Category Archives: Towing

Flatbed Towing and Dolly Towing

Published March 22, 2017 By Chicago Towing

If you’ve ever had your car towed, you may have been asked by the expert towing technician if the car needed flatbed or dolly towing. You might have been – or still be – confused as to what exactly this means. Here’s a guide to the difference between flatbed and towing service, prepared by the towing experts at Chicago Towing.

Dolly Towing

This service, known as the hook method, involves a two-wheeled towing device attached to a tow-hitch and axle. This dolly trailer tows front wheel drive suspension cars, and hooks the front wheels up on the trailer, with the two back wheels of the car remaining on the ground. Dolly towing lifts the front wheels of your car off the street onto the truck itself. Dolly cars help save money over using a flatbed truck, while also keeping your car’s mileage the same. However dolly towing cannot work with the same amount of weight as a flatbed truck.

Make sure to hook the towing dolly to the vehicle you want to tow before it’s loaded onto the dolly. If you’re driving a big vehicle, we highly encourage you to use a flatbed truck, as it’s much safer for the car. You can also check with your insurance company to see if it qualifies with the first few miles.

Flatbed Towing

This involves a flatbed tow truck fit with a ‘bed’ that’s hydraulically controlled, shifting on an incline to ground level, allowing for a car to be attached on top of it (either through the car’s own drive, or using a winch.) This towing is usually used to transport 4 wheel drive cars, as well as any heavy equipment including excavators, bulldozers, and dump trucks.

This is the safest transportation methods for vehicles as they don’t change the powertrain of the vehicle. The car doesn’t incur any wear as they often do with typical dolly’s, since all of its wheels are off of the road. This is an ideal towing method for all vintage and luxury cars – or anybody who wants to keep their car as safe as possible as it’s being towed. However, flatbed towing costs more money than dolly towing.

Finding a professional towing company in Chicago

Published March 21, 2017 By Chicago Towing

There’s tons of misunderstanding about the professional towing industry. And yes, there’s many scam artist fake towing professionals out there that can not only provide poor service, but actually damage the vehicles that they poorly tow, Here’s how to understand how to find a professional towing company. At Chicago Towing, we take pride in our expert towing service, and for providing our customers high levels of serious service. Here’s exactly what makes a professional towing company.

Good Reputation

When professional towing companies make their customers happy – or even exceed their wildest expectations, they will receive a growing healthy public perception. Any trustworthy towing company will make sure to put special emphasis on customer service and the upkeep of a loyal customer base. If you’re looking for a professional towing company, check out their online reviews – or even call them in order to get a feeling on how they treat even potential customers.

High Quality Equipment

Not all tow trucks operate at the same level of quality, and some faulty tow trucks can actually seriously damage your vehicle. Any really trustworthy tow truck company will provide many options for towing including flatbed truck towing, winch recoveries, and heavy duty towing. When you all the tow company pay attention to whether they ask questions about what kind of vehicle you have – this way you know they are figuring out which specialized equipment to send you, which is always a good sign.

Availability

You can never predict when your car or vehicle will break down. Nobody plans for it really because nobody wants it to happen. It might happen in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere – and if this happens, what good does it do to have a contact for a tow truck company that can only come in the morning? You don’t want to sleep outside! A trustworthy tow truck company should be able to cater to your roadside emergency breakdown at any time of day or night, any day of the week, any week of the year. Any respectable quality company will come rescue you from your situation right on your call.

Licensing

Any reputable towing company should have full license and insurance. Any company that is not licensed or does not have insurance should not be trusted. Any tow truck driver should proudly display their DOT ID number right on their truck along with any of the other particular licensing information required by their specific State. This ensures customers that the towing company has full liability for any potential damage, and allows the customer to have peace of mind in knowing that their vehicle will be handled by a truly trustworthy towing company.

Towing Safety Tips

Published January 3, 2017 By Chicago Towing

Cars break down; it’s a fact of life. Even when you take excellent care of cars, they are still likely to experience some form of mechanical problems every now and then. However, towing isn’t always a completely clean and orderly operation. Things can go wrong as you go along with it – here’s Chicago Towing’s list of the 9 most serious towing safety tips to keep in mind while one is towing a vehicle.

