Certain aspects force people to hire a towing truck or tow something behind their vehicles. For example, you might have bought a boat and want it out of the lake to transfer over the road to another location, or you have a trailer you want to transport your belongings to another city. Towing is inevitable. Those are just a few reasons why we must tow something behind our vehicles, although towing has its risks. But knowing some of these risks can help us minimise some of them and make towing a little less stressful.
Risks associated with towing
Towing comes with its challenges, but drivers can use some of the tips to remain safe on the roads. If you are a newbie to towing, you should practice common tips to maneuver using an ideal location with less traffic to gauge and improve your towing skills. Before you hit the road, you need to know how your setup behaves when it’s your turn, when you brake, or when backing up among other situations. A little practice session will tip you to know whether everything is working out with your setup or not. It can be helpful to tow with a partner and learn how to marshal using signals for a better experience. It is common knowledge for drivers to research specific traffic laws concerning towing in every state they will pass through because each state has its own set of towing rules that you must know.
Insurance companies have regulations that you must follow when towing. Make sure you have done proper research because they might refuse coverage if you violate any of the regulations. While some of these risks happen even with experienced drivers, practising and attention to detail might help reduce the chances of accidents occurring. Here are the potential risks to towing:
Top risks associated with towing
- Mismatched equipment: it is important to make sure you’re towing using the right equipment. If your equipment doesn’t match correctly, there are high chances for serious troubles on the road. First, consult the manual to know the weight limit. Secondly, make sure the hitch and coupler fit correctly. Thirdly, ensure the trailer and the tow bar is at the same level. If the tow bar is at an angle, you might run into problems on the road.
- Visibility limit: if what you are towing limits the visibility of your vehicle, it can limit you during turns, parking, or when changing lanes. Extended side mirrors might help if what you are towing is wider than the vehicle.
- Accelerating: the towing equipment adds more mass to your vehicle, and that translates to higher momentum. Hence you might need more energy to stop or to start.
- Turning: you should make wider turns and curves while towing than when turning a normal vehicle. Also, when making sharp turns, it should be gradual to avoid straining your equipment.
- Braking: towing a load means that your vehicle has more inertia; hence your braking works more challenging to stop the momentum. Whether the added equipment has its braking system, it should be clear that your brakes must work harder to stop at the designated place.
- Tire pressure: check the tires first to ensure it handles the extra load. Blowouts can cause serious overturns, especially when they occur during sharp turns.
For expertly performed towing operations, contact Gold Coast’s leading tow truck company.
