There’s a lot of individuals that think that they can tow their own vehicles easily by attaching a hauling tow ball hitch to it. This is dangerous and foolish, as it can severely damage your vehicle. Not only that, but there’s a plethora of reasons that attempting to tow your own vehicle when it’s broken down isn’t a good idea. Here’s a guide, as prepared by the expert towing service technicians at Chicago Towing on the reasons that trying to tow your own car is a mistake.
Improper Towing Rating
Towing rating is the amount of weight a certain vehicle can tow without incurring damage. If you’re not aware of the rating that the vehicle you want to tow with has, it’s likely that it can get overloaded and damaged when you try to use it for towing. This damage ranges from a huge plethora of issues including exploding tires, heat exhausted transmissions, brake failure, and suspension damage. This is why you should only rely on a licensed towing agency to carry out all necessary towing services.
Improper Tongue Weight Levels
The weight of the towing vehicle that gets supported by the tow ball is the tongue weight, and this has an effect on the steering of the vehicle. If there’s too much tongue weight, you’re going to have issues steering your vehicle – and if there’s too much, the vehicle will sway when you drive it. It’s a delicate balance, and makes it so that tows should not be attempted unless you have verified that the tongue weight is at the perfect levels.
Improper Towbars
Towbars are necessary towing equipment – and each one of them have their own ratings. Many vehicles do use the same towbar, but it’s 100% necessary that you use the proper one for your vehicle. Amateurs might attempt using the wrong type of towbar, causing safety issues and potential vehicle damage.
Non-Adherence to Towing Regulations
Each State has unique towing laws and regulations. The majority of States mandate that towing vehicles use safety chains and taillights – and some others require the use of side mirrors and special rear view options. There’s also mandated maximum towing weight for specific vehicles. Ameteur towing attempts often rbeak these rules due to unawareness – risking legal issues, vehicle damage, and potential safety issues for you or the drivers around you.
Improper Braking Systems
Towing vehicles have additional physical momentum when they are lugging another vehicle, which makes the towing vehicle’s braking system work harder and potentially less successfully. This has the effect of causing your vehicle to slow down over a longer type of time – which is why many States mandate that towing vehicles of certain heaviness to have special added braking systems in order to compensate. Amatuer towing attempts often ignore this fact due to sheer unawareness, which leads to potentially hazardous towing operations – not only for you, the towing vehicle, and the vehicle being towed – but other drivers on the road as well. This is why towing operations should only be carried out by skilled and experienced towing professionals.
