Category Archives: Off Road Vehicle Recovery

We are Towing 24 Hour Chicago. We are not just your typical metro towing company. We go where tow trucks don’t dare go! Taking 4 x 4 vehicles off-roading is a popular activity with many people. With this increase it taking all-terrain vehicles into areas that are covered in mud, sand, or snow, there is a possibility that the vehicle is stuck.

Avoiding Getting Stuck in Dirt, Sand, or Snow

Published April 23, 2018 By Chicago Towing

Sometimes it’s simply necessary to drive on other types of surfaces besides a perfectly paved highway or road. And we wouldn’t ever want to change that! It’s one of the adventures of driving, and great pleasures that these amazing transportation devices allow us to experience. However, this pleasure can quickly turn to agony and stress when your vehicle gets stuck in surfaces like snow, sand, dirt, or mud – especially if it’s in the middle of nowhere. Here’s a guide to how to avoid getting your car stuck in these substances, as prepared by the towing experts at Towing Chicago.

Off-Road Safety Tips

Published July 13, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Four-wheeling on an off road vehicle can be one of the most exciting and liberating hobbies that anyone can enjoy. Driving off-road helps you experience wilderness in a way much different than driving, or even walking on foot. However, it comes with its own set of dangers – not only from the maintenance of the vehicle, but the usual dangers that come with traversing remote natural environments. In this blog entry I’ll detail ten essential safety tips that make off-road driving immensely more safe.

Update friends and family

Tell someone where you’re going to be, and what time you’re expecting to return. This rule should be followed regardless of the ruggedness of the terrain. People have been known to get stuck or lost in even the most basic and normal natural environments. By doing this, you will make sure the authorities are contacted in case there’s an emergency and you don’t return at the designated time. Read More →

How to Tow a Boat

Published April 17, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Whether you’re towing a well worn dinghy or a high-end speedboat, it’s common knowledge that the kind of car you’re using to do the towing will affect the way that it handles a towed boat. Different cars yield different kinds of acceleration maneuvering, and stopping speeds. Whatever vehicle you’re using to tow your boat, here are some essential rules to follow in order to keep you (and your boat) safe and secure.

Keep Weight Balanced

While you’re loading the boat up onto whatever trailer it will be towed on, make sure that it’s weight is evenly distributed throughout – this means from both horizontal and vertical axis, from side to side, and from the entire length. You might have to shift around any other equipment inside the boat or on the trailer to find the right balance – anything can throw it off, from fuel, technical equipment, and even rations like water – make sure to stay vigilant in ensuring that the boat’s weight is evenly balanced.

Keep a flat axis

The towing vehicle and the trailer should both be exactly or just about parallel to the ground – make sure to research the trailer’s tongue weight so you can be certain that you’re not overloading the hitch with weight – the load (in this case, the boat) should weigh around 10 percent of the entire trailer’s weight.

Secure the boat tightly

Make sure the boat is securely attached to the trailer with ratchet straps, and make sure that the trailer’s winch strap is attached securely to the bow eye.

Compensate for weight when breaking

Since the trailer and towed boat adds a great deal of weight to the entire vehicle, make sure to keep this in mind while driving – your vehicle will require additional time to stop completely, so drive slow and break somewhat in advance of when you would instinctively break normally. Never make sudden starts, stops, or turns that can throw off the stability of the trailer or else the boat could fall away. When driving downhill, make sure to drive in low gear for extra traction.

Keep tools with you

You can never be too prepared. Make sure to bring a spare tire for your trailer, a lug wrench and tire gauge that fit your tires, and a grease gun for additional on the spot lubrication as needed. You don’t ever want to be caught stranded at a standstill with a boat attached to a trailer.

Be extra prudent and safe

In advance, make sure that the lights on your trailer are working properly, and just in case, make sure they are on even during the day. Before you embark, walk completely around the trailer and make sure everything looks right and that the weight seems evenly distributed. Every few miles of driving, check to make sure that no straps attaching the car has come loose – this way, even though the trip might go somewhat slower, you can be certain that you’re undertaking it with the maximum amount of safety and care.

