Find Out How To Tow Your Own Car
If you need to tow your car a short distance or you need to get it somewhere safer while you are waiting for a tow truck, you may consider doing some of the towing yourself. If you have access to a tow strap, you can get your car where it needs to be.:
What Is a Tow Strap?
A tow strap is a sturdy piece of nylon webbing. It will have hooks on both ends of the strap. That's so you can hook it to each vehicle involved. The straps come in various sizes. Or the one you use may have an adjuster on it which will let you adjust the length as needed.
How Do You Use a Tow Strap?
The strap will need to be secured to a solid place on your car. Your bumper is not a solid place on your car. If you attach it there you are just asking for damage. Your bumper can be pulled off your car very easily. Don't attach it to your axle either. It can get in the way of your axle moving and cause more damage.
Instead look for a tow point on your car's frame. If you look under your car you should see a tow hook or area to secure a strap. That is part of your car's frame. You need to hook the strap to that part of your car. If your car is the one being towed, make sure that it is hooked on the front of the car. The car doing the towing should look for a tow spot in the back. If the car has a trailer hitch, there should be a tow hook there.
How Do You Tow the Car With a Tow Strap?
After you have secured the cars with the tow strap, it's time to start towing. Make sure that the car being towed is in neutral. That way the transmission doesn't get burned out and the wheels will move freely. Then you will need to get in the car. There is no way to tow a car using a tow strap safely. Someone needs to be behind the wheel so that the car will turn and brake as necessary.
Unlike towing with a tow truck, a strap leaves a lot of space between the cars. The towing car just provides the forward movement, they don't control how the towed car moves in turns or slows down. Make sure that you have made arrangements with the person towing your car as to any necessary signals about turning or breaking.
Make sure that the car doing the towing always makes smooth movements. Jerking or abrupt movements can cause damage to both vehicles and be unsafe for everyone.
Towing a car with a tow strap shouldn't replace a tow truck. You can't tow a car like this at high speeds or for long distances. But, it's a good way to get your car out of any dangerous areas until a tow truck can come get it. Want more help? Contact a company like Big D Towing with any questions you have.
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