How to properly tow a car with a rigid hitch

Towing a vehicle with a flexible hitch

Towing a car with a flexible hitch is the most common method of towing passenger cars.

A flexible hitch, which is usually a fabric cable, is present in the trunk of almost every car owner. And the point here is not that drivers care about the problems of possible towing. Usually the cable, along with a fire extinguisher, a warning triangle and a first aid kit, is included in the motorist’s kit, so it willy-nilly ends up in almost any trunk.

An example of towing with a flexible hitch is shown in the following picture:

In practice, in addition to the towing cable, special towing mounts will also be required. On some cars, the mounts are lugs that stick out from under the bumpers. On others, you should use a special loop that is screwed into the mount under the plug in the bumper.

It is with a flexible hitch that category B cars are most often towed.

Towing prohibited/allowed

Let's start with when PPD is prohibited from towing a vehicle:

When there is ice . In such conditions, driving a working vehicle is quite difficult, and maintaining the stability of a faulty one is even more difficult.
If the brake system and steering of the vehicle that needs to be towed are faulty . With the steering not working, the car will fly into a ditch at the first turn, and in the absence of brakes, at least two damaged cars will appear on the road. The first one is the one that was in front, the second one is behind.
It is forbidden to tow a motorcycle without a sidecar using a flexible hitch , since it has virtually no stability on the road.
It is prohibited to tow two or more vehicles at the same time..

The fine for violating the rules of towing a car in 2019 will be 500 rubles . This, of course, is not much, but the collision of the “driven” and “leading” vehicles does not cause positive emotions.

What does it take to help a motorist in trouble?

In addition to the transport itself, there is also the corresponding state of the flexible coupling.
It must be intact, free from damage and scuffs, the loops and carabiners for fastening must be in good working order. The length of the cable is no less than 4 and no more than 5 meters. If it is shorter, then the chance of the second car driving into the front one tends to be one hundred percent, and if it is longer, then the car driving behind will deviate greatly from the trajectory of movement.
The halyards must have warning signs or flags . These are devices with diagonally drawn reflective white and red stripes. If you don’t have them, you can use pieces of red fabric.

Modern steel cables are made of colored threads: white, blue, red and others, some of which are coated with a reflective compound. That is, modern halyards themselves are warning devices.

The last thing to check are the towing hooks and eyelets.

According to changes to the traffic regulations dated April 4, 2017, the driver of a towing vehicle must have at least two years of driving experience.

What should it be

What is necessary for successful and authorized transportation of a vehicle by towing:

Serviceability of brake and steering systems.
Integrity of the body covering - there should be no breaks or pointed pieces bent outward (if the car has been in an accident).
Serviceability of door hinges, handles, glass.
Carabiners and other elements of the connecting device must be in good working order.
A flexible clutch requires a certain length of cable.
For rigid fastening - a special device made of durable and high-quality metal.

When transporting a passenger car, a flexible hitch option is suitable. But to transport a truck or passenger vehicle, a rigid hitch is required.

With the latter type of towing, the trajectory of the second vehicle will not deviate. Thus, during travel there will be no unnecessary interference for other participants.

Rope length

The cable should not be shorter than 4 meters and longer than 5 meters. It should be taken into account that the longer the flexible clutch equipment is, the greater the risk of deviation of the trajectory when moving.

If the cable is shorter than the specified norm, then there is a high risk of a collision between the driven vehicle and the vehicle pulling it.

The color of the cable does not matter. The accumulation of steel fibers is impregnated with reflective compounds.

In the case of using a red and white cable with a “reflector” effect, it is allowed not to attach striped signs. Such cables themselves signal and serve as a means of issuing warning signals.

Most often you can find products made from threads of the following shades and their combinations:

red;
orange;
blue;
blue and white;
white with red;
orange and white;
other variations.

Speed also plays a role in the presence of a particular length of cable. Even driving slowly by the lead driver will not allow the trailing motorist to drive perfectly smoothly.

This is why it is required that the second (transported) car be driven by a person who is always ready to correct the motion vector in a timely manner.

Travel speed

The main postulate of the Rules regarding the speed limit applies to almost all types of vehicles and in all cases of towing. One rule applies to everyone.

Permitted speeds when towing another vehicle:

within the boundaries of the village	no more than 50 km/h
outside the city, town, along the highway	no higher than 40 km/h
in case of independent movement of the coupled car	no more than 80 km/h
with attached trailer	no more than 70 km/h

If a car has an automatic transmission and is subject to forced removal from its location on the roadway, then it must be driven exclusively at a speed of 30 km/h - no more.

The only thing is that if the number of gears is more than 3 stages, it is allowed to transport the vehicle at an increased speed, but not more than 50 km/h.

