Tag Archives: safe towing

Important Advice for Safe Towing

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Towing a car or truck safely requires experience and knowledge because there are several potential issues and dangers that can arise during a routine haul. It is important to know the proper procedures and safety precautions required to perform a successful tow, as well as, how to use towing equipment since it can cause serious injury if handled improperly. Furthermore, a beginner should always be accompanied by someone who has experience towing vehicles and other commodities. And this is just the start; there is much more to safe towing! Continue reading to learn important safety tips when it comes to towing a car or truck with your own equipment.

Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Safety Chains

Whether you are towing an SUV, jet ski, trailer, or car, safety chains are a must-have for every job. They are the ties that keep the connection solid between your truck and your haul. It ensures that your cargo will not get separated, potentially damaging other drivers on the road. Safety is the main reason why the use of safety chains is also the law.

Never tie these chains to the bumper of your towing vehicle. This can cause the bumper to come right off! They need to cross under the tongue of a trailer instead, for proper connectivity. This way if the hitch comes undone, the trailer will still not separate. In order to make safe turns while towing a cargo, be sure to add a little slack to the chains. Manufacturer’s instructions define the proper procedures and safety precautions for hooking up tow chains. Be sure to refer to them as often as possible to reminders about safe towing.

Towing Capacity

Never exceed the tow capacity of your vehicle. This means towing a haul that weighs more than the vehicle itself. This action can quickly damage your vehicle’s drive train. An inflicted drive train is a dangerous situation; especially when it comes to uphill driving. Life threatening accidents and injuries can occur of a load is lost as a result of a damaged drive train. Be sure to brush up on your vehicle’s tow capacity and how to calculate your load weight accurately.

Turn Signals and Brake Lights

An area that is commonly overlooked by novice towers is light synchronization. When you hook up a trailer to your vehicle, your brake lights are not visible; instead, the ones on the back of the trailer are. It is important that these brake lights and signal lights are in sync with the actual brakes and other components. This allows other drivers to share the road safely while you tow. Lights that should be synchronized include hazard lights, brakes, turn signals, flashers, headlights, and fog lights. Don’t forget that this particular safety tip is also the law.

Where to Get Reputable Towing Service in Indianapolis

Zore's Towing Indianapolis 317-247-8484

Zore’s Towing Indianapolis 317-247-8484

Call Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484 for safe and affordable Indianapolis tow truck services you can trust. Our licensed and insured tow truck operators provide punctual and prompt tow truck services, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! We also provide numerous community services, roadside assistance services, wrecker and recovery services, and much more. Call 317-247-8484 to request a free estimate, anytime!

How to Use Your Mirrors When Towing

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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.

Tips for Cross-Country Car Towing

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Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Relocating for a job? Perhaps a girl? Or maybe just a better climate? No matter the reason, moving across country requires an abundant amount of forethought. Not everything can be packed away in a box and transported in the back of a truck or car. One of the main dilemmas cross-country movers face is transporting their vehicles along with them. If a person doesn’t have another person driving their vehicle for them, they must make other arrangements.

In other situations, movers do not want their personal vehicles driven across country, adding thousands of miles to the odometer. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and more require custom long-distance towing or transport. Continue reading and learn some tips regarding long-distance towing and towing a vehicle across country.

Towing a Car Long-Distance

The first thing to consider is whether or not you want to tow a vehicle, or simply transport it in a cargo-carrier. For a higher price, you can have your vehicle stored and transported in a semi-truck for optimal efficiency and protection. But there is also the cheaper option of towing it yourself. In this case, you will need to first think about finding the right type of trailer.

