Towing- using flashers or regular signals?

@Dino soar
Tail, turn and brake lights are required on the vehicle being towed. These can be wireless or wired. Using just the 4 way flashers is illegal, even when you see tow trucks doing it. You can build your own light bar, just make sure it is wide enough to meet the regulations or even temporarily mount the lights using wire ties or whatever like the driveaway/towaway truck transporters do.

The actual regulations for lighting can be found in 393.17 for towaway, which is what you will be doing.

 

Tow Mate has been granted a five year exception to the wired requirement, which was just renewed. This makes wireless tow lights legal in all states now. Ohio has started accepting them finally, even for oversize loads and mobile home toters.

 

On a secure tow, working lights that function with the tow vehicle.
Hazzards are to warn for just that a hazardous situation.
Many tow truck drivers are using flashers and warning sirens when they shouldn't be. Just because someone does something for pay does not mean they are doing it correctly.

 

That's great news. Has towmate improved quality?

 

Yes and no. Overall their lights are better but they are having battery issues since they switched from lead acid rechargeable to more modern batteries. Many guys have taken it upon themselves to install their own battery, using the Milwaukee M-18 battery and a readily available adapter. This seems to make the lights last a very long time between charges, and for long distance allows for a quick change of the battery.

 

That's a great idea. The trouble I had was circuit board corrosion. So bad the owner and his wife flew in and visited the shop. Almost needed one employee just to work on light bars.