Roadside Service: Various Towing Options for Your Broken Down Car
If a roadside service provider cannot get your car back on the road, they will recommend towing your damaged vehicle to a mechanic shop where they can perform further diagnostic checks to determine the root cause of the problem. There are various towing options available for transporting your broken down vehicle. As a car owner, you should be acquainted with the following towing techniques.
Tow-bar towing
This involves pulling the broken down vehicle behind the tow vehicle with all its wheels touching the ground. No wonder it is also referred to as the four-down towing. The tow bar is mounted or hooked up to the damaged car on one end and the tow vehicle on the other. Towing in this way can be time-consuming because there is a whole assortment of items that will need to be used to make sure the rig set up is correctly done. Some of the extra components that will need to be used with tow bars include safety chains, tow bar brackets, braking system for the car being towed, hitch on tow vehicle, etc.
Not all tow bars have the same capacity; therefore, your roadside service provider will ask you how much your car weighs so they can arrive with the right size tow bar for your car. Though tow bar towing can be used on most car models, the downside is that severe damage can occur to the towed vehicle if it is being transported over long distances or road conditions are bad.
Dolly towing
A dolly is basically a two-wheel trailer onto which the front wheels of the damaged car are secured such that only the rear wheels of the vehicle are in contact with the road surface during transport. Attaching and detaching a dolly involves more work when compared to a tow bar tow. For cars that cannot be towed on all fours because their transmission type does not allow for that, the dolly towing technique may be used.
Flatbed towing
This is the fastest, easiest and safest method of car towing. It involves towing the damaged car on the flat bed behind a tow truck or trailer, so that none of the vehicle's wheels are in contact with the surface of the road. The towed vehicle is firmly secured behind the tow vehicle using straps, chains, tie-downs, etc. so as to prevent further damage that may arise due to movement of the load. The risk of the towed vehicle unhitching when being towed with a tow bar or dolly is eliminated.
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