Size, weight capacity, and safety are just a few important aspects to consider when choosing the right trailer to tow your vehicle. You must take into consideration the size and weight of the tow vehicle, as well as, the vehicle you intend to tow, and much more. Talk to a professional towing company for help determining these calculations.
To tow a car, you have two options. You can use a car carrier, or you can use a tow dolly. If you’ve ever seen a car being towed by its rear wheels while its front wheels are lifted off the ground, you have witnessed a tow dolly. This is perfect and works best with front-wheel drive vehicles; and it happens to be the cheaper option too. Car carriers are very good for long-distance tows. A car carrier completely lifts a vehicle off the ground so none of its tires make contact with the road during the tow.

A crucial towing tip to keep in mind, especially for first-time towers, is to learn your equipment before hitting the pavement. This means get familiarized with the trailer, the way the tow vehicle drives with a trailer, all the safety features, its parts, owners’ manual instructions, and more. Do not rely on learning-as-you-go methods because this can only get yourself into trouble, or worse, danger. Stayed tuned for more long distance towing tips in next month’s blog!

Zore’s Towing

Call Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484 for the most accurate and qualified advice and information about long distance car towing in Indianapolis. We offer free advice, 24 hour towing, car carriers, trailers, towing accessories, and several additional services. Call 317-247-8484 for fast and friendly Indianapolis towing services and tow truck advice, anytime.

Vital Information You Need to Know About Towing a Car, Truck, or Trailer

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Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Safety is the number one concern when it comes to towing a vehicle or hauling a load. Before tackling a tow job, novice or not, it is important to understand the risks, and know how to avoid them. Knowing important and vital towing safety tips can protect yourself, passengers, other drivers, and your property at all times and for every load. Continue reading to learn more about towing safety, and be better prepared for your next haul.

Towing Safety Tips

There are so many more easily-available and more-affordable commodities on the market today that requires towing; like boats, motorcycles, jet skis, campers, and more. With this exponential increase of the towing population, an equal amount of towing safety awareness is necessary. Let’s start with certain areas and accessories of a tow truck and haul, and what to know about each.

Safety Chains

When it comes to towing safety, you can never be too concerned about safety chains. Always be sure they are properly attached and secured before every drive. If safety chains are poorly tended to, it can result in the trailer separating from the truck or SUV. Not only can this cause significant property damage to your equipment and everyone else’ s nearby, it can result in serious injuries and worse, fatalities. These are mandatory by law so stay legal by using them for every tow. Be sure the chains cross under the trailer tongue in the accidental case that it gets separated, but also be sure they are loose enough to make turns. It chains are too loose, they can drag on the ground and create a whole load of road hazards. They need to be secured just right.

Lights

When towing a load of any kind, it is critical that the traffic behind you can see your brake lights and know when you are coming to a stop. With this being said, it is important to check that your trailer’s brake lights are functional and bright enough, as well as, the brakes on your truck or SUV. Check that your turn signals are working as well, and be sure to do these things before every drive. Even if you stop for lunch, or visit multiple locations, check your lights every time. You never know when a bulb decides to go out. If your trailer didn’t come with a wiring harness, you can purchase one at any automotive parts store. Not only is it the law to have operational brake, head, and turn signal lights, it is the difference between a safe tow, and a tow that ends in accidents and injuries.

Tow Capacity

Never exceed your towing capacity! It is vital to have the right type of tow hitch for whatever load you intend to haul. Not only is an accurate hitch necessary, but following manufacturers’ instructions for tow weight capacity is critical. You can cause serious damage to the drive chain, which is a costly automotive repair, as well as, dangerous motor vehicle accidents on steep inclines and hills. Check what your vehicle’s tow capacity is, and never exceed this limit. Know how much your load weighs helps too! If you have trouble making this assessment, contact a local Indianapolis wrecker service for accurate industry advice and assistance.

Zore’s Towing in Indianapolis

Towing Indiana 317-247-8484

Towing Indiana 317-247-8484

Call Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484 for safe and affordable tow truck services in Indianapolis, Indiana. We use the latest technologies and advanced wrecker equipment to haul any load, large or small! We offer countless community services, roadside assistance, towing services, and much more. Call 317-247-8484 to learn more about our towing services in Indianapolis, IN today.