questions about towing services answered

Posted on: 4 May 2015

Unless you need to tow your motorcycle frequently, the best option is to rent a trailer yourself and tow the motorcycle or to hire someone to tow the motorcycle for you. Then, you will not have to worry about maintaining the trailer yourself.

Also, rental companies save you the trouble of keeping up-to date on registering and plating your trailer:

Get the Right Trailer

If you are towing yourself, you will want to make sure that you have a properly setup trailer because this will make it safer to load and unload your trailer. You will want a built-in ramp so you do not have to setup an attachable one. You will need safety chains to hold the motorcycle safely in place.

Test the trailer taillights to make sure that they are functioning properly so you can avoid trouble with the law. Also, look up the trailer head light laws for your state.

Use the Right Car

Before you tow your motorcycle, find out how much it weighs and make sure that you have a vehicle that is rated to pull that much weight. If you use a vehicle not capable of towing the car, the vehicle will possibly become damaged and you may also lose control of the trailer.

Load the Bike

Push the bike onto the trailer by placing one person on each side of the bike. Do not use the engine power of the bike to move it into the trailer because it is easy to lose control of the bike, which will not only damage it, but potentially cause injury to someone else as well.

Use an Assistant

You will need an assistant who can help you determine if you need to go faster or slower, when to stop and when to turn. Make sure that you have the meaning of different signals figured out beforehand. For example, the assistant might toot the horn of the motorcycle if he or she wants you to go slower.

Drive Cautiously

While it is a good practice to drive slowly and carefully with a trailer, this is especially true when driving a trailer that is towing a motorcycle. Try to avoid braking and accelerating as much as possible.

Try to avoid towing the bike downhill. If you have to go downhill, consider unfastening the bike and guiding it down the hill before reloading it to the trailer. Because this is a challenge, towing should only be done in emergencies. To learn more, contact a company like Express Tow & Recovery with any questions or concerns you have.