Helpful Advice for Towing in Snow and Ice

Indianapolis Towing Company 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing Company 317-247-8484

Aside from hazardous snow and ice, towing can be a challenge all on its own. Safe and effective towing requires a certain level of focus, preventative maintenance, and knowledge. But in the wintertime, drivers need to take on a whole new level of precautions, as well as, practice a separate set of techniques to manage snow, ice, and slippery conditions. Continue reading to learn some helpful advice for winter towing.

Winter Towing Tips

All of the fundamentals of telling remain the same, in terms of setup, parts, hitching a trailer, and more. The difference between standard towing and winter towing is simply a matter of changing your towing techniques, attaching safety chains properly, and using snow chains. Let’s take a closer look!

Snow Chains

Snow chains are an excellent accessory for winter driving because they allow your tires to gain extra traction on the road and slippery conditions. Snow chains are available at any automotive parts store or local home improvement store with an automotive department. Depending on the size you need, prices will vary but typically remain reasonable. Be sure to choose the proper size chains for your towing vehicle, vehicles, and/or trailer. It is helpful to practice fitting and removing your snow chains so that you are efficient when the time comes to use them.

Safety Chains

Also called towing cables or straps, safety chains are a common accessory used during the winter to provide extra security when towing. In fact, it is recommended to use safety chains for every tow, not just wintertime towing. Safety chains help to prevent uncontrollable swaying, swerving, and diverging of your trailer or the vehicle being towed. You can find them any automotive parts store or local home improvement store with an automotive department. Just be sure to choose the proper size for your towing vehicle.

Towing Techniques

Towing in the snow and ice is very similar to standard towing; however, you will need to invoke some additional precautions. You will need to give yourself more time to come to a stop, and you’ll also need to give yourself more time to take turns, accelerate, and decelerate. It is recommended to visit a large vacant parking lot to practice all of these maneuvers in your full towing setup. If your towing vehicle gets stuck in the snow, contact a reputable Indianapolis towing company for professional recovery services you can trust.

Indianapolis Towing Service

Towing Company Indianapolis, Indiana 317-247-8484

24 Hour Towing in Indianapolis 317-247-8484

Call Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484 for 24 hour towing service in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding counties. We are highly trained and certified to truck operators that retain a large fleet of wrecker equipment that allows us to recover and tow all make and model vehicles and commodities. Call 317-247-8484 to request a free estimate for Indianapolis towing and recovery, today.

How to Use Your Mirrors When Towing

Indianapolis Towing Company 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing Company 317-247-8484

The most important part of towing is safety. And one area of towing safety to practice and perfect is your ability to use your vehicle’s mirrors. They are there for a very good reason: to provide a wider scope of vision for drivers on and off the road. They should be used for backing up, driving in reverse, changing lanes, and more. Are you guilty of the head turn? Or perhaps the popular twist and turn to see behind you? These are poor driving habits that can cause minor to major accidents, muscle strains, and backaches.

If you are a driver, especially one that tows a trailer on a regular basis, you ought to learn the right method to using your mirrors when towing. Continue reading for tips to do just that!

Clean Mirrors

It may sound obvious, but it is a step that can be easily overlooked in the tedious process of hooking up and loading your trailer. Keeping your mirrors clean will give them more clarity, and will provide better depth perception and detailed view. It can be easy to forget, and often, mirrors won’t even appear dirty enough for a wipe-down. But don’t let that fool you. After grabbing a paper towel and some glass cleaner, you will be surprised to see just how much dirt actually comes off!

Install Bigger Mirrors

If you are towing loads with a trailer recurrently, consider larger mirrors. The general rule is for every 10 feet of vehicle, your mirror should be 1 inch in diameter. This includes the length of your towing vehicle plus the length of the load or trailer you are towing. So if your towing vehicle and trailer’s total length equals 50 feet, your mirrors should be 5 inches in diameter. Be sure your mirrors are the proper height and width, and if they are not, it is wise to replace your stock mirrors with larger ones. You can find specialty-sized truck and vehicle mirrors that are wider, bigger, and fold backwards, all for a reasonable price.

Adjust Mirrors Properly

It is important that your mirrors are not only big enough, but adjusted properly as well. While in the driver’s seat, you want to maximize the visible ground area below the vehicle. This improves on blind spots and enhances child safety. Test or reset the position of your mirrors by first sitting in the driver’s seat with the mirrors pointed straight so they are perpendicular (think of the letter “t”) with the road. Then one at a time, starting with the left, begin to move the mirrors outwards. Stop when you can see at least 200 feet behind the left side of your vehicle. Have a friend sit in the passenger seat to help with the right side.

Indianapolis Towing Service

Indianapolis Towing

Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Call Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484 for friendly and professional tow truck service in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding towns. We offer a wide range of 24 hour towing and recovery services, including roadside assistance, light duty tows, heavy-duty tows, storm and traffic clearance, and much more. When you need a towing company in a moments’ notice, we are the professionals to call. Just dial 317-247-8484 for fast and affordable Indianapolis towing service you can trust.