Towing a Truck Using Chains

Do you have an old junk truck on your hands that you need to sell? Maybe you’re trying to sell a junk car, but need to tow it first. That’s understandable: old junk vehicles are rarely in running condition, and it’s good to know how to tow a vehicle on your own in an emergency situation. Before you get started, though, it’s important that you take the necessary precautions. This essential for a couple of reasons: you want to stay compliant with state and local laws, and you want to ensure that you do things safely.

Before going any further, we recommend consulting an expert in-person for guidance with this procedure. Towing a vehicle on your own can be extremely dangerous, and we can’t assume responsibility for anything that may get wrong.

That said, before you get started towing a truck using chains, here’s what you need:

A heavy-duty chain that’s “towing approved” (and which contain approved hooks for connecting it to each vehicle)
A “VEHICLE IN TOW” sign, which you’ll attach to the back of the vehicle that’s being towed
A towing vehicle which is fully insured and have the proper weight rating and towing capacity to tow the other vehicle

Got those things in order? Great! Now, here are a few more things you’ll need to ensure you’ve already accounted for before you go any further:

The person in the driver’s seat of the towing vehicle needs to be able to see the vehicle being towed clearly and easily
Both the towing vehicle and the vehicle being towed need brakes that work
The vehicle being towed must have emergency lights that work, which you’ll need to turn on during the towing process

If you’ve checked off every item on both of these lists, congratulations! You’re ready to begin. Here’s what you need to do.

Setting Up A Vehicle For Towing

To begin with, wrap the chain around the rear axle of the towing vehicle. The chain should fully wrap around the axle and go back through the first link in the chain. Make sure the connection is secure, and that the chain can’t slip from side to side.

Do the same thing with the front axle of the vehicle that’s going to be towed. Again, ensure that it can’t slip to one side or the other. It’s also important to make sure that there’s between 6 and 10 feet of space between the front of the towed automobile and the rear bumper of the towing automobile.

Towing With A Chain

The vehicle being towed should be in neutral and have its hazards on. Take things very slowly. It’s important that the chain stays tight while towing, and the person in the vehicle being towed should gently ride the brakes to ensure that the towed vehicle doesn’t end up too close to the towing vehicle. If anything goes wrong, the driver in the towed vehicle should honk to alert the towing vehicle.

Sell Your Junk Car

Why tow your junk truck when Rusty’s Auto Salvage will tow it away for free and pay you cash for it? Call us at 866-439-4401 to find out how much your junk car is worth.