Driving in Winter Conditions

Published March 23, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Advance Preparation

In the frigid winter weather, Chicago residents often encounter poor to bad driving conditions. Since most drivers never learn defensive driving techniques for bad weather, during the winter many accidents occur that otherwise never would have. Because of this, it’s absolutely essential that you prepare for driving under poor weather conditions; first of all, always keep a raincoat, umbrella, and gloves/scarf in the trunk of the car. You might have to change a tire in the middle of a snowstorm or cold downpour. Also keep a working flashlight in the trunk; as you’ll never know when you’re going to have to change a tire on a dark street or highway. Always remember to keep jumper cables in the trunk – you want to avoid being stranded in a car with a dead battery without the materials to jump start it. Keep your gas over the halfway mark as a force of habit, that absolutely reduces the chances of accidentally depleting your car’s gas. Ensure that you have a car jack, the proper tire iron for your vehicle, and a correctly blown-up spare tire. If your area gets especially cold during the winter, it couldn’t hurt to have a certified mechanic look at your car to make sure that everything is working correctly. Ideally, if there’s any problems found, you would get them taken care of before being caught driving in an unpleasant weather event, when it might really affect you. By following active awareness and preparation, you can avoid having to spend even more time, effort, or money if your vehicle suffers a breakdown.

Careful Practices

Whenever any bad weather event occurs – be it a blizzard, hail, frozen roads, or a rainstorm – one of the most important defensive driving techniques one can adopt is to drive slowly. By driving at a slower speed, you’re increasing the amount of time that you will have to react in case you come into/across some kind of accident. Also, if you’re driving slowly, and keep a large space between your car and the other vehicles that are driving, you’re going to have a much lesser chance of bumping into the back of one of them if they suddenly break. If the roads are incredibly slippery, one thing you should do is keep the brakes lightly applied while driving at a slow pace – for extra traction.

Top 7 Towing Myths DEBUNKED

Published March 17, 2016 By Chicago Towing

There’s a ton of misinformation out there being hawked by scam towing companies and blogs alike. Here’s a list of the most common towing misconceptions.

Myth One : You can increase a vehicle’s towing capacity by upgrading its hitch.

Untrue. A trailer’s hitch does not cancel out the maximum capacity rating of your vehicle – however it does maximize it. You should never tow more weight than your hitch is rated for.

Myth Two: Tongue weight makes up ten percent of the towed weight.

Untrue. The safe amount of tongue weight is somewhere between ten to fifteen percent of the trailer’s weight – depending on a range of criteria, including the load distribution and the position of the trailer’s axles. Often too much of the load is placed at the trailer’s front – which puts way too much weight on the tongue. If a heavy tongue is a concern for you, make sure to install a rated weight distribution mechanism, which can allow for more towing weight on your vehicle. The tongue prevents the trailer from swaying fast – this sort of sway can also be canceled if you increase the tongue weight, or place sway control devices on the trailer hitch.

Myth Three: All towing extensions work on truck campers.

Untrue. Hitch extensions have to have the right capacity of tongue weight for your truck – shorter extensions can handle weight better than longer ones, as a general rule.

Common Towing Mistakes

Published March 3, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Hitching a trailer to your truck and hauling out all your belongings on the open road sounds exhilarating for many people – but if you’re not skilled with long heavy tows it can be an incredibly complex process. There’s 8 major mistakes that people usually make when they’re towing. If you want to avoid paying extreme fees for mistakes, educate yourself on this list of potential mishaps before you embark.

Having the Wrong Weight Distribution Bars

The weight distribution bars between your vehicle and trailer have to be set up correctly; otherwise, the vehicle and the trailer will be bouncing away from each other – causing a bumpy ride, and potential damage to the trailer’s frame and hitch. The size of the weight distribution bar shouldn’t matter – many tunable chained bars come in many different levels of strength or weight – if you use the right bar size, it will be completely parallel to the frame of the trailer.

Heavy Duty Towing Safety Tips

Published February 23, 2016 By Chicago Towing

There’s variable reasons that cause a car to need to get towed. Whether you suffer an unfortunate accident in your vehicle, or if it breaks down on the highway, you should know the proper safety measures that both you and any towing specialist you may contact should take on the road, to protect your safety.

