How to Tow a Toyota Tacoma

You can tow your Tacoma without the help of a professional tower.

Towing is sometimes necessary in difficult situations in which your vehicle cannot operate under its own power. Whether you are towing your Toyota Tacoma because it is inoperable, or you are moving and do not have enough drivers for your vehicles, proper tow procedure must be followed to prevent accidents on the roadways or harm to your truck. Never tow your Toyota Tacoma using an unsafe method. Merely connecting a chain between your Tacoma and the tow vehicle is a gamble you could regret.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Tow dolly
• Towing vehicle

1. • 1

     Rent or buy a tow dolly from a moving or department store. If you do not plan to tow much in the future, it might be more cost-effective to rent. Typically, you must pay a deposit or provide a credit card number for the dolly and pay a small rental fee. You can rent towing lights for an additional charge or for no fee depending on the retailer.

   • 2

     Connect the dolly to the back of your towing vehicle via the trailer hitch. Tow dollies are relatively light and can be maneuvered by holding the connector end and rolling the device via its wheels. Secure the tow dolly to the hitch ball, and lock the mechanism in place.

   • 3

     Drive the towing vehicle to the Tacoma, and position the dolly directly in front of the truck. The dolly should be no more than five or 10 feet from the Tacoma.

   • 4

     Drive the Tacoma onto the towing dolly so the front wheels sit in the divots of the device. If the Tacoma is not running, shift the truck into neutral, and push the truck into place using the help of several other people. Set the parking brake.

   • 5

     Place the dolly straps around the front wheels of the Tacoma, and tighten the straps until they rest firmly on the tire's rubber. Lock both dolly straps.

   • 6

     Open the door of your Tacoma, locate the center console, and insert the Tacoma's key into the "Transmission Lock" slot. You can now shift the transmission into neutral. If the vehicle has a manual transmission, set the gear stick into neutral. Release the parking brake. If your transmission is not in neutral, you risk destroying both your Tacoma's engine and transmission.

   • 7

     Plug the trailer lights into the back of your towing vehicle's tow plug. Set the lights on top of the Tacoma.