You Will Not Tow My Car

1. Craig
   July 14th, 2009 at 8:07 am

   I'd love to think that's real, but something's not right. If the car is front-wheel drive, shouldn't the tow truck be hooked up to the front instead of the back? I always assumed that's how it worked. Of course, it could be a stupid tow truck driver.

2. AL7AIR
   July 14th, 2009 at 8:48 am

   That's right, if he has to tow a front wheel drive car, he has to hook it up on that axle, otherwise he will ruin the drive train. Plus you usually have to engage the parking brake on the truck to operate the crane. And if I'm not mistaken, that SUV is an all wheel drive so it has to be towed on a flat bed. And even if it's not an AWD, it's still staged, or his very last day on the job.

3. gurnorg
   July 14th, 2009 at 9:58 am

   Ya that vehicle really doesn't have eough towing capacity to drag that tow truck. Plus the tow truck would have to be in neutral.

4. helimx
   July 14th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

   maybe he didn't realize it was a front wheel drive car? but it looks fake to me too..
   In the move Role Models this same thing happens, except it is much more bad ass..

5. Peachi
   July 14th, 2009 at 1:49 pm

   I think the dead giveaway is that his car is supposedly in neutral.

6. Wotcher
   July 14th, 2009 at 1:58 pm

   It's a Chinese viral ad for the Captiva:
   http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/thetechdynasty/post.htm?id=63007921

7. A
   July 14th, 2009 at 2:49 pm

   @6 is right.

   Clearly an attempt to market american cars to the chinese.

8. Spooky
   July 14th, 2009 at 6:15 pm

   Either way its funny. And what if it is rear wheel drive with a 4 wheel drive option...?

9. A
   July 15th, 2009 at 1:58 am

   Dumbass comments such as 1 & 2 from 'know-it-all' morons really annoy me. It's very sad that its common on the internet.

10. Adragontattoo
    July 15th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

    Having driven tow truck for two and a half years I can clear up some of the "errors" in the comments above.

    The tow truck has to be in Neutral to be able to engage the Power Take Off (PTO) to hook up to the SUV. Unless the driver is an absolute idiot the parking brake would be engaged to prevent the tow truck from rolling over him as he ratcheted down the straps.

    The SUV is AT BEST 4 wheel drive, which after she made it through the intersection promptly snapped the drive train as the rear wheels are locked in place.

    You CAN tow a front wheel drive vehicle (or rear wheel drive vehicle) from the other side if it is needed, you jsut have to put the vehicle in neutral (which can be done with about 5 minutes of work if you know the vehicle you are towing).

    The Vehicle wasnt locked (notice she just hops in and goes) so the driver either unlocked the vehicle and put the vehicle in Neutral, or she left it unlocked (you can override the shift lock with a screwdriver or a key on most newer vehicles).

    The video is almost assuredly staged as the rear wheels make little movement in their attempt to get free (assuming 4 wheel drive) and there is no sound of the rear differential going insane at being locked in place.

11. Geronimo
    July 16th, 2009 at 1:55 am

    Adragontattoo , if they get IN the car I don't think by law you CAN tow them, correct?

12. Adragontattoo
    July 16th, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    EHHHH Va law states I cant have anyone in the vehicle while towing it, I have left people in the car while hooking it up (I had the keys and it was safest), not all states have the same law (I assume) and not all countries do either (again assume).

13. renderanything
    July 16th, 2009 at 11:06 pm

    Aww man, everyone already pointed out the obvious flaws with the video and I didn't get any. It should be noted that it is from another country, and there may not be standards for towing FWD cars, towing with people in the cars, and the lift may not be PTO operated either.
    Any way you look at it it's ridiculous.
    Wonder what "A" is upset about though.

14. Adragontattoo
    July 17th, 2009 at 11:49 am

    render there are logical standards for towing cars regardless of what configuration hey are in, I cant tow a front wheel drive car in park with the front wheels on the ground (it tends to break things).

    PTOs are standard on ALL machinery like Tow trucks, Dump trucks, cranes etc..

15. Chris Lewis
    July 18th, 2009 at 11:27 am

    Adragontattoo, regarding the drive train, is there not normally a third differential on most AWD vehicles?

16. Geronimo
    July 19th, 2009 at 1:37 am

    Adragontattoo THX for your comment!

    I ask because a not exactly (usually) spritely friend of our just disappeared on a call with a "s*it!" and had jumped into her car
    being hoisted for towing. In California you CAN'T tow it with somebody in it, They put her down and she drove away. The image of her jumping into that car makes us laugh and likely haunts that driver to this day.

17. guy
    July 22nd, 2009 at 11:23 pm

    A) parking brakes hardly work when the vehicle is going backwards (not sure about tow trucks though...).

    B) If it is all wheel or 4 wheel or whatever you want to call it the other drive wheel could be on the other side that we can't see. So it could just be spinning?

    Not trying to argue that I think it really happened but that it is plausible that this could happen.

    I also hate people that just say the first thing off the top of their head when they really know nothing about the subject at hand.

18. DriverSide
    August 4th, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    That tow truck driver apparently needs a lesson in A href="http://www.driverside.com/auto-library/how_to_tow_your_car-430#" >How to Tow A Car.

19. php rounded corners
    August 11th, 2009 at 9:18 am

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    August 23rd, 2009 at 9:20 pm

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