Towing can be an essential part of any driving life because you can tow a trailer or camper to the beaches or campgrounds of Orange County, tow your auto behind a recreational vehicle (RV) as you head out of state from Huntington Beach, or be towed to a dealer of the Beach Boulevard of Cars for a repair. Here are a few things to remember about this activity.

Towing a Trailer

This type of towing involves three trailer types:

• Conventional trailers rely on a ball mount that fits into the receiver that is attached to the rear of your vehicle and a coupler or socket in the front of the trailer A-frame that fits over the ball. Spring bars level the load among all the axles of the tow vehicle.
• Fifth-wheel trailers use a fifth-wheel plate that is mounted in the center of a pickup truck bed and contains plate jaws to which the pin of your trailer fits. Side rails on the bed help support the fifth-wheel hitch.
• Cargo, motorcycle, and tent trailers depend on many types of couplings between your vehicle and the trailer, such as ball and socket with or without a swivel, pin, and swivel, or universal joint with a detachable pin.

Trailers in California require reflectors and lights for the license plate, brake, and tail, signal lights if the tow-vehicle lights are hidden, and clearance lights for trailers over 80 inches. A trailer coach or camp trailer weighing 1,500 lbs. or more also demands trailer brakes.

Before every trip, the California DMV advises that you perform a safety inspection to ensure the pin attaching the ball mount to the receiver is ready to go, the hitch coupler is secured, safety clips are in place and spring bar hinges are tight, the electrical plug is correctly installed, and the safety chains are securely attached.

RV Towing of Your Vehicle

If you’re driving a large RV, towing your car behind it may be more convenient for traveling long distances. Be sure that you know the designated tow limit for your RV and that the weight of the car you tow falls within that limit. Otherwise, you may damage the RV.

You can tow a car behind an RV in three main ways.

• Four-down, also known as dinghy towing or flat towing, is the simplest method because all it requires is a small tow bar to pull your car, which keeps all four wheels down on the road. However, be sure that your vehicle transmission works with this method or you may damage the transmission.
• A tow dolly puts the front two years of the car on a trailer with the rear wheels remaining on the road. This type works well for vehicles with front-wheel drive transmissions. However, rear-wheel-drive cars can also use a tow dolly if you disconnect the transmission.
• A car hauler is a trailer on which an all-wheel drive vehicle sits so that none of its wheels touch the road.

Being Towed After a Breakdown

Many brands at the Beach Boulevard of Cars include free towing as part of the maintenance package that goes with your car. Towing options include a flatbed truck on which your entire vehicle rests, a hook and chain to pull the car, a wheel lift that puts the front or rear tires on a lift and leaves the other two wheels rolling on the road, and an integrated tow truck that combines a wheel lift and boom.

If you own an EV, only a flatbed truck is recommended for it because the other methods leave two of the EV wheels spinning on the road, which generates battery power. If that power is not actually used to propel your car, it may damage the battery and motor. Most EV breakdowns are due to running out of charge, so in that case, your best bet is to avoid towing altogether by having a service vehicle with a mobile charger come to power up your car.

If you have any questions about towing, talk to the helpful people at the dealers here at Beach Boulevard of Cars.