Page 14 - GMC Vintage RVing - Winter 2018

Technical Corner MAINTENANCE, PARTS, TIPS, INNOVATIONS AND MORE Towing Your GMC...How to Avoid the Towing BluesRob Mueller | 1975 Avion (1 in Austrailia and 1 in the USA) | Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaMaintenance Manual X-7525 – Page 0-4Byron SongerShort Distance TowingWhen you call the tow service provider representative:1. Takeadeepbreath,calmdown,speaksoftly and clearly, talk politely, and be patient!2. Getthenameanddirecttelephonenumberof the representative you are speaking to so you can call back “in case you get cut off.”3. Writethenameoftherepresentative,date, and time of your conversation. Ask for, and be sure to get, a case or reference number.4. Ask if/confirm that your conversation is being recorded.Long Distance Towing5. Take lots of notes as to what is said! Repeat what the representative says in order to confirm what you have written in your notes.6. Have a copy of the “Towing Vehicle” section (Pages 0-4 and 0-5) from of Maintenance Manual X-7525 in your hand when you call the tow service provider. (illustrated at right)7. Advise them that the GMC Motorhome MUST be towed from the front OR put on a vehicle long enough to accommodate it; read them the sentence under “Towing at Rear” on page 0-5. Towing the GMC from the rear wheels WILL result in transmission being damaged!Not Acceptible for Towing8. Ask if the tow company is insured and responsible for any damage suffered while the vehicle is under tow.9. Ask for the name, phone number,and with whom to speak at the shop where your GMC is to be towed if you don’t have the option of choosing a repair facility.10. Ask if the shop you are beingtowed to has experience working on front wheel drive GMC Motorhomes manufactured between 1973 and 1978.11. Most likely the representative willnot be able to tell you if the shop has experience on a GMC Motorhome. If this is the case and it is during normal business hours, call the shop yourself while you are waiting for the tow truck. Ask if they have any experience working on front wheel drive 1973- 1978 GMC Motorhomes. Most likely they will not have any experience so call the tow service provider contact and pass that information on to them. Ask them how a shop with no experience working on a GMC could be qualified to do so?12. When the tow vehicle arrives introduce yourself to the driver and ask his name. Introduce all the individuals of your party to the driver as well.13. Ask the driver if they have ever towed a GMC Motorhome before. The answer will most likely be “no” so show him the copy of the “Towing Vehicle” section in the maintenance manual and ask him to please take a minute and read it. He may see that it shows the GMC being raised with chains and note that is not how he14 GMC VINTAGE RVING MAGAZINE | GMCMI.COM