Does Your Vehicle Have Sufficient Capacity To Facilitate Towing? 4 Pro Tips

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Unless your work involves towing, chances are this is the first time you are considering pulling something with your car. With that in mind, you must check several things on your vehicle before you embark on this exercise. This is because you want to ensure success and that you can keep yourself and other road users safe. As such, one of the aspects you must assess is the hauling capacity. This refers to the greatest weight you can pull without placing undue stress on your car. So, if this is your first time pulling something behind your vehicle, you may not know how much it can tow. Below are four pro towing tips you should consider. 

Where to Look

Your car manual should contain information about its towing capacity. However, if you have misplaced this document, you can open the driver-side door and check the sticker to find its capacity. Even if these options are not available, there are credible online resources that provide this information. That said, you'll need to provide your car details, notably the make, model, and year of manufacture, so have this information handy.

Checking the Trailer's Weight

Whenever you're looking to transport a trailer, you must consider the weight you are pulling behind your vehicle. You should know that tow operators stay within the recommended capacity to avoid hefty fines. Your case is no different, and you must consider the towing package and type of hitch. In this case, the hitch must pull the trailer without risk of sway. Hence, if you notice incompatibility, you must replace the trailer with a suitable one.

Confirming the Weight You Can Carry

You should know that you must also account for your car's gross weight before you embark on this exercise. In a nutshell, this is the weight of the car and everything in it, such as passengers, luggage, and gas. More so, tow experts consider the weight the hitch puts on the towing vehicle because it is imperative in ensuring balance for a safe and successful exercise.

Exercising Caution

You must exercise caution when towing anything with your car. As a rule of thumb, ensure that the weight is lower than the maximum capacity. This is because if you keep the weight at or approaching maximum, the risk of accidents and damage is higher. Moreover, you will likely experience difficulty hauling it.

Knowing how much weight your car can tow gives you greater confidence and peace of mind while driving. Yet, you must ensure that the automobile is in perfect working condition before you begin the journey. If unsure about the exercise, it is best to consult a towing expert or leave the task to them for the best outcome. For more information, contact a company like Hansen Towing and Recovery.

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28 October 2022

towing and caring for a 4-wheel-drive vehicle

Owning a 4-wheel-drive SUV comes with more expense and doing things a bit differently. When you put tires on your 4-wheel-drive vehicle, you will have to replace all four at once. The tread-wear must be even to protect the 4-wheel-drive elements of the vehicle. When you have a 4-wheel-drive vehicle towed, you cannot simply hook it up to any tow truck and have it delivered to your local mechanic's shop. This blog will show you what needs to be done when your 4-wheel-drive vehicle needs towed and the other differences of owning a vehicle that goes beyond the basic 2-wheel-drive.