A popular method of towing a car with another car is to use a towing platform, which is essentially a small trailer. Using a trailer dolly keeps the front tires of the towed vehicle off the ground, helping to reduce wear on the tires and driveline of the car being towed. When towing one car with another, the towing vehicle must be larger. The tow vehicle will now stop for two and the weight of a larger car will prevent both of them from skidding and will also have stronger brakes.
You also need extra power to keep moving at a reasonable speed in traffic. This is the most dangerous option and should not be used for long distances. This is a good option to get your car out of a ditch or move it over short distances on private land, but in most jurisdictions, it is not allowed on the road. A tow strap is a strong polyester strap in most cases, which can withstand a heavy load without breaking.
It is usually made of a bright yellow or orange material for greater visibility. If the tow strap is frayed, replace it immediately, because it is no longer safe to use it. If a tow strap breaks while under pressure, it will retreat from the breaking point and could cause serious injury to anyone who is too close. To use a tow strap, find your car's recovery point.
Older cars have a drilled and labeled hole in the front and rear bumper under the plastic lining. Newer vehicles may have a plastic cover on the front of the bumper that needs to install a threaded eye bolt. You can find the location of the tow point in the user manual of your car. Attach the tow strap to the safe point of both vehicles and slowly start pulling the car stuck with the main vehicle.
When preparing a vehicle for towing, be sure to connect the towing cable to the official towing points for that specific model of car, the details of which are in the manual. Using the tow bar as a guide, look for a strong part of the vehicle frame to attach a bracket to each side of the front of the towed vehicle. Before you start towing vehicles across the country, there are several things you should know about towing a car safely and legally — we cover them below. If you want to tow an automatic car with the drive wheels in contact with the road, you will have to carefully read the manual on the towing limits, as you run the risk of damaging the transmission system.
Removable taillights connect to the rear of the towed vehicle and use the towed vehicle's electrical system to brake and signal turns. While it is safer than other methods, a trailer has its own drawbacks, the main one being that the combination of the towed vehicle and the trailer could be too heavy for the towing vehicle to handle. Most ropes and tow bars are supplied with an “On Tow” sign, which should be displayed on the back of the car being towed. Keep an additional copy of your insurance information in the event of an accident, or so that the tow truck driver can bill the insurance for services.
Traditional towing cables are slowly being replaced by rigid tow bars (or poles), which offer better performance and reliability, and are considered safer. Towing dollies are an economical way to tow front-wheel drive vehicles, but they are not very good for AWD or 4WD cars and trucks. For emergencies, when you don't have the tools, resources or knowledge to solve the problem on your own, you can always call a towing service. To tow a car, start by passing a tow strap through the vehicle's recovery point, which you'll find on the front frame.
In most cases, tow bars are used in conjunction with a motorhome to tow a vehicle for use while traveling cross-country.
