Whether your trailer is equipped with hydraulic surge brakes or electric brakes, make sure the emergency “breakaway” cable is properly attached to your tow vehicle. In case your trailer somehow disconnects from the hitch, this cable is designed to trigger the brakes on the trailer and quickly bring it to a halt. Check the tire pressures of the spare tires provided for your vehicle and your trailer and ensure they’re inflated up to spec. Additionally, consider allowing more time to inspect your trailer’s hub bearings before towing, and ensure they’re in good order and properly greased. Trailer towing is an acquired skill that will greatly expand the ways you can use your vehicle. It’s absolutely worth learning how to tow a trailer, and it will become second nature as you gain experience.
But there are a few crucial things to know when using a half-ton truck for towing. Everything on the outside of your tow vehicle is important, but the insides are equally so. Your brake lights won’t do you much good if your tires aren’t roadworthy — read about proper tire maintenance on the next page. When you’re driving at night, it’s a given that you need to have all your lights in working order. A busted headlight or a brake light can put other drivers or pedestrians at risk, and if the police take notice, they can pull you over and write you a ticket. What most people may not know is that a wrecker is technically a type of tow truck.
Keep in mind that upgrading your suspension comes with added maintenance and usually costs a pretty penny for a decent kit. Towing and hauling can put a lot of stress on your truck’s transmission, which can lead to overheating and damage. Adding a transmission cooler can help to keep your transmission running at a safe temperature, even under heavy loads. Upgrading the suspension and braking systems can also help improve the truck’s max towing capacity.
The tow truck industry is as varied as the cars you’ll be towing. The challenge is that most drivers park their cars, engage the handbrake and shift the transmission into Park (or into 1st gear for manual cars). We are confident that our eight steps for starting a towing business will set you up for success. Setting out with a solid plan and carrying it through until you have your first happy client will make for such an amazing journey. No matter if you serve businesses or consumers, you’ll want to be on your game all the time, especially since you’ll likely be called in for time-sensitive jobs. Making this distinction from the start will help you with everything you do for your tow truck business going forward.
Vehicle Towing Capacity Chart and Terms
For instance, you should provide safety training, record work-related illnesses and injuries, and ensure all your drivers obtained Class B Driver’s Licenses. A successful towing business depends a lot on your marketing strategy.
Preparing Your Vehicle for Towing
Ensure that GVWR on both the tow vehicle and trailer will not exceed the maximum manufacturer-recommended GCWR for the vehicle. Once you have the perfect tow vehicle and all the right equipment, sticking to these few simple tips can turn a bumpy ride into an easygoing one. To learn more about towing and towing essentials, see the next page. Choose an area that’s far away from traffic, like an empty parking lot, and perform simple driving tasks with everything hitched up. Try backing up and using your mirrors, and pay close attention to the vehicle’s turning radius. Learn to accelerate and brake slowly on longer stretches of road — remember, the more weight you’re carrying, the longer it’s going to take to slow down.
A Trailer Hitch ball or tow ball also helps your trailer and tow truck maintain a secure connection throughout a towing job. It’s mounted onto the back of your tow truck and acts as an attachment point for the trailer’s coupler. Whatever size you choose, make sure it matches the dimensions of your trailer’s coupler to ensure a sure fit. First on the list, comes the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which refers to the maximum weight a vehicle can hold at a stationary position.
Are you going to do all of the towing by yourself or will a team of tow truck drivers work under you? Making these decisions early will help you determine the structure of your tow truck business.
If you’re interested in precisely a tow truck works, this article is for you. More information on how a tow truck works, along with a few other answers to questions you might have about tow trucks, is coming right up. Once the vehicle is recovered, re-hook the recovery strap to the appropriate locations to begin towing at a slow, safe speed. Go to the nearest location for the towed vehicle to be repaired and stop if you feel or see the recovery strap undergoing immense stress or damage. When you attach the trailer, the trailer and truck should already be centered before the connection is made.
Read more about SAN JOSE COMMERCIAL TOWING here.
There are many ways that are popular in the trucker community to towing a car with a truck. For more information regarding the laws for a vehicle towing another vehicle, always look up your state-specific laws. It’s important to keep up with regular maintenance to ensure that your truck is running at its best. This includes things like regular oil changes, tire rotations, and brake inspections. The most important of these are the engine power and torque, transmission, suspension, and braking systems. In the following video, we visit our friends at Curt Manufacturing to help us go over some of the basic load weight techniques and optional equipment. Be sure to ask your dealer what sort of towing tech is available when buying a new vehicle.
