Tips to Towing a Trailer Safely

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Zores

Indianapolis Towing Company 317-247-8484

If you intend to haul a car, motorcycle, or anything else with the use of a trailer, you should know all there is to know about hitches, trailers, towing, and safety. Safe towing requires this type of knowledge, and preferably, experience as well. Everyone has seen that amateur tower on the road, and goes to great lengths to avoid his swaying trailer. Do not be this amateur ever. Once you have learned to be a towing expert, here are a few extra tips to towing your trailer safer.

Avoid Parking on Grades

Try to avoid parking on steep grades. If you have to park in a spot with a slight grade, be sure to have someone outside before you place the gear into park. Have them put down wood or cement blocks on the downhill side of the trailer wheels. Once the blocks are set, shift the gear into park and then release your foot from the brakes. This is the way you should park a trailer on a grade so that it cannot get locked into the parking gear due to the excess weight on the transmission.

Drive at Moderate Speeds

Driving at higher speeds while towing a trailer causes the dangerous swaying showcased by the above mentioned “amateur”. These are the drivers we typically avoid, so do not become one yourself! Driving at slower speeds reduces the potential for sliding, skidding, and slipping when approaching bumpy roads or stopping.

Adjust Your Braking

A larger vehicle and heavier load will need more time to come to a stop on the road. Be sure to adjust your braking times so that you have enough time to come to a complete stop, and avoid the risk of running red lights and intersections. Keep in mind that approaching a stop at the bottom of a hill will need even more barking time.

Passing Other Vehicles

When planning to pass someone on the highway or road while towing a trailer, be sure to signal far in advance. Often times, other drivers will neglect to cooperate with larger trucks, vans, and trailers, and not pay attention to them. By letting them know your intentions far ahead of time, they will be able to react accordingly. Also, be sure to allow extra distance when switching lanes, and keep in mind the traffic behind you.

Indianapolis Towing

Zore’s Towing Indianapolis 317-247-8484

The importance of safety on the road while towing trailers, bikes, cars, and other loads, is limitless. Be sure you consult an experienced tow truck driver before attempting a tow on your own. For more information on towing trailers or if you need a tow in Indiana, visit our Indianapolis Towing Service website and give us a call today!

The Three Main Types of Tow Trucks

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Zores

Tow trucks are seen everywhere on a daily basis, pulling and hauling other vehicles to safer places. Do you notice that tow trucks can sometimes look different from each other? Well, the reason is that there are different types of tow trucks for different types of tows!

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Flat Bed Tow Truck

These trucks are sometimes referred to as “rollback” trucks. This truck has a long empty truck bed that has a flat top. The truck itself has a hydraulics system in place to move the flat bed up and down and tilted into a ramp. This allows easier loading for cars because a person can just drive the car onto the ramp. For boats and stationary vehicles, a winch can be used to drag them onto the bed. Once the vehicle is set, the hydraulics are used again to even out the ramp so that the truck can hit the road with the car in tow. This is usually the preferred way of towing because it avoids having to drag the vehicle, as well as relieves pressure from it.

Hook and Chain Tow Truck

This type of tow truck is exactly as it sounds. A hook and a chain are used to tow the cargo. In a more detailed explanation, these trucks are called sling trucks at times. They aren’t as popular as they once were, and are not used very often anymore. They work by wrapping chains around axles and frames of vehicles to tow them. This type of towing causes scratches and damage to the vehicle, so they are mainly used to tow wrecked and junk vehicles.

Wheel-Lift Tow Truck

These trucks are similar to the hook and chain tow trucks, but cause much less damage. The difference is, instead of using chains, they use a metal yoke. It hooks under the front or rear wheels to be towed away. As the vehicle is towed, a pneumonic hoist or hydraulic lift suspends the front or rear side of the vehicle so that it is lifted from the ground. This reduces potential damage to the car.