Rules for cars and trucks

The method of transporting a car using a rigid structure must comply with certain conditions. They vary slightly depending on the type of vehicle being moved.

Are common

Rigid coupling makes the following rules mandatory:

the driver must sit behind the wheel of the driven vehicle, except in cases where the device gives him the opportunity to drive along the trajectory of the leading vehicle when moving in a straight line;
if a bus or trolleybus is towed, no passengers are left in it;
when moving the truck, there should also be no people in the back;
a rigid hitch for passenger cars is also used when there are passengers in the cabin;
vehicle speed cannot be higher than 50 km/h;
the structure itself must be brightly colored so that other road users can see it and not try to wedge themselves between the leading and driven vehicles;
The vehicle being towed must have its hazard lights turned on or a sign posted.

Distance

The distance between the towed person and the tow vehicle should be sufficient, but not too large. The distance on a rigid coupling is allowed up to 4 m. This is what makes movement safe. The driver of the leading car can see the road from the sides and behind in the mirrors. The one who sits behind the wheel of the follower retains the opportunity to stop in time and not collide with the vehicle in front. The road train does not block the road.

Length

The size of the device is selected in accordance with the requirement for the distance between vehicles. Since it cannot be more than 4 m, the length of the rigid coupling must also be less than this value. The total size of the base of the structure and the fastenings with which it clings to cars are taken into account.

Driver behavior

The traffic rules do not contain nuances that are necessary for successful towing. But experienced motorists know and use them:

the route is chosen in advance;
it should not have many problem areas (intersections, U-turns, highways, etc.);
if it is a rigid hitch for trucks, it is better to drive at a speed of up to 40 km/h;
you need to agree in advance what signals to communicate on the road if you need to stop and take other actions;
no need to make sharp turns with the steering wheel;
movement and maneuvers must be performed smoothly, especially acceleration and braking;
It’s better not to use backward driving, and if you can’t do without it, then do it in concert.

It should also be taken into account that a rigid hitch is undesirable when you need to pull a car with an automatic gearbox. The equipment may develop additional malfunctions during the process. The likelihood of damage is even higher when using a car with an automatic transmission as a tow vehicle.

Features of a rigid coupling

This method of towing is carried out using a solid structure, one end of which is attached to the driving vehicle, the other to the driven one. It allows both vehicles to be kept on the same line while driving, which ensures reliability and safety.

Therefore, a rigid vehicle coupling is especially useful for moving heavy, clumsy equipment. It will prevent cars from colliding with each other.

Inventions

Mercedes-Benz has invented an electronic collar for trailers. The new system is called Trailer Stability Assist (TSA). It is fully integrated into the vehicle's existing electronic stability control system. TSA quickly detects the beginning of a skid or lateral sway of the trailer and effectively suppresses these movements by alternately braking the right and left front wheels of the vehicle.

Not all drivers are familiar with the rules for towing vehicles: in driving schools little time is devoted to this section, and in practice, not many have tested themselves as a driver of a towing or towed vehicle.

In a real traffic situation, the lack of theoretical and practical knowledge causes certain difficulties.

Conditions under which towing vehicles is prohibited

1. A “trailer prohibited” sign prohibits the towing of motor vehicles:

2. Towing by motorcycles without a side trailer, mopeds and bicycles, as well as towing of such vehicles is prohibited. Those. motorcycles, bicycles and mopeds cannot act as either a towing or a towed vehicle.

3. It is prohibited to tow several vehicles at the same time.

Note. However, the rules do not prohibit the simultaneous towing of several trailers.

Rules for towing with a rigid hitch

Towing a vehicle with a rigid hitch

First of all, traffic regulations prohibit towing in any case if the steering of the towed vehicle is faulty - it can only be transported by partial or full loading. Sometimes they write that when hitching with three attachment points, it is not necessary for the driver to be behind the wheel of the towed car - this is an erroneous idea that contradicts the requirements of the traffic rules.

The driver of the towing vehicle must have at least 2 years of driving experience. The dimensions of the rigid coupling must be such that the distance between the machines is no more than 4 meters. The weight of a towed vehicle with a non-working brake system should not exceed half the weight of the “tug”.

General rules

The procedure for towing a car must be carried out in accordance with the traffic rules, or more precisely with the paragraphs of section No. 20.

The list of general instructions includes:

The towed vehicle should be marked with an alarm system with lights or an emergency stop indicator.
In the dark and when visibility is poor, the side lights on the towed vehicle must be on. The rule also applies to cases when movement is carried out through a tunnel.
The speed limit for towing is 50 km/h, regardless of where the movement occurs - in urban, rural or uninhabited areas.

IMPORTANT! From April 2021, only a car owner who has had a driver’s license for more than 2 years can be a tug driver.

