Mistakes made while towing can lead to a collision or even more serious damage to your car. What to remember and what behaviors to avoid? We will tell about it in this material.
A breakdown on the road can happen to any used car. And sometimes it can be a problem that will not allow you to continue driving. This will happen when the fault is revealed by the engine, cooling system or clutch. In such a situation, the driver should know when not to tow the car.
Car towing. The most important rules
Towing is quite simple for experienced drivers. Connect the towing vehicle with the towed vehicle using a special cable. This is attached to the hooks screwed into the mounting point in the bumper (sometimes it is hidden under the plug). In addition, it is worth remembering about driving rather slowly, keeping the distance between vehicles and the fact that:
- the towing vehicle must have dipped beam lights on also during the period of sufficient visibility,
- the towed vehicle is to be marked with a warning triangle or hazard lights on.
When can you not tow a car?
When towing, drivers are afraid of a ticket. This may include, for example, incorrect labeling of vehicles. What they don’t know is that the truly costly problems lie elsewhere. They concern the case of ignoring contraindications to towing. When should you give up pulling a damaged vehicle on a rope? In a situation where:
- the towed vehicle has faulty steering, brakes or a damaged system holding one of the wheels in place,
- if the engine, transmission or transmission has revealed a serious oil leak.
In this case, a collision may occur during towing. The towed car will hit the towing car. A possible scenario is also causing more damage to the vehicle. In this way, damage will occur, the repair of which will often cost thousands of zlotys.
In gear, manual or lockable. Avoid that too
We have one more piece of advice for drivers. Never tow the vehicle in gear, with the handbrake on, the steering lock engaged, or the steering wheel or transmission locked. The matter seems to be obvious, but not always… That’s why we mention it.
Is it possible to tow a car with automatic or 4×4 drive?
Special towing rules also apply to cars equipped with an automatic transmission. You can’t just throw slack in them with the engine off. You should therefore:
- start the engine (if possible) and put it in neutral. Automatic transmission manufacturers generally allow towing speeds of up to 50 km/h and distances of up to 50 km.
- activate the towing mode in the transmission. In the vicinity of the gearbox jack there is a plug that gives access to the lever that activates it.
Even more difficult is the situation in which the damaged car has four-wheel drive. If the driver is unable to manually shift the drive to only one axle, he should not tow. The car must be taken on a tow truck. If the drive of only one axle can be set, towing can proceed normally.