Top Ten Self-Towing Risks

We definitely live in a Do-It-Yourself society, don’t we? While this is a very empowering trend, it can also endanger many untrained individuals who allow ambition to override normal inhibition. As towing professionals here at Roc Auto Repair and Towing, we’ve spent years gaining experience so that we can provide the highest quality towing Fremont drivers can find. We’ve seen plenty of good attempts at self-towing and we’ve seen just as many catastrophes that lend themselves to permanent damage. We hope for the best for our friends who try their own towing in Fremont, so, if you’re going to attempt self-towing, we hope you’ll consider these ten serious risks and be prepared against them before hauling anything.

• Equipment Failure: One of the worst things that can happen is equipment failure caused by improperly hooked up trailers and dollies. Always make sure you have consulted the manual and that you feel fully confident you meet all steps before towing.
• Too Heavy: If your dolly or trailer is not rated to tow the amount of weight you intend to, a break is inevitable and can lead to a serious accident.
• Tow Rope Limits: Tow ropes can be very helpful, but they are never intended for extended use. A tow rope used beyond its limits will break, which can launch the object in tow into traffic or even cause it to collide with the towing vehicle.
• Poor Visibility: Depending upon the vehicle being used for towing, many trailers, campers, or boat hitches can block your view of in the side mirrors. This is a danger to the driver’s visibility of the road and should be remedied with proper mirrors that can see all the way around the trailer.
• Increased Mass Maneuvering: It will take longer to speed up and longer to slow down with any additional mass on your vehicle. Make sure to prepare by practicing so as to maintain complete control of the vehicle.
• Signals: It is essential to make sure your trailer or dolly hooks up to your vehicle correctly, since the most important part of responsible driving is communicating with those around you. If your trailer does not hook up to your vehicle, do not attempt to tow.
• Regulate Tire Pressure: Blow outs on a car are bad enough, and with a trailer attached, one can not predict the consequences of a tire blowout. Be conscientious of small maintenance needs such as checking tire pressure.
• Turning: Turning with a trailer is a completely different beast and should be handled with caution. For safety, taking turns more slowly is best.
• Towing Safely: Towing a car with four wheels on the ground may be the most convenient, but it also comes with the most risk of damage. Make sure that your vehicle can be towed on four wheels without damaging the transmission.
• Dolly Damage: Even a dolly can damage a vehicle if it is a rear wheel drive or all wheel drive vehicle.

The point is, towing is a huge undertaking; without training and practice, it can result in serious damage or danger to you and those on the road around you. If you see the wisdom in having your property towed by professionals rather than self-towing you can be certain Roc Auto Repair & Towing is here for 24/7 reliable Fremont towing.