of everything in advance, so do your best to protect your car from damage. The best way to ensure this protection is through regular checks. Also, do this when you suspect something is not good, and do not wait a few months just to confirm your suspicions. The car refuses to drive only when you do not respond to these signs.
You can also avoid towing by investing in emergency roadside assistance services. The services that provide these services can help you in a variety of situations. The variety of services depends on how much money you can spend on insurance. Services may even cover a wheel change or assistance with starting the vehicle in winter. But the most commonly used roadside assistance service is towing.
In most cases, your car is transporting in a tow truck near me and you ride in the passenger seat of a tow truck. Insurers often put conditions on roadside assistance. Such as a limited towing distance in kilometers. For example, your maximum towing distance might be 200 km. Again, it all depends on how much you are willing to pay for these services. In some offers, the towing distance has a limit of up to 200 km. But there are also such insurance policies, according to which your car can be towed as much as 1200 km. Each insurer offers different conditions and insurance packages, so it is always better to familiarize yourself with several offers, think over them well and only then choose.
The basics of towing cars. Preparing the towed vehicle
If you have been unable to keep your vehicle from breaking down and you are unable to get roadside assistance. You should call your friends or family, or find someone to tow your vehicle. The best way is to tow it directly to a car repair service. Before towing, make sure that your car is ready for this.
First of all, check whether it is possible to tow the vehicle at all, i.e. whether the brakes, steering wheel, and headlights are working properly. If so, place a warning triangle on the left side of the car’s rear window (inside the car) and turn on the sidelights. You also need to choose a few simple symbols that you can use to communicate with the person towing your vehicle. To do this, you can use headlights or hand gestures.
When your vehicle is ready to be towed, you must attach a 4-6 m tow rope to both vehicles with a red or yellow warning flag attached to it. Always attach the cable to the body only and not to the bumper or suspension arms. Fasten the tow rope very well. If the cable is attached to the bumper, it may not be strong enough to withstand the strong pull. When a car breaks down, the last thing you want is to have additional costs and problems.
Together with another driver, you must also choose the route of the trip. Choose streets with low traffic so that you have to react as little as possible to other vehicles. Never tow your vehicle on a motorway.
Towing Service: safety rules
After properly connecting both vehicles, it is time for the driver of the towing vehicle to turn on the headlights. The driver is obliged to turn on the dipped beam headlights (daytime running lights are not enough!). Start driving as smoothly as possible and increase the speed only after tensioning the cable. And has sufficient time to react (for example, using the brakes or turn signals). Both drivers should strive to keep the tow rope taut. The driver of the towing vehicle should also be aware of the speed limits.
The towing process is not very difficult. The first few kilometers of driving can be a little difficult, but then both drivers should be more confident in driving. However, the towing service vehicle must drive by a more experienced driver.
4 most common mistakes when towing cars
Headlights. Do not turn on the low beam headlights on the towed vehicle (which blinds the driver of the towed vehicle). On the towed vehicle, the sidelights must on, and the dipped beam headlights must turn on by the driver of the towing vehicle.
Reverse towing. Cars can only be towed and towed when they are moving in one direction. This may be obvious, but sometimes people try to use the tow hooks of both vehicles for towing service!
Towing without a driver. The towed vehicle must also have a driver. Although, again, this advice sounds absurd, sometimes there are people who “forget” that the towed vehicle must also be driven by the driver.
Towing without a warning triangle or when placed in an inappropriate location. The warning triangle must place behind the rear window on the left side (not on the right or in the middle!).
How to tow a car correctly
In the event of a total malfunction of the car, it is necessary to urgently take it to a technical inspection station. This can be done with the help of a tow truck, or, if an inoperative vehicle allows, towing can carry out. It would seem that I hooked the car with a cable and drove off. However, not all so simple. In case of incorrect towing, even a faulty car can be seriously damaged. Masters of the Pragmatics car service will help you figure out what rules you need to adhere to deliver the car to the place without unnecessary damage.
In this case, it is permissible to use a spring earring, but the tractor will have to be extremely careful and move without jerking.
Before starting towing, be sure to turn on the emergency light on the towed car, and only the low beam on the tractor. The “ward” must also have an emergency stop sign attached. If you wish, you can agree with each other about light signals while driving.
On the road, make sure that the cable between the machines is taut at all times. This is controlling by the brake pedal in the towed vehicle. It is also recommended that the towing service vehicle has the same or more power than the towed vehicle.
There are some tips for cars with automatic transmission. In order not to aggravate the breakdown of the faulty machine, set the gear lever to neutral. There is a speed limit for towing – no more than 50 km / h, for a distance of no more than 50 kilometers.