Indianapolis Towing

Zore’s Towing Indianapolis 317-247-8484

For more information on towing and tow truck services in Indianapolis, IN, call Zore’s Towing. They are the leading experts in the tow industry, and provide the most courteous customer service in town. Call us at 317-247-8484, or visit our Indianapolis Towing website today!

Did Your Car Just Break Down in Indianapolis, IN?

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Zores

What Should I Do When My Car Breaks Down on the Road?

Roadside Assistance Services 317-247-8484

Hopefully, while driving, your car will hint to you that there is a problem. If this is the case, then you have a tiny bit of forewarning to start getting on the right side of the road in case you need to pull over and stop. This goes especially for highway driving. When you’re pulling your car off to the side of the road because you are hearing or feeling something abnormal, follow these safety tips:

Attempt to roll or coast along the shoulder of the road or highway, avoiding turns and curves in the road behind you. That way, oncoming traffic will see you in advance and have time to react and drive around you. This also helps when you are ready to get back on the road, you can see the oncoming traffic too.

Let’s say your engine dies directly in the middle of the highway. What do you do? Well, you DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR! It is very dangerous to get out of your car on a busy highway.

Even if the road seems remote, you never know what’s going to come flying out of nowhere. It is important to remain safe. Every feels embarrassed and anxious when your car is dead in the middle of the road and there is traffic piling up behind you, but there is no other option when it comes to safety. You have to remain on your car until help arrives. Trying to cross a busy highway on foot is basically suicide.

Now, if it is dark outside, keep your interior light on so that you are able to be seen by oncoming traffic. If the vehicle is still operating, keep the engine on so that you don’t juice out the battery from keeping the lights on.

The good thing is, most busy highways are heavily patrolled by local police officials and they will more than likely spot you and come to your aid if you don’t have a phone to contact help.

Safety Tips for When Your Car Breaks Down:

So, whether you are stuck in traffic, or parked along the shoulder of the road, always remember these safety tips:

1. Roll a piece of white cloth or paper in your driver’s side window to signal you need help. Be sure you roll the window back up and secure that cloth or paper in its place.

2. Use your cell phone to contact family, your auto insurance, or a local and professional towing company to come to your assistance. If you are not carrying a phone, look to see if there is an emergency call box near your vehicle, it is not safe to get out, but if it is close, try to safely reach it and contact help. Always get right back into the car after using a call box. Keep the doors locked and continue waiting for help. If there is no call box that you can see, do not try to walk down the road and find one, just remain in your car with the white cloth and wait for highway patrol to stop and help you. They will see you, it is their job!

3. If it’s a flat tire or something you can work on yourself, never do these adjustments on the side that’s exposed to busy traffic. IF you can, try to drive the car a little more off the road so that you may reach the side that needs fixed, without being exposed to the traffic.

4. If it is daytime, turn on your hazard lights to warm oncoming traffic. Do not do this at night, it can cause another accident.

5. If it is nighttime, when traffic dies down, quickly place emergency triangles and warning light around your car if you have an emergency car kit. This will warn people that you are broken down and to avoid running into you. If you don’t have an emergency car kit, just keep your interior lights on, but keep your engine running as well if you do this so your battery doesn’t die. If your car engine can’t run, go ahead and keep your interior lights on anyway because it’s safer.

6. Always keep in mind that you are more protected when you are carry a cell phone, and have a road-side assistance company protecting you on the road. Otherwise, a trusting tow company can do all the things road-side assistance can do for you, and usually at a better cost.

Towing in Indianapolis

Zore’s Towing Indianapolis 317-247-8484

Zores Towing can offer you exceptional and speedy roadside assistance 24 hours a day in Indianapolis, Indiana. Check out our new Indiana towing press release. Call us for help if your car breaks down in Indianapolis, IN at 317-247-8484, or visit our website at https://www.zorestowing.com today.

What to do after you have been in a car accident in Indiana?

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Zores

Indianapolis Emergency Towing 317-247-8484

Society sometimes neglects to remember how dangerous driving really is. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) reported that in 2008 alone, there were more than 6 million traffic accidents reported by police, and within those accidents, nearly 40,000 were fatal. Even for the most experience drivers, it is recommended to always know what steps to take directly after an auto accident.