Driver Safety Tips

If you’re in the middle of driving and need to pull over to get towed, it’s absolutely necessary to follow these safety tips. First of all, move your car as far away from other cars as possible. If there’s a shoulder to the road, move onto it as soon as possible, as close to the edge as you can. Additionally, leave your hazard lights on – this is particularly important at night – so other drivers driving can see you, and also so the towing company can have an easier time recognizing you. If you have an emergency roadside kit in your car, place reflectors around the perimeter of your vehicle.

As you’re waiting for the tow company to get there, take anything that you might need (like license information, insurance records, registration, etc…) out of the car before it’s towed. It might be a few days before you see your car and you’re going to need to provide this information to the towing service during the process. While you’re waiting for the towing company to get there, make sure to wait inside the car, so you don’t put yourself at risk for the passing cars or any weather that might be occurring.

The Heavy Duty Towing Truck Safety Tips

Not only does the initial driver of the vehicle need to take safety measures to ensure the protection of their being and their vehicle’s being in the event where a towing is necessitated, but the driver of the tow truck that will transport your vehicle absolutely needs to follow safety measures. One of their initial steps is to increase the visibility of your stranded vehicle, by placing cones and flags around the area. This is to protect both you and them from oncoming traffic.

Tow truck drivers are also required to check whether their cable lines are intact, and not damaged. They need to make certain that their truck is capable of hauling your stranded vehicle safely. This information will be verified over the phone upon your first contact. Drivers additionally have training to never unwind the towing cables all the way when they’re loading a vehicle, and to make sure that the wheel-lift is extended far enough after the loading that they can safely and easily make turns. Drivers are also trained to avoid any electrical lines, and ensure that bystanders stand a safe distance during the entire towing process. All these safety measures are completely necessary – the operation of towing requires a great deal of safety attention, and drivers for the right company are thoroughly trained in all these measures to protect both their own neck, but yours, and that of your vehicle.

21 Essential Road Trip Tips

Published February 17, 2016 By Chicago Towing

If you’re planning on traveling through the United States on a road trip, driving without stopping has advantages – you’ll save money on hotels, have more time once you get to your destination – not to mention the sense of exhilaration you get on a nonstop drive. However, in order to stay safe and energetic, it’s integral to follow these tips to make sure your ride goes smooth.

Get a good night’s sleep before the journey

Scientific studies have shown that missing a few hours of sleep can impair your driving to a comparable level to being intoxicated with alcohol. Don’t let this happen by making sure that you get a lot of sleep the night before you leave.

Wear Sunscreen

This is a very underrated tip. If your skin is in direct sunlight for hours at a time, your skin is going to be exposed to harmful UVA rays. You’re going to need sunscreen to protect your exposed skins from getting burns. Apply liberally, and repeat when necessary.

Eat Nutritiously

Don’t just eat roadside fastfood. Instead of stopping at a drive through, stop at a supermarket, and get salad, fruit, or a hearty sandwich – rather than fried food that won’t give you the nutrition you need through your journey.

Avoid Staying at Rest Stops

Pulling over and sleeping in your car can be dangerous – and it’s illegal in some states. We don’t recommend it. Use rest stops to stretch your legs, get a snack, or go to the bathroom. Then get back on the road.

Common Car Towing Questions

Published February 1, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Can tow trucks tow the car backwards?

Most tow trucks can hook themselves up to the front or the back of the vehicle that’s being towed. This is actually the ideal (and most widely used) method for vehicles with rear wheel drive, although front or all-wheel drive vehicles can also be towed from the back if the car’s front can be lifted with a pulley or dolly.

Can your car get towed if you’re touching it?

Absolutely not. In order to complete the towing job safely, the tow truck driver will need you to stand away from your vehicle. If you’re physically blocking the car from getting towed, If your car is being towed due to legal injunction, and you’re physically blocking it from getting towed, the driver might contact the police to escort you away – which may result in a fine or civil charges of obstruction.

How can I prevent my car from being able to get towed by a roll-back or flatbed tow truck?

These trucks get their name from their flatbed that tilts backwards so that vehicles can get rolled on to it for transporting. These trucks usually transport strangely shaped, damaged, or large vehicles – but also commonly tow regular cars. Since the flatbed’s driver needs to position the truck directly in line with the car so that it can be winched up, you can prevent one of these trucks from being able to tow you by parking somewhere there the flatbed truck can’t reach the front or back of the car.