Towing rules you should know
In the automotive field, towing means linking two (or more cars) in order for them to be pulled by a specific power source, which is, in most cases, another vehicle. The process involves many pieces of equipment (such as chains, ropes, wheel lifts, hooks, and integrated platforms), and all these are equally important in order to keep the towed car on the road during the motion, maintain the vehicles coupled and transport them in safe conditions. If you want to find out more details about the services a professional towing company has to offer, you could visit this site. It is not easy to own such a business, because there are certain official regulations regarding towing. This is mostly due to the fact that people need this service in difficult situations and there are a lot of scams on the market, that often takes advantage of this.
What car can you tow?
Not any car can be towed, and this depends mostly on its capacity and the purpose for which it is on the road. For instance, light vehicles, such as passenger cars, their derivatives, commercial vehicles, and any other truck with a mass smaller than 4,5 tons can only tow certain trailers. Each truck comes with certain specifications pre-established by the manufacturer, related to the towbar or maximum mass they can carry, and the drivers are obliged by law to take these into consideration. These conditions appear in the handbook of the vehicle, together with specifications regarding any additional equipment needed for correct and safe towing. The suspension and pull power also have to be checked, in order to match the requirements of the manufacturer.
What if the capacity of the car is not mentioned?
If the towing capacity is not specified or you cannot identify it, you can still have a trailer, but under certain conditions. There are two alternatives: if the trailed car is fitted with brakes, it can reach up to one and a half times the total mass of the towing truck, but if it is not, then it must weigh less than the un-laden mass of the towing vehicle. However, this situation is not likely to happen, because the lack of mentions is a rare event.
All these are the maximum values allowed by law, but they are variable according to each country or state. There are also other variables according to which the regulations apply, such as the construction of the cars, design, and capacity of the additional tools.
