How to Tow a Car? Useful Towing Car Instructions For the Beginner.
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This can happen to anyone: the car has lost momentum and needs to be towed and delivered to the service station or to the parking lot. Here in the article we will tell you how to save some money and tow the car yourself.
Content
An important rule of towing a car – if you are not sure of your skills or in the auto, it is better to call a tow truck. And it’s not even about saved nerves. If you damage both cars as a result of a failed towing, it will be more expensive than the cost of a tow truck. If you want the cheapest way to tow a car – then do it yourself. But be very careful!
How to tow a car in the right way:
– Choose a tow rope.
It is important to think about this in advance, it must be in your car. Its main characteristic is reliability. The length of the cable must be at 3 or 4 meters, so as not to enter the car towing you.
If the car is not huge, but a small car, it is quite suitable not for metal but a flexible cable. The maximum allowable load on it is twice the weight of the machine. From the range of hooks, prefer cast.
– Interaction of drivers.
It is important to agree on the route and rules in advance. The rope must be kept as tight as possible all the way, otherwise it will not take long to get into a traffic accident. This is monitored by the driver of the towed car. The “emergency” must be switched on by a faulty car. When you need to change lanes, the “tug” must first turn on the turn signal, and towed cars are rebuilt after.
– Be careful with the brakes.
The brakes of a broken car will feel like wooden ones, and it will be much harder to turn the steering wheel. Do not forget to lock the steering at a certain position of the ignition key – it must be turned so that it does not happen while driving! Be sure to use a towel.
How to tow a car with an automatic transmission.
If the broken auto is equipped with (AMT). Such cars can also be towed. But at a distance of not more than 60 km and at a speed of not more than 60 km / h. You need to move the box to the neutral position, remove the car from the handbrake and gently start moving.
A tug with an automatic transmission can also help pull or pull another car. In this case, the towed vehicle should be lighter than the tow itself.
The “tug” must move and stop as smoothly as possible.
It is necessary to transfer a transmission on a tow in manual position on 1 or 2 transfers or on position “L” (lowered). And do not torment the engine at low speeds – it threatens problems.
How to tow a car with a truck
– Towing trucks
Trucks are quite difficult to tow a car with a truck and this case can be entrusted only to those who are in the subject. Even if you decide to go for it, you need to use a rigid hitch, even if the traffic rules say so.
The driver of the towed truck must have the right category license, which gives the right to drive this car. Also keep in mind that the distance from the towed and towed trucks should not exceed 4 meters. Also on cars the alarm system should be included, and on coupling there should be reflectors.
There is such a hitch, in the form of a triangular structure, which holds very tightly 2 cars, then the driver can not be in a towed car. This triangular rigid hitch allows you to transport even those cars that do not work the brakes, the main thing is that the weight of the towed car was 2 times less than the car that is tenet. It is forbidden to carry any passengers when towing.
There are 3 types of towing a truck:
- Flexible coupling is a type of towing when a tow rope is used. Every rope has its own capabilities, so the allowable load should not be exceeded. You should also pay attention to which carbines are used in the cable, it is better that they were forged than stamped.
- Before towing, the tow rope must be marked with red or orange flags or other bright elements that have reflective functions. At least 2 such bright elements are needed. The tow cable should not exceed 6 meters, and both cars must have serviceable brakes and steering.
- Rigid coupling is a type of towing when a metal structure is used instead of a long rod or triangular structure. But this design must be factory, with the appropriate documents, homemade will not work.
- Partial loading is a method of towing a car, one of the most difficult, and requires special equipment such as a tow truck. To immerse the car you need a crane, you can use rails. Usually this method should be used when racing new trucks. Cars have to be towed in this way only if there is a box of machines on it. With this method of towing it is not possible to transport passengers in the cabins of both cars.
How to choose a tow rope for a truck
First of all, you need to know that you can not use homemade products such as ropes or as a cable. If the tow cable is factory, it is carefully checked for rupture, and it has a certain possible load. And ordinary ropes or ropes will not withstand heavy loads and a more or less normal jerk will lead to a break and this will end the towing of the car.
Nylon cables are considered to be the strongest, they have the highest strength, and they last a very long time. They are also resistant to moisture and dirt, weigh very little, take up little space. As for the hook with a carabiner, then forged steel hooks are best. They differ in their large weight, for example, weak and not strong enough cast carbines from alloys weigh about 150 grams.
You should also make sure that there are no bars or other marks on the hook, which indicate that it is not steel. If the hook breaks when towing, the cable can hit the rear window of the front car or the rear windshield, which can lead to additional costs.
How to tow a car with a tow bar
Emergency roadside assistance is in high demand because the number of cars is constantly growing and you do not know when you will need help. Traffic accidents – accidents, collisions and other accidents caused the need to quickly, without damage, to tow and repair cars. Damaged cars are sunk by a tow truck. Prompt and professional assistance is provided by experienced professionals at any time of the day who will take care of your car.
Evacuation of vehicles.
How does a tow bar sink cars? Loading a vehicle with a tow bar is a risky operation that requires special skills and abilities, as well as the presence of the necessary special devices.
When evacuating the vehicle, safety measures that meet the requirements of road safety must be observed.
Tow bar means a vehicle equipped with a mechanical device used to tow machines by means of a winch. The tow bar sinks the cars, or in other words moves with another car upstairs.
The tow bar is the only partner that will come to the rescue at a critical moment. Very often the tow bar is used after a traffic accident. In such cases, the damaged car must be very carefully immersed in the tow bar. Evacuating a car damaged in an accident, often with broken wheels and a mutilated body, requires a lot of patience and endurance.
The main task when loading the car with a tow bar is to comply with all safety rules with the least damage to the evacuated car. Cars that are immersed in a tow bar require very careful treatment by tow bars. Load problems can occur due to a damaged brake system, car wheels and other parts. Cars in which the wheels are stuck during the accident are usually immersed, using any sliding object, which is placed under the wheels and with the help of a winch pulled up to the platform of the tow bar. It is very effective to use a loader with a crane. The damaged car is secured with special straps and lifted onto the tow bar platform.
There are several types of tow bar loads:
Many tow bars are equipped with adjustable winches and booms to remove vehicles from hard-to-reach places.
Hooks and chains are used. Chains are wrapped around the car body, and towing is carried out.
Slings are currently used very rarely, as they can scratch the car’s bumper. But they are sometimes used to tow vehicles in which, as a result of an accident, the bumpers are damaged and there are no front or rear wheels.
With the help of a wheel-lift – this device generally lifts the driving wheels of the vehicle (ie front wheels, if it is a front-wheel drive, rear wheels, if it is rear-wheel drive) and applies to some tires. On-board method of evacuation (also called rollback or slide) – allows you to place the car on the evacuation platform in tow on its own or with the help of harnessed winches. Note that specialists can skillfully load very expensive cars.
Tow bars are usually operated by private companies, with the exception of major highways and toll roads, where state-owned tow trucks operate.
The latest models of tow bars.
The latest models of tow bars are used to send your car quickly. Reliable tow bars tow trailers of any vehicle up to 4.5 tons. Tow bars can be flatbed trucks that transport any cars, minibusses, small trucks, boats, etc. up to 8 meters in length.
They transport the car at the request of its owner to any place.
Video how to tow a car
Each car has it’s own towing capacity, as example check Toyota RAV4 towing capacity.
