Car Towing
Car towing is the act of joining a specific trailer to the car; and dragging it behind, with placing a car, boat, or a motorcycle on the trailer for transportation. You may need to think about car towing in situations when you want to go for boating and take your own boat, just transport another car or motorcycle to a different place, or take a recreational vehicle to another area. Car towing can be done by powerful cars and SUVs. When considering car towing for any purpose, you need to take some very crucial considerations in mind. Read on for some important points on car towing.
Considerations for Car Towing
Car towing is really a serious task which needs proper attention. You firstly need to check out towing specifications of the car. Some cars and SUVs have a greater towing capability than others. The weight while towing trailers behind should be under the maximum range given, in order to contribute to safe driving. Find out the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of your car, which means the total weight the car can handle. This includes the driver, all passengers, full gas tank, and also the tongue weight of the trailer to be dragged behind.
Towing capacity normally depends on the type of vehicle and power of the engine. It refers to the maximum amount of weight the car can pull on an incline without damaging its powertrain. Note that the aggregate trailer weight and the load on it should be less than the maximum towing limit. Tire pressure is another factor that is to be paid attention to when towing. Due to the towing weight, tires are subjected to higher pressure which is why you may need to adjust air pressure accordingly.
While towing, remember that under-inflated tires become hot which is why they tend to fail. You might be required to increase air in tires as per an increase in the load on the trailer. It is suggested to keep an air pressure gauge for checking out tire pressure periodically during towing. You can refer to the owner's manual for determining the appropriate air pressure you need to set. Another point to take in mind is the braking distance which increases with weight. Let us now discuss car towing equipment.
Car Towing Equipment
There is a wide range of towing equipment depending on what method you are going to use for towing. There is a method called the two-wheeled towing, wherein only the behind wheels of the car towed are in contact with the ground. The car towing equipment here is referred to as a tow dolly. There is another method used especially in the case of towing recreational vehicles, which is known as four wheel down towing or flat towing. In this method, the vehicle to be towed is not kept on any equipment, and all wheels touch the ground. The equipment used here are a self-aligning tow bar, self-aligning receiver mount, self-aligning vehicle mount, or an A frame.
You do have an option of availing car towing services for that matter. These services have their own automobiles and equipment to tow any car or vehicle. They can tow unwanted cars from one place to the other, tow the car to a garage in case of a breakdown or an accident, and similar situations. The towing rates depend on what time of the day you are availing the service, and how long do you need the towing. A towing service for five miles would generally cost you from $35 to $75.
