5 Types Of Towing and Couplers

The Cambridge dictionary describes the word “tow” as to pull a car, boat, etc. along, fastened behind another vehicle or boat or to take away a vehicle that has been parked illegally using an official truck, to a place from which the driver has to pay to pick it up. 

These definitions are accurate when it comes to the modern automotive world, but technically any object or source of power that can be used to transmit force to another object can be used for the purpose of towing. Typically we think of a combustion engine being used to generate force, however, a winch or even an animal can work just as well. 

Towing has become an important activity in our daily lives. It can be used for everything from transporting farming equipment to getting sailplanes up into the air for a pilot’s first flight. The ability to tow efficiently is an integral part of the American economy, allowing goods to be transported by semi-trucks all across the North American continent.

Since towing is so ubiquitous and used across many different areas of the commerce, agriculture, and transportation sectors, there are many different ways to do it! This article will discuss some of the common types of towing and some of the equipment used in each type.

Common Towing Types

Recovery Towing

When people think of towing, they most often are thinking of recovery towing. Recovery towing is used to transport vehicles that have been involved in an accident or are otherwise disabled on the side of the road. Tow truck drivers involved in recovery towing operations generally need to work quickly to move vehicles away from areas of high traffic that may pose a safety hazard to other drivers. 

Tow trucks used for recovery towing are often equipped with electronic winches and/or a flatbed with multi-point heavy-duty tie-downs. These towing services are usually standing by 24/7 to assist whenever the need arises.

Trailer Towing

A small car has a ball attached.

This may be the second most common type of towing, used most often in recreation. A trailer can be pulled behind a passenger vehicle like a pickup truck or SUV. A trailer could hold anything from boats to motorcycles, or even lawnmowers!

Any vehicle that has a trailer hitch can pull a trailer. The most common hitch used in trailer towing is a ball hitch. This type of hitch involves a ball that is mounted on the rear of the towing vehicle and a socket connected to the trailer. 

5th Wheel Towing

5th wheel towing is a specialized type of trailer towing reserved for heavy-duty applications. Some people may be familiar with this method of towing especially large RVs since it can be done with a pickup truck. It is however also often used in commercial applications by large semi-trucks for transporting goods and merchandise.

This type of towing is achieved through a special coupling called a kingpin. In the case of 5th wheel towing being utilized by a pickup truck, a semicircle coupling is mounted inside the bed of the pickup to which the kingpin attaches. When the kingpin of the trailer is mounted inside, the coupling is allowed to swivel and pivot. One advantage of this type of towing is that it places much of the weight from the trailer directly over the axle of the towing vehicle.

Dinghy Towing

A van pulls a small trailer.

If you’ve ever been on the highway and seen a massive RV towing a smaller car, that’s dinghy towing. The smaller vehicle that is being towed by the larger one is referred to as the dinghy. This terminology comes from the boating world, where a large boat often tows a smaller one – called a dinghy – to be used for going ashore.

To safely tow a dinghy, a dolly or tow bar is used to connect the two vehicles. Additionally, motorists will need to install a wiring harness so that all traffic signals such as brake lights and turn signals are transmitted from the towing vehicle and displayed on the dinghy.

Pintle Hook

This type of towing is most desirable for towing items across rough terrain and with a towing capacity of up to 60,000 lbs. It is ideal for heavier towing jobs. It is most commonly used in commercial, military, and agricultural applications. 

Somewhat similar to the ball and hitch trailer setup, the pintle hook is attached to the towing vehicle while the trailer sports a lunette ring. The pintle hook acts like a pincer that securely grabs onto the trailer’s lunette ring in order to transfer the pulling force.

While these are by no means the only methods of towing out there, they are by far the most common. As always, you should consult with an experienced professional when attempting any towing setup or working with heavy machinery. If you need a tow truck for vehicle recovery or need to move a recreational vehicle, call Jimmy’s Spokane Towing!