Dangerous Operation

Anybody involved with the towing operation should never stand on the sides of the truck, since a spontaneous turn could be incredibly dangerous for everyone involved. For maximum safety, make sure to ride along inside the truck with all doors securely locked.

Tire Safety

Make sure that any flat tires are fixed before the vehicle is hoisted up onto the truck. Make sure to change all tires in order to prevent an unstable tow load from suddenly flipping over due to unequal pressure. Just to be safe, it’s smart to check the tire pressure gauges.

Turning Suddenly

Sharp turns and steep hills should be handled very slowly, since going fast in these situations can either seriously damage your truck’s chassis or axle, as well as risk the possibility of flipping over completely.

Driving Blind

Dark or inclement weather reduces visibility – so should be handled with bright headlights, and by driving slowly.

Towing Inappropriate Vehicles

Don’t connect large vehicles to SUVs or sedans, since trailer hitches don’t work with all vehicles – only vehicles that meet towing requirements should be hitched up.

Swaying from Side to Side

Drive slowly and follow the speed limit to prevent the truck from swinging around, which can be quite dangerous especially at a high speed.

Always bring Emergency Equipment

Make sure to always carry a fully stocked emergency kit with a flashlight, red triangle lamp, spare tires, a tool set, first aid kit, water, and some food.

Never Rush

Don’t drive really fast while towing. As a ground rule, make sure to always have enough space to brake between your car and any vehicles in front or behind you.

Use the Breaks

Whenever making any turns, slowly and gradually apply the brakes for stable and safe driving. Sudden application of the breaks can be equally as dangerous on turns.

Hiring a Professional for Heavy Hauling

Published September 1, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Some of the most common equipment that requires heavy hauling is heavy machinery or construction equipment. While many companies have their own hauling equipment, lots of others don’t, or perhaps they need to use their hauling equipment for another big project.

Regardless of the project where it’s implemented, heavy hauling is a difficult and technically complex job. The kind of equipment that requires heavy hauling is expensive and delicate, despite its extreme weight. Due to the extreme value of this equipment, and the magnitude of the job’s complexity, it’s totally necessary to hire a professional hauling company. It’s of major importance that they are trustworthy, and have the necessary experience and expertise to safely finish the haul without causing any damage to the vehicle.

Experience with Heavy Hauling

When you’re transporting extremely heavy and large equipment, the haul’s route should be determined in advance. There’s many detailed aspects to the ride that absolutely need to be considered, including the height of overpasses. Both equipment and even the overpass could be damaged, which could not only result in heavy costs but also put people’s lives at risk. There will be many potential obstacles including weight limits on roads and bridges. A truly professional hauling company will know exactly how to find and expertly navigate the best route to haul out the equipment to it’s rightful destination.

Worst places for your car to break down

Published August 3, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Car break downs are never enjoyable – from having to wait to get the car repaired, to having to wonder how much the repairs will cost. The area where your car breaks down makes a huge difference as to what your experience will be like. Breaking down in your driveway is much better than breaking down in the middle of the desert. In this blog entry, I’ll detail some of the worst possible places in the world that your car could break down.

Highway 50 in the USA

This road, known as Loneliest Road, runs from Fernley to Ely in the arid state of Nevada for over 287 miles with only a few gas stations along the way. The AAA has announced an official warning to drivers not to drive through there unless they are 100% confident in their driving prowess – and since hours can go by without passing another vehicle or having a tow truck come to your rescue, it would take a very long time for help to arrive if your car broke down.

Famous Tow Trucks of Cinema

Published July 17, 2016 By Chicago Towing

The trucking movie is a classic American genre. It’s fun for an audience to see truckers ‘gettin er done’ just like ours do every single day of the week. Here’s our list of the most famous tow trucks in cinema.