Collisions and accidents can be scary situations, but knowing what to do gives you the power to take control of the situation and protect yourself and the people around you.

Here are some tips for what you should do after you have been in a car accident:

1. Stay Calm and Breathe.

Right after an accident it is easy to lose your cool and panic, but panicking will only heighten the severity of the situation. Don’t let shock, fear, guilt, or anger come between you and your primary goal of getting to safety. Some find it helpful to take five deep breaths and breathe slowly. Others find solace in counting backwards from ten. Do whatever works for you, so long as you are calm, because being calm allows you to be more prepared to handle the situation. While you are calming down, use this time to assess the seriousness of the accident and the environment around you.

2. Keep Yourself Safe and Anyone With You Safe.

If it is safe to get out of your car, and if you are able to do so, be sure it is a safe area, away from traffic and dangerous caverns or drop offs. If it does not appear to be safe to exit the car, or you are unable to get out, put on your seat belt, flip on your hazard lights, and call 911. If you were able to get out of your car, safely, and the car can still drive, be sure to move it out of the way of traffic and off a busy road, like on a highway shoulder or the very side of the road.

If the auto accident doesn’t seem to be major, turn your engine off and grab an emergency kit if you have one. The kit should include road cones, emergency flares, or warning triangles. If it does, put these items around your vehicle to warm others of the accident site.

Making an Accident Report

Begin checking the health condition of everyone involved in the collision or wreck. Check to see if anyone is feeling hurt or not feeling normal. If this is the case, then don’t wait another minute and call 911 Emergency. Once you get 911 on the phone, be ready to give them the following information:

– Name and phone number
– Detailed description of the emergency (Traffic Hazard, Fire, Injury, Etc.)
– Location information (City, Road Name, mile markings, traffic signs and direction of traffic, etc.)

Always remain on the phone with the 911 dispatcher until he or she allows you to hang up the line. This is for safety precautions of course.

Even if there are no injuries, you can still have the police come and make a report of the accident for insurance reasons; or if you need someone to be the mediator of a situation. The Indianapolis Police Department can help you figure out what happened and what to do next.

Write Down the Other Driver’s Information

If there are no serious injuries and it is just the cars that have been hurt, then you should be able to request contact and insurance information from the other person involved in the accident. You will need to ask for:

– Driver’s License (name, address, and driver’s license number)

– Write down the license PLATE number

– Insurance Company Card (They might have a card to give you with all the insurance info on it, if not you will have to write it all down, but always request to see their insurance information. You need the policy number and the name of insurance company)

– Car Owner Info (If the other driver is not the actual owner of the vehicle, be sure to get the actual owner’s information as well as the driver.)

Write Down a Description

Take as many notes as you can on the scene of the accident and the moments that led up to the collision. Photos are helpful as well. This helps the insurance companies determine who is at fault for the accident if there is anyone at fault at all. They will want to know what direction you were coming from and the direction the other driver was driving in, they will want to see pictures of road signs, and traffic signs around the area of the incident.

You can even draw out a rough sketch of the accident, laying out the lanes that the cars were in and the direction they took from that lane. You can also mark down the weather conditions, dates, times, and anything else that might be relevant to the causes of the accident.

All these things can only be done if the accident was not serious, like a fender bender, or bumper hit (basically if the airbag doesn’t pop out). If the accident is more serious and there are injuries, remaining in your vehicle and calling 911 is the only thing you need to worry about.

Accidents in Indiana are terrible situations, and even if you think the accident was your fault, it may not be. That is why you need to provide the police and insurance companies with as much evidence as possible so that they may determinedly fairly who was at fault.

Indianapolis Roadside Assistance

Zore’s Towing Indianapolis 317-247-8484

If you need roadside assistance or a tow for your car or truck due to an auto accident, please contact Zore’s at 317-247-8484. We have been helping Hoosiers in Indiana with car accidents since 1927.