Towing Your Car the Right Way
There are many factors to consider before towing a vehicle, whether the car broke down, or it was involved in an accident, or just simply pulling it to a different location, there is a proper way to tow your car. Different car manufacturers, from Chevrolet to Honda, these makes have different specific guidelines when it comes to towing these vehicles. Another factor is what drives it is, whether front-wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or four wheels and all wheel drive. It is important to know these things as not to damage your vehicle when towing them.
Depending on multiple factors, there are many ways on how to pull your car properly as not to cause any harm. There are a few basic ways to tow your car, towing with all four wheel off the ground, towing with two wheels on the ground, and towing with all four wheels on the ground. All these methods have different purposes and use, especially for the drive of the car that’s being towed. Using the wrong method can and will lead to severe damage to your transmission.
The best way to tow a vehicle of any drive, whether all wheel drive, front or rear wheel drive is to tow it on a flatbed that raises all four wheels off the ground. This way, there is no movement happening with the car itself while it is being towed which won’t cause any damage at all. Many companies rent out these flatbed trailers that you can hook up to your car or truck that let you tow the vehicle with all wheels off the ground.
Towing with two wheels on the ground, however, isn’t as simple. When towing with two wheels in the field, a device called a dolly is needed, where the dolly is connected to the car that is doing the towing, while the car this is being towed, has the two front wheels fastened and secured on the dolly. This works well with front wheel drive cars, as the drive wheels are raised off of the ground.
Towing a rear wheel drive with a towing dolly, however, requires a little bit more of work. If you plan on towing a rear wheel drive car with a dolly, the drive shaft of the vehicle must be disconnected and removed as not to cause any damage to the transmission.
Another method for towing is using a tow bar. A tow bar is a triangular shaped metal device that connects to point to the towing car, while the wider end attaches to the bumper of the car that is being towed. This entails that the car being towed has all four wheels on the ground. If your car has a manual transmission, all you need to do is to put it in neutral and disengage the parking brakes.
When using a tow bar with an automatic transmission, however, you will need to use a lube pump, to provide proper lubrication and to calm to the transmission of the car. This is important because since the car isn’t turned on, the pump for the transmission isn’t turned on as well.
Whether your broken Chevrolet needs to be towed to the nearest gas stop for engine problems, or simply hauling it at the back of an RV, proper towing guidelines must be met to ensure safety not just to the car, but to you as a driver and other drivers around you. Ensure that there is a proper sign that indicates a vehicle that is being towed, notifying drivers that are tailing you.
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