Towing with a rigid hitch

Unlike towing with a flexible hitch, in which the tow rope can sag to the ground, towing with a rigid hitch is carried out using special fixed devices, usually made of metal.

At the same time, towing couplings can be of various designs . The simplest rigid couplers have one attachment point for each vehicle. More complex ones have multiple attachment points to the towed vehicle (as in the picture above) and allow the towed vehicle to follow the path of the towed vehicle while driving in a straight line. The rules for different types of rigid couplings are different.

In practice, towing with a rigid hitch is used much less often than towing with a flexible one. However, rigid couplers have several advantages over flexible ones. For example, they are more durable and allow you to tow heavy trucks.

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Accident while towing

In the event of an accident in which the towing and towed vehicles are involved, the culprit in most cases will be the driver of the towed (rear) vehicle (clause 10.1 of the traffic rules).

To prevent a car collision, you should adhere to the braking scheme :

For example, first the towing vehicle briefly presses the brake pedal to indicate to the driver of the towed vehicle that joint braking will soon take place. After this, both cars begin braking at the same time.

When changing lanes, the towed (rear) vehicle must change lanes first. Only after this is the towing one rebuilt. Otherwise, the towed vehicle may simply not have enough space in the adjacent lane.

Definition of the concept

Towing a car is the manipulation of transporting a car using the traction force of another vehicle and connecting parts. The principle of moving mechanical vehicles is simple - one machine transports another from one place to another.

The following concepts appear in the procedure:

A towing vehicle is one to which a vehicle that requires forced transportation is attached.
A towed car is one that is directly transported by a trailer (travels second, attached to the towing vehicle).
A towbar is a special device at the bottom behind the car that allows it to be used as a tractor. Carabiners and other connecting elements cling to the tow bar.
“Paws” (hooks, etc.) - are used in front of the car in order to hook the connecting device coming from the towing vehicle (from the towbar).

The towed vehicle must be suitable for stopping in time on the road or adjusting turns.

If the car is not capable of this, then it should be evacuated using special transport equipment. In this case, transporting a car with a broken steering wheel or brakes does not apply to towing.

Is a category necessary?

The driver of a car that is pulling another vehicle on an inflexible device must be quite experienced. But one of the issues that worries motorists in connection with the concept of “rigid coupling” is the category of rights. Some people think that they should be with the letter E, allowing them to carry a trailer heavier than 750 kg.

The definition of the difference between it and a car is in the traffic rules:

“Trailer” is a vehicle that is not equipped with an engine and is intended to be driven in conjunction with a power-driven vehicle.

A motor vehicle is a vehicle driven by an engine. the term also applies to any tractors and self-propelled machines.

Towing of cars is regulated by paragraph 20 of the traffic rules. It does not specify categories of rights. They are discussed in Article 25 of the Law “On Road Safety”. The legal document establishes a special category for each vehicle, as well as for the use of trailers with them. There is no mention of towing here.

It is clear from the traffic rules that a trailer and a car that has lost the ability to move under its own power are different types of vehicles. The law that exists for the use of the former does not apply to the latter. And in order to tow a car, the driver does not need to have the letter E on his license.

Government Decree No. 333 of March 24, 2017 contains a clarification regarding the length of service of a motorist:

When towing, driving towing vehicles must be carried out by drivers who have been licensed to drive vehicles for 2 years or more.

Features of towing vehicles with automatic transmission

Many people believe that it is impossible to transport such a car on a halyard . Yes, it is undesirable, but if certain rules are followed, it is possible.

Towing a car with an automatic transmission with the engine not running is very difficult. Since the oil pump is not working at this moment, and the transmission continues to express itself, proper cooling does not occur. As a result, overheating and failure of the unit.

Towing a car with an automatic transmission with the engine running

When towing over long distances, it is better to use the services of a tow truck, since subsequent repairs are often more expensive than paying for specialized equipment.
In other cases, you need to consider a number of recommendations :

Fill with the maximum amount of transmission fluid.
Unlock the steering by turning the key in the ignition.
Place the gear selector in neutral.
Speed limits for each vehicle are indicated in the instructions. If you don’t have it at hand, then consider the 50×50 rule. That is, at a speed of 50 km/h you can tow a vehicle no more than 50 km.
Monitor the temperature of the transmission. Make timely stops to cool the unit.

Four-wheel drive vehicles are towed using the loading method only.

Towing another vehicle with an automatic transmission

The weight of the “driven” vehicle should not exceed the actual weight of the “leading” vehicle.
Recommended speed is no more than 40 km/h.
Do not use high gears. You should start driving from “2”, and when the speed increases to 3,000 - 3,500, switch to “L”.
Keep the ride smooth. Do not make sudden jerks, as under dynamic load the weight of the towed vehicle increases several times.
If possible, use a rigid hitch.