Keep the Number of a Tow Truck in Your Car
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 Keep the Number of a Tow Truck in Your Car

I drive an older car that I always knew would break down some day in a bad place and need towed. I figured I could always easily look up the number of a towing company using my phone's internet service if I ever needed to. Recently, my car started making an alarming sound that led to me pulling off the road while driving down the highway. It then wouldn't start back up. I grabbed my cell phone and went to do a web search to find a local towing company, and I realized I had used up all of my data plan for the month! It was late at night, so I had to call and awaken friends until someone answered who could help. I created this blog to help others avoid the same embarrassment as me. Always keep the number of a tow truck company in your car.

Keep the Number of a Tow Truck in Your Car

How To Tow A Car

Terri Carroll

If you need to get your car towed and have the resources you can tow it yourself to a mechanic's garage. Here is a step by step guide on how to tow a car when transporting it over an extremely short distance.

1 - Find a vehicle with enough horsepower to tow your car. Keep in mind that the towing vehicle should be larger in size to ensure it has enough power to pull the car. For example a small car should be pulled by an SUV or truck.

2 - Attach a strap or a chain to the bumper hitch located underneath the bumper of each vehicle. Make sure that the strap has some slack so the towing vehicle can start moving before the strap is taught.

3 - Check to make sure that the car being towed is still mechanically operational and that can be steered and the brakes can be applied if needed. You will need to be able to apply the brakes in the event that the car begins to roll forward or backward when being towed. You also need to have brakes in the event that the strap breaks or comes loose during towing.

4 - Make sure that the brake lights are working to alert any drivers following you when you apply the brake. Brake lights are also needed by law when operating any type of vehicle.

5 - On top of the car being towed, put orange warning flags or magnetic lights to draw attention that the car is being towed to other drivers. This will alert them to proceed with caution when driving near the towing vehicle.

6 - When everything is ready, jump behind the wheel of the car being towed and ride inside during transport. Hold your foot over the brake pedal and be prepared to brake if the car rolls too close to the vehicle towing it. This will also allow you to steer in the direction that the towing vehicle is driving. Make sure to signal when turning as well.

7 - When you arrive at the location, remove the tow straps or chains and make sure that the parking brake has been applied on the car that was towed when it is parked into position.

This type of towing should only be used when driving extremely short distances and should never be used on a highway. If you need to travel a long distance or have to tow a vehicle on a highway then you need to call a professional truck towing service to ensure that the car gets there safely.


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