Towing

Question: We know why they do it but what legal authority do tow trucks have to block (cone off) a whole lane on the highway one when the stall is on the shoulder?

The following story about a towing bill was related by a site visitor from their recent experience:

Tow trucks are too expensive! I've got a chain and a buddy to do the steering and apply the brakes, so we'll just drag that broken down vehicle home and fix it ourselves. Think of the money we'll save using do it yourself towing!

Trailer brakes are often neglected by drivers. I once checked three trailers on a Friday evening and found one that was too heavy for a surge brake, one that had no brakes functioning and a third that needed brakes but was not equipped with them.

Chances are good that your trailer has been slumbering, forgotten, in the back yard over the winter. Spring is here so we'll just hook it up and go. A quick check in the rearview mirror, yes, it's following us. The tug test has been passed, we're good to continue.

I've looked at the regs for brakes on trailers, but I'm not sure how it would apply to flat towing a vehicle. My '92 Jeep weighs in around 3,000 lbs (spec curb weight is ‎2,855–3,241 lb (1,295–1,470 kg)). We'd be pulling it with a 2015 Yukon 4WD (rated towing weight 8200 lb/ 3719 kg, curb weight 5707 lb / 2588 kg).

The regs say:

Have you ever had your trailer start to play wag the dog while you are driving along the highway? Chances are good that this happened due to the way that you loaded your trailer. Too much weight on the rear of a trailer is a recipe for trouble. This video shows why.

I have a question about the requirement for snowflake / M+S tires on recreational vehicles October 1 to March 31 because the highway warning sign does not specifically picture travel trailers.

Back in 2004 I put tongue in cheek and wrote about the trailer tug test. You hook the trailer up, drive off and look in the rear view mirror, if it’s still following you, carry on! I found myself behind a couple of vehicles pulling trailers yesterday and wondered if their drivers had missed the fact that I was being facetious. Neither trailer had any functioning lights and I can only guess what else might have been overlooked.

One of the more eye-opening exercises that I used to conduct at this time of the year was to park my police vehicle at the brake check and wave in vehicles pulling boat trailers for a mechanical inspection. I had learned that boat trailers were often the most poorly maintained of all recreational trailers and there were often serious safety defects to be found.