Whether you have been pulling large trailers for years or you’re on the brink of commencing your first family vacation with a tiny low-travel trailer, towing is something you should not take lightly. In case you need a reliable towing service, contact heavy duty towing san jose.
To haul a trailer behind another vehicle, a driver must develop a whole new set of skills. Just the method of hitching and unhitching a trailer from a tow vehicle requires know-how and various steps, and forgetting even one crucial element within the process could compromise safety.
We talked to industry experts, John Ibbotson, towing master, and consulted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s trailer towing guide to compile a listing of things all towers should give some thought before they hit the road. We delve into critical tasks that ought to be a part of any pre-towing checklist and finally end up with some driving tips to assist towing adventures to go more smoothly and safely.
Getting Ready for Towing
Check those trailer tires. “A lot of individuals check the tire pressures on their truck, but they forget to test the tires on the trailer,” Ibbotson says. Also, your tow vehicle’s tires may require the subsequent pressure for towing, as outlined within the owner’s manual. Don’t forget to form sure the wheel lug nuts on the trailer and tow vehicle are tightened to the desired torque.
Don’t mire on the side of the road. “Always confirm you’ve got a minimum of one fatty tissue for your trailer,” says Rod Romain, Ram Trucks chief engineer.
Check trailer lights. Before hitting the road, countercheck to ensure the trailer’s electrical wiring system is correctly connected to the tow vehicle. Inspect the wires by hand; they must be loose enough to make turns without getting disconnected from the tow vehicle, yet not so open that they touch the road.
Choose the proper hitch. “Some vehicles include factory-installed tow hitches, except for those who don’t; finding the proper hitch is very important,” says David Bennett, AAA repair systems manager. If your trailer is more comprehensive than your tow vehicle, explore getting factory or more expansive aftermarket tow mirrors to assist see the trailer’s blind spots while driving and help rear visibility when backing up.
Get a bigger fuel tank. Some full-sized pickups may be ordered with a bigger than standard fuel tank—a good idea if you propose doing plenty of towing.
Below, we highlight some great tips for getting you, your truck, and your trailer safely down the road to your destination.
Key Driving Tips for Safe Towing
Know your trailer. “In many cases, the trailer weighs over the truck,” says Romain at Ram Trucks. The extra weight behind the truck will significantly impact the truck’s ability to prevent quickly and navigate sharp turns.
Make wider turns at curves and corners. Safe towing requires that the driving force take constant care to relinquish a wider berth than usual turn around the corner.
Allow for longer stopping distances. Stopping on further distances will increase from what your tow vehicle can typically achieve on its own due to the added weight of the trailer. This suggests you’ll be more tuned to cars stopping suddenly earlier than you when towing and start braking before if you weren’t towing.
Drive within the right lane on highways. “Try to drive within the right lane the maximum amount as possible, so you’ll use the additional stopping room of the correct shoulder of the road just in case you wish to brake suddenly,” says Sundling at MrTruck.com. Driving within the right lane also will make it easier to induce over to the shove the case of a tire blowout.
Practice driving with a trailer. “Before hitting the road, it’s a decent idea to practice accelerating, backing up, braking, making wide turns, and using your side view mirrors,” says AAA’s Bennett. This is often especially important if you’re brand-new to the art of towing a trailer behind your vehicle.
Disconnect wiring before launching a ship. Disconnect trailer’s wiring from the tow vehicle first before backing the trailer into the water at a ship launch. This may avoid any electrical problems that may arise from submerging the trailer’s lights within the water.
Check your route before time. “Some roads do not allow trailers on them, and certain roads even have height, weight, width limits,” says Mel Yu, CR’s automotive analyst. Planning your route sooner than time will prevent the effort of getting to backtrack to seek out roads that allow your rig.