Towing Your Own Vehicle – What You Should Know

Towing Your Own Vehicle

Many people are downright stubborn and some refuse to give up control over a situation. If you share a similar attitude and have to deal with a broken down vehicle, you may feel inclined to rectify the problem on your own. The good news is that it is sometimes possible to tow your own vehicle, but all of the parameters need to be absolutely perfect or you’ll end up increasing the severity of an already bad situation. The bad news is that trying to choose a vehicle, which will be able to pull the weight, is much easier said than done. More information will be provided below.

What Needs Towed?

First and foremost, you’ll want to take a look at the vehicle, which needs to be towed. How much does the vehicle weigh? This will prove to be very impactful and will help to determine precisely what type of towing vehicle you need. The concept is surprisingly easy. If you’re trying to tow an RV, you’ll need an incredibly powerful vehicle. However, if you’re trying to transport a small sports car, the capacity requirements will be smaller.

Manual And Automatic

Another question many consumers will have is whether they should opt for a manual or an automatic. This can be very confusing, but the answer is actually very simple. The truth of the matter is that manual vehicles should only be used to haul smaller cars. If you’re trying to haul a heavy vehicle from one location to the next, you’ll want an automatic.

4WD Is Best

Many consumers will believe that they can easily use any vehicle they own for towing purposes. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, it would be incredibly unwise, if not illegal, to try and tow a vehicle using your passenger car. Generally, there are laws and regulations, which prohibit passenger cars from hauling heavy-duty carriage. If you want to remain within the scope of the law, you’ll want a four-wheel drive vehicle. These vehicles are more capable than the alternatives anyway.

fast-tow-truck-services

Be Cautious

One thing to remember is that towing another vehicle will put a tremendous amount of pressure on the towing vehicle. Although you may feel that it is unavoidable, you should always be aware of the potential consequences. Using a vehicle frequently for towing purposes will put a lot of wear and tear on the vehicle. This could result in two broken down vehicles in the future.

Warranty Information

If you have a fairly new vehicle, it is likely that your vehicle is still under warranty. It is always in your best interest to maintain the validity of the warranty. Although it will ultimately depend on the specifics related to your unique case, using the vehicle to tow another one may very well void the warranty. In this type of scenario, it wouldn’t be worth it and you’d be better off saving your warranty.

The Alternative

Truthfully, attempting to perform the tow on your own can be very complicated. In many situations, it won’t be worth it. If you have any doubts whatsoever, you’re better off hiring a professional. Although their services will come with a fee, they’ll save you further trouble and will help you avoid damaging a perfectly good vehicle.