How to Tow an Altima
Towing your car is useful if you want to preserve the tires, gas, and general wear and tear on your car in long driving situations such as moving from one state to another. Towing a Nissan Altima is not any different than towing other types of automobiles. There are two kinds of towing devices you can use: a tow dolly and a car carrier. Use the tow dolly for front-wheel drive models and the car carrier for all-wheel and rear-wheel drive models. These devices can be rented from the same types of companies that you can get a moving truck from, U-Haul and Penske, for example.
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Instructions
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Look up what kind of wheel drive your Altima has. The 2011 Nissan Altima is a front-wheel drive car and would need to be towed with a tow dolly. This device lifts the front wheels of the car off the pavement and pulls it behind the towing vehicle.
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Attach the empty tow dolly to your truck by holding open the coupler-locking device and lowering the coupler over the truck's hitch ball. Press the lock lever all the way down and insert the locking pin. Pull up on the device to make sure it is secure.
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3
Insert the dolly's electrical plug into the truck's electrical box to activate the lights on the dolly. Secure the safety chains by crisscrossing them and passing them through the eyelets on the truck. Once through, attach the hook on the safety chain to the truck, but leave some slack so that the dolly can move during a turn.
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4
Straighten the tow dolly and line up your Altima with the ramp strips so the front on the car is facing the back of the towing vehicle. Remove the safety pins on the ratchet assembly and undo the tire straps. Make sure to leave the ratchet handle in the down position.
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Keep the tire straps off the tire platform and lay them flat along the fender side of the dolly. Then, release the platform locking pin. This will cause the tow dolly to tilt back and become level with the ground so that you can drive onto the device.
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Drive onto the dolly slowly with a friend guiding you. When your front tire tow dolly wheel stops, stop driving. The dolly will tilt back up. Double check to make sure your vehicle is centered on the tow dolly platform.
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Reinsert the platform locking pin and set the car's parking break with the car in park. For manual cars, set the car in low transmission. The 2011 Nissan Altima Hybrid is automatic while the Sedan is manual.
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Place the tie-down ratchets in front of the Altima's tires and pull the straps forward over the tires so they fit tightly. Tighten them by pulling the dolly ratchet up and down as much as you need. There should be no slack and the strap on the inside of the tire should not touch brake or suspension parts. Reinsert the ratchet safety pin and attach the clip with the ratchet still in the down position.
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Secure the safety chains from the platform to your car by hooking them to the frame of your vehicle; leave some slack for movement while traveling. Release the parking brake and lock your steering wheel in the straight position so that the wheels are point directly to the back of your tow vehicle. Remove the keys and lock the car.
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10
Drive 100 feet and then check to ensure everything is still secure. If so, you are ready to tow your Altima.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not load your front-wheel drive Altima onto the dolly backwards. This can damage your car and cause numerous safety hazards.
References
- Photo Credit towing truck image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com
