Disabled vehicle handling is a more technical area of expertise than it seems. Many people assume that towing is just towing, and that is a no-brainer. Most imagine it like this: You have a decommissioned vehicle that you need to get off the street and into a mechanic’s bay. You call a towing service that comes by and hauls your car or van to a truck to the nearest repair. However, that is not the scenario that unfolds. The trailer needs some valuable details too! Important questions like, how big is your vehicle? is it automatic or manual transmission? Is it four wheel drive or two wheel drive? If it’s the latter, is it front or rear wheel drive?
You need to get the answers first, before the team can send you the crane. Some streets can be crowded and it would be quite irritating to wait on the side of the road for a truck to arrive, so getting the details right is very important. Vehicles can be towed with: (a) four wheels ON the ground, (b) two wheels OFF, or (c) four wheels off the ground, depending on the tools available to the service being towed. Drivers most often see the second option on the streets, due to the combination of two factors: simple equipment and two-wheel drive vehicles. Most sedans and vans are front-wheel drive vehicles. Since they make up the majority of daily traffic, they’re also the ones you’re likely to see on highway shoulders and bays, in need of a tow.
However, not all services can offer a flatbed truck, which would have been the easiest and safest solution for your vehicle and not everyone can afford it. If budget is a concern then tow dollies are the way to go because they work and are a good example of efficient and economical towing. Towing services offer this affordable option for all cars and trucks that need a tow.
Dollies work like two-wheel trailers that lift the front wheels off the ground and can possibly finish the job deftly like a flatbed truck. For rear-wheel drive vehicles, extra caution is required to prevent transmission and engine damage. This would involve removing the driveshaft, which connects the axle to the transmission and engine, to prevent friction buildup. Although this can definitely be done by experienced drivers, it would be better to entrust it to a trusted mechanic or towing service itself. Learn more about it here.