Tips for Towing Disabled Motor Vehicles World is full of surprises and unforeseen events. Sometimes you unfortunately get involved in an accident and your vehicle breaks down. In such circumstances your car, truck, or van needs to be towed to the workshop where it can be repaired. A few decades ago, when the vehicles were not very sophisticated and very few towing companies were available, the disabled vehicles were usually towed by a family member, a neighbor or a friend.
In this modern era the vehicles are becoming more and more sophisticated. Therefore a number of factors have to be taken into consideration while towing these vehicles. If proper care is not taken, the damage caused by the accident might be aggravated. You need to be very careful while towing such vehicles. Different types of techniques of towing these vehicles are needed.
Towing is no more as simple as throwing a chain or a rope around the front bumper of the car and pulling it to desired destination. Many towing techniques have developed over the years and different towing techniques are suitable for vehicles of different make and model. You need to be careful that the suitable technique is being used for towing your vehicle.
The owner?s manual of a vehicle provides suitable guidelines for towing it. The instructions, guidelines and warnings provided in the owner?s manual should be carefully followed. You should consult your owner?s manual and make sure that the tow truck operator follows these guidelines. If the tow truck operator does not follow these instructions, you should look for another towing company.
Mechanical damage to the vehicles during towing can be avoided by following proper instructions. The cars with all-wheel drive need to have all of the four wheels off the ground while towing. This technique is called flat-bedding. No wheel of all-wheel drive vehicle should be touching the ground while towing otherwise the transaxle or transmission might burn up. This might happen because with the engine turned off, the fluids will not flow to keep the parts lubricated.
If your vehicle is rear-wheel-drive, the rear wheels need to be kept off the ground while towing. The problem of lubrication will not occur if the rear wheels are kept off the ground. By keeping the rear wheels off the ground, you prevent the movement of driveshaft, transmission and other related parts. Therefore no lubrication is needed. Similarly if your vehicle is front-wheel-drive, the front wheels should be kept off the ground for the same reason.
Safety of the drivers is also a prime concern while towing a broken vehicle. If proper safety measures are not taken, there is a potential for injury or even death during the towing process. Apart from injury to the driver, there is risk of causing damage to the tow truck.
Injury to the drivers or damage to the tow truck and the towed vehicle can be avoided by using suitable towing technique. It is very important to follow the instructions provided in the owner?s manual.
Also Read: When Can You Use Towing Services
