Towing has become a common practice in the roads. For towing to be successful as well as safe the drivers have to understand the towing capacity of their vehicle. Knowing and understanding the towing capacity of your vehicle will help you comfortably tow your trailer or caravan.
There are important things that you have to understand about the towing capacity for you to comfortably tow with your vehicle.
What is the towing capacity of your vehicle?
The maximum weight your vehicle can tow and safely haul without causing any damage to your vehicle is the towing capacity. In most cases the manufacturer of your vehicle has provided the towing capacity of your vehicle. Exceeding the provided weight is very risky and may cause an accident at the road. Therefore, while towing stick with the provided weight by the manufacturer.
We spoke with ASCO Auto Body Shop of Fremont California about vehicles that are towed into their shop for repairs. The manager told us we’d be surprised as to how many cars that get towed to his shop are above the weight limit for the light duty tow truck.
Have you had any difficulty finding out the towing capacity of your vehicle? Look no more! Consult your vehicle manual it has your vehicle towing capacity. Vehicles also have labels on the driver’s door indicating the towing capacity of your vehicle. If you have any trouble look at the various towing websites they will provide you with the relevant information on towing capacity.
The gross weight of the vehicle
Determining the gross vehicle weight ratings of your vehicle is very important. The gross vehicle weight of your vehicle consist of the weight of vehicle, the weight of the passengers as well as the weight of the luggage. Therefore, while towing it is also very important to determine the weight of the trailer for towing to be safe. All the weight combined that is, the weight of luggage, passengers and trailer should not exceed the gross vehicle weight rating present in the driver’s sticker.
Weight of the trailer
The weight of the trailer is another determining factor of the towing capacity of your vehicle. The purpose of the trailer is help carry your content, therefore, it is also important to consider the additional weight. It is important to check on the trailer the weight it can carry to avoid carry more than it can handle for towing to be safe.
For towing to be safe the towing weight capacity should be eighty percent for easier braking and speeding successful. Understanding the towing capacity of your vehicle is important. You will successful towing and you will hit the road without getting into trouble.