Don’t Try to Tow a Car with Your Own Vehicle for These 5 Reasons
Many people think that as long as they attach a tow ball hitch to their vehicle, they can haul anything. It’s a bad idea as it could be very dangerous and can cause many problems when you are towing your vehicle. Furthermore, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind, which can make the job even harder. A lot can go wrong if you don’t take certain precautions when towing your vehicle.
Following are 5 reasons why you should not try to tow a car with your own vehicle:
1. Tow Vehicle Rating
Vehicle rating refers to the weight a vehicle can pull without any problems. Different vehicles have different ratings. If you are unaware of your vehicle rating, the you risk overloading it when attempting to tow your car. Doing this can cause a whole host of problems such as blown-out tires, overheated transmissions, broken suspensions, failing brakes, etc.
2. Tongue Weight
The amount of towing vehicle’s weight that is borne by the tow ball is known as tongue weight. Tongue weight directly affects the vehicle’s steering mechanism. Too much tongue weight will make it hard for you to steer your vehicle. Too little and your vehicle might sway. It’s a complicated measurement that must not be ignored. That’s why it is not recommended to tow a car with your own vehicle unless you know such measurements accurately.
3. Towbar Confusion
You will need a towbar in order to tow a car with your own vehicle. Towbars have their own ratings and sometimes a variety of vehicle models can use the same rated towbar. However, there are other vehicle models that require specific rated towbar. So you will need to be really careful when purchasing a towbar as you will want to avoid the one that is not safely, or legally, up to the job.
4. Local Regulations
Towing laws, rules and restrictions vary from state to state. As you may already know, most states require a towing vehicle to use taillights and safety chains. However, what you may not know is that some states also require you to use extra precautions such as additional rearview and side mirrors, etc. Apart from this, there are specific maximum limits for towing vehicles. Most people that tow their own vehicles do not know all these rules and regulations, so they end up being heavily fined by the authorities.
5. Separate Breaking System Required
Towing vehicles have extra momentum when they are hauling other cars. This added momentum causes the braking system of the towing vehicle to be somewhat less effective, which means it will take longer to reduce your speed. Because of this reason, many states require towing vehicles over a certain weight to have a separate braking system installed. So you will need to consider this aspect before trying to tow your car.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a lot of complications involved in towing a vehicle. It’s best to leave it to professionals and hire the services of a towing company to tow your vehicle from one place to another without any hassles.
Plaza Towing has been serving the roadside and vehicle transporting needs of Coachella Valley since 1969. With locations in Palm Desert and Indio, and a fleet of over 30 tow trucks, Plaza Towing is able to handle every roadside service challenge and meet every towing need. Offering light duty towing, medium duty towing, heavy duty towing, specialized trailer transport, and private party impounds, one or more of our tow vehicles are always out on the road providing quality service to both individual and commercial customers somewhere in Coachella Valley. Readily available 24/7/365, contact Plaza Towing to get a truck dispatched to your location either now, or at a planned time of your choosing. Reach us online, or call us now at (866) 775-4314!