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

This classic movie made an entire generation of children wonder what it would be like to be a trucker. Burt Reynolds and Jerry reed play two truckers on an adventure, hauling an illegal shipment of beer to Georgia from the Lone Star State while being chased by Jackie Gleason’s vengeful sheriff. This movie enjoyed immense success; not only one, but two sequels were released!.

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.

Tire Maintenance Advice

Published April 3, 2016 By Chicago Towing

The most common cause of a call to request roadside towing is the incidence of a flat or blown out tire. If this happens to you, the skilled technicians at Chicago Towing are more than prepared to provide roadside assistance to pull you out of this situation – but of course, prevention is absolutely the best method. If you want to be proactively prepared and prevent any sort of tire failure, you need to learn a bit about proper tire maintenance.

The first step towards sustainably healthy tires is maintaining a proper inflation pressure for all four. By doing this you not only optimize your car’s performance, but also increase its safety – not to mention your monetary savings on fuel. In order to make sure that your car’s tires have correct pressure, check them periodically, about once or twice a month. Make sure that the tires feel cool to the touch – so don’t check them right after you finish driving – and use a working pressure gauge. The inflation level of your tires is specifically very important to maintain before embarking on a long car trip when your vehicle suffers slightly more wear than it usually does on a day to day level, and when you’re far from your local repair shop or even far away from anyone who can help. As a stated rule – always check your tire’s inflation before leaving on a long trip.

Depending on the manufacturer and model of your vehicle, it has a specific ideal tire pressure level – this can usually be found inside the car’s placard or inside the car’s owner manual. The single most effective way to preserve the working order of your car, it’s tires, and their tread life is to maintain a regular ideal tire pressure. Underinflation is the largest cause of tire failure – which can crack your tires, separate internal mechanisms, or even blow out the entire wheel. You don’t want that to happen when you’re on the road; no less in the middle of nowhere.

Secondly, make sure not to spin your tires in excess. The usual instinct that drivers follow when their vehicle is stranded in mud, sand, snow, or ice is to spin the tires and try to get out. This can be very harmful to your car because the centrifugal forces generated by the spinning tire could cause a sudden tire explosion – if you’re trying to get out of a pile of dirt or sand that you’re stuck in make sure not to drive above 35 mph, and use a slight back and forward rocking movement to gently free your car from its predicament.

On a regular basis check to see if your tires are worn out. Your tires should be taken out when they are worn down to 2/32’’ of tread depth left. All currently manufactured tires have indicator lines to show how far the treads are worn into – smooth lines inside the tread groove. Driving on tires with worn out treads is dangerous as the majority of rain or snow based accidents happen when a car starts skidding on worn out – or “bald” – tires. Not to mention the ease with which worn out tires can be punctured and blown out by any glass or roadside debris.

Since tires have broad contact with possible road debris, it’s essential that you check them on a monthly basis – at least – to preserve your safety. Any sorts of air loss, cracks, bulges, holes, or knots should warrant the removal of the tire and a close inspection by a professional. If you can, don’t overexert your car. The vehicle owner’s manual should have a set limit to pressure and exertion which should never be raised – as that can cause lots of problems, including affecting how your vehicle drives and how fast it eats up fuel – not to mention raising the possibility of tire failure. In some situations, exceeding your vehicle’s limits can cause serious cracking or a blowout.

In order to prevent abrasive vibration or excess tire wear, have your tires rotated on a regular basis – make sure they are properly inflated, aligned, and balanced – and replace any broken or worn out suspension mechanisms. Misalignment can cause scrubbing against the surface of the road which abrades the tire and unbalanced them – causing extreme vibration that can not only exhaust the human driver of the car, but can seriously take a toll on the suspension of the vehicle.
If you are able to change a tire, make sure that you have a spare one in your car at all times. That can save you a great deal of money and stress in situations where you get stranded. In fact, keep a tire on you even if you don’t know how to change it – so you can save some money once you contact a roadside assistance provider. We hope that the above tips will help you preserve the longevity of your vehicle’s tires – if you find yourself in a dire situation, Chicago Towing is always available to help you. Simply call us with any questions and we can be at your direct location in minutes.

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.